The purpose of this study was to determine how cognitive style instructions to respondents of a survey instrument affected the resulting psychometric properties of the scale. It was hypothesized that a group which is instructed to carefully respond will have a mean score further from the neutral point, a larger standard deviation, and a higher…

This paper argues that communication researchers could benefit from incorporating a rules approach as a supplement to more traditional methods of organizational analysis. Two major flaws in the methodology of traditional organizational analysis are noted: failing to account for actor or participant meanings--how the actor interprets relationships,…

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to describe grounded theory research strategies, to present a summary of several studies in education that have followed this approach, and to explore the potential uses of the grounded theory techniques in curriculum theory generation. The paper is arranged into six parts. In the first and second parts of…

This paper is based on the premise that relatively little is known about how to improve validity in qualitative research and less is known about how to estimate validity in studies conducted by others. The purpose of the study was to describe the conceptualization of validity in qualitative inquiry to determine how it was used by the author of a…

Qualitative research procedures may be characterized by the practice of empiricism that is sensitive to individual perspectives of reality. The many techniques that may be used are malleable and situation-specific in their design--contingent on those aspects of social phenomena that are chosen to be studied. Practical curriculum design for…

The popularity of using qualitative, or ethnographic, research methods to improve educational practices is increasing. However, an examination of how research findings are translated into policy is necessary to assess accurately the extent to which this goal can be realized. This paper assesses the efficiency of four strategies for increasing…

By employing meta-analysis procedures to build on the reviews of Horwitz and Peterson, specific effects of open education are quantified and related to school and student characteristics. From the 45 studies located in ERIC, the Education Index, and Horwitz's monograph, student, setting, and research design characteristics were coded. Twenty-three…

This paper presents two extensions of the full-rank multivariate linear model that are particularly useful in multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and repeated measurements designs. After a review of the basic full-rank model, an extension is described which allows restrictions of a more general nature. This model is useful in the…

A relationship between experimental and statistical controls is considered in an effort to show how this relationship affects the power of an experiment. Statistical rather than experimental controls are often used to reduce the effect of subjects at the extremes of individual difference. This results in attrition of actual experimental subjects.…

The paper explains the design of a national survey which was intended to identify factors associated with variations in the properties and contents of individualized education programs (IEPs); provide descriptive information about the target population; the nature and setting in which special education services are provided to this population;…

One response to the large and rapidly growing number of legal cases with which nonlawyer researchers must deal is computerized legal data retrieval technology. LEXIS, an example of such technology, improves upon traditional research tools in two ways: it increases the speed with which researchers may discover relevant documents and, through its…

The problems inherent in analyzing data in which subjects are "nested" within hierarchical units (such as classrooms or schools), and thus are not independent of one another, are addressed through the use of Joreskog's LISREL model for analyzing covariance matrices. A solution to the problem is proposed and illustrated using data from…

New ways of using factor analysis in research designs are suggested in this paper that would allow research to move in new directions that are being suggested for educational technology. A brief simplified overview of factor-analytic techniques is given, followed by a description of some recent developments in factor-analytic techniques which make…

This report briefly describes the procedures for assessing children's psychological development and the data analytic framework used in the New York City Infant Day Care Study. This study is a 5-year, longitudinal investigation in which infants in group and family day care programs and infants reared at home are compared. Children in the study are…

Marital adjustment over the family life cycle is reexamined using data from probability samples of married couples studied in coordinated research projects in three different states--Iowa, Ohio, and Georgia. A total of 1,584 respondents completed the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale and responded to questions about stage of the family life…