A random-effects model is often applied in meta-analysis when considerable heterogeneity among studies is observed due to the differences in patient characteristics, timeframe, treatment regimens, and other study characteristics. Since 2014, the journals "Research Synthesis Methods" and the "Annals of Internal Medicine" have…

This short take presents story-mapping as a research technique that incorporates multiple methods and data sources to build visual narratives of individual and collective experiences. The goals of story-mapping are the following: (1) iteratively synthesize the collection, analysis, and representation of spatial, visual, and textual information as…

In order to further the argument for the consideration of advising as a high-impact practice, there is a need for the organization of knowledge surrounding advising. This chapter contributes to the ongoing efforts to chronicle the landscape of literature on the scholarship, administration, and practice of advising. Summarization of the major…

Background: Given the comprehensively documented literacy crisis in South Africa and the gaps in what is known about the effective teaching of reading and writing in schools, high-quality literacy research is a priority. Objectives: This article evaluates South African research from two annotated bibliographies on reading in African languages at…

Multiple data collection or research methods exist for evaluating library spaces. Faced with numerous choices and limited time for gathering data, it becomes challenging for information professionals to determine the best way to proceed with evaluating their libraries' physical spaces. There is a gap in the literature on best practices for…

Primarily focused on answering questions why and how, this qualitative research relates to human being and behavior and could bring understanding of socially constructed phenomena, including people's needs, experiences, behavior, motives, desires and expectations. Meta-synthesis is an important method that provides valuable insights into the…

Although promoting inclusive education for students with disabilities has received significant attention internationally, reviews of the international intervention literature have not been conducted. This paper describes the results of a literature review of the past 15 years of peer-reviewed, empirical articles published in English- and…

Conducting literature review is a complicated, sometimes confusing and laborious process that beginning educational researchers, especially graduate students, often find challenging. However, in the past these challenges were hardly considered, but in more recent times they have been increasingly considered by various faculties and graduate…

In this article, the "researcher" narrates the issues faced by novice researchers in choosing the correct lenses to conduct research when searching for the truth via the use of qualitative methodology. It is argued that choosing an appropriate research approach and methodology can be described as an "arduous" journey. For the…

Finding some information on most topics is easy. There are abundant sources of information readily available. However, completing a comprehensive literature review on a particular topic is often difficult, laborious, and time intensive; the project requires organization, persistence, and an understanding of the scholarly communication and…

The Professional Development School (PDS) literature is filled with the stuff of good storytelling--archetypes of an ancient profession, struggles of marginalized individuals against powerful structures, personal triumphs, and devotion to a quest. However, much of the writing about PDS experiences that could be considered storytelling tends to…

In my 15th and final year as JRRE editor, I identify methodological and substantive shortcomings in the rural education research literature and, in turn, suggest strategies for improvement. I structure my observations around the following considerations: describing the rural context of research, making the rural argument, framing the research…

Experimental designs are distinguished as the best method to respond to questions involving causality. The purpose of the present paper is to explicate the logic of experimental design and why it is so vital to questions that demand causal conclusions. In addition, types of internal and external validity threats are discussed. To emphasize the…

The article discusses the concepts and interpretations for four methods of testing differences among means in a mixed model repeated measures design. The four methods discussed are: traditional ANOVA and the MANOVA methods for the single dependent variable case, and a Multivariate Mixed Model analysis and a Doubly Multivariate analysis for the…

The gap between scientific knowledge and real world practice continues to be a major conundrum for the behavioral sciences. This paper briefly reviews the development of behavioral research and describes problems that have arisen in meeting the goal of improving behavioral interventions through science. Based on published literature and personal…