This paper presents formulas that can be used to approach the problem of nonresponse in survey research. (Author/AL)

Survey research of high quality never ignores the problem of nonresponse. The most reputable professional journals are those that reject for publication survey research that ignores the problem of nonresponse, which makes nonrepresentativeness of returns, and, therefore, credibility of findings, uncertain at best and highly unlikely at worst.…

Describes hypothesis validity as extent to which research results reflect theoretically derived predictions about relations between or among constructs. Discusses role of hypotheses in theory testing. Presents four threats to hypothesis validity: (1) inconsequential research hypotheses; (2) ambiguous research hypotheses; (3) noncongruence of…

Responds to Gordon's critique (in this issue) of Bohannon and Stanowicz (1988) by pointing out relevant and irrelevant aspects of discussions of learnability. Rates of feedback found in Bohannon and Stanowicz are shown to be sufficient to spur learning in many species. Evidence against the universality of negative evidence is discounted. (RH)

Notes that, when planning research, obvious strategy is to assess likely flaws and develop approaches to overcome them. Introduces set of concepts that researchers can use to evaluate quality of their designs. Presents 32 threats to validity organized according to 4 types of validity (internal, external, statistical conclusion, and construct…

Notes that studies in psychology often have low power because of inadequate sample size and that prevalent psychometric distributions are sometimes radically nonnormal. Demonstrates robustness of independent samples t-test with respect to Type I error. Shows that researchers may use power tables based on population normality without modification…

Comments on Robinson and Gross's article on perceptions of ethics among mental health counselors. Argues researcher needs to discuss findings, regardless of what path it may lead down. Three explanations are given as possible reasons for their findings, two avoiding gender stereotypes in whole or in part. (Author/ABL)

Reviews misuse of statistical tests in psychotherapy research studies published in "Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology" in 1967-68, 1977-78, and 1987-88. Focuses on inappropriate uses of null hypotheses tests and p values, neglect of effect size, and inflation of Type I error rate. Concludes with practical suggestions for rational…

REL Southwest received a request to review the report "Avoidable Losses: High Stakes Accountability and the Dropout Crisis" to assess the soundness of the study methodology and the appropriateness of the conclusions drawn in the report. The review found that conclusions drawn in this study cannot be generalized and are significantly…

This article, detailing the implications of "ethics drift" for critical work in the academy, reports on an ethics challenge to a non-research-based scholarly text. It analyzes how General Research Ethics Boards (GREBs) can threaten academic freedom when they lack a clear definition of "human subject" research, fail to…

The issue of the "research-practice gap"--the problematic relationship between research in education and educational practice--has been widely reported in the literature. This critical literature review explores some of the causes and features of the gap and suggests some possible approaches for addressing it. These solutions involve changes in…

Developmental trajectories provide the empirical foundation for theories about change processes during development. However, the ability to distinguish among alternative trajectories depends on how frequently observations are sampled. This study used real behavioral data, with real patterns of variability, to examine the effects of sampling at…

Although the Delphi is widely used, research on certain methodological issues is somewhat limited. After a brief introduction to the strengths, limitations, and methodological challenges of the technique, we share our experiences (as well as problems encountered) with an electronic Delphi of educational program evaluation (EPE) in the Asia-Pacific…

This article proposes that psychological research published in APA journals focuses too narrowly on Americans, who comprise less than 5% of the world's population. The result is an understanding of psychology that is incomplete and does not adequately represent humanity. First, an analysis of articles published in six premier APA journals is…

This article presents the author's response to Nicola Rollock's critique on the author's paper in which the author has argued that ethnographic data should be more widely used in psychology (Woods 2005, 2007b). Rollock argues that the paper neglects Zak's level of educational achievement, and fails to critically interrogate his teachers' actions…