In this paper the authors share their insights on whether it is necessary to articulate a research methodology when reporting on theoretical research. Initially the authors, one being a supervisor and the other, a PhD student and a colleague, were confronted with the question during supervision and writing of a thesis on theoretical research.…

Institutional performance benchmarking requires identifying a set of reference or comparator institutions. This paper describes a method by which an institution can identify other institutions that are most similar to itself using a methodology that identifies the nearest institutional neighbors based on a balanced set of metrics accessed from…

Numerous studies have been conducted on the internationalization of higher education institutions. Yet, little is known about the prevalence and types of institutional plans for internationalization. Even less is known about how higher education institutions develop and monitor internationalization plans. This paper presents the results of a study…

Explores the relevance of anthropology today, stressing that the current relevance of anthropology has to do with current work, building on the previously relevant work of earlier anthropologists. Asking the right questions, good questions, means considering issues that are pursued for decades, rather than focusing on the pursuit of grants. (SLD)

Although researchers and scholars have extolled the virtues of multi-method approaches to research by triangulation for at least two decades, implementation of these approaches to research has been slow. This is due primarily to the complexities inherent in the combination of different orders of data, theoretical constructs, and methodological…

This paper focuses on the organizational group, noting the lack of an integrated theoretical base, describing the nature of group behavior theories, and suggesting the employment of a metatheory framework to improve both the theoretical integration and the practical application of group behavior research. The paper first considers four general…

This study examined the process followed by graduate students in the formation of research problems for their dissertations. Narratives were solicited from researchers who received Spencer Awards for their dissertation research, and researchers received 30 narratives that described the process of research problem formation. The grounded theory…

Social penetration has been described by S.W. Littlejohn (1992) as "the process of increasing disclosure and intimacy in a relationship." The phrase "social penetration" originated with I. Altman and D. Taylor, the foremost researchers in this area. From other theories, Altman and Taylor developed a unified theory which…

A study examined the mass media research literature to determine if there was a dominant paradigm in the field. The mass media research published in eight communication journals from 1965 to 1989 was content analyzed to identify paradigm, orientation (focus and theory), data (type, source, and sample), methodology (type and manipulation), and…

This paper addresses research issues and strategies with regard to studying the educational treatment of the black college athlete. The paper begins with an explanation of four intitial premises, after which problem areas are identified indicating that: for athletic students, admissions may be based primarily on athletic promise; in the high…

Although the mail survey has been widely criticized as a viable research methodology, it remains the most feasible approach for retrieving data from large, widely-dispersed populations. This paper suggests that there exists a readily accessible body of pragmatic recommendations which, if adhered to throughout the instrument design and data…

This study describes the use of meta-synthesis to review a large body of research literature and systematically synthesize the findings in an effort to develop a more informed understanding of a particular area of interest. Sections of the paper review similarities and differences among meta-analysis, meta-ethnography, and meta-synthesis; review a…

Develops a way to conceptualize the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative research in science education, demonstrating through analysis of examples that qualitative and quantitative research reports follow the same pattern of argument, although the metaphysical roots behind their methodologies are obviously different. (Author/SK)

Considers the doubts the author has had about the design of an award winning study, focusing especially on a researcher's obligation to help the teachers with whom the researcher is working, even at the risk of jeopardizing a study's design. Traces the way that her engagement with that question has led to her current professional commitments. (SC)

This study presents several analyses of doctoral dissertation research completed by students in instructional design and technology (ID&T) programs from 1977 through 1988: (1) the number of dissertations completed during each of the 12 years; (2) the 46 U.S. institutions at which the research was done and the number of doctoral degrees in ID&T…