States that recent emphasis on reflexivity has caused cross-cultural researchers to reexamine their methods and underlying assumptions. Examines the impact of cultural factors on quantitative/qualitative research methodologies, specifically, the impact of cultural values, political constraints, educational level of informants, and context.…

Meta-analysis is often assumed to be the sine qua non of quantitative research. However, face validity of published meta-analyses in emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD), as in other areas, can be substantially impacted by the information supplied. The quality of information reported, therefore, can also have important implications for theory…

The present study explored the ways in which the production of digital media, specifically podcasts (i.e., downloadable digital audio files), rooted in the key tenets of critical literacy, can support education for democracy, in addition to the overall benefits and barriers of podcasting in an elementary classroom. The project can be considered a…

Teachers are being encouraged to use observational strategies for a variety of professional purposes in assessment and evaluation. Observation differs from just "looking" in that the personal experience of looking is transformed into a public event by the systematic recording of what is seen and by subsequent analysis and interpretation.…

This paper presents a review of the literature on reliability in qualitative studies. Reliability is defined as the extent to which studies can be replicated, using the same methods, and getting the same results. It is the degree to which data are independent of the accidental circumstances of the research. The review includes the following three…

Computer software that is intended to assist the qualitative researcher in the analysis of textual data is relatively new. One such program, the Data Collector, is a HyperCard computer program designed for use on the Macintosh computer. A tool for organizing and analyzing textual data obtained from observations, interviews, surveys, and other…

Describes how the collection, analysis, and reporting of qualitative data from a research project examining the implementation of microcomputers in classrooms was facilitated by using a microcomputer. The use of hypertext to create a unified relational database is described, and implications of hypermedia for qualitative research are suggested.…

Highlights the importance of and tensions surrounding trust in qualitative inquiry, examining how lessons learned from one experience problematize conventional wisdom about how fieldworkers establish and maintain trust with respondents during fieldwork and writing, and concluding that good data collection can stem from spontaneous and chaotic…

Triangulation involves the careful reviewing of data collected through different methods in order to achieve a more accurate and valid estimate of qualitative results for a particular construct. This paper describes how we used three qualitative methods of data collection to study attitudes of students toward graphing, hands-on activities, and…

Qualitative research methodologies comprise distinct traditions, each of which is based on its own assumptions and discrete methods for collecting, analyzing and reporting data. This paper examines a distinctive approach to qualitative research that was employed in a recent study to open a gateway to understanding the impact of the shootings at…

This study is an action research based both on quantitative and qualitative research techniques carried out with a group of fifth grade students in K"r,ehir during the 2003-2004 education year. In the study, the main purpose was to improve historical time concept and chronology perceptions among fifth grade students. Students' interests, reactions…

Outlines the seven stages of the Research Activity Timeline (RAT) data collection/analysis technique which structures the research interview around a discussion of participants' current specific work projects. Illustrates the use of RAT through results of the Information Access Project, which examined the use of information technology-assisted…

Diary studies in language teaching are first-person case studies in which the diarist-researcher investigates his/her own language learning or teaching through by recording personal observations. A diary study of a teacher of English for Academic Purposes II is described, including data collection, procedures, and problems. (10 references) (LB)

In education research, a polar distinction is frequently made to describe and produce different kinds of research: "quantitative" versus "qualitative." In this article, the authors argue against that polarization and the associated polarization of the "subjective" and the "objective," and they question the attribution of generalizability to only…

This study examined pathways to retirement and the role of circumstances at work and at home (including the introduction of financially-enhanced early retirement schemes) on retirement-related decision-making. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted within 2 years of retirement with 59 British civil servants participating in the Whitehall…