The purposes of evaluation design are stated. A description of experimental, quasi-experimental, survey, and naturalistic designs is presented. Emphasis is placed upon the identification of sources of invalidity in these designs that may compromise the accuracy of inferences regarding program effectiveness. (Author/JAZ)

Outlines some strategies that students can follow when beginning a research assignment, especially useful when they are new to the process of research. Draws parallels between some characteristics of group conversations and research, such as originality of conversation and originality of writing/research. (NKA)

Presents S. Jackson's and S. Jacobs' theory of conversational argument and demonstrates flaws in the representational validity of their research from the perspective of face-to-face interaction. Describes characteristics of a "paradigm case" of interactional argument that extends Jackson's and Jacobs' ideas about argumentation in…

Argues that R. Trapp's reservations regarding the characterization of Jackson's and Jacobs' conversational argument are unfounded. Reports several studies that use procedures similar to those employed by Trapp to confirm Jackson's and Jacobs' theory. Discusses reservations about using subject generated judgments as an unproblematic standard for…

Advocates the human science perspective in achieving methodological balance in counseling research. Presents a perspective on the meaning, structure, and content of the human science orientation; identifies and illuminates selected qualities of "being" and of "mind" related to human science research competence; suggests possibilities for the…

Claims that the controversy about whether writing is a process or a product is largely unnecessary because writing is clearly both. States that the real argument in the profession regards what constitutes (1) useful research, (2) the tools needed to do it, and (3) the vocabulary within which it should be conducted. (JD)

The use of measures of magnitude of effect has been advocated as a way to go beyond statistical tests of significance and to identify effects of a practical size. They have been used in meta-analysis to combine results of different studies. Describes problems associated with measures of magnitude of effect (particularly study size) and…

This article explores the potential benefits that a new breed of nurse, the nurse engineer, can bring to the problem of clarifying the interrelationships among the three major foundation stones of nursing: theory, practice, and research. Potential roles of the nurse engineer are examined. (CT)

While the author and Raymond Cattell approach personality study differently, their similar conclusions reveal their constructs and theories as complimentary, not contradictory. They agree on major issues: the existence of general personality traits with consistent associated behaviors, the relevance of multivariate studies, and the importance of…

Examines the current role of nutrition research as a component of home economics, predicts a greater importance for nutrition research, and offers remedies for problems arising from conflicts between the two disciplines. (JB)

Highlights the conceptual importance of defining administrative processes as units of analysis when conducting case studies of educational administration, identifies methodological advantages of a systematic approach to stratified cluster sampling, and suggests that information management is an important aspect of the school administrator's job.…

This article focuses on steps in conducting empirical-analytic research and the problems of controlling for or estimating three sources of error: the amount of measurement error, research design error, and the amount of statistical or sampling error. (Author/CT)

A review of the literature and personal action research leads the authors to question the relevance of much of the advice offered to students concerning study skills. They offer a different teacher-learner framework for those teachers and students who wish to gain insight into, and control over, their own teaching/learning. (Author/CT)

Reliability guides research design and is used as a standard for judging the credibility of findings and inferences. Using data gathered in a school health education curriculum evaluation as an example, possible errors in hypothesis testing are examined. Appropriateness of internal consistency as a measure of reliability is discussed and…

The role of documentation in the planning and control functions of project management is reviewed. The importance of documentation in the assessment of research quality with respect to objectivity, validity, and replicability is discussed. An outline of documentation required in different phases of research projects is provided. (Author/DWH)