The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate in detail how the Empirical Bayes (EB) statistical estimation strategy can be applied to an important class of educational research contexts. EB methods are tailored specifically to the analysis of data with a hierarchical structure. For instance, investigators may be interested in discovering how…

The most important problem in psychology and the social sciences today is the failure to produce cumulative knowledge. This situation has led many to conclude that cumulative knowledge and general principles and theories may be impossible to establish in psychology, a conclusion suggesting that psychology can never be a science--only at best a…

This paper discusses different approaches used by researchers to acquire a comprehensive picture of what family life is like when one of the family members is handicapped. Researchers must determine the best time to get a "true" picture of what family life is like and must determine whether parents describe the true family situation or react to…

In this paper the role of qualitative research in special education is examined. The implications of an earlier naturalistic study are cited, an important one being the tendency in the literature to oversimplify the naturalistic paradigm; and the case is made that implementing such a paradigm is a "labor intensive" approach to research…

Adolescent suicide is an important problem. Given ethical considerations, it is difficult to obtain data regarding the suicidal thinking of "normal" adolescents. To collect data concerning suicidal thinking without directly introducing the topic of suicide, 217 tenth through twelfth graders, divided equally according to sex, grade, and…

The focus of this paper is on the theory of ethnographic methodology. A body of observational studies in social science and educational research is noted, demonstrating methodological statements about ethnography. Methodological procedures are described, along with possible standards of adequacy for their use. The use of the methodology is…

Activities of the Teacher Corps'"Corps Member Training Institute" (CMTI) were studied to illustrate methods of inquiry which can be adapted to the study of teacher training events to capture some of the reality of these events. For the CMTI, a Study Team was mandated to demonstrate the impact of the Institute (identify, document, judge,…

The purposes of this paper are to note specific weaknesses characterizing small group research and to propose suggestions for their solution. Adapted from a speech given at the Second National Conference about the Teaching of Group: Theory and Practice, Temple University, Philadelphia, February 1976. (Author)

Argues that selection procedures (subjects rate a list of preformulated message strategies) are much less sensitive than construction procedures (subjects construct their own message strategies) in compliance-gaining research, due to a type of social desirability bias known as the item desirability effect. (JAD)

Critiques different historical conceptions of mass communication research. Argues that the different conceptions of the history of mass communication research, and of the hypodermic model (viewing the media as an all-powerful and direct influence on society), influence the theoretical and methodological choices made by mass media scholars. (MM)

Reports on a controlled experiment that compared cloze procedure (human tendency to complete a familiar but not quite finished pattern) and comprehension quiz as measures of computer program understanding. Program comprehension measures, experimental materials, administration, and results are highlighted. Twenty-six references and sample questions…

Reviews the available research that does not find development in group processes. Concluded that researchers should no longer try to answer the question of whether groups change but should identify significant differences and similarities in group development among various groups and types of groups. (LLL)

The purpose of this paper is to assist researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in identifying and addressing key questions related to the task of choosing among the analytic techniques designed to analyze a dichotomized dependent variable with a set of independent variables. The discussion is limited to (1) the analysis of data by the…

The purpose of this research was to analyze recent statistics textbooks in the behavioral sciences in terms of their coverage of exploratory data analysis (EDA) philosophy and techniques. Twenty popular texts were analyzed. EDA philosophy was not addressed in the vast majority of texts. Only three texts had an entire chapter on EDA. None of the…

This study investigated the effectiveness of an approach to teaching an advanced research class by comparing students' test scores on a test of research fundamentals before and after the course. The classes that were the focus of the study were offered in 2001 and 2002 by the same instructor. Both sections incorporated article critiques (based on…