The advent of online platforms such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) has expanded considerably researchers' options for collecting research data. Many researchers, however, express understandable skepticism of the viability of using platforms such as MTurk. In this article, we provide a background on the use of MTurk as a mechanism for…

Survey research is prevalent among many professional fields. Both cost effective and time efficient, this method of research is commonly used for the purposes of gaining insight into the attitudes, thoughts, and opinions of populations. Additionally, because there are several types of survey research designs and data collection instruments, the…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of conducting ethnographic research. Methodology definition and key characteristics are given. The stages of the research process are described including preparation, data gathering and recording, and analysis. Important issues such as reliability and validity are also discussed.

Discusses some of the problems which have impeded research into the various aspects of nonverbal communication, and outlines some aspects of necessary research into the subject. (AN)

Educational research has been excessively atheoretical and has not produced an accumulating body of systematically observed empirical facts. Much of the best work has been reductionist, partly because it has been rooted in paradigms of the behavioral sciences and partly because of the fragmentation of the community of professional researchers.…

This article is based on a series of reviews on the supply of, and demand for, social science documents and data in the United Kingdom. Findings indicate that social scientists in the United Kingdom make relatively little use of library tools and information services. (Author/DB)

Reports that the typical communication research study published from 1970 through 1976 was cross-sectional, was carried out in the United States only, cited literature published in the United States only, focused on the individual as the level of analysis, and used only sample survey data. (GT)

Synthesizes information from a 1995 international symposium on longitudinal research in learning disabilities. Discussion of generic considerations of longitudinal research is followed by examination of issues specific to learning disabilities including definition, attrition, composition of research teams, ethical concerns, data collection, and…

This article outlines a data collection model designed by Riffel and associates. This model provides information which may assist district and school level personnel in facilitating the desegregation process. (Author/AM)

There is increasing concern among child care providers and states as to whether the methodology and data collection mechanisms of the various market rate surveys used by each state accurately capture the rates charged by child care providers. This paper examines issues related to market rate surveys as the customary method of determining…

This book presents six papers on Latino migrant workers and recent Indochinese refugees in the United States, most of which focus on problems of fieldwork. The book's three sections, "Migrant Workers,""Indochinese Refugees" and "Research Summaries and Reports," each contains two papers and an introduction. (1)…

The following organizations and agencies sent their suggestions and comments on the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Elementary/Secondary Education Data Redesign Project: American Association for Counseling and Development, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Library Association, Indiana University,…

This paper offers a critical look at the current research base supporting development and evaluation (D&E) models of instructional products. The author, accepting as valid a definition of D&E models as "exemplary models, outlining designs or conceptions of things worthy of imitation," examines current interest in their…

Triangulation strategy results in evidence characterized by the following: (1) convergence; (2) inconsistency; and (3) contradiction. In order to render the data sensible, the researcher or evaluator must report data collection procedures, as well as the three levels of information from which explanations of social phenomena are constructed. (BJV)

One problem faced by researchers is the selection of the most appropriate research method or methods, given the context of the research setting. This dilemma does not concern the choice of the best research method given the program objectives or research questions, nor the selection of the best state-of-the-art methods. The issue concerns the…