Discusses (in a special issue on the topic of criteria for the admissibility of evidence) the contributions and limitations of conversation analysis and postmodernism toward the enterprise of ethnographic research. Proposes criteria for qualitative data to be admissible as evidence for claims about social life and for a qualitative study to count…

Discusses (in a special issue on criteria for the admissibility of evidence in communication research) the use of personal experience in feminist scholarship. Discusses two tenets of feminist scholarship: women's perceptions, meanings, and experiences are taken seriously; and such information cannot be understood within theories developed without…

Reacts to commentary by Otto and Atkinson concerning MacEwen and Barling's 1991 article on effects of maternal employment experiences on children's behavior. Argues that analyses reported in original article did appropriately test hypotheses outlined in paper and that conclusions were appropriate and substantively similar to conclusions presented…

Notes that creating focus which leads to formulating a thesis is a task with which many writers have trouble. Describes a process model of conceptual development that helps students gain confidence in abstracting, conceptualizing, and formulating a thesis. (NH)

Explores the role of theory in strengthening causal interpretations in nonexperimental research. Evaluators must conduct theory-driven research, concentrating on "small theory," in that the focus is on the explanation of processes specific to the program being evaluated. Theory-guided treatment research must be programmatic and…

The mythical purity of research and scientific method leads to limited practice. Teacher researchers should question the universality of findings and recognize their position as researchers and as classed, raced, and gendered subjects, moving the focus away from policymakers and toward a wider constituency. (SK)

Employs a systems perspective to assess progress in incorporating the concept of feedback into a coherent theory of communication in social interaction. Assesses fundamental differences between definitions of feedback as an object and as a process. Identifies conceptual, theoretical, and empirical treatments associated with those definitions.…

Supports the assertion that constructivism is a sound theory that explains the practice of science and science pedagogy, and responds to critics of constructivism. Offers a constructivist account of some long-standing epistemological issues. Contains 40 references. (DDR)

Reviews and discusses the basic dimensions of Bowlby's theory of infant attachment. Provides an overview of the basic definitions and propositions of his theory, in addition to the clinical applications of his theory to the field of early education and intervention with at-risk children and their families. (EV)

Describes some well-known theories and concepts of student motivation and how they relate to library and information skills instruction. Illustrations of the integration and application of motivation models to library and information skills instruction are given, and some relevant areas for future research on motivation in this context are…

Highlights the old but important debate about the difference between statistical significance and the practical or educational value of research findings. Argues for proper reporting of quantitative research using meta-analysis methods developed in the 1970s. Contains 53 references. (DDR)

Discusses the "communication hypothesis" of problem behavior and describes methods for determining the communicative functions served by problem behavior. Reports on application of functional assessment and functional communication training with toddlers. (DB)

Reviews contemporary theorizing on school leadership, highlighting transformational styles, and overviews (British) governmental policies for school leadership and improvement. Reviews current research on primary heads' views of the headship. Although the primary headship is being transformed, it is not becoming transformational. Policymakers have…

Examines the concept of number sense in mathematics learning, compares this concept to that of phonological awareness in reading, and urges application of existing research to improving mathematics instruction for students with mathematical disabilities. Reviews research on building automaticity with basic facts, adjusting instruction to address…

Important contributions of "Individual Psychology" to marriage and family counseling are examined. Through "open forum family counseling," a framework is provided for infusing these ideas into training family practitioners. Key concepts, assessment techniques, strategies to help individuals understand their own family of…