Describes quantitative and qualitative inquiry methods and demonstrates how both approaches can be incorporated into data collection techniques for school improvement. Whereas quantitative data are essential to describe the consistent, rational aspects of a school, qualitative data provide an indepth view based on perceptions and impressions. Both…

The article examines the philosophical bases of scientific quantitative research methods as applied to special education research and concludes that such methods may have distorted rather than aided understanding. Establishment of a body of knowledge derived from qualitative research is recommended. (Author/(DB)

Analyzes research about the mass communication audience and describes a theoretical and methodological framework for further empirical studies. Discusses the (1) explanatory value of qualitative research; (2) social and cultural implications of the reception process, with special reference to television; and (3) applications and social relevance…

Advocates the human science perspective in achieving methodological balance in counseling research. Presents a perspective on the meaning, structure, and content of the human science orientation; identifies and illuminates selected qualities of "being" and of "mind" related to human science research competence; suggests possibilities for the…

Reports results of a case study which used personal construct theory, a psychological theory which attempts to explain people's actions in terms of the mental constructs they use to make sense of their world. Purpose of the study was to determine whether construct theory could be used to develop a comprehensive set of instructional concepts,…

Defines educational research as a systematic attempt to find answers to puzzling or confusing questions that fall into four categories: descriptions, relations between factors, searches for causes of given phenomena, and searches for consequences. Illustrates qualitative research by using a case study and quantitative research by describing…

This article presents findings from a qualitative arts-based research project that took place in a fourth-grade classroom over the period of one school year. The article examines the impact of storytelling on children's self concept. In addition, it discusses how storytelling helped children process their social experiences in school. The study…

Throughout the Western world, there appears to be a consensus that schools have failed to prepare children for the challenges of the emerging information age. Many high schools that start out as innovative or "break-the-mold" lose their momentum and experience an "attrition of change." They end up becoming like any other…

Developed as a hands-on guide for students engaged in educational research, this book provides an introduction to key qualitative and quantitative methods necessary for those commencing research for the first time. The reader is shown how these methods work and how their outcomes may be interpreted. The book includes: (1) A variety of examples and…

This paper presents two elements of a broader set of findings resulting from a qualitative doctoral dissertation. This research gives voice to the learning experiences of 21 diverse adult learners who participated in a community-based multicultural immersion program. Key perspectives of their learning experiences were drawn from two main themes:…

This study uses data from a qualitative study of career pathway programs to investigate the incidence and type of organizational partnerships between employers, education and other agencies in workforce development. Findings demonstrate that education providers lead the partnerships, but that organizations divide into either peer to peer or…

This book recounts the experiences of a U.S. parent with two children in a Japanese elementary school. The author, an anthropologist, blends the roles of observer and parent to illuminate the strengths of the Japanese system and suggest ways in which Americans might learn from it. Chapter titles include: (1) "Getting Started"; (2)…

This paper offers a view of educational research in which individual practitioner-researchers are creating and testing their own living educational theories and living standards of practice and judgment in the course of exploring questions related to the improvement of their practice. The power behind what counts as knowledge in education has been…

This paper discusses research methods used to examine children's art. The first part of the paper presents information on four theoretical approaches to the examination of children's art and discusses the teacher's role within that approach: (1) psychological approach, using art to discover the child's inner conflicts; (2) behavioral psychological…

Since the latter part of the 19th century, a fervent debate has ensued about quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. From these disputes, purists have emerged on both sides. Quantitative purists express assumptions that are consistent with a positivist philosophy, whereas qualitative purists (i.e., post-positivists, post-structuralists,…