In order to assess the methodological merit of the published research in educational administration based on surveys, the authors analyzed data from a random sample of 24 survey studies published in the "Education Administration Quarterly" and the "Journal of Educational Administration." Each article was evaluated according to…

Electricity conservation programs were implemented in matched pairs of office-classroom-laboratory buildings and dormitories. The methodological problems of predicting consumption levels, interpreting why changes in consumption occurred, and estimating initial waste levels are discussed along with their implications for the conduct of behavioral…

Guidelines for the implementation of qualitative methods in special education research are offered, addressing rigor, sample selection, data collection, and data management/analysis. Five possible pitfalls are identified, including the quantitative-qualitative methods debate, premature data collection, the tendency to use a linear procedural…

Institutional researchers frequently use national datasets such as those provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The authors of this chapter explore the adjustments required when analyzing NCES data collected using complex sample designs. (Contains 8 tables.)

Error profiles for the Fall Enrollment Survey of the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) were developed as part of an assessment of the quality of survey data. Three statistics were of particular interest: the count of full-time equivalent students, the breakdown by race/ethnicity, and the count of unclassified students. Attention…

Researchers conducted surveys of public attitudes in two Tennessee school systems in 1984-85 and 1985-86. Although interested in the survey results, one purpose of the researchers was to determine some inexpensive and relatively simple survey procedures. The researchers sought--through several pilot studies--to identify an efficient, parsimonious…

Sampling distributions for ten tests for comparing population variances in a two group design were generated for several combinations of equal and unequal sample sizes, population means, and group variances when distributional forms differed. The ten procedures included: (1) O'Brien's (OB); (2) O'Brien's with adjusted degrees of freedom; (3)…

The generalizability issue is reviewed through previously published results and by presenting new data. When classes (teacher-course combinations) are used as the object of measurement, studies show very consistent results. However, when either the teacher or the course is treated as the object of measurement, with the other being a facet over…

This paper presents results of a generalizability assessment of two sets of scales designed to evaluate the quality of verbal and nonverbal interactions between parent and child. The Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) and Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scales (NCATS) were developed as part of a longitudinal study aimed at…

From a priori and post hoc data collection perspectives, this paper describes the interrelations among (1) power, alpha, effect size, and sample size for hypothesis testing; and (2) precision, confidence, and sample size for interval estimation. Implications for special education researchers working with convenient samples of fixed size are…

How social studies researchers can use National Assessment of Educational Progress Public Use Data File tapes to delimit the problem of generalizability of research results is described. An example using data from a trend study of a citizenship education project is used to demonstrate the procedure. (Author/RM)

Articles on attitudes of rehabilitation service providers were reviewed for: (1) attitudes toward disabled people; (2) correlates of attitudes; (3) attitude changes; (4) attitude and outcome; (5) attitudes toward other team members. Much of the research was unsatisfactory from design and sampling points of view. Recommendations are made. (Author)

Five criteria are proposed for evaluating performance in research studies: the directness of sampling, the responsiveness of the target, the reliability of the observers, the frequent assessment of the target during the intervention period, and the critical nature of the target. A case study illustrates effectiveness of the criteria. (Author/CR)

Equity topics that need special attention from higher education researchers are discussed. It is argued that focusing on the increased numbers of women students, faculty, and administrators may disguise more complex issues. It is advocated that when researchers propose to study "women," they should identify which women are being examined. When…