Identifies two significantly different calls for methodological reform in counseling psychology: one paradigm which proposes to replace quantitative methods with qualitative ones, and second paradigm which proposes methodological diversity whereby qualitative methods supplement quantitative ones. Compares two positions in terms of rhetoric,…

Scholars who are drawn to qualitative research methodologies represent a diverse group of disciplines and fields. They also represent themselves as researchers and the theoretical frameworks in which they work quite differently. Indeed, it was this diversity in representation that initially motivated us to propose a New Directions feature on…

Presents research approaches using qualitative methods that are needed as alternatives to traditional, quantitative methods. Describes the three qualitative methods of participant-observation, in-depth interviewing, and life histories and case studies. Discusses exemplars of qualitative techniques for research in counselor education and…

Outlines use of qualitative research in student affairs. Suggests rationale for the appropriateness of qualitative methods as means of knowledge generation. Discusses five issues of concern. Concludes qualitative research methodology reflects and parallels complexity and richness of student affairs field. (Author/ABL)

The use of qualitative research methodology in adult education has (1) led to the concepts of marginality, enrollment economy, and perspective transformation; (2) stimulated research in participation, motivation, and self-directed learning; and (3) increased understanding of adult illiterates. Qualitative inquiry has potential for extending the…

Presents field data to examine family responsibility in caring for Alzheimer's disease patients. Addresses features of social comparison, issue contingency, family history, and kinship priority. Argues that qualitative analysis offers empirical lessons about family responsibility and caregiver functioning untaught by other methods. (Author)

Contends that qualitative research methods may improve understanding of individual students and groups of students. Discusses key questions in determining appropriateness of qualitative methods for research, evaluations, and policy analysis. Recommends that student affairs professionals consider using qualitative methods in their study of students…

R. Zubir and M. Pope (1984) and K. Howe (1985, 1988) have argued against the "tyranny of methodological dogma" and that the division between quantitative psychometric and qualitative phenomenological and anthropological traditions is unnecessary. The postmodern self-consciousness of educational research has resulted in the realization that there…

Describes and contrasts philosophical and methodological assumptions, goals, and data collection methods of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research on college student behavior. Provides brief illustrations of two qualitative studies of college students using interview methods, ethnomethodology, and conversation analysis. (Author/NB)

Describes practical problems and issues that arose during multisite and single site studies that used qualitative research methods. Studies described include study of student involvement in out-of-class learning opportunities at 14 institutions of higher education and study of what students learned as result of membership in National PanHellenic…

Argues that focus groups provide users with valuable qualitative data not readily obtained with any other data-collection technique. Describes the focus-group process, including participant selection, moderator role, phases of the process, and advantages and disadvantages. Suggests ways that business communication instructors can incorporate the…

Outlines the recent transition, within educational research, from conflict to cooperation between quantitative and qualitative approaches. Asserts that compatibility is based on a confusion between method as technique and method as logic of justification. Argues that the claim of compatibility cannot be sustained and blocks an interesting and…

Qualitative research is inquiry aimed at describing and clarifying human experience as it appears in people's lives. Researchers using qualitative methods gather data that serve as evidence for their distilled descriptions. Qualitative data are gathered primarily in the form of spoken or written language rather than in the form of numbers.…

In educational research, rigid distinctions between the relative merits of quantitative research often rest on positivistic dogma. In contrast, post-positivistic thought eliminates the intractable problem engendered by positivistic epistemology of a forced choice between value-laden and value-free research methods. (KH)

Discusses the basic character of qualitative, humanistic research, identifying its philosophical and theoretical commitments. Provides a taxonomy of investigative strategies employed, including naturalistic inquiry, contextualization, maximized comparisons, sensitizing concepts, and analytic induction. Classifies methods employed as participant…