Examines Peter Woods' argument for "phase two" ethnographic research which involves"leaps of (theoretical) imagination" and "hypothesis formation and testing." Concludes that current theories are not improved upon and that instead of further research, major reassessment and reconstruction of ethnographic practice must…

Replying to a critique of his "phase two" ethnographic research, Woods states that testing studies in the manner that Hammersley advocates would be inappropriate and counter-productive. More "phase two" work with reflection on existing material rather than investigation of new areas is recommended. Cautions against systematic…

Replying to Woods' analysis of his original critique, Hammersley lists four points of disagreement: (1) what counts as theory development; (2) phases of theory development; (3) the nature of theory testing; and (4) whether theory development and testing is an achievable goal. (GEA)

Research on perceptual and cognitive capacities of the newborn has revealed that state variables typically interfere with or override the neonate's attentional and stimulus processing tendencies. This finding argues for the power of early state variables as behavioral determinants and, further, that neonatal state measures might provide good…

The importance of addressing the political dynamics inherent in any evaluation research process is discussed. The theoretical orientation contributing to the denial and avoidance of politics is articulated and contrasted with one which posits politics as normative and useful. (Author/LMO)

The authors critically examine the analysis by Hull, Friedman, and Roger finding that deskilling and heightened alienation are not necessarily the outcomes of increased technology. The authors suggest that the outcome of technological change be approached as an indeterminate process shaped by prevailing relations between workers and management.…

The paper reviews limitations in social skills research with mentally retarded persons, noting problems in conceptual development, validation of social skills objectives, and generalization. The most serious limitation identified is the failure to demonstrate that community integration and adjustment can be enhanced through training. (CL)

Examined the validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) subscale in diagnosing older prisoner of war (POW) veterans. Results indicated that the PTSD subscale can be generalized to older veterans. PTSD was more common among POWs from the Pacific theater than those from Europe, however, the…

The discussion of the history of learning disabilities, emphasizes the lack of a precise definition and the ambiguous nature of etiological duration, and incidence explanations. He asserts that the teacher-therapist must become the major focus of study and research. (CL)

Examines the schism of values between qualitative and quantitative social science researchers. Focuses on some practical methodological issues which face researchers wishing to adopt a qualitative-interpretive approach. (JDH)

Presents results of two studies supporting the hypothesis that attribution of more aggression to boys may be a function of observer bias. Reports that some forms of instruction eliminate sex-typed biases while others yield significant biases. Discusses implications pertaining to the socialization of aggression and to research on sex differences in…

Reviews the changing characteristics of school effectiveness research from the 1950's to the 1980's, noting conceptual and methodological problems plaguing the research. States that future studies should define school effectiveness more carefully and thoroughly, and adopt more sophisticated research techniques for identifying process variables.…

The author explores how researchers' mishandling of abstract constructs, and their linear and atomistic epistemology, serve to further obscure the field of learning disabilities. The alternative suggested involves viewing the problem from an orientation of process, context, and relationship. (Author/CL)

This article reviews the agricultural research evaluation literature in an effort to assess the extent of coverage in this area. Coverage breakdowns with respect to evaluation approaches, types of research, and products and production processes are presented. Results suggest that there has been limited coverage of research undertaken in…

The minimum number of points required for continuous scaled variables before the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (PPMCC) ceases to be an accurate estimate if their original correlation coefficient is five. Results also indicated that the PPMCC obtained by using transformed discrete ordinal-level variables tended to underestimate the…