Increasing the quality of educational intervention research: The need for stronger leaders

This response to Pressley and Harris's methodological paper emphasizes the difficulty of doing valid educational intervention research as well as some of the social/political/psychological factors that influence individual researchers to submit flawed studies for publication. Although individual researchers should take personal responsibility for the scientific integrity of their work, the primary impetus for change in the quality of published research should come through strong editorial leadership from the scientific journals that publish the research.     

An analysis of a decade of research in 10 instructional design and technology journals

In this paper, we review findings from an analysis of the past decade (2001–10) of research in 10 major journals in the field of instructional design and technology. Each research paper published in these journals during this decade was categorized according to its focus or methodology, topical keywords, authorship and citation trends; and the findings were aggregated across all of the journals to show trends over the last decade. We found there is a strong emphasis on technology‐related issues, distance education, communication strategies and instructional methods over cognitive‐related topics and learning issues. There is a strong history of theoretical inquiry and a fairly even balance of qualitative and quantitative research being published, with other research methods emerging. However, there are distinct differences in methodological stances among the journals. We also found some evidence that the Institute for Scientific Information Impact Factor may not be the best indicator of impact quality for journals in our field.     

Resource endowments and responses to regulatory pressure: Publications of economics, management, and political science departments of Turkish universities in indexed journals, 2000–2008

This paper investigates how differences in resource endowments of universities shape variation in their response to regulatory pressures. Earlier research on higher education institutions tends to conceive regulatory rules as the primary basis of action and does not attend to differences in the salient characteristics of universities. This paper is based on the premise that satisfying regulatory demands requires resources that are compatible with these demands, making resource endowments of universities a potentially significant source of variation in their responses to regulatory pressures. We empirically investigate the relationship between human resource characteristics of economics, management, and political science departments of Turkish universities and how these departments responded to the intensifying regulatory pressure to publish more in indexed journals. Findings reveal that departments which predominantly employ researchers trained in North American universities published significantly more in indexed journals between 2000 and 2008. These departments are better endowed with respect to resources that are necessary for publishing in indexed journals, most importantly knowledge of theory, methodology, and style sought by indexed journals. The paper shows that attending to differences in resource endowments of universities as well as regulatory goals and tools facilitates understanding of how regulation-driven processes unfold.     

Higher education journals: their characteristics and contribution

The study of higher education journals – that is, refereed academic journals wholly focused on higher education – reveals much about the field of higher education research. This analysis identified 86 such journals published in the English language, considering their focus, ownership, location, orientation, age, size and ranking. From this analysis, a shorter list of 28 key journals is identified. It is argued that, given the scale of the contribution being made to higher education research – for example, the 86 journals between them published over 16,000,000 words in 2016, with this total increasing year on year – it may be time to spend more effort on synthesising and disseminating what we have already learnt, rather than, or before, undertaking fresh research.     

Transversal traits in science education research relevant for teaching and research: A meta‐interpretative study

This study is a meta‐interpretative analysis that focuses on research conducted and published by other researchers. Concepts central to this study include global practical relevance, curriculum design, and formative situation. We analyzed 35 studies selected from 374 published studies in the years 2000 and 2001 in three journals referenced in the International Scientific Index. Using a replicable methodology developed specifically for this research, we found evidence of s clusters of variables that suggest the existence of transversal traits in the 35 science education research studies. These results form a reference framework of theoretical and practical knowledge relevant for research and practice pertaining to teaching and learning science. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 574–599, 2008     

高等教育研究领域研究人员科研绩效评价

本文运用Hirsch指数(简称h指数)方法,通过对中国知网(CNKI)中国引文数据库收录的中国大陆地区高等教育研究领域的15个学术期刊在1998-2007年所刊发论文的被引用情况进行统计分析,对高等教育研究领域1998-2007年研究人员的科研绩效进行了评价,评选得出"1998-2007年高等教育研究领域最具影响力的47位学者",从一个侧面反映了中国大陆地区高等教育研究领域近10年来的研究现状。     

Learning from experience: towards inclusive educational research in Cambodia

Aimed at contributing to the literature related to inclusive educational research in the context of a developing country, this article looks at the power relations between researchers and the researched by critically analysing the approaches and methods used. Drawing on the author’s personal experience conducting research with people with disabilities in Cambodia, it has been argued that researchers’ self-consciousness of their privileges vis-à-vis the researched with disabilities in the knowledge production process alone does not ensure that their research is ethical, unless actions are taken to address those power differences. This, the article argues, may be somewhat impractical in certain contexts due to resource and institutional constraints. The article also draws attention to some context-specific issues in Cambodia that may lead researchers to unconsciously ignore the knowledge and experiences of people with disabilities in the process of conducting research on inclusive education.     

Success despite specific learning disabilities

Abstract

Proactive coping is known to be a key resource for life success by adults who have specific learning disabilities. This paper describes two programs that were trialled as part of doctoral research. These were a coping program and a teacher feedback intervention designed to increase proactive coping for adolescent students with specific learning disabilities. The coping program focused on use of proactive coping strategies, optimistic thinking and assertiveness, and was designed according to best practice for access by students who have specific learning disabilities. The teacher feedback intervention involved teacher feedback to individual students that focused on expectation of use of effort, and strategy in preference to negative rumination on poor ability.     

Introduction to Special Issue: Null Effects and Publication Bias in Learning Disabilities Research

The importance of publishing studies with null findings to the scientific enterprise is garnering attention in social science at large and education in particular. In this article, we first define null findings and publication bias as they relate to group and single‐subject instructional intervention research. We then explore the prevalence of instructional intervention studies that report null findings in the learning disabilities literature. Overall, we found that few studies have been published in learning disability journals that reported all null results. However, a significant number of group studies reported mixed findings (i.e., at least one, but not all, outcome measures were not statistically significant). Next, we summarize the experimental studies that comprise this special issue on null findings. Last, we speculate regarding strategies that might be enacted to increase the publication of studies with null findings in the learning disabilities field.     

Research Active Programme: A pilot inclusive research curriculum in higher education

Participation of people with disabilities in producing and using research is critical for monitoring the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Research Active Programme (RAP) is a module designed to build research capacity of students with intellectual disabilities. RAP was implemented over 11 weeks in 2 Irish universities. The mixed methods programme evaluation was completed from the students' perspectives, attending to curriculum content, pedagogical approach, the research knowledge and skills acquired by students. Twenty-five students completed interviews before and after engaging in RAP. Focus groups and quizzes were held after sessions to assess learning outcomes. Content analysis was used to interpret student perspectives. RAP was an effective approach for supporting students with intellectual disabilities to develop introductory research knowledge and skills; however, across the cohort, there were differences in demonstrated learning. Student expectations with respect to overall curriculum design, learning outcomes and delivery were reviewed. Specifically, learning outcomes, module delivery and assessment strategies were critiqued. Overall, the RAP curriculum supported research skill development in students. This module prepared people with intellectual disabilities to engage more fully as research partners in monitoring the implementation of the CRPD.     

A Review of Methodological Characteristics of Research Published in Key Journals in Higher Education: Implications for Graduate Research Training

Professional journals serve an important function within most disciplines as they offer a mechanism for professional communication. In the field of higher education, research on methodological characteristics of the published literature has been sparse. This study used content analysis to identify the types of research designs and analytical approaches utilized most often in 3 leading higher education journals during 5 recent years. Results indicated that across all 3 journals, most studies used quantitative analyses based on either primary or secondary survey data, though there were some differences among the journals. The bulk of quantitative studies were based on procedures normally taught in intermediate and advanced statistical courses. The results suggest that graduate-level research training may need modifications if higher education professionals are to contribute to or fully appreciate the published higher education literature.     

Recognition and influence: the evolution of higher education research and development

Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) was established to address a perceived gap in higher education publishing: research of interest to practitioners that was engagingly written. After 30 years of contributing to the field, HERD has constructed a unique position for itself among higher education journals. This paper reviews the general patterns and tendencies demonstrated through the citation practices of authors in the first five years of HERD and it compares them with the ideas used to support arguments about higher education research in more recent articles published in the journal. By comparing the results of this review with citation practices in similar journals of higher education, the study suggests that HERD continues to attract practitioner researchers responding to the changing social and epistemological landscape of higher education. The paper concludes that HERD has been instrumental in consolidating the concepts of the field in a way that has accommodated a large number of authors who only occasionally engage in higher education research. This, in turn, has led to the emergence of a distinctive literature about higher education teaching and learning.     

高等教育研究与高等教育期刊的作用

本文旨在阐明高等教育期刊在传播高等教育研究成果中所起的作用。首先 ,简要介绍了高等教育研究的现状 ,主要是欧美国家有关高等教育研究的定义、性质的各种观点 ,以及欧美高等教育研究的差异。其次 ,重点介绍了欧洲主要的高等教育期刊以及其他高等教育研究出版物的情况及各自的特点。最后 ,从作者、编者、读者三个不同的角度剖析了高等教育期刊对于传播高等教育研究成果所发挥的作用     

Positivity bias in higher education research

Many forms of bias have been identified in higher education research, and in educational and social research in general. This article identifies a further form of bias, positivity bias, and places it in this broader context. Positivity bias is the tendency, in some forms of published higher education research, to only or chiefly report examples of initiatives or innovations that worked and received positive evaluations. Empirical evidence of positivity bias, in the form of an analysis of a sample of published articles from selected higher education journals, is presented and discussed. Suggestions as to the causes of positivity bias and how it might be handled are presented.     

Illuminating the (in)visibility of female scholars: a gendered analysis of publishing rates within educational technology journals from 2004 to 2015

This research study utilized bibliometric methods to analyze publication rates among female and male lead authors in six prominent, peer-reviewed journals in Educational Technology (ET) fields over the past 12 years. The aim of the inquiry was to determine if differences or trends exist in the number of articles published by each gender. Data analysis revealed notable differences in publication rates between genders, and key findings indicate that while women overall published less than half of the articles from all journals sampled, two journals with a focus on primary and secondary (P-12) educational contexts have consistently published more articles written by female lead authors than male authors. The findings of this study hold practical relevance in terms of addressing the (in)visibility of female scholars in ET fields and may be used to promote discussions and actions related to the intersections between gender, equity, and the culture of scholarly publishing.     

Ring fenced research: the case of computer-assisted learning in health sciences

Interdisciplinary research is being promoted in many quarters as the way forward, but “research islands” still persist. Taking computer‐assisted learning (CAL) within health sciences as a case in point, this paper describes a detailed study of the references to source material within papers published in general medical, specific nursing and general information and communications technology journals as pointing to papers published either in the same category of journal or journals of other categories. The results show that research within this area exhibits a disquieting inbred approach. Furthermore, there is clear evidence of a tendency amongst the papers examined to cite research published in journals with broadly the same impact factors as the journal in which the papers themselves are published. A discussion of the value of journal impact factors, which are a crude but useful index of the quality of journal, and their possible effect on the future of research in CAL within health sciences is embedded in the paper.     

Academic sell-out: how an obsession with metrics and rankings is damaging academia

Increasingly, academics have to demonstrate that their research has academic impact. Universities normally use journal rankings and journal impact factors to assess the research impact of individual academics. More recently, citation counts for individual articles and the h-index have also been used to measure the academic impact of academics. There are, however, several serious problems with relying on journal rankings, journal impact factors and citation counts. For example, articles without any impact may be published in highly ranked journals or journals with high impact factor, whereas articles with high impact could be published in lower ranked journals or journals with low impact factor. Citation counts can also be easily gamed and manipulated, and the h-index disadvantages early career academics. This paper discusses these and several other problems and suggests alternatives such as post-publication peer review and open-access journals.