A process for judging the alignment between curriculum standards and assessments developed by the author is presented. This process produces information on the relationship of standards and assessments on four alignment criteria: Categorical Concurrence, Depth of Knowledge Consistency, Range of Knowledge Correspondence, and Balance of…

An examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the major types of epidemiologic studies suggests that, although the studies may contribute important knowledge regarding chronic diseases and other conditions, readers must carefully analyze the limitations of study design. (CB)

A test for multisample sphericity based on the efficient scores criterion is obtained as an alternative to the likelihood ratio test developed by Mendoza. (Author)

The purpose of this paper is to articulate the common confusion of correlation for causation. Various articles that have addressed this issue are reviewed, and possible reasons for the misinterpretation of correlation as causation are presented. The differences between correlational and experimental research designs are reviewed, and the…

Leakage of experimental information from debreifed subjects into a university subject pool was studied. It was concluded that in settings similar to those of the experiment, leakage of information is not a serious problem. (Authors)

Questions traditional approach to validating employment interview. Notes that individuals are likely to differ in ability to accurately predict employee behavior and that interviewers often differ in their constant tendency to make favorable or unfavorable ratings. Researchers, by failing to consider these tendencies, may inappropriately collapse…

From a rhetorical perspective, Mendel's work and its reception elicit two important questions: (a) why were Mendel's arguments so compelling to 20th century biologists? And (b) why where they so roundly ignored by his contemporaries? The focus of this article is to examine the latter question while commenting on the former by employing several…

This paper provides a framework for developing sampling designs in mixed methods research. First, we present sampling schemes that have been associated with quantitative and qualitative research. Second, we discuss sample size considerations and provide sample size recommendations for each of the major research designs for quantitative and…

This article addresses the perennial issue of the criteria by which qualitative research should be evaluated. At the present time, there is a sharp conflict between demands for explicit criteria, for example in order to serve systematic reviewing and evidence-based practice, and arguments on the part of some qualitative researchers that such…

This study examined the impact of rater agreement on decisions concerning the alignment between the "Golden State Examination in High School Mathematics" (California Department of Education, 2001a) and the University of California (UC) "Statement on Competencies in Mathematics Expected of Entering College Students" (Academic…

Errors in methodology occur regularly in the conduct of surveys for educational research. This paper discusses some of these errors and alternatives. In the area of survey design, errors are common in: (1) missed opportunities in attitude scale planning; (2) blunders in item construction; (3) missed opportunities in item construction; (4) blunders…

Investigated is the topic of research implementation and how it can affect evaluation results. Even when evaluations are well planned, the obtained results can be misleading if the conscientiously-constructed research plan is not correctly implemented in practice. In virtually every research arena, one finds major difficulties in implementing the…

Reviews research on teaching and makes an appeal for involving classroom teachers as field workers and partners in applied pedagogical research. Covers difficulties involved with such an approach, the need for replication, teacher training and the problem of generalization. (JDH)

Raises and attempts to resolve some significant and controversial issues in the design of family therapy outcome studies. Addresses the issue of clinical relevance and critiques intermodel comparative outcome studies. Discusses outcome criteria, with a recommendation for determining whether or not a family therapy has had a desirable effect. (BH)

Author, addressing potential Ph.D. candidates, outlines a route to a respectable problem for research,'' involving extensive reading. (Author/SP)