Draws on research in cultural anthropology and cultural psychology to place the current movement toward qualitative methods of inquiry in historical perspective. Asserts that a new methodology of achievement motivation--one that seeks to identify the cultural and personal meanings of educational performance through methods that clarify its…

Reports case study research is essentially concerned with providing credible representations of reality. Notes the possibility of using audio, photo, and video media. Argues for a key theoretical resource, a set of ideas developed around the idea of a case record. (BT)

Observations on qualitative manuscripts submitted for publication identified problem areas: organization and format, relationship of concept and method, methodological issues (study type, conceptual framework, sample, data collection/analysis, integrity, data management), discussion, and data presentation. Recommendations for improving quality of…

Examines the possibility that experiences as qualitative researchers can lead prospective teachers to examine the myths of teaching, theorize critically about their teaching experience, and construct new insights regarding teaching and themselves. Suggests that the process of qualitative research can be a metaphor for the process of qualitative…

The relationship between the philosophy, theory, and methods of different research paradigms is explored in this article. Specific theoretical perspectives, critical theory, postmodernism, critical race theory, queer theory, and feminist theory are explored in the context of their political values and implications for qualitative research.…

"Goodness" is offered here as new language for judging qualitative research. Goodness requires that elements of the meaning making process are illustrated; epistemological and theoretical foundations are linked to the selected methodology; and that the method of data collection and its analysis are clear, offering new understanding that leads to…

This article describes methodological strategies, decisions, and issues that emerge when conducting qualitative research. In particular, topics such as situating the research design, sampling considerations, data collection methods, and the analytic and interpretive process are explored. Examples from published research are provided to illustrate…

Explores ethical issues related to doing qualitative research and examines harm as it is conceptualized within the qualitative inquiry literature. Serves as an examination of professional standards, administrative practices, and methodological procedures that reveal the different kinds of harm that are inevitable outcomes of qualitative inquiry.…

Notes the need for researcher accountability in qualitative analysis, examining strategies used in working with doctoral students and offering suggestions for assessing and publicly disclosing the methodological rigor and analytical defensibility of qualitative research. Introduces tabular strategies for use in documenting the relationship between…

Although the impact of the first-year experience has been investigated, there is little information on what this experience is like for Latino students particularly at predominantly White institutions. The primary purpose of this qualitative research study is to understand the first-year experience as recounted by 10 Latino college students. The…

Qualitative study involving the attitudes of 12 Northwest superintendents (four each from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho)toward site-based management. Finds among other things that in most cases school-based management has had little influence on the centralization of authority and control by the superintendent. (Contains 16 references.) (PKP)

Presents views on how to define "family" theoretically as well as data from quantitative and qualitative studies. Finds that both researchers and members of the general population differ greatly on the concept of family. Shows that such concepts include not only persons from the immediate "nuclear" family but also kin of…

A mixed-method conceptual framework was developed from the literature and refined through an analysis of 57 empirical mixed-method evaluations. Five purposes for mixed-method evaluation are identified (triangulation, complementarity, development, initiation, and expansion) and analyzed using the framework of 7 design characteristics. (TJH)

Discusses the role of semiotics in instructional systems research, and examines the implications that a semiotic perspective yields for the research training provided to students in instructional systems. Research perspectives and methodologies are described, including differences in qualitative and quantitative research, and data analysis is…

Identifies and analyzes 16 factors that influenced a largely unsuccessful collaborative writing process. Uses the language theory of Mikhail Bakhtin to explain how the factors operated together as forces impelled by the social context of the process. (RS)