Conventional optimal design frameworks consider a narrow range of sampling cost structures that thereby constrict their capacity to identify the most powerful and efficient designs. We relax several constraints of previous optimal design frameworks by allowing for variable sampling costs in cluster-randomized trials. The proposed framework…

In this paper we introduce the concept of contextual mitigating factors (CMFs) as an analytical tool for interrogating the contextual landscapes that situate one's research. While we understand that much work has been done on the importance of identifying context in research programs, we continue to stress the importance of developing contextually…

The Fatwa making process is a process used by an Islamic "mufti" (A Muslim legal expert) to issue a non-binding opinion or "fatwa" (judicial pronouncement in Islam) on the point of Islamic sharia law when a question is raised by a "mustafti" (The person who asks a mufti for a fatwa), the person who has asked for a…

In the mixed methods research (MMR) literature, the term paradigm is used in a number of ways to support very different accounts. This article aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the relationship between MMR and paradigms by analyzing two main claims discussed in the literature: (a) MMR is a new paradigm and (b) MMR mixes different…

Many ethical concerns in online big data research stem from a pervasive assumption that data are disembodied and place-less. While some scholars have begun addressing the ethical dilemmas of big data, few offer approaches or tools that fully grapple with the situatedness of online data and its ethical implications. We draw on feminist new…

This paper presents a model for developing research questions that are aligned to research aims for research design in e-learning. The model is proposed as a solution to the on-going problem of heterogeneity of research problems. The model is based on Burrell and Morgan's four social paradigms, and integrates four research aims, namely, explore,…

Text classification has allowed researchers to analyze natural language data at a previously impossible scale. However, a text classifier is only as valid as the the annotations on which it was trained. Further, the cost of training a classifier depends on annotators' ability to quickly and accurately apply the coding scheme to each text. Thus,…

This volume employs a multidisciplinary approach to research on a high-profile topic very much on the agenda of state and national policy leaders: early childhood development and education. It aims to reflect how scholarly perspectives shape the contours of knowledge generation, and to illuminate the gaps that prevent productive interchange among…

Observable data in empirical social and behavioral science studies are often categorical (i.e., binary, ordinal, or nominal). When categorical data are outcomes, they fail to maintain the scale and distributional properties of linear regression and factor analysis. Attempting to estimate model parameters for categorical outcome data with the…

In paired experiments, participants are grouped into pairs with similar characteristics, and one observation from each pair is randomly assigned to treatment. The resulting treatment and control groups should be well-balanced; however, there may still be small chance imbalances. Building on work for completely randomized experiments, we propose a…

The increasing number of studies on the STEM approach necessitates a holistic and comparative evaluation of the results. This study aims to investigate and evaluate the cumulative results of the experimental studies used STEM approach for preschool children. In this study, the meta-analysis method was used. Despite a great number of studies about…

Research-practice partnerships often face a fundamental tension: well-designed, high-quality research takes time, but practitioners and policy makers need answers to pressing questions as soon as possible. In this article, Jason Sachs, Meghan McCormick, JoAnn Hsueh, and Catherine Snow discuss this mismatch between the tight timelines of…

Research on anxiety and motivation in second language (L2) learning is proliferating. However, these two individual differences are commonly measured by self-report questionnaires, the psychometric properties of which have been questioned. Building on previous works on study quality, this methodological synthesis systematically describes and…

Purpose: When we speak, we gesture, and indeed, persons with aphasia gesture more frequently. The reason(s) for this is still being investigated, spurring an increase in the number of studies of gesture in persons with aphasia. As the number of studies increases, so too does the need for a shared set of best practices for gesture research in…

Previous research of inquiry-based learning in natural science education indicates that there are different methodological trends and paradigms in the study of these issues. The aim of this research has been to analyze the selected relevant studies on inquiry-based learning in natural science education in order to assess their scope and…