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…

Critiques an article that compared genuine suicide notes with simulated notes. Elaborates on theoretical and methodological difficulties, noting a lack of hypotheses, operationalized constructs, and prediction testing. Examines the operational design used in the article and suggests that the study of suicide notes in such a fashion should cease.…

Evaluated the hypothesis that the apparent superiority of behavioral interventions among children is due to differences in the methodological quality of studies of behavioral and nonbehavioral treatments. Meta-analytic results found little support for this hypothesis. Because meta-analysis is a correlational technique, these results should be…

Compares research studies conducted by Kuhlthau, McGregor, and Pitts that investigated the library research process used by high school students and their information retrieval and utilization strategies. Topics discussed include research methodologies; information seeking; cognitive aspects; narrowing the topic; stages in the research process;…

This article describes the status of qualitative research in applied linguistics and English as a Second Language (ESL), identifying trends through an informal survey of professional journals, an examination of relevant qualitative studies and research methods texts, and a presentation of the views of researcher methodologists. (88 references)…

Results of a 1992 British assessment of university departments are analyzed, particularly the finding that in general, larger departments were given higher research ratings. Analysis suggests an "economies of scale" effect and components of performance attributable to either "size" or "non-size" are identified.…

Describes the theoretical basis and methodology for research seeking to identify higher-order cognitive activity in university students' information-seeking and learning tasks with hypermedia. Reviews difficulties arising from the inconsistency among schemes of cognitive analysis, and of articulating such schemes closely with accounts of desirable…

Results of an analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) with 440 classrooms and 10,000 students over 4 years indicated that D.A.R.E. participation resulted in greater self-esteem, stronger institutional bonds, and endorsement of fewer risky behaviors. Program effects counteracted the negative effects…

Proposes a prototypical model for psychological assessment that reformulates a model of the counselor-as-scientist. Integrates the model's theory and research on human inference, judgment, and decision making; research on threats to accurate clinical prediction; and findings about counselor characteristics associated with effective judgment…

Reviews three areas of psychotherapy process research: therapist behaviors, client behaviors, and therapist-client interaction. Examines how each of these variables affects the process of treatment and how they are likely to affect treatment outcomes. Implications for research with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse are examined. (JPS)

The Delphi method, a group decision-making technique, is detailed, including its uses, underlying assumptions, strengths and limitations, potential benefits to qualitative higher education research, and key considerations in its use. Use of the method is illustrated in a recent national study to develop a set of management audit assessment…

Discusses an ethical dilemma that emerged in a study with bereaved college students. The instruments used to gather data clearly elicited grief-related distress, and more bereaved students in control groups left the study than did participants in social support groups. Three alternatives to a traditional control-group design are discussed for…

Increasingly, unpopular facilities are sited in sparsely populated areas for which data are unavailable. The Local Expert Procedure (LEP) estimates selected demographic characteristics of small, rural areas by combining the housing unit method of population estimation with random sampling and key informant ethnography. Factors affecting the…

Describes personal experiences of a participant in the National Science Foundation program, Teachers Experiencing Antarctica. Uses the study of the temperature history of Taylor Dome to provide teachers with the experience of research and help other teachers recognize that there are opportunities outside the classroom for personal and professional…

Reactions to the national study of children's problems and competence by Achenbach et al. are offered, with focus on the development of a new survey instrument, the ACQ Behavior Check List. A reply from the researchers is included. (12 references) (LB)