Editorial

Abstract

Methodology is defined as 'a body of practices, procedures, and rules in a discipline of an inquiry ... a set of working methods ... the study or theoretical analysis of such working methods ...' (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997, p. 858). Moreover, the conceptual distinction that delineates method and methodology in a scientific context also is noted. The deployment of techniques guiding the implementation of the scientific inquiry is the method of the inquiry; methodology is a broad concept that encapsulates the inquiry's underpinning structures or principles that are crafted to guide application and interpretation of the deployed method or methods within the inquiry (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997). In the field of education, the intertwined process of conceptualizing, designing, and implementing a methodology within an inquiry is directed by researchers' decisions about what constitutes credible data and what is the best approach or combination of approaches to actualize this intertwined process - defining methodology - into practice.Individually, the authors of the articles in this special section titled 'Methodological Applications in Education' model the application of this intertwined process into practice, by presenting to the readers methodological frameworks outlining the research purpose, presenting the method(s) implemented, expounding a rationale for method(s) selections(s), presenting interpretations aligned to the research purpose, and detailing the degree that the research findings can be utilized in the context of the areas assessed. Collectively, these authors present four distinct methodological applications that illustrate the versatility of methodological approaches and illuminate the multiple ways that methodology can inform and expand readers' interpretations of topics in the field of education.In the first article, Ernest (2011) utilizes the technique of Q methodology to explore the beliefs of three groups - parents, teachers, and teacher education candidates - about the relative suitability of instructional practices for young children. Ernest's rationale for utilizing this particular methodological technique lies in his description of Q methodology as an approach that allows the researcher to '... explore thoughts about an issue from a subjective point of view ... and that this approach ... is a curious blend of qualitative and quantitative processes ... which is guided by a social constructivist approach to identify a number of stories or accounts of social phenomena' (p. 225), and allows the researcher to hear 'those muted voices as well as the dominant ones' (Stainton Rogers, 1995, p. 183). Ernest makes a compelling argument that Q methodology comprises an amalgamation of quantitative and qualitative processes. Application of this methodological technique to the study of beliefs pertaining to the suitability of early childhood practices permitted Ernest to identify attributes concerning early childhood practices, and to categorize these attributes into three unique viewpoints concerning practices in the context of the early childhood educational field.In the second article, Nateson, Webb-Hasan, Carter, and Walter (2011) outline a systematic approach to score-validate a data collection instrument (i.e., questionnaire) designed to assess teachers' cultural attitudes and beliefs toward African-American students in urban settings. These authors implement a mixed methodological framework, wherein they collect two strands of data and integrate results from the factor analysis of questionnaire responses (quantitative phase) and results from a thematic analysis of open-ended responses (qualitative phase), thereby establishing a more detailed base to interpret the score-validity of the instrument. In particular, Nateson et al. (2011) conduct an exploratory factor analysis to establish internal consistency of the items and to address the following sub-areas underlining constructrelated validity, namely, structural validity and content-related validity, and also they conduct a content analysis to establish substantive validity. …