Criticizes the previous article on positivism in educational thought by Denis Phillips. Takes issue with Phillips' assumption that, at the base of theoretical disputes and inquiry, there exists a final and absolute truth. (GC)

Identifies 10 differences between scientific and artistic approaches to qualitative research: (1) forms of representation employed; (2) criteria for appraisal; (3) points of focus; (4) the nature of generalization; (5) the role of form; (6) degree of license allowed; (7) interest in prediction and control; (8) sources of data; (9) basis of…

Describes some of the primary features of educational criticism, an arts-based approach to qualitative inquiry. Examines the aims of this approach and discusses four dimensions of educational criticism: descriptive, interpretative, normative, and thematic. Addresses questions of rigor and identifies three criteria (consensual validation,…

Knowledge, rooted in experience, requires forms for its representation. Forms of representation limit what we seek. As a result, socialization in method is a process that shapes what we can know and value. At base it is a political undertaking. Examines the effects of the politics of method on educational research. (Author/BJV)

Responds to points raised in five articles which responded to an article by these authors (Flinders and Eisner) in the same issue of this journal about educational criticism as a form of qualitative inquiry. (SR)

Reviews and criticizes papers by Rist, Fienberg, and Erickson in this issue of the Quarterly. (JM)

The author addresses five issues important to the development of cross-cultural research in arts education: the state of such research; its potential utilities; kinds of topics which might be studied; potential problems in conceptualizing, implementing, and interpreting such research; and the prospects for cross-cultural research in arts…

Graduate programs for preparing curriculum scholars must address: the intellectual and social history of American education; major curriculum theories and concepts; curriculum and classroom analysis techniques; research skills; and ways to maintain an open mind. (CB)

The author notes a trend in educational research away from the scientific model and toward new designs emphasizing process, context, personal, and qualitative concerns. He describes the approach he uses at Stanford, educational connoisseurship or educational criticism, and outlines its basic components: discernment, description, interpretation,…

The evolution of educational evaluation has been significantly influenced by the assumptions and procedures of educational research which, in turn, aspires to make educational practice scientific. The concept of education connoisseurship and education criticism is posited upon a different set of techniques. Connoisseurship is an appreciative art…

This analysis describes some of the general features of art and goes on to look at what the artistic treatment of research entails. Artistically crafted research that includes coherence, imagery, and particularity can help to explain what is important about schools. Further, the education of teachers should be regarded as the education of artists.…

Guidelines to help ensure that educational research is meaningful and important include (1) have confidence in your own conviction and methods; (2) remember that the conduct of research is an artistic activity; and (3) try to situate the inquiry in a social and historical context to increase its meaning. (SLD)

Articulates a fundamental rationale for the practice of qualitative research in music education. Argues that knowledge and experience are by definition subjective and constructed, thereby validating research methodologies that incorporate and acknowledge these realities. Identifies eight "processes" that offer productive research opportunities.…

Asserts that qualitative research methodology represents a fundamental reconceptualization about knowledge, validity, and education. Reviews the history and trends of educational research and argues that it is increasingly legitimate to use qualitative methods. (CFR)

Educational researchers are not engaged in discovering mechanistic universal truths sought by positivists or tidy prescriptions about what works. Instead, they provide guidelines and interpretive material to liberate the teacher's intelligence so that the teacher can use whatever ability he or she can achieve. (SLD)