Numerous methods are available to assess physical activity (PA) but systematic observation (SO) excels in being able to provide contextually rich data on the setting in which the activity occurs. As SO is particularly useful for determining how activity is influenced by the immediate physical and social environments, its use is becoming more…

Research pertaining to science museum exhibit design tends to be articulated at a level of generality that makes it difficult to apply in practice. To address this issue, the present study used a design-based research approach to understand the educational potential of a biology exhibit. The exhibit was considered an educational environment which…

The concept of "implementation fidelity" is broadly used to capture the extent to which an intervention is executed as intended by the designers of the intervention (Century, Rudnick, & Freeman, 2010; Huntley, 2005, McNaught, Tarr, & Sears, 2010, Munter, 2010). Though implementation fidelity instruments are often used to assess…

This article challenges the content of most marketing research courses whereby students are indoctrinated into the qualitative-then-quantitative archetype commonly found in scholarly research, under the assumption that it is both sufficient and appropriate when equipping students with the necessary skills for business. By following this standard…

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to explore the current status of group process research; to present an automated system for collecting group observations; and to provide a framework for a training method for observers. In the discussion of group process research it is suggested that it remains largely unclear what the relationships are…

Employing their own version of the scientific method, educational researchers skirt the observation of the phenomenon under investigation and proceed directly to its quantification. The lack of impressive results suggests that an alternate research paradigm, the observation of human behavior in natural settings, is often advisable. (Author)

From the assumption that all social reality can be usefully viewed as the processes whereby people act and interact in everyday life, this paper argues that the macroanalysis characterizing most comparative education research must be replaced by systematic observation and analysis of the microcosmic world of everyday school life. (Author/SJL)

In the ongoing Sibling Adoption Study of sibling relationships, data gathered from three methods was used to assess the sibling relationship in the home. This report focuses on comparison of the information about the sibling relationship gathered from each method. Eighty-four middle-class families with younger siblings, aged four to six, and older…

Methodological incarceration occurs when research and investigation are restricted by the traditional concepts of how a study should be designed and are hampered by those notions which dictate what research is. This paper examines several reasons why social science research in general--reading research in particular--is considered by some to be…

Following a review of research on the effects of early experience upon subsequent cognitive and intellectual development, an alternative Piagetian-based strategy for the study and evaluation of these concerns is presented. Using this paradigm, infants were observed naturalistically for one year. The observations were coded according to the four…

Qualitative/naturalistic inquiry intends to discover whatever naturally occurring order exists rather than to test various theories or conceptual frameworks held by the investigator. Naturalistic, ecological data are urgently needed concerning the behavior of educational administrators. Such data can considerably change the knowledge base of the…

The Multiple Option Observation System for Experimental Studies (MOOSES) is a flexible data collection and analysis package for applied behavioral research that addresses the needs of researchers interested in live coding of observational data. MOOSES allows the researcher to design a coding system for a particular research question. General types…

This monograph reviews studies which have measured and compared classroom and other human behaviors occurring in different cultures and nations, points out problems related to the comparisons made, and describes procedures which can be used to help standardize measurements of behavior made using systematic observation instruments. Standardization…

While presenting a critical look at selected aspects of relationship change research and theory, this essay argues that researchers need to investigate a broader range of relationship types, develop a more comprehensive conceptualization of relationship change, and develop more appropriate research methods. The first section deals with the need to…

Defines participant observation as a research methodology whereby investigation is conducted in the subjects' natural habitat over a long period of time in which the researcher shares as intimately as possible in the life and activities of the subjects being studied. (Available from the Journal of Applied Communications Research, Ed., Drawer NJ,…