This commentary addresses the gap in the literature regarding discussion of the legitimate use of Constant Comparative Analysis Method (CCA) outside of Grounded Theory. The purpose is to show the strength of using CCA to maintain the emic perspective and how theoretical frameworks can maintain the etic perspective throughout the analysis. My…

While schools are focusing excessively on meeting accountability standards and improving test scores, important facets of schooling--such as preparing students for the global marketplace--are being inadvertently overlooked. Without deliberate informal observation by teachers and school administrators, detecting and addressing students'…

Passives has been the focus of much research in language acquisition since the 1970s. It has been clear from this research that young children seldom produce passives spontaneously, particularly "long" or "full" passives with a by-phrase; and they usually perform poorly on experimental tests of the comprehension of passives, especially passives of…

Considers the current relevance of the practice of observation of children through an exploration of the role of observation in the work of Friedrich Froebel, Susan Isaacs, and Margaret McMillan. (BC)

This paper contends that, historically and today, "readiness" functions as a key symbol in discourses of early childhood. Schools and teachers need to make "ready" for different children in a very different world than that in which many people grew up. The interest in the paper, however, is not only in individual difference but…

Ethical issues relating to naturalistic evaluation are addressed, focusing on the role of the evaluator, problems of privacy and data gathering techniques, and issues relating to the use/abuse of findings. Benefits and costs of the naturalistic approach to program evaluation are also identified. (EGS)

Instructional technologists have traditionally used the scientific or rationalistic paradigm to study the instructional potential of pictures. Naturalistic and rationalistic inquiry differ in their views of reality and truth, the relationship between the investigator and the subject, the goals of inquiry, and the role of values in inquiry.…

Research in the development of prosocial behavior in children is better done by naturalistic than by experimental methods. The choice of what problems to address in social science research depends upon value commitments. The ultimate criterion for evaluating research in the behavioral sciences must be social relevance and utility. The dominant…

Presents an overview of the goals and procedures of qualitative research, and discusses linkages between epistemologies and methodology. Reviews possible guidelines involved in the several steps of the evaluation process of qualitative research, emphasizing naturalistic research with families. Reviews common problems with qualitative research.…

The use of ethnography in educational research has a potential for building bridges between teacher practice and theory and research. In preservice teacher education, it can induce reflectiveness and encourage observational skills. In inservice education, research would be rooted in teachers' concerns and could become a joint enterprise between…

Considers how much of the writing on type design reflects the technical and pragmatic aspects of its production and how this approach frequently obscures the human dimension of an already arcane art. Draws a parallel between living and working with letters and exploring the natural world. Offers a literary meditation on the motives for, and…

Proposes a methodology for the naturalistic investigation of classroom environments in primary schools. Maintains that this approach is derived from a critique of the work of classroom ecologist Walter Doyle. Proposes suggestions for empirical research methods for naturalistic investigation. (CFR)

This article discusses three major purposes of observation in functional behavioral assessment: to describe and help analyze the classroom events leading to challenging behaviors, to develop and evaluate the accuracy of hypotheses about these triggers, and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for challenging behavior developed from the…

This paper describes data gathering and analytic procedures, and then presents examples regarding how each fits into the naturalistic research model. From the interactionist perspective, called symbolic interactionism, meaning is of central importance. Naturalistic inquiry is a way of doing social science research which provides the methodological…

An educational researcher describes absurdities and paradoxes encountered in the research process, arising from the nature of natural science, subjectivity, education, the profession, the naturalistic paradigm, and ethnography. (SK)