Explored role of dress through observation and interviews of high school students. Examined adolescent dress in relation to public, private, and secret self. Obtained data on descriptions of various social types: average, punks, freaks, and nerds. Extreme social types appeared to offer valuable reference points for average adolescents in…

Describes and contrasts philosophical and methodological assumptions, goals, and data collection methods of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research on college student behavior. Provides brief illustrations of two qualitative studies of college students using interview methods, ethnomethodology, and conversation analysis. (Author/NB)

Describes practical problems and issues that arose during multisite and single site studies that used qualitative research methods. Studies described include study of student involvement in out-of-class learning opportunities at 14 institutions of higher education and study of what students learned as result of membership in National PanHellenic…

Defines qualitative research and describes the growing interest in its use in library literature. Differences between qualitative and quantitative research are explained; and qualitative research techniques are described, including direct observation for case studies, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and oral history. (14 references) (LRW)

The techniques of program evaluation parallel the historian's methods, which usually consist of mining both qualitative and quantitative sources. Test scores, questionnaires, and unobtrusive measures provide good quantitative data, whereas interviews supply important qualitative information. Researcher involvement in the project being assessed can…

Investigates indirect instructional leadership as demonstrated by a secondary high school principal. Uses data from a qualitative study of high school principals to present organizational factors that enhance the principal's ability to exert an indirect influence on instruction. Considers also the potential importance of indirect leadership…

Disputes Moon, Dillon, and Sprenkle's (1990) claims regarding advantages of qualitative methods and limitations of quantitative approaches for family therapy research. Supports role of qualitative research in theory development and concurs that exclusive allegiance to standard methods may limit attention to important family therapy processes; but…

The nature of inquiry and its relative novelty in the nursing profession pose unique considerations related to teaching qualitative research. These considerations and teaching methods are explored as they relate to theoretical underpinnings of qualitative research, phases of the research process, evaluation of proposals and dissertations, academic…

Investigates the uses, applications, and techniques of quantitative and qualitative research found in eight major communication journals from 1965 to 1989. Finds a lack of increase in qualitative research articles. (SR)

Draws on evolutionary biology to provide implications for the case study method, to promote a better understanding of contingency, and to confirm the status of case study. Argues that contingency unites the details that make the case portray part of a greater category and that make it a unique instance. (DSK)

Provides advice on conducting focus-group research in institutions of higher learning based on experiences with groups of university business-school students. Lists and discusses steps in focus group research, including determining research questions, determining sampling frames, selecting moderators, developing a discussion guide, recruiting…

Compares the qualitative method of grounded theory (GT) with Ranganathan's construction of faceted classifications (FC) in library and information science. Both struggle with a core problem--the representation of vernacular words and processes, empirically discovered, which will, although ethnographically faithful, be powerful beyond the single…

Outlines the development of a qualitative-research program on music learning. Reviews a series of research projects and their findings, and shows how each led to the evolution of new questions. Discusses the evolution of qualitative-research methods developed throughout the program and the value of collaboration between researchers. (DSK)

Provides a dialog about the evolution of qualitative research methodology and examines where it is headed in light of where it has been. Describes different phases in the development of qualitative research and briefly considers how qualitative research contributes to an understanding of educational phenomena and process. Suggests why such…

Responds to Eisner's discussion of the nature of research and the place of qualitative research. Advocates increased emphasis on the true experiment in educational research to provide evidence of the usefulness of educational practices. (SLD)