Scholars increasingly rely on indirect questioning techniques to reduce social desirability bias and item nonresponse for sensitive survey questions. The major drawback of these approaches, however, is their inefficiency relative to direct questioning. We show how to improve the statistical analysis of the list experiment, randomized response…

States' commitments to tackling long standing inequities have been stifled by missing data, long delays, insufficient data-analysis tools, and the excessive reporting burden placed on states and institutions. If states hope to achieve their completion and equity goals, they need access to data that does not leave them guessing--so they can…

"It worked there. Will it work here?" We have to be able to identify the "it" in that aphoristic question. Classifications of teaching methods belong in the social realm, where human intentions play a fundamental role in how phenomena are categorized. The social realm is characterized with the help of John Searle. Social…

This paper discusses some of the recurrent issues which the authors have noticed in educational research. These might be concerned with the nature of social science research, such as its representation of the reality of student learning, the role for replication studies, and the tolerance for disagreements. There are also issues related to the…

Much contemporary ethnography hopes to engage with a community to justify social critique. Whether from problem selection, interpersonal rewards, or a desire for exchange, researchers often take the "side" of informants. Such an approach, linked to "public ethnography," marginalizes a once-traditional approach to fieldwork,…

Participatory research actively engages participants in some or all stages of the research process -- from deciding on scope and problem statement to actively collecting data to disseminating results and effecting change. Considering the shifting roles of participants and researchers in participatory ageing research, to the academic, participatory…

When data for multiple outcomes are collected in a multilevel design, researchers can select a univariate or multivariate analysis to examine group-mean differences. When correlated outcomes are incomplete, a multivariate multilevel model (MVMM) may provide greater power than univariate multilevel models (MLMs). For a two-group multilevel design…

The content of research methods courses in tertiary education, as revealed by popular textbooks, tends to focus largely on procedural aspects of research investigations. Although following proper procedures is essential for reaching valid and reliable outcomes, there is another attribute of good quality research that is often missing from research…

This article provides a review of the contemporary instructional leadership research base in Malaysia. The core aim of this review is to assess the recent knowledge base on instructional leadership in Malaysia and to evaluate its current contribution to the existing international literature. The article explores a range of published material that…

This paper discusses some of the recurrent issues which the authors have noticed in educational research. These might be concerned with the nature of social science research, such as its representation of the reality of student learning, the role for replication studies, and the tolerance for disagreements. There are also issues related to the…

Since the first descriptions of design research (DR), there have been calls to better define it to increase its rigour. Yet five uncertainties remain: (1) the processes for conducting DR, (2) how DR differs from other forms of research, (3) how DR differs from design, (4) the products of DR, and (5) why DR can answer certain research questions…

An increasing effort has been put into dealing with the question of time-series analysis regarding institutional efficiency, including in the area of higher education. Universities are important institutions for economies and societies and are expected to provide excellence as well as efficiency in their processes and outputs. This is reflected in…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the methodological challenges in the design and implementation of an emotionally sensitive topic involving research with adolescents based on a study evaluating the experiences of adolescents and families facing a diagnosis of maternal cancer. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual paper…

In this paper, we explore Lawrence Stenhouse's provocation that too much research has been conducted for the world and not enough for the village. This provocation has taken on additional significance in contemporary global policy contexts where neoliberal systems of governance incorporate discourses of educational effectiveness, measurement,…

As a result of the evidence-based decision-making movement, the number of randomized trials evaluating educational programs and curricula has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. Policy makers and practitioners are encouraged to use the results of these trials to inform their decision making in schools and school districts. At the same…