Experimental designs in the social sciences have received increasing attention due to their power to produce causal inferences. Nevertheless, experimental research faces limitations, including limited external validity and unrealistic treatments. We propose combining qualitative fieldwork and experimental design iteratively--moving back-and-forth…

This semiotically informed article problematizes the concept of literacy as an aesthetic activity rather than reading skills and offers strategies for assessing young readers' understanding of fictional texts. Although not based on empirical research, the essay refers to and theorizes from extensive field studies of children's responses to…

This contribution documents the author's lived experiences in his fieldwork for his PhD research in the field of English as a second/foreign language in a familiar social setting in Bangladesh. The account suggests that insider researchers can helpfully draw on their tacit knowledge of local social and cultural norms and values to understand their…

Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) have been widely used in field experiments treating a cluster of individuals as the unit of randomization. This study focused particularly on situations where CRTs are accompanied by a common complication, namely, treatment noncompliance or, more generally, intervention nonadherence. In CRTs, compliance may be…

A sample of five sites of recent urban renewal activity in Sandwell, West Midlands, U.K. formed the basis for an audit survey of the nature and degree of associated change in a broad set of physical, built, and infrastructure environmental parameters. Data were mostly derived from questionnaire surveys of professionals with specific environmental…

This paper deals with use of field research in an investigation of diffusion and use of information in environment of working poor. Highlights include discussion of field research and identification of conceptual themes (gaining entry, field researcher's role, anxiety in field research, rapport, reciprocity, empathy, maturity). Forty references…

Discusses the processes involved in a field study of technological change in radiology and how researchers can design a qualitative study and then collect data in a systematic and explicit manner. Illustrates the social and human problems of gaining entry into a research site, constructing a research role, and managing relationships. (63…

Ethnography derives from traditional anthropology, where time in the field is needed to discern both the depth and complexity of social structures and relations. Funding bodies, seeking quick completion, might see ethnographies as unlikely to satisfy 'value for money' criteria, in spite of the rewards to be gained from time-consuming 'thick…

One of the most fundamental tasks relating to the undertaking of fieldwork for a qualitative research study lies in "gaining access". This involves both securing entry into a particular organisation and ensuring that individuals associated with it, such as employees or users, will serve as informants. In terms of the first problem, a range of…

Describes how the matrilineal social structure of central Malawi, Africa, affects, to a considerable degree, the mode of transmission and content of oral tradition. Researchers should understand the way the matrilineal structure functions and, in particular, the bearing it has on the historical consciousness of informants. (RM)

The paper argues that the systematic review of qualitative research is best served by reliance upon qualitative methods themselves. A case is made for strengthening the narrative literature review and using narrative itself as a method of review. A technique is proposed that builds upon recent developments in qualitative systematic review by the…

A field study of Canadian Government bureaucracy illustrates two perspectives on strategic decision processes. Processes follow a structured progression or are anarchic, wherein decisions are inferred from outcomes of fortuitous combinations of events. Both perspectives facilitate processual understanding but fail to specify the influence of…

Three theories account for individuals' perceptions of sexual harassment: (1) men and women view and define sexual harassment differently; (2) differential sexual experiences at work account for different perceptions; and (3) gender role "spillover" accounts for perceptual differences. A sample of 1,232 working men and women supports these…

An exploratory field study of 1,156 Oregon school administrators identified 12 sources of stress shared at all administrative levels. These stressors included complying with rules, attending meetings, completing reports on time, gaining public support, resolving parent-school conflicts, evaluating staff, making decisions affecting others, and five…

Discusses problems in carrying out time-series research in organizational settings that include issues of site selection; choices about data collection and degrees of involvement; the importance of clarifying research outputs, audience, and presentation; handling problems of complexity and simplicity; ethical issues; and managing a community or…