Examines the potential for evidence-informed policy and practice (EIPP) in relation to educational leadership. Considers definitions, models, and factors promoting and inhibiting development of EIPP as a professional norm. Discusses two collaborative efforts to organize the validation stage of the EIPP cycle. (Contains 60 references.) (MLH)

A review of 913 studies involving students with learning disabilities found treatment outcomes were significantly affected by the following violations: teacher effects, establishing criterion levels of instructional performance, reliance on experimental measures, using different pretest and posttest measures, using a sample heterogeneous in age,…

Presentation of quantitative research on the family often suffers from a tendency to interpret findings on a statistical rather than substantive basis. Advocates the use of data analysis that lends itself to an intuitive understanding of the nature of the findings, the strength of the association, and the import of the result. (JPS)

The ascendant view in the current debate about education science -- experimentism -- is a reassertion of the randomized experiment as the methodological gold standard. Advocates of this view have ignored, not answered, long-standing criticisms of the randomized experiment: its frequent impracticality, its lack of external validity, its confinement…

This paper addresses issues in the use of facilitated communication with persons having severe communication impairments, including autism. The research on facilitation is summarized, indicating that the vast majority of studies have found no evidence of communication but have found evidence of facilitator influence on the communicator's response.…

In order to assess the methodological merit of the published research in educational administration based on surveys, the authors analyzed data from a random sample of 24 survey studies published in the "Education Administration Quarterly" and the "Journal of Educational Administration." Each article was evaluated according to…

Problems of developing countries that could be addressed with studies of time use are identified and associated methodological issues are discussed. Time use studies investigate how individuals allocate time among various activities. Such studies have revealed sex and age differences in time spent at work among adults and children of various…

This document is part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759. Addressing the problems of studying change and the change process, the report argues that sociologists should study coupled changes in qualitative and quantitative outcomes (e.g., marital status and earnings). The author presents a model for sociological studies of change in…

This document is part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759. The chapter examines the merits of four estimators in the causal analysis of event-histories (data giving the number, timing, and sequence of changes in a categorical dependent variable). The four procedures are ordinary least squares, Kaplan-Meier least squares, maximum…

Examines some of the intentions that guided research into story structure, considers some of the validity problems inherent in the research, and outlines some flaws in instructional practices resulting from misinterpretations of it. Concludes with some suggestions for using story structures as a teaching tool. (FL)

Reports on a review of empirical research reports submitted over the past several years to the "American Journal of Distance Education" that identified common analytic problems and errors often overlooked by distance education researchers. Topics discussed include significance testing; assessment issues, including reliability and…

This paper explores the reasonableness of expecting conventional experimental methodologies and research reports on behavioral interventions for persons with developmental disabilities to both support the validity of promising practices and guide the efforts of practitioners to implement those practices. New directions for research and practice…

Discusses an ethical dilemma that emerged in a study with bereaved college students. The instruments used to gather data clearly elicited grief-related distress, and more bereaved students in control groups left the study than did participants in social support groups. Three alternatives to a traditional control-group design are discussed for…

Synthesizes findings from 36 studies that validated the Dunn and Dunn Model of Learning-Style Preferences. Questions are raised regarding the validity of the model, the nature of the literature base, the interpretation of the meta-analytic findings, and the conclusions. The article concludes that the model has not been adequately validated.…

Describes "Studying Children in Context" as a reader- friendly book that situates studying children within the process of conducting qualitative research. Notes strengths including discussion of ethics and methods of data generation and organization, and inclusion of case studies that illuminate researchers' struggles. Notes limitations…