Innacurate sample data and uncertain estimates are defined as obstacles to assessing the suicide rate among college students. A standardization of research and reporting services is recommended. (JMF)

Addresses concerns about the trustworthiness of research results derived from image-based data, particularly questions of validity assessment. Compares examples of such research to provide an illustration of these issues. Presents a tentative strategy for ensuring trustworthiness based on five criteria: completeness, interpretive adequacy,…

Notes that problems of measurement in educational research are often addressed by using the terms validity and reliability. Discusses the meaning given to these terms and how they relate to the aims of the measurement process in educational research. (RKM)

Discusses the importance of establishing the reliability of independent observers' judgments. Argues that the percentage of agreement measure is more difficult to interpret than are correlation measures. Recommends that the field of literacy research adopt correlation as the standard method for estimating the reliability of observers' judgments.…

Until recently, norms of experimental reasoning have lacked systematic theoretical development. Thus, it has been easy for psychologists like Tversky and Kahneman to misclassify certain human reasoning processes as being Pascalian and invalid, rather than as being Baconian and valid. (CP)

Raises questions about the validity and reliability of doing research online via the proliferation of academic databases. Finds different versions of the Lexis-Nexis database have differing search capabilities. Argues that dependence on database research findings means dependence on decisions made by a few people who design search engines and…

Intends to sketch the research climate in Egypt in such a way that will have relevance to conducting research in the broader developing world. Explains that the problems encountered doing research in Egypt can be expected to occur in most developing countries, not only in Egypt. (CMK)

The trend of student evaluation of college faculty performance is documented, and implications for humanization of the university are considered. Research in the area of teacher evaluation is cited, and it is proposed that reviews of the literature on student evaluations indicate by and large that student ratings are reliable and valid, even…

Richard F. Thompson and Michael G. Southwell separately discuss William J. McCleary's article on reliability and validity problems in composition research (see EJ 210 755); Chris Madigan questions the data on composing processes of freshman writers reported by Sharon Pianko (see EJ 204 419); and C. T. Patrick Diamond examines the issue of the…

Research on the effectiveness and use of college students' evaluation of faculty is reviewed. It is suggested that the research shows student feedback has a minimal effect on instructional improvement at the university level. (MH)

It is argued that research testing the reliability and validity of college and university reputational studies should be conducted, a concern not raised by consumers and publishers. Two studies of "America's Best Colleges," published by "U.S. News and World Report," raise questions about the guide's validity and suggest that…

Discusses a history professor's attempt to awaken students' interest by assigning an oral history project rather than a traditional research paper. Reports that adding to the personal dimension to the project increased students enthusiasm and introduced them to problems of historical research and historiography. Includes problems of reliability…

Debate grows over the validity and reliability of college and university rankings, which judge rather than describe institutions, as the public's willingness to accept them increases. While many institutional characteristics can be measured, measurement methods need improvement. One solution is to publish the peer studies that the institutions…

A survey of respondents and nonrespondents to the Vocational Education Data System's follow-up survey of Massachusetts community college graduates was designed to measure response bias. The survey investigated employment patterns, wages, and degree of job relatedness. Results suggest original data was biased, if at all, toward underestimation, not…

State practices affecting the reporting of Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) data were surveyed. Although all but three states coordinated the HEGIS collection and reporting effort for at least some group of institutions in the state, the survey revealed a relatively weak state role in editing the data collected from the…