Howe's (2009) critique of positivistic tendencies in the education research community is valuable and pertinent. His analysis is nonetheless one-sided, finding fault with one side of current divisions alone. In an effort to retain the good points of his analysis, the author first summarizes Howe's argument, interpreting it as a critique of hasty…

Retracing the history of one's discipline helps demonstrate that its practices of experimentation are also a product of its times, notwithstanding often deeply entrenched beliefs to the contrary. Deception of participants is an experimental tool about which many currently harbor strong beliefs; some, for instance, deem it indispensable. Having…

Recent federal education policies and reports have generated considerable debate about the meaning, methods, and goals of "scientific research" in mathematics education. Concentrating on the critical problem of determining which educational programs and practices reliably improve students' mathematics achievement, these policies and reports focus…

High-expectation start-ups are firms launched by entrepreneurs with high ambitions for growth. The encounter between new technology and entrepreneurship that characterizes such new ventures has a significant impact on the nature and speed of economic development, driving the growth of high-technology industries and helping to make the economic…

Considers the nature and extent of bias toward experimentation and against correlational studies. Argues for the use of correlational studies and describes a field-tested approach to enabling students to direct open-ended investigations of this type. (45 references) (JRH)

Discusses recent science studies that focus on experimentation and the implications of these studies for the philosophy of science. Argues that the results of scientific experiments are practical productions that embody practical solutions to some of the key problems that have worried science philosophers. (Author/WRM)

In the US debate over science-based educational research, experimentation is again coming to the fore as ideal for establishing an evidence base of what works in educational interventions thus contributing to the climate of accountability in educational research and practice. Mixed methods research is being positioned in this discussion as a…

Various research studies designed to enhance knowledge about the earth's core are discussed. Areas addressed include: (1) the discovery of the earth's core; (2) experimental approaches used in studying the earth's core (including shock-wave experiments and experiments at high static pressures), the search for the core's light elements, the…

Discusses the future of chemical research in the 1980s and the important improvements that will probably occur, particularly in the chemical industry. (SA)

This paper describes how the University of Georgia's office for experiment stations began producing agricultural research shows for public television. Prior to its venture into television, the office had produced, for inclusion in the extension service's news packet, two or three science stories per week on what researchers were doing and hoped to…

In this keynote address presented at the Mid-western Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in October, 2004, the author discusses the increasing interest of federal policy-makers in scientifically-based research. A comparison between education and other disciplines is offered, and a proposal for increased rigor in educational research is…

Varying aspects of the study of psychology are discussed focusing on the shortcomings of the traditional definition of psychology as the study of behavior. Effects of cognitive, experimental, and applied psychology are examined, and a general concept of psychology as the study of the mind and mental processes is advanced. (BH)