Offers suggestions for proper procedures for authors to use--and some pitfalls to avoid--when writing studies using factor analysis methods. Discusses distinctions among different methods of analysis, the adequacy of factor structure, and other notes of caution. Encourages authors to ensure that their research is statistically sound. (RJM)

Too many practitioners interpret ABAB research based on visual inspection rather than statistical analysis. Based on an experiment using cooperative learning to mainstream autistic students, hypothetical data for one student from an ABAB reversal design are used to illustrate the techniques and importance of regression analyses. Discussion focuses…

In arts-based research, the mode of inquiry through an art form generates new insights that would not have been revealed through a traditional written format. Three sets of criteria for evaluating arts-based research are presented that privilege the written word. Additional criteria are offered for visual arts-based research. (Contains 22…

Examines the measurement system established at Mississauga Transit as an example of an organization that has utilized measurement information for performance improvement purposes by establishing formalized feedback mechanisms aligned with divisional strategic goals. Describes a framework that facilitated the interpretation and use of data by…

Describes how to report test data to parents and the news media. Provides examples from the Evergreen School District in Vancouver, Washington. Includes specific suggestions on how to work with reports. (PKP)

Suggests communication auditors should be thought of as skilled and committed listeners to and within organizational communication processes. Distinguishes between functionalism and interpretivism in organizational communication. Describes a project based on a collaboration between scholars in sociolinguistics and organizational communication.…

Notes the need for researcher accountability in qualitative analysis, examining strategies used in working with doctoral students and offering suggestions for assessing and publicly disclosing the methodological rigor and analytical defensibility of qualitative research. Introduces tabular strategies for use in documenting the relationship between…

Discusses students' ability to make correct judgments about the accuracy of information they read and describes a study of secondary school students that was designed to determine the value of headings and outlines in detecting false statements in text. Treatments for the experimental and control groups are described. (18 references) (LRW)

Develops basic concepts of generalizability theory using hypothetical study of reliability of scores of vocational interest inventory. Asserts that generalizability theory makes it possible to consider all possible sources of unreliability simultaneously and to design optimal decision-making study. (NB)

Notes that intergenerational theories of family functioning sparked interest in empirical investigations that test intergenerational relationships. Presents test of difference scores enabling researchers to compare related and unrelated dyads, thus creating comparison group when using only two generations. Contrasts procedure with correlational…

Analysis of United Kingdom Labor Force Survey data identified inadequacies and ambiguities that change prevailing interpretations. Policy development could benefit from improvements in collection and interpretation of data on training, as well as from more research on its costs and benefits. (SK)

Many students have difficulties in interpreting position versus time graphs. Presents an activity involving calculator-based motion labs that allows students to bring these graphs to life by turning their own motion into a graph that can be analyzed, investigated, and interpreted in terms of how they actually moved. (ASK)

Presents an activity using national achievement data to involve students in a project on data collection and statistics while learning about their attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics. This activity presents a good opportunity to talk about various interpretations of data and allows students to examine and discuss their attitudes about…

Presents different real-world mathematics activities on data display and data analysis with pie charts from different time periods. (ASK)

Highlights effective graphical methods for screening and cleaning data, exploring and identifying models, and displaying data in counseling-psychology publications. Argues that graphs are not ancillary to scientific publications but are essential and, in some cases, sufficient expositions of results. (Author/GCP)