This paper designs a theoretical construct that integrates a number of mainstream systems of inquiry available to educational policymakers. Each system of inquiry has postulates, basic and derived concepts that characterize its epistemological foundations and methodological directives. None of these systems of inquiries, however, is proscriptive…

This study, designed to test whether elementary school students could be trained to use instructional objectives or adjunct postquestions while reading and whether their use would facilitate learning, indicates students learned to use the instructional stimuli but eventually returned to earlier learning strategies. Whether these stimuli aided…

Examines the problems of "truth" in the use of narratives to study teaching, highlighting the themes of universality and control that have dominated the study of teaching and conceptions of relationships between research and social policy. The paper examines issues underlying debates over proper understanding of narrative to promote…

Three studies are presented, which illustrate situations in which researchers and funders agreed on the primacy of either the experimental or pragmatic paradigms but acknowledged a role for the other. The studies involved evaluations of mental health care, information systems, and a curriculum for behavioral and academic dysfunction. (SLD)

This paper explores how various perspectives influence inquiry in education. Normative perspectives function as implicit theories of inquiry as a researcher undertakes formal inquiry, and such theories should be acknowledged. Epistemological as well as methodological issues raised by conceiving of such theories as normative rather than merely…

A study examined the phenomenon of burnout in social service agencies, approaching burnout as a symptom of organizational communication patterns rather than a characteristic inherent in or developed within a particular individual. Sixteen working teams (defined as three or more people in a person-oriented service, who are perceived as a team by…

Defines the post-positivist approach to qualitative research as one that characterizes knowledge as neither conclusive, verifiable, or external to the human psyche. Instead it assumes knowledge to be socially and individually constructed. Argues for a more tolerant and creative understanding of the various research methodologies by their…

Highlights some of the fundamental differences between positivistic and qualitative research methods regarding art education. Defends qualitative research and argues that applying natural science research principles to human endeavors is often futile. Discusses the special problems and advantages of qualitative research. (MJP)

Questions past educational research and its effect on policy making and educational practice. Asks whether education is a scholarly pursuit, science, or art. Expresses concern that instruction of educational methods has a detrimental effect on knowledge of the field. Claims actual classroom teaching must be guided by research, a body of…

F. Schrag is preoccupied with enhancing education, but who decides what enhancement is? He has confused positivism with empiricism. Positivism is a specific philosophical movement that is associated with logical positivism. The empiricism that Schrag labels positivism preceded the philosophic traditions. (SLD)

The purpose of this article is to define, through discussion and example, the notion of an "anthropological approach" to science education research, as well as to advocate the potential contribution of such an approach to several research domains and to questions of access and equity. This paper reviews a variety of research articles that address,…

Since the publication of the Salamanca statement (UNESCO 1994), inclusive schooling has formed a growing part of the deliberations of the special education community. Inclusive schooling research in Australia in the main continues to reproduce traditions of the special education field, emphasising the dominant psychological perspectives that have…

With the historical difficulty of changing classroom practices as background, this paper represents a teacher educator's critical investigation of the outcomes of her own instructional practices. Grounded in critical feminist theory, the narrative inquiry critiques epistemological stances taken over 4 years by a literacy educator for elementary…

Generalizations arising from effective teaching studies are vulnerable because they are not based on a theoretical perspective of how learning occurs or can be improved, but have resulted from observations of what teachers appear to be doing when students are learning. Critics of teacher effectiveness studies contend that good instruction requires…

These proceedings include abstracts and/or complete papers on topics and research focusing on student misconceptions (ideas at variance with accepted views) in science and mathematics. Abstracts and papers are arranged according to nine general areas emphasized: (1) theoretical and philosophical perspectives; (2) instructional issues; (3) research…