This paper offers a response to Dr. Noriyuki Inoue's article published in this issue of the "International Journal for Transformative" research, entitled "The Role of Subjectivity in Teacher Expertise Development: Mindfully Embracing the 'Black Sheep' of Educational Research." Inoue freely uses the terms…

Hans Niedderer has contributed a lot to German physics education research. His work includes quantitative and qualitative studies about topics like the learning of physics concepts or the history and philosophy of science in science teaching, he has worked on theoretical issues as well as on textbooks. But it is not only his work that is…

In "Penetrating a Wall of Introspection: A Critical Attrition Analysis," Johannsen, Rump, and Linder strive to give a voice to those whose thoughts might otherwise be unheard: students representing the casualties in the conflict surrounding the practices of STEM education, specifically those in the field of physics. Beyond giving those students a…

This article responds to an article by A. Gupta, D. Hammer, and E. F. Redish (2010) that asserts that M. T. H. Chi's (1992, 2005) hypothesis of an "ontological commitment" in conceptual development is fundamentally flawed. In this article, I argue that Chi's theoretical perspective is still very much intact and that the critique offered by Gupta…

The author believes that a unified theory might provide ideas helpful for improving research; professional training and practice; and therefore, student achievement. Little attention was paid to how several variables might work together and there is little discussion regarding how they might work together. The author stresses that there are…

This commentary examines the role of the unit from the perspective of the definition of measurement in physics as the ratio of two magnitudes, one of which is defined as the unit; it is an important and timely contribution to measurement in the social sciences. There are many different points that could be commented upon, but the author will…

Humphry (this issue) deserves credit for drawing attention to the long-neglected fact that differences in item discrimination parameters are often due to empirical factors and not the product of random error components. In doing so, Humphry offers a psychometrically elegant, coherent, and practically important new model that is more flexible while…

Humphry (this issue) has written a thought-provoking piece on the interpretation of item discrimination parameters as scale units in item response theory. One of the key features of his work is the description of an item response theory (IRT) model that he calls the logistic measurement function that combines aspects of two traditions in IRT that…

Behavioral scientists have struggled with units of measurement for as long as they have struggled with measurement itself. Psychology's sole attempt at an explicit unit of measurement--the Lexile Framework for Reading (Stenner, Burdick, Sanford, & Burdick, 2006)--has been and continues to be ignored by the psychometric "cognoscenti."…

This article presents Stephen Humphry's response to the commentaries for his article "The Role of the Unit in Physics and Psychometrics." The commentaries covered a range of important considerations and implications. Given that the author fully agrees with the majority of the content, attention will be confined mainly to points that call…

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which concerns the effect of observation upon what is observed, is proper to the field of quantum physics, but has been mistakenly adopted and wrongly applied in the realm of naturalistic observation. Discusses the misuse of the principle in the current literature on naturalistic research. (DM)

This paper summarizes two examples in order to predict which of Gage's three scenarios about possible histories of education research will occur. A prediction of educational research for the year 2009 is also made. (KHR)

Reviews the status of high energy physics and the contributions resulting from research with particle accelerators. Supports the value of supercolliders and discusses its potential impact on scientific research. Also reviews and analyzes the basic components of the Standard Model. (ML)

An evaluation of four seventeenth and eighteenth century essays on optics revealed early trends in the evolution of scientific articles. The later articles showed a growing tendency to (1) separate practice from pure knowledge, (2) organize information around problems of knowledge and theory rather than around chronological events, (3) emphasize…

Argues that a United States built and operated Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) could strain the infrastructure of scientific research. Identifies the areas which would be adversely affected by the funding of the SSC. Advocates construction of the collider as an international enterprise. (ML)