In the 1980s, a third methodological movement began in the social and behavioral sciences. This movement, known as mixed-methods research, is the focus of this article. Major issues related to mixed methodologies are discussed along with the strengths and weaknesses of this approach and various design typologies. Two mixed-methods studies related…

Because of its distinct advantage in radiation-free soft tissue imaging, ultrasonography has been widely used to study lingual, pharyngeal, hyoid, laryngeal, and even esophageal action during swallowing in individuals of all ages. Qualitative ultrasonographic observations have made considerable contributions to our understanding of deglutition.…

In recent years, assessment data have assumed a more central role education policy and practice. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires states to implement standardized assessment-based systems to evaluate their schools. The NCLB approach rests on the assumption that assessment data can provide credible information to gauge how effectively schools…

Classical methods for detecting outliers deal with continuous variables. These methods are not readily applicable to categorical data, such as incorrect/correct scores (0/1) and ordered rating scale scores (e.g., 0,..., 4) typical of multi-item tests and questionnaires. This study proposes two definitions of outlier scores suited for categorical…

College personnel are required to provide accommodations for students who are deaf and hard of hearing (D/HoH), but few empirical studies have been conducted on D/HoH students as they learn under the various accommodation conditions (sign language interpreting, SLI, real-time captioning, RTC, and both). Guided by the experiences of students who…

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in the development and dissemination of high-quality formative assessment tools to support teachers' incorporation of the Core Common State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction. Lessons from the first generation of standards-based reforms suggest that intense attention to high quality…

This paper provides a survey of models for the analysis of individual growth data emphasizing the problems posed by serial or time dependence in the application of polynomial regression models. The concepts of serial correlation and autoregressive models are illustrated. It is demonstrated that standard inference procedures may be quite misleading…

Advantages of the use of multivariate commonality analysis are discussed and a small data set is used to illustrate the analysis and as a model to enable readers to conduct such an analysis. A noteworthy advantage of commonality analysis is that commonality honors the relationships among variables by determining the degree to which predictors in a…

The dichotomy between the "critical" schools of thought and research practice and the more dominant "empirical" school in the field of communication creates a ferment similar to that described by G. Gerbner in 1983 concerning academic problems in mass communication because of different research perspectives. When addressing the…

Medicine is a profession with a long history of research and high standards of methodological rigour and evidence-based decision making. These standards are being transferred into medical education. Universities are starting to collect high-quality data on their admissions systems. This has not been a short-term proposition. Medical courses are…

A study explored issues regarding the selection of a Q sample in three studies using Stephenson's Q technique or Q methodology: a current study on initial interaction in interpersonal communication; a second study on the effects of alcohol use on interpersonal communication (these two studies are in progress and are the outgrowth and work of two…

Employs a pragmatic philosophical perspective to argue that there is no incompatibility at either the level of practice or that of epistemology between qualitative and quantitative methods of educational research. (FMW)

A method for examining invariance in validity of multiple-component instruments in repeated measure designs is outlined. The approach is developed within the framework of covariance structure modeling and is applicable for purposes of ascertaining temporal stability in scale validity. In addition, the procedure provides a range of plausible values…

Provides an overview of the area of quantitative research in chemical education, which involves the same components that comprise chemical research: (1) a question or hypothesis; (2) research design; (3) data collection and analysis; and (4) interpretation of results. Includes questions of interest to chemical educators; areas of quantitative…

An investigation of the use of probabilistic methodologies for identifying cheaters on classroom multiple-choice examinations concludes that imperfections in the detection techniques, coupled with legal issues, necessarily limit the applicability and utility of these strategies. (Author)