Investigates the epistemology of reading theory, practice, and research. Examines the theories of knowledge implicit in two views of the reading process (L. Rosenblatt's and D. Rumelhart's). Concludes that differences between and among theories of reading, reading instructional approaches, and reading research paradigms often result from and…

Discusses negative consequences of researchers' faith in positivistic inquiry: (1) it promotes the idea that certain rationalistic ingredients are obligatory in research; (2) it leads to faith in models of the mind based on order; and (3) it leads to a notion of teaching as articulating "know what" rather than "know how." (DSK)

This article portrays the conceptual journey of three professionals as they grapple with the epistemological, ontological and axiological underpinnings of grounded theory within the context of practice-based research. Writing from the stance of 'epistemorph,' the authors use the concepts of 'functionalist drift' and 'interpretive drift' to depict…

Over the past decade, design experimentation has become an increasingly accepted mode of research appropriate for the theoretical and empirical study of learning amidst complex educational interventions as they are enacted in everyday settings. There is still a significant lack of clarity surrounding methodological and epistemological features of…

This article acknowledges some moments of intrigue aroused during the execution of an ethnographic investigation at a high school, in Oporto, Portugal with young boys and girls. The making of this investigation aroused our reflection towards what we consider to be some intrigues and towards the Social and Human Sciences themselves,…

An introduction and explanation of the epistemological differences of quantitative and qualitative research paradigms is first provided, followed by an overview of the realist philosophical paradigm, which attempts to accommodate the two. From this foundational discussion, the paper then introduces the concept of meaning making in research methods…

This comment attempts to identify different "semiotic perspectives" proposed by the authors of this special issue according to the problems they discuss. These problems can be distinguished as problems concerning the representation of mathematical knowledge, the definition and objectivity of meaning, epistemological questions of learning and…

In this article, the authors use their personal narratives and collaborative portraits as methods to shed light on the complexities of developing a research identity while journeying through a doctoral program. Using the metaphors of a wanderer, a chameleon, and a warrior, their narratives represent portraits of experiences faced by doctoral…

Information integration theory (IIT) seeks to develop a unified theory of judgment and behavior. This theory provides a conceptual framework that has been applied to a variety of research areas including personality impression formation and decision making. In these applications information integration theory has helped to resolve methodological…

Discusses the conditions for validating customary phylogenetic procedures. Concludes that the requisites of homogeneity and completeness for proved short lineages seem satisfied by the Hennigian but not the Haeckelian procedure. The epistemological antinomy of the two procedures is emphasized for the first time. (Author/RH)

A group of defenses of qualitative evaluation methods is examined, based on a hard relativistic interpretation of the work of Thomas Kuhn. A promising defense of qualitative evaluation may be found in a soft-relativist interpretation of Kuhn's analysis of the nature of scientific discovery. (Author/LMO)

This book defines an epistemological agenda for action research, one that challenges the conventional academic social sciences on epistemological and ethical grounds. It gives an overview of different approaches so that researchers can find their own perspectives within the field. Methodologies and fieldwork tools are described. The chapters are:…

Results of study investigating human memory organization in processing of computer programming languages indicate that algorithmic logic segments form a cognitive organizational structure in memory for programs. Statement indentation and internal program documentation did not enhance organizational process of recall of statements in five Fortran…

Asserts the essence of affirmation is that investigators should be less concerned with discrediting bad readings of questionable interpreations and more concerned with making better ones. The strongest tools carried by social scientists when they address problems are their beliefs, not their doubts. (Author/RC)

Provides an expanded analysis of rigor and relevance in the context of program evaluation. Epistemological rigor, epistemological relevance, methodological rigor, and methodological relevance are defined and illustrated in the literature on vocational education evaluation. (Author/SK)