Institutional review boards have a dual goal: first, to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects, and second, to support and facilitate the conduct of valuable research. In striving to achieve these goals, IRBs must often consider conflicting interests. In the discussion below, we characterize research oversight as having three…

Although most researchers are familiar with the application of the Common Rule in research, fewer are aware of specific requirements and restrictions for conducting human subjects research when employees of the US Department of Defense (DoD) will be participants. Because of the additional regulations concerning DoD employees as participants,…

Critical realism is a philosophy of social science that analyses and aims to remedy current problems and gaps. Basic tenets of positivist and quantitative research tend to contradict those of qualitative and interpretive research, and critical realism proposes ways to resolve the contradictions. Vital themes in childhood research that are reviewed…

This is a sciencepoetical essay combining neurodidactics as an interdisciplinary research field representing an interface between neuroscience, didactics, and educational sciences with the potentials "in" and "with" recent post-constructivist and/or post-humanism, compostist, and multiparadigmatic theories of embodiment and…

Though we would expect the revelation of the Facebook emotional manipulation study to have had a negative impact on Facebook, its number of active users only continues to grow. As this is precisely the result that Jacques Ellul would have predicted, this paper examines his philosophy of technology in order to investigate the relationship between…

This case reports on an innovative method for interviewing, which is semi-structured, and involves the construction of a visual or spatial map. This method is termed Concept Structuring Analysis Task, and it helps the interviewer to gather information on interviewees' thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. The method is especially useful when the…

This case study aims to shed light on methodological aspects of conducting narrative research with international students studying in a host country. Particular attention is paid to the use of a research journal and the discussion of advantages of conducting a pilot study before the main data collection. This study will be of interest to beginning…

Introduction: Systematic review methods are now being used for reviews of food production, food safety and security, plant health, and animal health and welfare. Information retrieval methods in this context have been informed by human health-care approaches and ideally should be based on relevant research and experience. Objective: This narrative…

In this paper, we present the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) for the reliable detection of metaphoric language that may be interpreted using extant vocational psychology theory. Metaphors are ubiquitous in communication and carry influential meaning for people. To illustrate MIPVU, we use transcripts of interviews…

Background: This paper analyses the development of research competencies in higher education students, particularly with regard to the undergraduate Final-Year Project (FYP). The FYP is understood as an assignment that requires the integration of learning outcomes and demonstration of competencies for the successful completion of the degree.…

A growing body of research incorporates children's perspectives into the research process. If we are to take children's perspectives seriously in education research, research methodologies must be capable of addressing issues that matter to children. This article engages in a theoretical discussion that considers how a posthuman research…

This paper suggests that synergies can be produced by using geospatial analyses as a bridge between traditional qualitative-quantitative distinctions in education research. While mapping tools have been effective for informing education policy studies, especially in terms of educational access and choice, they have also been underutilized and…

A number of researchers have done extensive work on ontologies, epistemologies and pedagogies in relation to Pasifika research, but little on methodologies. Vaioleti describes talanoa as a phenomenological research approach which is ecological, oral and interactive. Halapua's article Talanoa Process: The Case of Fiji (2008) emphasises talanoa as a…

Support services for students with disabilities is now a distinct field of practice in higher education, with a significant increase in the number of students receiving services, programs to serve them, and professionals who oversee the programs. The field has professional and program standards, a code of ethics, and a disability service specific…

The ability of a scientific discipline to build cumulative knowledge depends on its predominant method of data analysis. A steady accumulation of knowledge requires approaches which allow researchers to consider results from comparable prior research. Bayesian statistics is especially relevant for establishing a cumulative scientific discipline,…