In most qualitative research studies involving the creation of interview transcriptions, researchers seldom demonstrate much reflexivity about the transcription process, rarely making mention of transcription processes as part of their reporting of data collection and analysis procedures beyond a simple statement that audio- or videotaped data…

The goal of this chapter is to recommend quality criteria to guide evaluators' selections of sampling designs when mixing approaches. First, we contextualize our discussion of quality criteria and sampling designs by discussing the concept of interpretive consistency and how it impacts sampling decisions. Embedded in this discussion are…

This study investigated the extent that cooperative group members' levels of hopefulness, operationalized as a combination of pathways to meet desired goals and the agentic thinking that motivates an individual to use those pathways, predict (a) group performance, namely, the quality of an article critique assignment and research proposal…

Reliability is one of the chief characteristics researchers consider when judging the quality of data used in their studies. Within the positivist paradigm, data are typically quantified, and thus it is relatively easy to derive estimates of reliability. Within the interpretivist paradigm, however, the idea of data reliability is a looser science.…

Much of the current research concerning reliability emphatically suggests that researchers should gather their own reliability estimates when administering an instrument. It has also been recommended that data with low reliability be discarded. While some data obtained from instruments that originally yielded reliable results may be unreliable, it…

This paper suggests that although data from a homogenous sample might yield less reliable scores than did an inducted sample, these data should not be discarded until further examination of the data is conducted. The paper presents two statistics for monitoring data homogeneity and one statistic for correcting alpha when homogeneity is large. The…

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how displaying disattenuated correlation coefficients along with their unadjusted counterparts will allow the reader to assess the impact of unreliability on each bivariate relationship. The paper also demonstrates how a proposed new "what if reliability" analysis can complement the conventional null…

The purposes of this paper are to identify common errors made by researchers when dealing with reliability coefficients and to outline best practices for reporting and interpreting reliability coefficients. Common errors that researchers make are: (1) stating that the instruments are reliable; (2) incorrectly interpreting correlation coefficients;…

This article provides a framework for reporting internal consistency reliability in counseling research and other related social science fields, including guidelines relative to score reliability coefficients and associated confidence intervals for both full sample and subgroups. Follow-up techniques for investigating low score reliability are…

This study was designed to assess the (score) construct-related validity of an instrument called the School-Wide Cultural Competence Observation Checklist (SCCOC). The instrument was developed to use as a tool in conducting culture audits as a means of assessing school-wide cultural competence, or how well a school's programs, policies, and…

Counselors conducting survey research have many item format options to contemplate. This study examined midpoint selection and the effect on reliability of including or excluding midpoint options, and using both positively and negatively worded items. Findings indicate that reliability can be affected by both midpoint options and reverse coding.…

This article provides a typology of reasons for conducting mixed-methods research in special education. The mixed-methods research process is described along with the role of the rationale and purpose of study. The reasons given in the literature for utilizing mixed-methods research are explicated, and the limitations of these reason frameworks…

Exploratory factor analysis of data from 2,309 cooperative education students tested a measure of co-op outcomes. Three factors were identified: work skills development, career development, and academic functions. The Predicting Learner Advancement through Cooperative Education Scale appeared to have good psychometric properties. (Contains 27…

In this article, the authors (a) illustrate how displaying disattenuated correlation coefficients alongside their unadjusted counterparts will allow researchers to assess the impact of unreliability on bivariate relationships and (b) demonstrate how a proposed new "what if reliability" analysis can complement null hypothesis significance…