This article is developed from the contents from one of the chapters the researcher has written as part of her PhD thesis. It discusses various methodological challenges the researcher had to face during the phase of data collection in the prisons of Kerala, India, and the strategies adopted to overcome these challenges. This article is intended…

"The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research, Second Edition" presents a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the field of qualitative research. Divided into eight parts, the forty chapters address key topics in the field such as approaches to qualitative research (philosophical perspectives), narrative inquiry, field research,…

"The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research" presents a comprehensive overview of the field of qualitative research. It is intended for students of all levels, faculty, and researchers across the social sciences. The contributors represent some of the most influential and innovative researchers in the field as well as emerging scholars.…

The "Handbook of Research Methods in Early Childhood Education" brings together in one source research techniques that researchers can use to collect data for studies that contribute to the knowledge in early childhood education. To conduct valid and reliable studies, researchers need to be knowledgeable about numerous research…

Provides an introduction to the theme of this issue, the limits of educational research methodology. Advocates a combination of research methodologies and identifies three approaches to educational research. Includes sections on the nature of research and common research problems. (JDH)

Examines the schism of values between qualitative and quantitative social science researchers. Focuses on some practical methodological issues which face researchers wishing to adopt a qualitative-interpretive approach. (JDH)

This article identifies some of the unique characteristics of qualitative research, enumerates its areas of weakness, and offers solutions for overcoming these weaknesses. Concludes that the criticisms leveled at qualitative research and analysis can be applied to all research paradigms, and that qualitative research does work when it is done…

Reviews persistent criticisms of quantitative research methodologies such as the lack of isomorphism between measures and "reality," its failure to produce "truths" useful to educational practice, the faulty use of statistics, and the poorly understood notion of causality. (JDH)

States that educational researchers have very little knowledge that they know for certain. Provides an overview of the relationship between research and philosophy, addressing three questions: (1) What is real in education? (2) What can be known about educational reality? (3) What is the relationship between educational research and what we know…

Educational practitioners tend to resist or avoid doing educational research primarily for two reasons: their prior experience with statistics, computers, and research design has produced insecurity and anxiety; and, they have acquired a basic misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of research. Good research should be both technically sound…

Notes that one-semester field methods courses in sociology often lack adequate time for students to learn appropriate techniques and still collect and report their data. Describes how undergraduate students bypass this problem by using multiple observations of a single event to quickly form a corpus of ethnographic data. (JDH)

Describes how sociology students in undergraduate research methods are involved in conducting an annual poll for the university. The emphasis is upon interviewing as a general data-gathering method. Includes information about how useful research problems are determined and the process used to design and implement the poll. (JDH)

Notes the central role and ultimate importance of the undergraduate, research methods textbook within sociology. Reviews nine new textbooks, and reveals substantial variation in coverage and approach. The review is based on the degree to which the texts address eight important goals for the undergraduate research course. (JDH)

Describes the development of the UNIMARC authorities format for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and evaluates the conversion of USMARC bibliographic records to UNIMARC. Record structures are explained, and data conversion using authority records from RLIN (the Research Libraries Information Network) is…

A practical guide for designing and carrying out qualitative case study in education is provided. How-to advice for managing all phases of case study research is included. The focus is on case studies that draw from what is commonly known as the qualitative research paradigm rather than a quantitative, positivistic, experimental orientation. Three…