Systematic reviews have witnessed significant growth across many fields, including education. In this article, we outline the background of this growth, highlight the tendency to focus on methodological considerations, and propose a framework to support education researchers in preparing systematic reviews with broad impact. We draw on our…

Problem-based learning (PBL) can take many different shapes but has as a common denominator that it builds on the principles of collaborative, constructive, contextual, and self-directed learning. Systematic review approaches that aim to provide insight in what features make PBL work generally fall short, as they tend to disregard the influential…

Utilising novel ways of knowing, aligned with an ecological approach, the Learning in Development Research Framework (LDRF) has been introduced as a different way to guide research and practice in sport. A central feature of this framework is an appreciation of researcher embeddedness; positioned as an inhabitant who follows along with the…

Research synthesis is the practice of systematically distilling and integrating data from many studies in order to draw more reliable conclusions about a given research issue. When the first edition of "The Handbook of Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis" was published in 1994, it quickly became the definitive reference for conducting…

The ability of a scientific discipline to build cumulative knowledge depends on its predominant method of data analysis. A steady accumulation of knowledge requires approaches which allow researchers to consider results from comparable prior research. Bayesian statistics is especially relevant for establishing a cumulative scientific discipline,…

This case study describes the research carried out in partial fulfilment of the degree of doctor of education. The study was qualitative in nature with a phenomenological interpretive paradigm. My primary objective is to share my experience of combining life story and grounded theory research. My main objectives for undertaking the research were…

When the first edition of "The Handbook of Research Synthesis" was published in 1994, it quickly became the definitive reference for researchers conducting meta-analyses of existing research in both the social and biological sciences. In this fully revised second edition, editors Harris Cooper, Larry Hedges, and Jeff Valentine present…

This book provides invaluable guidance for thinking through and planning a qualitative study. Rather than offering recipes for specific techniques, master storyteller Robert Stake stimulates readers to discover "how things work" in organizations, programs, communities, and other systems. Topics range from identifying a research question to…

Qualitative research methods require transparency to ensure the "trustworthiness" of the data analysis. The intricate processes of organising, coding and analysing the data are often rendered invisible in the presentation of the research findings, which requires a "leap of faith" for the reader. Computer assisted data analysis software can be used…

Methods for recording information derived from focus groups are described as follows: (1) transcribe the entire discussion from a tape; (2) expand reporter's notes by using a tape; and (3) work from reporter's notes only. Three approaches are also suggested for synthesizing the discussion into an accurate text. (SLD)

Discusses the purposes and benefits of data synthesis, explaining the major techniques of extracting information from related studies and using it to explain conflicting outcomes. Stresses the importance of the analyst's attention to detailed features of each study and describes the steps of a systematic approach to synthesis. (SK)

Guidelines are offered that make it more likely that high-quality information will be extracted and coded from primary research reports in meta-analyses. It is also noted that the methodology of meta-analysis results in pressure to change the type of information that appears in primary research reports. (SLD)

The six articles of this issue discuss the place of meta-analysis in the health professions and present two state-of-the-art meta-analyses using a variety of innovative methodologies, statistics, and secondary analytic procedures. A survey conducted for this issue and its sequel explores interventions to facilitate meta-analysis. (SLD)

The external audit is a way of assessing the trustworthiness of a study, attesting to its dependability from a methodological standpoint and to its confirmability by reviewing the data, analysis, and interpretations and assessing whether the findings represent the data accurately. This paper discusses issues in the audit process, drawing on data…

This report presents an overview of the procedures used to produce the findings contained in three reports concerning vocational education coordination and planning. Following a summary of the findings of barriers and facilitators to coordination in vocational education planning, a description of the basic procedures for this research effort is…