One of the most prevalent visual impairments of people aged 60 and older is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which ranks third globally as a cause of visual impairment (World Health Organization, 2006). The purpose of this study was to conduct a tentative subjective assessment of eccentric viewing by persons with AMD. The authors recruited…

"Change Matters," written by leading scholars committed to social justice in English education, provides researchers, university instructors, and preservice and inservice teachers with a framework that pivots social justice toward policy. The chapters in this volume detail rationales about generating social justice theory in what Freire calls "the…

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe experienced counselors' explanations of how they become aware of and deal with countertransference reactions in their practice. A qualitative, descriptive method was used. Five Canadian counselors with a minimum experience of 10 years each were investigated. They worked in public agencies or…

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a general framework for qualitatively analyzing the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) extended constructed-response questions. The framework dimensions were based on information about the NAEP extended questions and linked to important ideas in mathematics education and…

Making diagrams of the relationships among data is not a new idea: however, the utility of computerized hypertext techniques makes the task more feasible, on a wider scale of data. Data maps using "EntryWay" (a hypertext editing program) were made based on qualitative data from eight different research projects, including: a discourse…

"Thick descriptions" are descriptions that are layered enough to draw conclusions and uncover the intentions of a given act, event, or process. In a video environment, thick descriptions are images, gestures, or sequences that convey meaning. Neither the quantity nor the resolution of the images makes the descriptions thick. Thickness is…

Different types of interviews serve different purposes; however, they all share a common goal of collecting data in different situations. The data may be factual in generating quantitative input for a research project, attitudinal in gauging public acceptance of a proposed educational policy, or used in gaining a better understanding of a certain…

This paper examines the philosophical and methodological perspectives of qualitative research and the guiding principles of confluent education. The paper presents issues, concerns, and criticisms of both paradigms and discusses areas for their mutual support and improvement. Qualitative research has established itself as a research methodology…

This study used an oral history method to collect data from contemporary citizens who grew up in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. The primary purpose of the study was to gather historical evidence from those eras and identify participants' life themes and values. A secondary purpose was to implement interdisciplinary collaboration…

A qualitative research approach was used to investigate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) educational efforts in achieving scientific literacy through mass media and other communication technologies. Six in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with various NASA education and public affairs officers throughout the…

This paper describes and explains how journal writing may be used as a qualitative research technique in long-term qualitative studies. Journal writing has a long and reliable history in the arts and humanities, and it provides qualitative researchers with a powerful heuristic tool. The notion of a comprehensive reflective journal to address the…

Qualitative research evokes rather stereotyped responses from the mainstream of social science. The following 10 standardized responses to the stimulus "qualitative research interview" (QRI) are discussed: (1) it is not scientific, only common sense; (2) it is not objective, but subjective; (3) it is not trustworthy, but biased; (4) it is not…

The distinction between qualitative and quantitative modes of research has become fashionable in recent years. Few accounts, however, clarify the distinction. This paper, then, is a contribution to the quality/quantity debate. It locates the origins and basis of such distinction in a split between "natural history" and "hypothetico-deductive"…

This paper begins by reviewing the results of research on the potential of adjunct questions for teaching both rote recall and intellectual skills, i.e., concept learning, problem solving, and rule learning. It is argued that greater understanding of what kinds of questions best support intellectual skills learning will promote effective…

As part of a major effort towards the documentation of teachers' roles, in a project (Toledo Support Teachers Program) aimed towards their restructuring, one female science teacher was observed using ethnographic techniques while performing her daily work as a teacher, department head, support teacher during the winter and spring of 1989. The…