Reacts to Jennings and Skovholt's (1999) study on master therapists. Discusses the lack of clear definition of master therapist, lack of meaningful comparison groups needed to infer the distinctive characteristics of master therapists, the incomplete communication of data-analytic procedures, and the formulation of results as a uniform…

Describes 11 common dogmas of understanding (convictions that are impervious to evidence) that have led researchers to ignore or dismiss many features of everyday language. Discusses evidence against them, and some of the dangers they pose for the study of understanding. Argues that using language is fundamentally social, and that social features…

Argues that history and philosophy of science can investigate scientific questions that are excluded from science itself by working as a shadow discipline, complementing the specialist science in the production of knowledge about nature. Contains 16 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes the experience of being a researcher in mathematics classrooms. Offers background-research information and describes the research context. Presents a series of episodes to stimulate reflections. Contains 12 references. (ASK)

Mullen's survey of 160 mentors and 140 proteges showed that mentors who initiated relationships, who felt valued by the organization, who were older, or who perceived proteges as competent were most likely to perform both career-related and psychosocial mentoring functions. Chao's response identifies problems in the research. (SK)

Observes that photographic education has inspired little research despite the sociocultural importance of photography. Looks at how professional-photography students talk about their art. Argues that photographic education has its own professionalized discourse. Considers alternative approaches developed outside the mainstream of photographic…

Investigates problems of using commercial search engines for Web-based research. Findings indicate that search engines are highly variable in their results, are limited in the search functions they offer, have poorly and/or incorrectly documented functions, use search logics that are opaque, and change search functions they offer over time.…

Vocational psychology research has understudied some issues and populations, missed linkages to other domains, and neglected contextual and cultural variables. Internet-based career services are both a threat and an opportunity. A revised mission statement and goals encompasses these gaps and opportunities and builds on traditional strengths.…

Explores the nature, origins, and purposes of collaborative research in early childhood, and identifies the challenges that arise in conducting such research. Discusses how other articles in this issue illustrate diverse approaches to collaboration and provide examples of how challenges are dealt with in practice. Notes that equality between…

The purpose of this article is to provide an alternative interpretation of the National Reading Panel's meta-analysis on phonics instruction. The NRP based its conclusion that phonics instruction was superior to other approaches on the interpretation of mean effect d statistics reported in its meta-analysis. In addition to looking at these d's, we…

While universities can play a major role in advancing research-based community development, academic discourses of rigor, quality and ethics often conflict with the participatory and collaborative approaches required by community development principles. While experienced academics often have difficulty negotiating these issues, they present…

Researching the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability raises many issues for educational research. Indeed, Maynard (2002, 33) has recently argued that "difference is one of the most significant, yet unresolved, issues for feminist and social thinking at the beginning of the twentieth century". This paper reviews…

Whether a study is qualitative or quantitative, the process of data collection is not as orderly as it may seem when described in published research reports, articles, or books. Data collection may be more challenging when conducting research across national and linguistic borders. In this article, I share and reflect upon the complex and messy…

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has endorsed a "Closing the Gap" agenda designed to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. The agenda is distilled in a series of targets, one of which is the goal of halving the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 attainment or equivalent (Certificate II or above) attainment rates by…

Engaging with research methods requires, we argue, not only adherence to ethical codes of conduct, but caring for the researched. Researchers, who are also workers in the same organisation or community where the research will take place, have an additional duty not to violate the dignity of the researched, and that is the ethic of care. We discuss…