Used qualitative methods to describe beliefs and attitudes related to evaluation and to identify factors influencing evaluation capacity, based on interviews with 61 community-based organizations, 9 health departments, and 28 technical assistance providers. Identified four factors influencing evaluation behavior, and developed a model describing…

Presents a theoretical framework for teaching and learning research literacies. Describes a classroom demonstration involving graduate student cohorts in appreciative inquiry into practitioners' ways of writing. Addresses the issues of human subjects, informed consent, and the ethics of representation. (Contains 49 references.) (SK)

Considers the issues related to conducting qualitative inquiries in online settings for distance education and the implications for using electronic means in interviews and observation. Topics include attitudes and perceptions of online learning; epistemological viewpoints of qualitative research; and a comparison of interview techniques,…

Presents an overview of qualitative career assessment and its theoretical underpinnings and proposes suggestions that could guide the development of qualitative career assessment instruments. (Contains 34 references.) (GCP)

This study examines the personal and professional growth for three student-caregivers as they began working with infants and families in child care. Findings suggest that new infant caregivers experience thoughts and feelings similar to those of new teachers of older children. Challenges include adjusting to the physical and emotional intensity of…

Eight articles discuss Program Theory (PT) construction issues, administrators as applied theorists, tests of PT, using path analysis to develop/evaluate PT, using PT to describe/measure program quality, developing/testing program classification and function theories, a pattern-matching approach to link PT and evaluation data, and linking PT and…

Reviews the research that suggests that qualitative approaches to the evaluation of library user education programs may sometimes be more appropriate than quantitative measures. The differences between quantitative and qualitative evaluation are discussed, and the instances in which one approach may be preferred to the other are identified. (17…

Argues that framing the issue of standards in terms of quantitative-qualitative debate is misguided. Discusses the possibility that the problem of standards is best framed in terms of the "logics in use" associated with various research methodologies. Presents five standards that can apply to all educational research. (JS)

Describes a qualitative research study (using cultural analysis) to determine the degree to which schools change, based on a local needs assessment study. Although needs assessments did not play a significant role in enabling local school change, a small number of schools indicated some progress. Includes 18 references. (MLH)

Definitions of and approaches to naturalistic evaluation are discussed. The qualitative aspects of the discipline are reviewed; and use of naturalistic evaluation in descriptions, illustrations, explications, hypothesis testing, and assessment of public spending are defined. A new paradigm for naturalistic evaluation is proposed. (TJH)

Describes the methodology and research design of SEE, the study of the Education of Educators. The approach is multimethodological, exploratory, descriptive, and evaluative. The research design permits examination of working assumptions and concentration on the individual site--the college, the education departments, and specific programs within…

An evaluation model was developed for an intervention project with mentally handicapped children and their parents involving speech therapists, a speech pathologist, and a psychologist. The model emphasizes transactional and formative approaches to qualitative evaluation, with the goal of increasing understanding of the processes underlying change…

Describes a naturalistic paradigm and discusses the value of using a naturalistic, or qualitative, approach to study the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) and to design effective courseware. Topics discussed include data collection; data analysis; and findings of naturalistic studies of CBI effectiveness. (53 references) (LRW)

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal about educational criticism as a form of qualitative inquiry. Argues that research in education has become a dead end. Agrees in the main with the article, but finds its view of criticism somewhat limited. Discusses the classroom itself as hypertext. (SR)

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal about educational criticism as a form of qualitative inquiry. Argues that a "critical" approach to education should not be justified on an ambiguous relationship to art but that educational criticism is needed because meaningful descriptions are needed of what happens when teaching…