In the late 1980s, I embarked on a "small" project in India to obtain a "bit" of comparative data on Indian women in science and engineering. At that time, there was little cross-cultural research on the scientific gender gap outside of the United States or Europe. As a cultural anthropologist, I initially envisaged a…

Survey research in education is a popular quantitative research design and is used to determine opinions, attitudes, behavior, habits, and perceptions on a wide variety of topics. While many people are familiar with survey methods, it is often used in a 'quick and dirty' way to get information. This case aims to describe some of the challenges of…

Despite a broad theoretical literature on multidimensional inequality and a widespread belief that welfare is not synonymous to income--not the least in a developing context--empirical inequality examinations rarely includes several welfare attributes. We explore three techniques on how to evaluate multidimensional inequality using Zambian…

The problems of international educational research exchange were examined. The definition of educational research is not universal. Styles and emphasis of research differ. European publications are similar to United States publications. The research methodology used by most Third World countries is often radically different from American methods.…

The field of comparative administration should relax its preoccupation with ecological theories and aggregate data technologies and move on to systematic field research in multiple settings. (Author)

Examines some problems and difficulties encountered in international comparative research programs in mass communications: comparability of units of analysis; lack of consensus manifested in dichotomization into "conventional" and "critical" approaches; and suitability of exported models, theories, concepts, and methods to Third World conditions.…

The paradox of the diffusion of innovations research is that in its efforts to find ways and means of breaking the communication constraint in Third World countries, it has generated many bottlenecks that cumulatively constitute the major constraint: lack of an efficient system for delivering adequate and reliable information, knowledge, and…

Presents guidelines for recognizing and avoiding potential problems associated with conducting graduate work in a developing country. Guidelines include methods for setting objectives, initial planning, knowing cooperating organizations, making a preliminary visit, on site activities, and communication with faculty advisors. (MDH)

The communicative approach to second language instruction has gained disproportionate publicity in the language teaching profession through the Communicative Teaching Project in Bangalore, India. Because of a series of articles and books and presentations at conferences advertising the project's alleged innovativeness and effectiveness, it has…

The results of studies that have calculated projections of food deficits for less developed countries (LDC's) toward the year 2000 are compared. Included in the comparison are: (1) reports entitled "The Global 2000 Report to the President,""The Future of the World Economy," and "The Model of International Relations in Agriculture"; (2) work done…

The failure of development to improve the quality of life in most third world countries and in the less advantaged sectors of advanced capitalistic countries can be partially attributed, it is felt, to methodological errors made by those studying development. Some recent sociological approaches to the study of development are reviewed in this…

Discusses problems involved with surveying and assessing literacy rates in developing nations. Defines current debates over literacy measurement, classification, and surveying. Examines and questions current assumptions linking literacy policy and economic development. Describes models for surveying and measuring literacy and numeracy skill…

Intends to sketch the research climate in Egypt in such a way that will have relevance to conducting research in the broader developing world. Explains that the problems encountered doing research in Egypt can be expected to occur in most developing countries, not only in Egypt. (CMK)

Researchers working in foreign settings are often influenced by a number of factors which are quite different from factors which influence research activities in one's own culture. The hypothesis is that these cultural differences can influence research in a positive or negative way depending, at least partially, on the degree of sensitivity shown…

The main purpose of this paper on a study of Indonesian concepts of human nature is to demonstrate practical instances of cooperation between Western and Third World researchers. It is asserted that Western researchers must understand the general views of human nature held by individuals in Third World countries before they can apply theories in…