Argues that women are unaccounted for in most phenomenographic studies, for several reasons: most research has been conducted in fields and using samples in which women are underrepresented; the traditional disciplines of study are patriarchal; and the "outcome space" is defined in cognitive terms, neglecting the affective dimension…

Presents a roundtable discussion by researchers in business communication of research methodology issues. Discusses what is gained and lost when classifying data; how to proceed if journal reviewers ask contributors to rethink their methodology; whether methodology itself can be challenged; and how readership of a journal can impact methodological…

Eric Hanushek's conclusion that money does not matter in public education is debatable. His latest meta-analysis reviews many articles from economics journals, while omitting several published in education journals. He finds no relationship between test results and spending, yet labels schools inefficient. In other research, the Annie Casey…

Assesses techniques used by researchers to collect and analyze data on how people with visual impairments or blindness learn, understand, and think about geographic space. Recommendations are made for increasing the validity of studies, including the use of multiple, mutually supportive tests; larger samples; and real-world environments.…

Discusses the use of focus groups for conducting research with children, and presents a case study that used the focus group method in a child sexual abuse prevention program. Critiques the advantages and disadvantages of the use of focus groups with children for evaluative purposes. (Author/CR)

An analysis of 20 years of citations on research into scholarly communication to determine the degree of interdisciplinarity between sociology of science and information science concluded that sociologists and information scientists stay mostly in their own disciplines and that only network studies are shared by researchers in both fields.…

This article reassesses large-scale uncitedness, the proportion of articles that do not receive a single citation within five years of publication. Examines the problem of disaggregation in the measurement of uncitedness; reviews reactions of the popular press and scholars; provides a case study of uncitedness in "College & Research…

This response to a study by D. Strauss and T. Kastner, which compared mortality rates for individuals with mental retardation in either community or institutional settings, notes that all previous research on this subject had found institutional mortality rates higher than those in the community. Methodological concerns are raised about the study.…

Educators are often caught up in the problem of political agendas or funding driving educational research. Projects and proposals congruent with current trends or some agency's priority are often those that are funded. Institutional recognition in the form of promotion and salary increments is frequently focused on funded research. What, then, is…

Benefits and potential problems with formal college and university programs of Interinstitutional data sharing are examined from an institutional perspective and the perspective of the institutional researcher. Benefits include access to data, networking and consulting, efficiency, increased researcher visibility, and better understanding of…

Interviews with 1,435 urban, low-income African American and Hispanic youth about sexual experiences and behaviors revealed that interviewer age affected the reporting of sensitive behaviors. The strongest effects were observed for Hispanic women, who reported more sexual activity to younger interviewers. (Author/SV)

Illustrates some of the methodological problems, in relation to some pitfalls in the qualitative analysis, that are associated with gender, education, and discourse studies. Two studies are critically evaluated as a basis for further discussion: one from the primary education sector and the other from a further education perspective. (GR)

Describes a research project on mainstream versus segregated education for special needs students, exploring whether research with children necessarily raises unique questions about ethics and methods. Claims that main complications arise not from children's inabilities but from the position ascribed them in society, and gives reasons for…

Uses an exploratory study, "Children, Parents and Risk," to examine some ethical and methodological issues specific to child-focused research. Focuses on gatekeepers who control access to parents and children, and on the interview process, asserting that the research process itself constitutes an important source of data on models of…

Uses a qualitative study on children's perceptions of their emotional needs and well-being to illustrate methodological issues associated with actively engaging child subjects in research. Describes benefits of combining focus group discussions and individual interviews, and gives examples of a range of techniques that proved helpful. (EV)