In this paper a model is offered that allows for the construction of a theoretical explanation on the basis of data accumulated in the field for the purpose of constructing a meaningful description. In this endeavour a distinction is proposed between two methods of theoretical analysis: first-order analysis and second-order analysis. First-order…

Method is usually viewed as completely separate from philosophy or theory, focusing instead on techniques and procedures of interviewing, focus groups, observation, or statistical analysis. Several texts on methodology published recently have added significant sections on philosophy, such as Creswell's (1998) Qualitative inquiry and research…

This is a revised version of the 2003 British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) Presidential Address delivered at the 7th Oxford International Conference on Education and Development. The processes of globalisation have been viewed by some as a major threat to the qualitative research tradition in education. Two main…

Promoting student epistemological development is seen as a goal of higher education. Further, the epistemological beliefs of instructors have been shown to affect their teaching beliefs and behaviors. Some argue that only when instructors are epistemologically advanced will they be able to engage in pedagogical activities that encourage student…

In this article, we report on our qualitative study involving eight individuals hired to transcribe research tapes in university contexts. We consider issues of data analysis and data trustworthiness and the implications for both when transcription is assigned to someone other than the researcher. We explore the challenges transcribers faced…

Interactive online diaries are a novel approach for evaluating project implementation and provide real-time communication between evaluation staff members and those implementing a program. Evaluation teams can guide the lines of inquiry and ensure that data are captured as implementation develops. When used together with conventional evaluation…

This paper considers some of the decisions that researchers take and raises issues around researcher reflexivity, identity, values and ethics. It focuses attention on researchers and reflects on how the research they do, the topics they investigate, the methodologies they espouse, the methods they use and the writing/reporting styles they adopt,…

This study explores the meaning of the death of a companion animal through autoethnographic poetry in conjunction with narrative reflections. This method expands the depth and scope of poetry in qualitative research by transforming expressive works into both the subject and product of inquiry.

One of the values of retrospective studies in bullying is that they give the "service-user" an opportunity to feed their experiences and suggestions back into the school system. This paper reports on the advice given to schools by a cross section of adults who were D/deaf (n = 35) during a qualitative, retrospective study on bullying that involves…

In the 1980s, a third methodological movement began in the social and behavioral sciences. This movement, known as mixed-methods research, is the focus of this article. Major issues related to mixed methodologies are discussed along with the strengths and weaknesses of this approach and various design typologies. Two mixed-methods studies related…

This paper reports the initial findings of an exploratory, qualitative study of the life and work of people who are working full-time and also caring for a child with chronic illness. The demands of such a lifestyle are significant. Respondents--all women--often reported "doing-it-all" while constantly being frustrated and challenged in…

This paper traces an experience of designing and conducting qualitative research in dance education. The primary aim is to highlight the importance of giving consideration to research methodologies in the emergence of personal research practice. Making decisions about what method/s to use will ultimately direct the engagement with any study,…

Research has increasingly focused on play as a social rather than a solitary domain. Play is a stage on which conflicts and wishes may be expressed to a responsive and containing other. As a group, late-adopted latency children show high levels of inhibition, regression and catastrophe in play, and adoptive parents may find this hard to engage…

This paper provides an overview of the search for a change framework that is suitable for use in a community college engaging in a major change process. A review of current literature looks at types of change in organizations and the imperatives for change facing community colleges today. A taxonomy is presented, giving an overview of the common…

Multicultural competence is a burgeoning area of research in counseling psychology. However, there has been little focus on understanding multicultural competence from the perspective of clients. This study used qualitative interviews and grounded theory to develop a model of clients' perspectives of multicultural counseling. The resulting model…