This article uses a parable to compare qualitative (interpretive) and quantitative (experimental) methods in child language research. Two hypothetical young researchers both investigate question-asking behavior of children with autism. Five different possible endings to the parable illustrate various relationships among research approaches and…

This reaction to Duchan (EC 607 918) warns against a strict dogmatic adherence to either a qualitative or quantitative research approach and argues that far more important than methodology per se are choice of research question and appropriateness of the methodology to the problem under investigation. Examples in speech-language pathology are…

Discusses (in a special issue on the topic of criteria for the admissibility of evidence) the contributions and limitations of conversation analysis and postmodernism toward the enterprise of ethnographic research. Proposes criteria for qualitative data to be admissible as evidence for claims about social life and for a qualitative study to count…

Discusses (in a special issue on criteria for the admissibility of evidence in communication research) the use of personal experience in feminist scholarship. Discusses two tenets of feminist scholarship: women's perceptions, meanings, and experiences are taken seriously; and such information cannot be understood within theories developed without…

Examined differences in connectedness of instruction on equivalent algebraic expressions between an expert and two novice teachers by analyzing lesson plans, observations, and postlesson interviews. Only the expert teacher used both lesson and content connectedness to guide teaching. Differences in teachers' views and uses of connectedness are…

Illustrates how a qualitative approach was used to study the complex and poorly defined concept of information resources management. Explains the general approach to data collection, its advantages and limitations, and the process used to analyze the data. Presents results, along with lessons learned through using method. (Author/AEF)

Presents a qualitative study of the ways in which technology is characterized by educators in a Canadian school district preparing to implement technological problem solving within the framework of a mandatory elementary science program. Highlights include an epistemological basis for technology education, and curriculum development and…

Examines urban high-school teachers' professional-development experiences through the lenses of personal teaching efficacy and professional learning, highlighting interview responses of 20 teachers with highest and lowest scores. Degree of personal teaching efficacy influences how individual teachers experience professional development. Programs…

This qualitative study examined two classrooms that used a coteaching approach to provide services to students who were deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing. It used extensive observations and interviews with teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Results support coteaching's effectiveness as a service-delivery model. Seven themes about…

Identifies three theoretical and methodological tensions that shape the interest of researchers in innovative methods and influence their willingness to use the sorts of innovative methods described in this theme issue. Explores the use of qualitative research and the criteria by which it should be judged. (SLD)

Analysis of the narratives of 150 Latino mothers of young children with developmental disabilities concerning themselves and disability found that most mothers portrayed themselves as good mothers in line with larger cultural notions, and viewed their children as bringing about positive transformations in their lives. Suggestions for using…

Describes a qualitative evaluation that analyzed the processes involved in the authoring of hypermedia applications for education by interviewing both researchers and lecturers from the University of Southampton involved in the development of hypermedia. Considers the quality characteristics of reusability of information, maintainability of…

This article describes a 2-year qualitative study designed to enhance understanding of social integration by including the perspectives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. It discusses the procedures and strategies used to involve individuals with intellectual disabilities, including individual interviews and focus groups to collect…

Examines the visual memories of women over 70 years old that take place during a long life and the roles of visual culture in memory and in mental images through interview and focus groups. Indicates that older women's stories anticipate feminist issues and do not conform to traditional male models of understanding. (CMK)

Summarizes a study investigating teachers,' principals,' and superintendents' perceptions of leadership by analyzing qualitative data collected from three focus groups of seven participants apiece. All three groups had similar value systems, but differed greatly in skill and knowledge domains. Teachers stressed the personality perspective;…