This paper takes the position that the oral history approach has great value for educational research, not as a replacement of other procedures, but to augment other data collection approaches. In arriving at this position, various definitions of and theories about oral histories are reviewed, controversy over the validity of the limitations of…

Educational research has been excessively atheoretical and has not produced an accumulating body of systematically observed empirical facts. Much of the best work has been reductionist, partly because it has been rooted in paradigms of the behavioral sciences and partly because of the fragmentation of the community of professional researchers.…

Ethnography has raised various issues for the educational research manager (the person responsible for directing a large-scale research and/or evaluation project). These include selection and management of ethnographers, negotiation of ethnographers' onsite roles, communication and coordination of ethnographers, and ethnographic data processing…

Author Mike Schmoker argues that data should play a crucial role before staff development begins by helping to select the most results-oriented initiatives. Staff development proposals should be based on data that indicate the initiatives have led to higher achievement. This interview discusses barriers to using data and notes the role of…

Issues concerning the collection and uses of data about college student retention are considered. Some of the documented findings about student retention in U.S. colleges is summarized, with attention to both national data and data for colleges belonging to the United Negro College Fund. Difficulties in obtaining useful retention data are…

Offers an overview of trends and issues in student tracking, including methods of collecting data, determining which data should be gathered, obtaining follow-up data, and using results to inform decisions about institutional planning and improvement. (DMM)

Triangulation strategy results in evidence characterized by the following: (1) convergence; (2) inconsistency; and (3) contradiction. In order to render the data sensible, the researcher or evaluator must report data collection procedures, as well as the three levels of information from which explanations of social phenomena are constructed. (BJV)

Notes the need for researchers in schools who conduct studies to provide data for decision making, cull research literature for information needed for problem solving, and generate new ideas for practice based on current research. Outlines components of programs for educating school-based researchers. (ET)

Although scholars and policy analysts both value quality-controlled collections of research results, they evaluate research according to different criteria. Nevertheless, an examination of a pessimistic fictional research experience and a more productive actual experience indicate that, although differences in focus between scholars and policy…

Discusses the potential for increasing library effectiveness through the appropriate design and utilization of research and describes fundamental research and statistical techniques. Topics examined include areas amenable to data collection, data collection methods amenable to statistical analysis, measurement techniques and levels of…

Suggests sources of data related to the distinctiveness of a community college, including institutional histories, needs assessments, institutional impact studies, marketing research, and strategic planning studies. Considers ways of organizing the data. (DMM)

Urges community colleges to overcome their image problem by documenting the colleges' impact on their communities. Suggests ways to determine what data should be collected, how to collect the information, and how it can be used to empower faculty, staff, and alumni to change the institution's image. (DMM)

The origins of institutional research and its association with a planning function are reviewed. The role of values, politics, and social pressures in regard to the planning function are examined. Planning is likely to be more directed to attaining administrative and faculty aspirations than to meeting educational and social needs. (Author/MLW)

Acknowledges that assessment is often perceived as a costly ordeal with minimal benefits to the institution beyond meeting external reporting requirements. Presents examples of assessment data already available in existing records, and ways in which colleges can leverage the results of assessment to serve multiple purposes. (MAB)

Suggests steps in planning and managing student tracking systems: build support, determine the system's purpose, inventory available student data, identify information gaps, consider a small prototype, make tracking ongoing, and use the system. Reviews potential problems during implementation. Cites further sources of information. (DMM)