The major aim of teacher appraisal is to develop teachers in order to improve their delivery in schools. The effectiveness of the process of teacher appraisal is, however, dependent on the perceptions of the teachers themselves. Since the expansion of the education system of Botswana in the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of the cardinal reforms,…

This guide provides an introduction to the use of microcomputers with qualitative data. It is deliberately non-specific and rudimentary in order to be of maximum benefit to the widest possible audience of beginning microcomputer users who wish to analyze their data using software that is not specifically designed for qualitative data analysis. The…

A historical perspective on and substantive review of the concept of invariance are provided. Progress made toward solving measurement problems related to invariance is also assessed. Two major classes of invariant measurement are described: (1) sample-invariant item calibration; and (2) item-invariant measurement of individuals. The work of S. S.…

This paper examines those aspects of qualitative and quantitative research that might reasonably count towards effective educational research. The problem is addressed by examining their philosophical differences, their pursuit of objectivity, their approach to values, and the pursuit of reliability and validity. The possibility of rapproachment…

The purpose of this study is to illustrate how the combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods were necessary in obtaining within this society a clearer understanding of incest. The paper opens with a report of studies carried out on natural father and stepfather incestuous families, and this opens up the issue of the appropriateness of…

The current debate about quantitative and qualitative research methods focuses on whether there is a necessary connection between method-type and research paradigm that makes the different approaches incompatible. This paper argues that the connection is not so much logical as rhetorical. Quantitative methods express the assumptions of a…

This paper critiques the methodology used for television audience research by David Morley for his study, "The Nationwide Audience," in which he attempts to systematically determine relationships between the various ways in which different audience groups make sense of television programs and the social relations that define their material…

Only eight recent studies clearly fit the parameters of qualitative research on self-directed learning. Four of the studies appear to fit the more traditional notion of what the qualitative paradigm is all about, in that they are exploratory in nature. The remaining four studies focus more on the expansion of earlier ideas that had been generated…

This study explores an approach to the evaluation of expert system shells using case studies. The methodology and some of the results of an evaluation of the prototype development of an expert system using the shell "M1" are detailed, including a description of the participants and the project, the data collection process and materials,…

The purpose of this research was to develop, test, and demonstrate a systematic methodology of triangulation. Triangulation is a technique used to establish credibility of data gathered in qualitative ways. Triangulated conclusions are more stable than any of the individual vantage points from which they were triangulated. Using a previous study…

As educators become more interested in the use of qualitative methods, a major concern is the management of the large amounts of textual data during analysis. The efficiency and possibly the effectiveness of manual systems, i.e., color-coded index cards and wall-mounted systems, are reduced as the amount of textual data increases. An emerging…

Analogical reasoning and learning applied to the task of constructing qualitative explanations for physical phenomena are the subjects of this investigation. Two issues are addressed. The first is how analogies are elaborated to sanction new inferences about a novel situation. This issue is adddressed by contextual structure-mapping, a…

This paper situates the institution of copyright in the historical context of the rise of capitalism. The purpose is to provide a critical analysis of the philosophy of copyright and of the received history of copyright. A class analysis of copyright reveals the essential nature of copyright as the basis for the private ownership of intellectual…

This paper reports research in progress. The purpose of this study was to examine the growing variety of research emerging in distance education and to suggest a method for synthesizing the results. Over 60 articles, representing both quantitative and qualitative studies published in major journals during the past two years, have been abstracted…

Some of the metaphors that continue to guide educators' ways of understanding classroom life and education research have conceptual boundaries and limitations. These metaphors are referred to as Cartesian in order to locate them historically and within a cultural setting. The first type of metaphor serves as a conduit of language, in which…