"Thick descriptions" are descriptions that are layered enough to draw conclusions and uncover the intentions of a given act, event, or process. In a video environment, thick descriptions are images, gestures, or sequences that convey meaning. Neither the quantity nor the resolution of the images makes the descriptions thick. Thickness is…

Different types of interviews serve different purposes; however, they all share a common goal of collecting data in different situations. The data may be factual in generating quantitative input for a research project, attitudinal in gauging public acceptance of a proposed educational policy, or used in gaining a better understanding of a certain…

This paper examines the philosophical and methodological perspectives of qualitative research and the guiding principles of confluent education. The paper presents issues, concerns, and criticisms of both paradigms and discusses areas for their mutual support and improvement. Qualitative research has established itself as a research methodology…

This study used an oral history method to collect data from contemporary citizens who grew up in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. The primary purpose of the study was to gather historical evidence from those eras and identify participants' life themes and values. A secondary purpose was to implement interdisciplinary collaboration…

A qualitative research approach was used to investigate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) educational efforts in achieving scientific literacy through mass media and other communication technologies. Six in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with various NASA education and public affairs officers throughout the…

This paper describes and explains how journal writing may be used as a qualitative research technique in long-term qualitative studies. Journal writing has a long and reliable history in the arts and humanities, and it provides qualitative researchers with a powerful heuristic tool. The notion of a comprehensive reflective journal to address the…

Qualitative research evokes rather stereotyped responses from the mainstream of social science. The following 10 standardized responses to the stimulus "qualitative research interview" (QRI) are discussed: (1) it is not scientific, only common sense; (2) it is not objective, but subjective; (3) it is not trustworthy, but biased; (4) it is not…

The distinction between qualitative and quantitative modes of research has become fashionable in recent years. Few accounts, however, clarify the distinction. This paper, then, is a contribution to the quality/quantity debate. It locates the origins and basis of such distinction in a split between "natural history" and "hypothetico-deductive"…

This paper begins by reviewing the results of research on the potential of adjunct questions for teaching both rote recall and intellectual skills, i.e., concept learning, problem solving, and rule learning. It is argued that greater understanding of what kinds of questions best support intellectual skills learning will promote effective…

As part of a major effort towards the documentation of teachers' roles, in a project (Toledo Support Teachers Program) aimed towards their restructuring, one female science teacher was observed using ethnographic techniques while performing her daily work as a teacher, department head, support teacher during the winter and spring of 1989. The…

The major aim of teacher appraisal is to develop teachers in order to improve their delivery in schools. The effectiveness of the process of teacher appraisal is, however, dependent on the perceptions of the teachers themselves. Since the expansion of the education system of Botswana in the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of the cardinal reforms,…

This guide provides an introduction to the use of microcomputers with qualitative data. It is deliberately non-specific and rudimentary in order to be of maximum benefit to the widest possible audience of beginning microcomputer users who wish to analyze their data using software that is not specifically designed for qualitative data analysis. The…

A historical perspective on and substantive review of the concept of invariance are provided. Progress made toward solving measurement problems related to invariance is also assessed. Two major classes of invariant measurement are described: (1) sample-invariant item calibration; and (2) item-invariant measurement of individuals. The work of S. S.…

This paper examines those aspects of qualitative and quantitative research that might reasonably count towards effective educational research. The problem is addressed by examining their philosophical differences, their pursuit of objectivity, their approach to values, and the pursuit of reliability and validity. The possibility of rapproachment…

The purpose of this study is to illustrate how the combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods were necessary in obtaining within this society a clearer understanding of incest. The paper opens with a report of studies carried out on natural father and stepfather incestuous families, and this opens up the issue of the appropriateness of…