Examined the beliefs about knowing and learning among six toddler caregivers as well as their conceptions of good caregiving. Found that two caregivers held relativistic epistemological beliefs and four held multiplistic and mixed epistemological beliefs. The latter group lacked the same degree of reflectivity as the former group. Caregivers with…

Emphasizes the importance of integrating qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in science education. Reviews literature in areas relevant to science education to show that researchers are far from advocating qualitative research as the only methodology. Concludes that competition between divergent approaches to research would provide…

Reports on a qualitative research study of the information-seeking behavior of historians. Investigates how they locate primary sources, carry out their research, and use archival materials; and identifies four different types of information-seeking activities, including orienting oneself to materials, seeking know materials, building contextual…

Questions efficacy of Department of Education's recent decision to support only studies using quantitative experimental research designs. Describes advantages of qualitative research. (Contains 23 references.) (PKP)

Guidelines are proposed to ensure rigor in case studies. Problem representation should be clear and consistent with the original intent of the research. The reader should be able to determine how the evidence was interpreted, conclusions reached, and judgments made. To increase the believability of the case study, the underlying assumptions must…

Describes national study of the attitudes and behaviors of middle and high school students who use the Internet. Finds that Internet-savvy students use the Internet as a virtual book and reference library, a tutor and study shortcut, a study group, a guidance counselor, and a locker, backpack, and notebook. Offers several explanations about the…

Reviews some of the literature on the concept of burnout; summarizes the common epistemologies of theories and models of burnout; presents a comparison of the interpretations that six Israeli women principals give of their experiences with burnout in midcareer with the common construction of burnout; analyzes findings in light of feminist…

Discusses reflective practice and suggests that participants in computer-mediated conferencing can be encouraged to engage in reflecting about onscreen experiences with the help of a trained moderator. Provides examples from Open University (United Kingdom) classes and concludes that reflective practice helps participants to learn online and…

Identifies metacommunication strategies with which preschool children negotiate meanings during dramatic play. Finds behaviors ranging from those which overtly expose the play frame to those which operate within the play frame. Proposes a system of implicit rules, indigenous to the child culture, which guide choice of strategy. (SR)

Presents the results of a study on organizational cultures in 20 units from 10 different organizations in Denmark and the Netherlands. The major project outcome is a 6-dimensional model of organizational cultures, defined as perceived practices. Labelling positions on the dimensions scales as more or less desirable is a matter of strategic choice.…

The principles of ethnography are explained and placed within the domain of social research. Qualitative research in communication is evaluated in terms of the role of interpretation in science, the balance of subjectivity and objectivity in social research, and beliefs about science in American culture. (Author/JDD)

The holistic approach to curriculum has four essential characteristics: (1) integrating questions about means and ends; (2) using many specific inquiry modes; (3) emphasizing conceptual questions; and (4) generating certain methodological and practical needs a holistic vision to make sense. Includes seven references. (MLH)

Considered are two commonly used techniques, the interview and word association techniques. Highlighted is a third technique called the repertory grid. This third technique can be used to interpret students' knowledge based on an explicit, psychological theory of human behavior. (Author/CW)

Critiques Erving Goffman's research on the experience of radio frames by providing the results of a complete empirical phenomenological analysis of Goffman's report on data. (RAE)

Field experiences with external (qualitative) evaluation audits based on the work of E. G. Guba and Y. S. Lincoln (1981, 1985) are detailed, including evaluation contexts and purposes, procedures, and findings. Such audits represent a viable meta-evaluative tool for assessing the quality of naturalistic evaluation results. (SLD)