The Contested Nature of Empirical Educational Research (and Why Philosophy of Education Offers Little Help)

This paper suggests that empirical educational research has not, on the whole, been treated well by philosophers of education. A variety of criticisms have been offered, ranging from triviality, conceptual confusion and the impossibility of empirically studying normative processes. Furthermore, many of those who criticise, or dismiss, empirical research do so without subjecting any specific examples to careful scholarly scrutiny. It is suggested that both philosophy of education, and the empirical research enterprise, stand to profit if philosophers pay more attention to real cases—and this attention is especially important at present, when research funding is being based on spurious scientistic criteria such as the use of 'gold standard' randomised experimental research designs.     

THE EFFECTS OF THE DELETION OF MISFITTING PERSONS ON VERTICAL EQUATING VIA THE RASCH MODEL

The purpose of the study was to compare Rasch model equatings of multilevel achievement test data before and after the deletion of misfitting persons. The Rasch equatings were also compared with an equating obtained using the equipercentile method. No basis could be found in the results for choosing between the two Rasch equatings. The deletion of misfitting persons produced minor improvements in Rasch model fit to the data. Both Rasch equatings produced results that differed from the results of the equipercentile equating. The Rasch data also indicated that the misfitting persons deleted in the second Rasch equating tended to be from the lower portion of the achievement distribution, suggesting that they may have been guessing.     

Contributions and Limitations in the Use of Computers in Counselor Training

This article examines the role of computer technology in counselor preparation. Three aspects of counselor training—acquisition of facts and theory, development of specific skills, and personal and professional development—are discussed in terms of the potential contributions and limitations of computers in training efforts.