A study investigated the measurement of organizational decline in 82 universities where objective and perceptual measures of decline appeared to contradict each other. Results suggest institutions with objectively-measured decline without perception of decline are characterized by processes of "decline as crisis," while institutions with perceived…

Law resources are outlined in three categories: primary or mandatory sources of authority, secondary or persuasive authority, and finding tools used to locate relevant primary and secondary sources. Sources such as citators, legal bibliographies, computer assisted legal research systems (LEXIS, WESTLAW, etc.), and law and education sources are…

Ethnography, which records and describes culturally significant behavior of a particular group, is suggested as a method for college self-evaluation. The potential and limitations of the method are outlined, and current uses in education are discussed. (MSE)

Results of a national survey concerning the difference in research training requirements of the Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees in higher education as a field of study are presented, and the need for and assurance of a distinction between the two types of degree is discussed.

Higher education research, still in its adolescence, suffers from (1) seldom addressing major issues, and (2) research methods that are too narrow. The scientific method is not appropriate for studying individuals or social institutions; higher education researchers need to develop a multi-faceted research strategy sensitive to its many ties with…

New perspectives on social science research suggest five propositions: studies in higher education must not be value-singular; higher education researchers must not ignore "harbingers of the paradigm revolution"; they must take into account new interpretations of knowledge acquisition; they must not depend on prescriptive models; and they must…

The role of the researcher is reviewed, along with definitions of the higher education research constituency, the structure of higher education research, and the emphasis on research strategy. Researchers are encouraged to develop concept and theory first, and to deal with real issues involving practitioners and constituents. (Author/LB)

Higher education research can benefit from the variety of forms the scientific method allows. Traits include: a crisp, graphic style of writing; reliance on various information resources; the ability to triangulate statistical, visual, and literary data, and to connect past and present; and a dedication to useful research based on specific data…

Higher education is facing pressures that prohibit valuable and illuminating research, including virtually no growth in the enterprise, lack of societal enthusiasm, competition among institutions, and stresses between faculty and administrators. Until these pressures are eased, improvements in higher education research will be minimal. (Author/LB)

Higher education research must focus on three categories-(institutional and system structures, educational processes, and higher education's capacity for change)-if it is to successfully integrate educational research with educational outcomes. (Author)

Examples of qualitative investigations of traditionally hard-to-measure college and university characteristics using multiple investigators are rare, despite their potential for in-depth understanding and broad comparisons of institutional contexts. A team approach to qualitative multisite research was found useful and effective in a 9-researcher…