Limited emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD)-focused intervention mixed methods research (MMR) has been published, particularly in top-tier EBD journals (i.e., "Behavior Disorders" and "Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders"). The lack of published MMR creates what could be perceived as a Catch-22 situation wherein…

With today's technology, Extension professionals have a variety of tools available for program evaluation. This article describes an innovative platform called VoiceThread that has been used in many classrooms but also is useful for conducting virtual focus group research. I explain how this tool can be used to collect qualitative participant…

What began with a few libraries' early application of ethnographic methods to learn more about user behaviors and needs has grown to become a significant body of work done across many institutions using a broad range of methods. User-centered investigations are increasingly influential in discussions about the shape and future of the research…

In a world of methodological pluralism and mixed-methods, qualitative researchers can take a pathway of pragmatic curiosity by exploring their research interests and the possible design and methodology choices to create studies that not only allow them to pursue their investigative curiosities, but also result in coherent and effective systems of…

As lines between research paradigms continue to blur with the ever-increasing popularity of mixed methods research, there are useful, and occasionally oxymoronic, opportunities for educational researchers to juxtapose tools from opposing methods. The gold standard is just not possible in so much of what we do with small-scale research, nor is it…

In this article, the author challenges the validity and usefulness of the concept of "paradigm," as this term has been used in the social sciences generally, and specifically in the debates over research methods. He emphasizes that in criticizing what he sees as the misuse of the paradigm concept, he is not arguing for dismissing or ignoring…

The use of numerical/quantitative data in qualitative research studies and reports has been controversial. Prominent qualitative researchers such as Howard Becker and Martyn Hammersley have supported the inclusion of what Becker called "quasi-statistics": simple counts of things to make statements such as "some," "usually," and "most" more…

Paradigms serve as metaphysical frameworks that guide researchers in the identification and clarification of their beliefs with regard to ethics, reality, knowledge, and methodology. The transformative paradigm is explained and illustrated as a framework for researchers who place a priority on social justice and the furtherance of human rights.…

This article explores the practical relevance of pragmatism as a research paradigm through the example of a piece of pragmatic research that not only used both quantitative and qualitative research methods but also exploited the inherent duality of the data analyzed. Thus, the article aims to make the case that pragmatism as a research paradigm…

Resampling methods including randomization test, cross-validation, the jackknife and the bootstrap are widely employed in the research areas of natural science, engineering and medicine, but they lack appreciation in educational research. The purpose of the present review is to revisit and highlight the key principles and developments of…

As the educational research community has struggled with research issues over the last few decades, we have turned almost exclusively to epistemologically oriented methodology for answers. Implicit in this methodological discourse are three questionable presuppositions about the relationship between methods and methodology and between researchers…

The primary purpose of this article is to further discussions of validity in mixed methods research by introducing a validation framework to guide thinking about validity in this area. To justify the use of this framework, the authors discuss traditional terminology and validity criteria for quantitative and qualitative research, as well as…

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discussion concerning the value and validity of fiction, and arts-based approaches more broadly, as research. I offer this contribution through a narrative: "Conference Story." The narrative involves its characters, in an Oxford pub, debating the merits and otherwise of Peter Clough's (2002)…

Although organized physical education is vital to Americans' health and well-being, surprisingly few policy studies exist for the field. Physical education professionals desperately need evaluation studies to assist them in setting policies and examining policy implementation and outcomes. This paper reviews available literature, identifies…

Discusses development of rational set generator--an overall method for creating a rational set of examples to teach concepts and evaluate student knowledge levels--which combines formulas for creating examples measuring discrimination and generalization. Also discussed are results of a study to test the efficacy of a rational set generator. (MBR)