The paper examines the various ways that qualitative researchers can use and interpret numbers, official statistics, and other quantitative data. It puts forth the position that qualitative researchers, in their quest for understanding, have too often viewed official statistics with only a cursory or descriptive analysis without deeper reflection…

An experiment is deemed to be valid, inasmuch as valid cause-effect relationships are established, if the results are due only to the manipulated independent variable (possess internal validity) and are generalizable to groups, environments, and contexts outside of the experimental settings (possess external validity). Consequently, all…

Ethnographic research should not be limited by categorization and typology. Disciplined self-reflection can enrich such studies through systemic examination that can lead to new insights. (SK)

Interviews can facilitate exploration of one's own world; interviewers can describe how their construction of the world differs from those of their respondents. The subjectivity of the qualitative interview makes discovery possible. (SK)

Describes essential features of qualitative research paradigm and encourages further development of that paradigm in the field of family therapy. Delineates and illustrates typical characteristics of qualitative research designs, discusses possible applications of qualitative paradigm to research issues in family therapy, and examines potential…

Qualitative research offers access to an understanding of the ways in which people interpret their everyday experiences. It is appropriate for home economists to be able to evaluate and use the results of this mode of inquiry. (JOW)

Deals with issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research in education. Discusses philosophical assumptions underlying the concepts of internal validity, reliability, and external validity or generalizability. Presents strategies congruent with a qualitative research perspective for ensuring the rigor and trustworthiness of findings.…

Examines the experience of leaving Protestant Fundamentalism via qualitative analysis of transcribed interviews with disaffected fundamentalists. Describes the analytic process. Suggests and outlines a series of seven phases or themes to describe the experience. Discusses implications for counseling and topics for further research. Includes 22…

Describes the development of the UNIMARC authorities format for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and evaluates the conversion of USMARC bibliographic records to UNIMARC. Record structures are explained, and data conversion using authority records from RLIN (the Research Libraries Information Network) is…

Suggests that the choice of validity procedures in qualitative inquiry is governed by two perspectives: the lens researchers choose to validate their studies and the researchers' paradigm assumptions. The article advances a two-dimensional framework to help researchers identify appropriate validity procedures for their studies. Nine validity…

Summarizes the distinctions between qualitative and quantitative research and shows their complementary aspects. Shows there is no contradiction or conflict between the qualitative and the quantitative and discusses Rasch measurement as the construction tool of quantitative research. (SLD)

The purpose of this article is to explore the recent qualitative research movement in South Korea: its initiation, challenges and ultimate acceptance. Intellectual achievements are reviewed extensively to provide Western readers with a better understanding of Korean scholarship in qualitative studies. To prepare the manuscript, related literature…

Two British authors reflect on the current state of qualitative research, viewed as a battlefield through roiling smoke. From a UK perspective they reflect on the perceived crisis in qualitative research in the United States. They also suggest that there are four important features that good qualitative research should rely on: problematizing…

Handheld wireless transponders, commonly referred to as "clickers", are similar to standard household remote controls. The present study advances a dialogue in the literature about the specific ways in which clickers may be effectively used in the classroom. The present study was a survey of 516 students who were using clickers in a…

While there is no absolute deterrent of school violence, West Virginia has taken definitive steps to try to ensure safety in our public schools. Since the launch of the Safe School initiative in 1995, training for principals, teachers and school personnel on crisis intervention and management plans have been ongoing. Students have undergone…