Identifies important criteria for assessing the quality of educational research and applies these 20 identified criteria to 2 recent international comparative studies in education, the Second International Science Study and the first International Assessment of Educational Progress. The major types of criteria are utility, propriety, and accuracy.…

Raises questions concerning the research methodology and related issues arising from Lonigan and Whitehurst's study: (1) degree of parent compliance in implementing the intervention; (2) effect of the parents' education level; (3) potential effects of other manipulations of the home environment to increase access to literacy materials; and (4)…

This article discusses concerns about the definition of scientifically based research in federal education legislation and its impact on the use of qualitative inquiry as a research method. It describes key contributions of qualitative research that could be jeopardized if the current definition remains unchanged or narrowly interpreted. (Contains…

This commentary discusses principles concerning requirements for scientifically based research under No Child Left Behind: scientific inquiry begins with important research questions, not specific methodologies; the logic that scientifically based research equates with randomized controlled trials will result in research and practice disconnects;…

The notion of a community curriculum in Thailand comes from widespread recognition that Thai society has been greatly influenced by the west in its development and modernization. According to many Thais, community curricula are needed to encourage young people to preserve Thai culture and revive local ways of thinking about "development"…

This paper surveys important aspects of Web Intelligence (WI) in the context of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) research. WI explores the fundamental roles as well as practical impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced Information Technology (IT) on the next generation of Web-related products, systems, services, and…

This paper discusses a combined university-school research project involving three associate teachers from the pre-service teacher education degree at the University of Otago, New Zealand in the examination of their literacy teaching practice. The provision of resources for this collaborative study allowed the teachers to design the project in…

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections of occupational employment growth have consistently underpredicted the growth of skilled occupations. BLS currently predicts that professional, technical, and managerial jobs will account for 40.9 percent of employment growth between 1990 and 2005. Forecasting regressions predict these occupations…

This paper examines the link between language and power as it relates to program evaluation of the Brisbane School of Distance Education. This program was developed in 1989 to meet the educational needs of children who are part of the Showmen's Guild of Australasia. Guild members and their families travel from town to town putting on agricultural…

This paper proposes that despite the anticipated benefits of classroom research for improved instruction, there are identifiable factors that can interfere with its effectiveness. Examples are drawn from three research projects, undertaken in English-as-a-Second-Language instructional settings. First, the steps in the classroom research process…

Legislative mandates in California and at the federal level require written parental consent for surveys of children and youth on: sexual behavior and attitudes; illegal, antisocial and criminal behavior; and psychological problems. Active parental refusal and nonresponse to requests for permission threaten the generalizability of information…

For too long, researchers and policy makers have considered themselves to be the only experts able to define quality in child care. That children, parents, and teachers have their own expertise in this area is often denied. This article explores the points of view of these three parties and attempts to demonstrate that researchers must be prepared…

Inconsistencies in the definition of transfer from two-year to four-year institutions and in the calculation of the transfer rate have given rise to incongruous findings. For example, one researcher in 1989 reported a transfer rate of less than 12% for the colleges in Illinois at the same time that the Chancellor's Office of the California…

This anthology provides Native perspectives on the ethics of researching, writing about, and teaching about American Indians, and may be used as a text for discussion in American Indian Studies classes. Leading Native scholars discuss the representativeness of Native informants, the merits of various data collection methods, the role and veracity…

Data drive policies; a lack of information results in unresponsive or biased public policies. This book argues that current methods of gathering and interpreting data are not sensitive to the diversity and needs of people living in rural America. Emphasizing the goals of complementarity, cooperation, and responsiveness, it suggests how federal and…