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Education Policy Analysis Archives

Volume 5 Number 13

June 10, 1997

ISSN 1068-2341

A peer-reviewed scholarly electronic journal.

Editor:  Gene V Glass   Glass@ASU.EDU.

College of Education

Arizona State University,Tempe AZ 85287-2411

Copyright 1997, the EDUCATION POLICY ANALYSIS ARCHIVES.Permission is hereby granted to copy any article provided that EDUCATION POLICY ANALYSIS ARCHIVES is credited and copies are not sold.

Qualitative Research Methods:
An essay review

Les McLean
Margaret Myers
Carol Smillie
Dale Vaillancourt
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto


Miller, Steven I. & Fredericks, Marcel (1994) Qualitative Research Methods:

Social Epistemology and Practical Inquiry.

New York: Peter Lang. 159 pages.


…the more we try to unpack the notion of evidence for the sake of clarity, the more problematic it becomes, especially in trying to provide adequate justifications for educational policy making issues. (p. 119)

Abstract

The authors ask us to explore the topic of "qualitative confirmation" in relation to the processes and outcomes of qualitative research practice. The question that directs their inquiry is "how can we make a case that qualitative data or findings warrant the inferences about the topics we are studying?" We review the historical discussion of confirmation theory within the logic of discovery, consider hypothesis generation and methodological decisions as instruments of the research process and then apply the Miller and Fredericks framework of rules to a published report of qualitative research (Glass, 1997). Full bibliographic references may be viewed by clicking on References (below) or on one of the linked citations in the text. We end our review with an appreciation of the work.

About the Authors

Les McLean

Les McLean is a Professor (Emeritus, as of July 1, 1996), Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT). He received his doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin in 1964, specializing in statistics and research methods. After teaching at Columbia University Teacher's College, Dr. McLean joined the OISE faculty in 1966, teaching courses in measurement, statistics, quantitative and qualitative research methods and program evaluation. He continues to teach on a contract basis, year-to-year.

Research and development projects have included a national study of the evaluation of student achievement for the Canadian Education Association, several province-wide surveys of student achievement, direction of Ontario's participation in the Second International Mathematics Study and research into mathematics/language relationships in curriculum and pedagogy. Les, Doris Ryan and Barbara Burnaby directed an evaluation of four projects in the Canada/China Human Resources Development programme for the Canadian International Development Agency.

Publications include, The Craft of Student Evaluation in Canada (Toronto:CEA, 1985), Learning About Teaching from Comparative Studies (Toronto:Min. of Educ., 1987, with Richard Wolfe and Merlin Wahlstrom), and "The U.S. national assessments in reading: reading too much into the findings" (Phi Delta Kappan, 69, 5, 1988, 369-372, with Harvey Goldstein). "Time to replace the classroom test with authentic measurement" (Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 36(1), 1990, 78-84), "Student evaluation in the ungraded primary school: The SCRP principle" (Proceedings of the Second Canadian Conference on Classroom Testing, D. Bateson, Ed., UBC, 1992) and "Pedagogical relevance in large-scale assessment" (Advances in Program Evaluation, R. Stake, Ed., 1991).

For recent publications,see http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~lmclean/>.

Les McLean, Professor-Emeritus     lmclean@oise.utoronto.ca
Measurement and Evaluation    (416) 923-6641, ext 2478
Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
OISE/Univ. of Toronto
252 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 1V6

Carol Smillie

Associate Professor Dalhousie University School of Nursing. Vice President Canadian Cancer Society. Board of Directors of the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society. Director of the Sociobehavioural Research Satellite Centre of the National Cancer Institute's Sociobehaioural Research Network. Practice of Nursing has been concentrated in the area of Community Health and working with the Volunteer Health Sector.

Margaret Myers

Trained as Registered Nurse at St. Martha's School of Nursing, Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Western Ontario; Masters of Arts in Education from St. Francis Xavier, Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Have practiced in a variety of settings, including Nursing Education and Nursing Management. Speciality area is Program Developement and Implementation. Chairperson of the Diabetes Nursing Interest Group with the Registered nurses Association of Ontario. Am currently writing a textbook on diabetes education for health care professionals. Enrolled in Doctoral program in Curriculum at OISE at the University of Toronto. Married and living in London (Ont.)

Dale Vaillancourt

Dale's main interest is in using research to enhance online teaching and learning experiences, especially for women entrepreneurs. She is using her 25 years in the telecommunications industry and a full-time academic studies program in computer applications to help her meet this goal. For further details, see: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/~dvaillancourt/resume.htm
Copyright 1997 by the Education Policy Analysis Archives

The World Wide Web address for the Education Policy Analysis Archives is http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa

General questions about appropriateness of topics or particular articles may be addressed to the Editor, Gene V Glass, glass@asu.edu or reach him at College of Education, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2411. (602-965-2692). The Book Review Editor is Walter E. Shepherd: shepherd@asu.edu . The Commentary Editor is Casey D. Cobb: casey@olam.ed.asu.edu .

EPAA Editorial Board

Michael W. Apple
University of Wisconsin		 Greg Camilli
Rutgers University
John Covaleskie
Northern Michigan University		 Andrew Coulson
a_coulson@msn.com
Alan Davis
University of Colorado, Denver		 Sherman Dorn
University of South Florida
Mark E. Fetler
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing		 Richard Garlikov
hmwkhelp@scott.net
Thomas F. Green
Syracuse University		 Alison I. Griffith
York University
Arlen Gullickson
Western Michigan University		 Ernest R. House
University of Colorado
Aimee Howley
Marshall University		 Craig B. Howley
Appalachia Educational Laboratory
William Hunter
University of Calgary		 Richard M. Jaeger
University of North Carolina--Greensboro
Daniel Kallós
Umeå University		 Benjamin Levin
University of Manitoba
Thomas Mauhs-Pugh
Rocky Mountain College		 Dewayne Matthews
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
William McInerney
Purdue University		 Mary P. McKeown
Arizona Board of Regents
Les McLean
University of Toronto		 Susan Bobbitt Nolen
University of Washington
Anne L. Pemberton
apembert@pen.k12.va.us		 Hugh G. Petrie
SUNY Buffalo
Richard C. Richardson
Arizona State University		 Anthony G. Rud Jr.
Purdue University
Dennis Sayers
University of California at Davis		 Jay D. Scribner
University of Texas at Austin
Michael Scriven
scriven@aol.com		 Robert E. Stake
University of Illinois--UC
Robert Stonehill
U.S. Department of Education		 Robert T. Stout
Arizona State University

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