The dialogue re-presented in this article is intended to foster mutual engagement--and opportunity for learning--across different perspectives on research within the education research community. Participants in the dialogue each addressed the following questions: (1) What are the touchstones by which you judge quality or rigor in education…

This article describes an education design research program that began with individual microgenetic interviews with children in a laboratory setting and led to a developmental model of students' understanding of quotients in mathematics and subsequently to the design and testing of an anchored instruction module for use in whole-class work. The…

The usefulness of positivist traditions in education research has been debated for some time, and there continue to be various epistemological and methodological camps regarding the question of what constitutes "good" or "real" research. The importance of educating all children necessitates that we think about what are the most effective and most…

This article is intended to spark a discussion between two research communities--scholars who study learning and scholars who study educational organizations. A secondary purpose is to encourage researchers to look beyond schools to examine learning in other types of educational organizations. The authors outline a framework to guide research on…

In this comment article on Coulter and Smith (2009), the authors raise concerns that focusing exclusively on issues of representation may lead readers to misunderstandings about narrative research. The authors argue that narrative ways of thinking about the phenomena under study are interwoven with narrative research methodologies. Drawing on…

The authors of this article consider how education researchers can improve school violence and school safety research by (a) examining gaps in theoretical, conceptual, and basic research on the phenomena of school violence; (b) reviewing key issues in the design and evaluation of evidence-based practices to prevent school violence; and (c)…

The author suggests that we apply recent research knowledge to improve our conceptualization, measures, and methodology for studying the effects of teachers' professional development on teachers and students. She makes the case that there is a research consensus to support the use of a set of core features and a common conceptual framework in…

Analyzes the differences in the goals, philosophies, and procedures of psychometric and econometric educational research, due to the different research contexts within which each approach is used. Argues that econometric research, with its emphasis on generalized, noncausal inferences, may not be relevant or helpful to educational researchers.…

What kinds of diversity initiatives and cross-racial interactions foster learning among diverse students? In response to that question, the authors trace various social psychological theories that inform campus diversity programs. Making a case for moving beyond traditional "intergroup harmony" or "intragroup solidarity" approaches, the authors…

Projects three possible outcomes to the criticisms of objective, quantitative educational research by antinaturalists, interpretivists, and critical theorists during the 1980s, referred to as the "Paradigm Wars." Argues for a pragmatic rapprochment of the paradigms based on the moral obligations of educational research. (FMW)

Developed in this paper is a preliminary model of rationality designed to suggest what "applied" research should be like. The model is based on two ideas which are described and analyzed. One concerns epistemology in practical research, and the other discusses where problems come from in such research. (Author/EB)

Discusses N. L. Gage's 1989 American Educational Research Association meeting address concerning the future of educational research and paradigm disputes. Reviews of research paradigms and qualitative versus quantitative controversies do not suggest that paradigm confrontation will soon end. Progress occurs in social science research methodology…

Discusses problems for educational research posed by the unpredictability and indeterminism of human behavior. Presents a theory of purposeful behavior (perceptual control theory) to provide an explicit working model of how individuals produce repeatable outcomes via variable means. Describes primary characteristics of this theory and its…

Critical features of sound observational studies fall under three categories: the sampling framework; the theoretical model; and the statistical procedure. If the methodology for explanatory, rather than descriptive, observational studies can be applied within these categories, more consistent, convincing, useful explanations of educational…

Reiterates the author's convictions about the inadequacy of mainstream educational research. If perceptual control theory is correct in positing a closed-loop, negative feedback relationship between individuals and their environments, then current and mainstream educational research is not adequate for explaining purposeful behavior. (SLD)