Resolving the Quantitative-Qualitative Dilemma: A Critical Realist Approach

The philosophical issues underpinning the quantitative–qualitative divide in educational research are examined. Three types of argument which support a resolution are considered: pragmatism, false duality and warranty through triangulation. In addition a number of proposed strategies—alignment, sequencing, translation and triangulation—are critically assessed. The article concludes by suggesting that many of these ways of reconciling quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches are still deficient in relation to the development of an overarching and correct view of ontological and epistemological matters, and that critical realism offers a more coherent solution, where the reconciliation occurs at the ontological level

Saying NO To the Mega Prison

This activist contribution draws upon the issues emphasised by abolitionist activists in their struggles throughout 2017 (and before) to challenge government plans to build six new mega prisons in England and Wales by 2020. This activist contribution focuses specifically on the arguments utilised by campaigners in one of the proposed sites for a new mega prison: Bickershaw, Wigan, Greater Manchester

Critical Realism and Empirical Research Methods in Education

In the light of recent writings of Richard Pring, and in relation to the application of empirical research methods in education, this paper offers a corrective to a neo-realist viewpoint and develops a critical realist perspective. The argument is made that the deployment of empirical research methods needs to be underpinned by a meta-theory embracing epistemological and ontological elements; that this meta-theory does not commit one to the view that absolute knowledge of the social world is possible; and that critical realism is the most appropriate meta-theory to underpin the use of empirical research methods. Further to this, unhelpful dualisms between quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and between structure and agency, are discussed in relation to neo-realist and critical realist perspectives

Book Review: River of Compassion: A Christian Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita

A review of River of Compassion: A Christian Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita by Bede Griffiths

Book Review: Inter-Faith Dialogue and World Community

A review of Inter-Faith Dialogue and World Community edited by Ch. Sreenivasa Rao

High-Mast Light Poles Anchor Nut Loosening In Alaska - An Investigation Using Field Monitoring and Finite-Element Analysis

INE/AUTC 14.0

Multivariate Density Estimation and Visualization

This chapter examines the use of flexible methods to approximate an unknown density function, and techniques appropriate for visualization of densities in up to four dimensions. The statistical analysis of data is a multilayered endeavor. Data must be carefully examined and cleaned to avoid spurious findings. A preliminary examination of data by graphical means is useful for this purpose. Graphical exploration of data was popularized by Tukey (1977) in his book on exploratory data analysis (EDA). Modern data mining packages also include an array of graphical tools such as the histogram, which is the simplest example of a density estimator. Exploring data is particularly challenging when the sample size is massive or if the number of variables exceeds a handful. In either situation, the use of nonparametric density estimation can aid in the fundamental goal of understanding the important features hidden in the data. In the following sections, the algorithms and theory of nonparametric density estimation will be described, as well as descriptions of the visualization of multivariate data and density estimates. For simplicity, the discussion will assume the data and functions are continuous. Extensions to discrete and mixed data are straightforward. --

The Neutral Hydrogen Column Density towards Q1937--1009 from the Unabsorbed Intrinsic Continuum in the Lyman-α\alpha Forest

The absorption system at $z=3.572$ towards Q1937--1009 provides the best extragalactic measurement of the atomic deuterium to hydrogen ratio, D/H. We have obtained a new low-resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) Keck spectrum to re-measure the total neutral hydrogen column density N(H I) using the amount of Lyman continuum absorption. We develop a new method to directly determine the intrinsic unabsorbed quasar continuum from low-resolution spectra of the \Lya forest for the first time. We use three types of spectra to measure N(H I): (1) A wide slit spectrum for flux calibration, (2) a high-resolution spectrum to determine the unabsorbed continuum between \Lya forest lines, and (3) a high SNR spectrum to measure the residual flux below the Lyman limit. We measure Log [N(H I)] = 17.86 $\pm$ 0.02 \cm2, which is reliable because N(H I) is fully specified by the data. This result is consistent with the N(H I) measured by Tytler, Fan & Burles (1996) from the Lyman series absorption lines, but not with absorption models proposed by Wampler (1996) nor estimates of the total N(H I) by Songaila et al. (1997), both of which suggested lower N(H I) and higher D/H. The Wampler models predict abundant flux below the Lyman limit which is absent from both our old and new spectra, taken with different instruments. The new Keck data is consistent with the data presented by Songaila et al. (1997). The results differ due to the different methods of analysis, and our measurement of the QSO continuum does not agree with the continuum models assumed by Songaila et al. (1997).Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, To appear in the Astronomical Journal in October 199