In a nonrandomized or observational study, propensity scores may be used to balance observed covariates and trajectory groups may be used to control baseline or pretreatment measures of outcome. The trajectory groups also aid in characterizing classes of subjects for whom no good matches are available and to define substantively interesting groups…

This study investigated self-presentation bias in the self-reports of teachers about their practices in six topic areas in educational technology (Instructional Design, Assessment, Learner-Centered Instruction, Curriculum Alignment, Attitudes about Computers, and Use of Computers with Students). Subjects were 50 middle-school teachers. Data were…

This paper reviews the development of attribution theory as it relates to sport from Fritz Heider's original model of attribution theory in 1958 to the present. The original model explains that individuals use four attribution factors to interpret and predict the outcome of an event--ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck. Bernard Weiner built…

In the educational literature, responses to surveys commonly serve as the source of data for many empirical articles. Whenever a survey is used as a source of data, the response rate can greatly affect the potential generalizability of the findings. Using Monte Carlo methods, this study examined the effects on sample estimates of the population…

A current movement in qualitative research is a preoccupation with representation of the "other" (Denzin and Lincoln 1994). Feminists, critical theorists and postmodernists have questioned the dominant, legitimized social order and remained sensitive to the multiple issues related to and emanating from power. This paper briefly reviews the…

A generation ago, Fred N. Kerlinger proposed that there were a number of myths that pervaded educational research. An overview of three specific myths is presented, followed by a discussion of the degree to which these myths have been overcome or still exist in educational research. The first of these myths, the "methods" myth, is…

The serious problems associated with the use of stepwise methods are well documented. Various authors have leveled scathing criticisms against the use of stepwise techniques, yet it is not uncommon to find these methods continually employed in educational and psychological research. The three main problems with stepwise techniques are: (1)…

This review focuses on the effects of multiple contacts with respondents on studies of response rates to mail surveys. After screening articles on research criteria, such as the presence of original research and sufficient reporting detail, 28 studies remained of the original 208 identified. The difference in response rate between treatment and…

Given that theory is a crucial component of path analysis and that major theories in the social sciences either directly or by inference assume interaction, it appears that interaction has to be considered in path analytic models that reflect those theories. The use of interaction within the framework of path analytic methodology is investigated…

For a researcher with a serious interest in studying popular culture, the collective negligence of the entertainment industries, the scholarly community, and the government is a given, but some action to preserve American mass media artifacts can be undertaken. Contrary to the myth of unlimited access to information, certain regions of the public…

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…

The problems of studying families arise from the difficulty in studying systems in which there are multiple elements interacting with each other and with the child. This book attests to the growing sophistication of the conceptualization and measurement techniques for understanding family processes. Chapters in the first part of the book,…

Goals and challenges pertaining to infant sensory and perceptual development are discussed. It is suggested that the inability of researchers to think and talk wisely about "partial accomplishments" in development creates a barrier in developmental research. Conceptual schemes are needed to accommodate these partial accomplishments. Three major…

A review was conducted of the research on error detection studies completed with children, adolescents, and young adults to determine at what age children begin to detect errors in texts. The studies were grouped according to the subjects' ages. The focus of the review was on the following aspects of each study: the hypothesis that guided the…

Concerned with imprecision in researchers' use of the word, "interpretive," this report draws from the work of Max Weber to describe the characteristics of an interpretive science of organizational communication and then briefly lists some advantages of following the interpretive approach. First examining the role of subjective meaning…