This paper examines the purpose, function, and legitimacy of action research as a methodology that encompasses a complex, authentic view of scientific inquiry. A historical account of action research is presented with a focus in how it merged theory with practice. Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) is used as a theoretical rationale for…

Research is controlled by variables (subject matter, personality of researcher, current interests, institutional setting, time period in the history of the discipline and of the world) which in turn generate a research style.'' The results of various forms of research are discussed here. (JB)

Examines nursing's changing research practices. Discusses changes in the philosophy of science, dichotomies within nursing, and nursing's changing research tradition. Concludes that a new research tradition can provide nursing with the scientific and social freedom and openness to solve both conceptual and empirical problems. (CT)

Argues that scientific style manuals provide much sound advice, but also pass along advice at odds with recently published literature regarding how scientists actually conduct research and write up their findings. Presents a revised model for the scientific article based on information in recently published research on communication in science.…

Considers methodological issues that arise when values form the main focus of empirical educational research. Includes discussion of the idea that social science, in general, and educational research, in particular, are forms of moral inquiry. Outlines a methodology of educational research, drawing from work by Imre Lakatos, Alasdair MacIntyre,…

The National Research Council report, "Scientific Research in Education," claims to present an inclusive view of sciences in responding to federal attempts to legislate educational research. This article asserts that it narrowly defines science as positivism and methodology as quantitative, rejecting postmodernism and omitting other theories. Uses…

Replies to several authors who critiqued an article on scientific culture and educational research, reiterating the original article's core argument that harnessing the epistemological and methodological diversity of the field to advance its common goals is difficult but essential work. Encourages further debate on the issues addressed in the…

Offers two reasons for keeping educational research firmly within the domain of science: to maintain self-correcting progress for educational theory and to maintain the reputation of educational research as a scientific enterprise. Suggests that a possible reconciliation to the two sides on this issue is to use quantitative and qualitative data in…

A "fact sheet" is defined as a single two-sided sheet (or one-page folded brochure) that briefly describes all major aspects of a scientific survey or poll in nontechnical terms. A fact sheet can be used to plan all phases of a survey, from clarifying purpose, to distributing results. A fact sheet may be used as a communication tool in…

Discusses the situated nature of everyday human action in households. Compares the contribution of different scientific paradigms (empirical, interpretive, and critical-emancipatory) to the study of household activity. (Contains 40 references.) (JOW)

In this article, the author argues that there appears to be a thrust, at least from the federal government, to provide a rigid definition of what counts as "science": namely, randomized field trials. Code words for this method pervade the No Child Left Behind Act; the phrase "scientifically based research" occurs more than 100…

Following the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set global sector specific development targets to be achieved by the year 2015. In this article, the author explores the role of health and education research in producing technological innovations and global policy options and goals, such as the MDGs. Here, she…

Stories can be a valuable tool for the career researcher. Questions arise, though, about how best to approach stories analytically such that their insights can be fully realised. In this paper I apply cultural theorist Raymond Williams' analysis of cultural processes as dominant, residual and emergent (1977) to the narratives generated in a recent…

The purposes of the present paper are to address the historical development of statistical significance testing and to briefly examine contemporary practices regarding such testing in the light of these historical origins. Precursors leading to the advent of statistical significance testing are examined as are more recent controversies surrounding…

Described are techniques used by the National Communicable Disease Center in obtaining blood and tissues from man and other vertebrates for arbovirus isolation and antibody studies. Also included are techniques for capturing and handling vertebrates; banding and marking; restraining and bleeding; storing of specimens to preserve antibody and…