Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is an empirical research method that has gained some popularity in the social sciences. At the same time, the literature has long been convinced that QCA is prone to committing causal fallacies when confronted with non-causal data. More specifically, beyond a certain case-to-factor ratio, the method is…

Systematic reviews (SRs) have an important role in the healthcare decision-making practice. Assessing the overall confidence in the results of SRs using quality assessment tools, such as "A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2" (AMSTAR 2), is crucial since not all SRs are conducted using the most rigorous methods. In this…

Scale construction is a common technique in the behavioral and social sciences. There are various techniques researchers use to construct a scale such as the use of focus groups or modifying existing scales. These techniques are not without their challenges. One technique that is not as well discussed in the social science literature is the use of…

Much has been written about the importance of "writing with discipline" in order to increase the readability and, hence, the publishability of manuscripts submitted to journals for consideration for publication. More specifically, empirical evidence has been provided that links American Psychological Association (APA) errors, citation…

The aim of this research is to examine postgraduate theses on curriculum evaluation completed between the years 2006-2015 in Turkey in terms of various aspects such as university, year, curriculum which is evaluated, curriculum evaluation model, research method, design, sample type, data collection methods, data analysis technique. In order to…

This study attempted to highlight the trend of research in science related subjects specifically in schools. Articles and journals were retrieved from Google scholar under peer reviewed with the aim to highlight the trend of research methods, findings and teaching strategies. The themes were based on pedagogical approaches of teaching science,…

Because of their efficiency and ability to keep many other factors constant, twin studies have a special appeal for investigators. Just as with any teaching dataset, a "matched-sets" dataset used to illustrate a statistical model should be compelling, still relevant, and valid. Indeed, such a "model dataset" should meet the…

Reports findings of two research projects conducted at Temple University that investigated the usefulness of indexes as "memory assists" in locating specific items: title searching in the Social Science Index and the Humanities Index and author searches in those indexes and the Social Science Citation Index. Comparative performances are…

A comparison of records for 217 serial titles (holdings reports, selected bibliographic data elements, supplementary notes) found in both the OCLC online database and "New Serial Titles" (NST) indicates that OCLC is superior resource for current material, while NST is stronger resource for older titles. Five references are included. (EJS)

A table of critical values is provided for the simple and accurate testing of the step-down procedure proposed by R. E. Welsch (1977) and the Shaffer-Welsch procedure (1979, 1981). Advantages and use of the table are presented and discussed. (Author/SLD)

Comparison of earnings between control and experimental groups subsequent to participation in experimental training programs provides a credible estimate of program effectiveness. Too much of the nonexperimental estimation of the effects of training programs seems dependent on models that cannot be subjected to powerful statistical tests. (MLF)

A noncomputerized study of the journal title usage by the clients of the Extension Division of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Library showed that its validity increased in direct proportion to the number of relevant parameters. Such studies should include both numbers of requesters and numbers of requests. (Author)

This article explores the probable extent of participation of school personnel in curriculum decision making by presenting data regarding: (a) preferences for seven kinds of curriculum work, (b) preferences for five levels of curriculum decision making, and (c) perceptions of the attractiveness of curriculum work. The findings are discussed at…

This study cited data from five independently conducted case studies collected by trained observers employing a classroom observation category system designed for the study. The findings suggest that "instructional intent" and the conditions of "knowing that" are independent of circular knowledge organization in use.…

A study of citations in instructional development (ID) periodical literature identifies invisible colleges--groups linked by common ideas or approaches--in the ID field. Although ID literature as a whole was weakly based on previous work, this study found eight invisible colleges and 10 authors who dominate the literature. (MBR)