This paper contrasts mixed methods design with strategic research design. Mixed methods research both advocates for itself as always better than singular research methods, while also seemingly allowing a wide variety of researchers to count their work under the very large umbrella of mixed methods. We argue for strategic research design as a set…

This paper presents the main methodological issues met with during the research on adolescent everyday life information behavior in the context of making informed decisions, which was carried out in Croatia from 2018 to 2020. It does not focus on the research results, but rather on the methodological issues and concerns that had occurred stemming…

The need to administrate experiments online is rising due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brings both challenges and opportunities. However, the field of online experimental research design is still in its infancy. This case study elaborates on the experiences and decision-making process that guided an online experimental research project. First,…

The preregistration of research plans and hypotheses may prevent publication bias and questionable research practices. We incorporated a modified version of the preregistration process into an undergraduate capstone research course. Students completed a standard preregistration form during the planning stages of their research projects as well as…

To draw informed conclusions from research studies, research consumers need full and accurate descriptions of study methods and procedures. Preregistration has been proposed as a means to clarify reporting of research methods and procedures, with the goal of reducing bias in research. However, preregistration has been applied primarily to research…

The main objective of this text is to share the process of conducting a qualitative case study that analyzed the construction of a novice school psychologist's professional identity during her first year of work in a school's guidance department. This text aims to tell "the real story behind the research"; therefore, the description of…

Respecting children's rights to be heard in matters that directly affect their everyday lives has become an established principle in Ireland and internationally. Accessing children's voices raises a number of important issues for researchers across a wide range of disciplines. This article reflects on the organizational, practical and ethical…

Analysis of the assumptions underlying the stakeholder approach to evaluation combined with the limited experience in testing the approach reported in this volume, suggests that some claims are cogent and others problematical. (Author)

Bayesian statistical methodology and its possible uses in the behavioral sciences are discussed in relation to the solution of problems in both the use and teaching of fundamental statistical methods, including confidence intervals, significance tests, and sampling. The Bayesian model explains these statistical methods and offers a consistent…

Minority groups seeking self-determination have a need for and a right to participate in and contribute to a growing body knowledge of human development and human relationships generated by social science research that is not only scientific, hence "unbiased," but which does not perpetuate damaging stereotypes. It is the purpose of this paper to…

The need for competent formal evaluation programs, particularly for new federally assisted programs, is expressed. Problems in defining educational evaluation and its requirements, in designing such evaluations, and 3 possible sources of faulty conceptual bases for evaluations, are presented. An attempt is made to define evaluation in general, to…

Described and critiqued are studies that attempt to describe how personality factors affect foreign policy decision making. Political behavior cannot be explained in terms of personality alone. Such an attempt is a psychological reductionism that ignores the chains of causation that run from underlying personality construct to social and political…

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The SASS is a set of integrated self-administered surveys designed to obtain national information on all aspects of the school system. The Teacher Listing Form (TLF) is the first in the SASS series. It is sent to the…

The National Institute of Education (NIE) had commissioned an evaluation project of certain postsecondary programs for nontraditional students that would involve decision makers in the core of the design activity. This report discusses the conflict that emerged between NIE and the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education (CRDHE) and…

A project conducted in Tennessee from 1984 through 1989, Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (Project STAR), serves as a context for a discussion of educational research. The decisions required in major research projects and the problems in carrying out research are seldom discussed in conferences that present research results as completed efforts.…