Can Findings of Qualitative Research in Education be Generalized?

Most qualitative researchers do not recommend generalization from qualitative studies, as this research is not based on random samples and statistical controls. The objective of this study is to explore the degree to which in-service teachers understand the controversial aspects of generalization in both qualitative and quantitative educational research and as to how this can facilitate problems faced by the teachers in the classroom. The study is based on 83 participants who had registered for a 10-week course on ‘Methodology of Investigation in Education’ as part of their Master’s degree program. The course is based on 11 readings drawing on a philosophy of science perspective (positivism, constructivism, Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos). Course activities included written reports, class room discussions based on participants’ presentations, and written exams. Based on the results obtained it is concluded: (1) almost 91% of the teachers agreed that external generalization in a different social context is feasible; (2) almost 63% of the participants used a fairly inconsistent approach, that is in a theoretical context agreed that qualitative research cannot be generalized and still when asked with respect to the experience of two particular teachers, agreed that generalization was possible; (3) almost 28% of the participants used a consistent approach. Some of the reasons provided by the participants as to why generalization was feasible are discussed. An analogy is drawn with respect to Piaget’s methodology, viz., it was not based on random samples or statistical treatments and still his oeuvre has been generalized (criticisms not withstanding) in both the psychology and educational literature.     

The future of Islam after 9/11

This article projects the possible future of Islam in Iran, Egypt, Jordan, and beyond, by analyzing the historical background and extrapolating from survey data collected before and after 11 September 2001. Islamic culture is actively produced, rather than being an inevitable reflection of social arrangements, so it is important to understand how its intellectual leaders and activists perceive and resolve the issues facing their faith. The key concepts are targets, in relation to which ideas are produced, and societal visibility. If these targets are visible and clear, then one may be able to reasonably estimate the kind of religious discourses most likely to develop in the Islamic movement in the future. The future of Islam is most visible in Iran, where there is a move toward reformism and rejection of political Islam. In Jordan, there is a moderate visibility to predict that the country’s Islamic movement will continue its tradition of moderation and conservatism. In Egypt, the future of Islam is least visible. While extremism is on a decline, it is not clear the degree to which a leftist-conservative alliance will dominate the country’s cultural landscape.     

美元下跌:短期波动还是长期趋势?

我准备向大家介绍一下货币市场,特别是美元的汇率. 首先我在瑞银集团,我的头衔叫做战略家.这个战略家头衔跟经济学家有所不同,但也是有相同之处的.     

Qualitative methodology and its pitfalls in educational research

There is considerable controversy in educational research with respect to the use of qualitative and quantitative data and as to what constitutes scientific research. The objective of this study is to explore the degree to which in-service teachers understand the difference between qualitative/quantitative data and methods, validity/authenticity, generalization and how these can be used to solve problems faced by the teachers. The study is based on 84 participants who had registered for a 10-week course on Methodology of Investigation in Education, as part of their Master’s degree program. The course is based on 11 readings drawing on a history and philosophy of science perspective (positivism, constructivism, Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos). Course activities included written reports, class room discussions based on participants’ presentations, and written exams. Based on the results obtained it is concluded: (a) Most participants understood that the problem to be investigated precedes the method and determines the methodology to be used; (b) As all observations are theory-laden, it is preferable that interpretations based on both qualitative and quantitative data be allowed to compete in order to provide validity to our research findings; (c) The difference between validity and authenticity was controversial and most participants considered the need for interpreting data and hence favored authenticity; (d) Discussions led to the idea of ‘degrees of validity’ as both validity in the quantitative sense and authenticity in the qualitative sense, ultimately depend on critical appraisals of the community; (e) Generalizability of results obtained from qualitative studies was a controversial topic and most participants agreed that it is not desirable to generalize; (f) Discussions suggested an alternative: In both qualitative and quantitative research generalizability is possible, provided we are willing to grant that our conceptions/theories are not entirely grounded in empirical evidence but rather on the degree to which the community can uphold such a consensus; (g) Most teachers considered the use of participant observation in qualitative research as non-controversial. Class discussions led to the understanding that emphasizing observations may lead us to the Aristotelian ideal of empirical science; (h) Formulation of hypotheses, manipulation of variables, and the quest for causal variables was considered by many teachers to be equivalent to the scientific method. Discussions facilitated the understanding that this led to idealization and thus helped to reduce the complexity of a problem.     

Credit-spread determinants and interlocking contracts: A study of the Ras Gas project

This paper provides an in-depth study of the allocation of a firm's residual risks not explicitly managed through interlocking contracts in the context of project finance. Focusing on the Ras Gas project, we relate its credit spreads as a measure of investor risk perceptions to firm-specific risk factors in the context of 25-year supply agreements, debt covenants, and a debt-service guarantee contingent on output prices. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we find that unmanaged risk factors affecting the supply agreement drive Ras Gas’ credit spreads, whereas managed ones have no effect. Interpreting our findings as evidence for the nexus-of-contracts view of the firm, we discuss some implications for financial design and valuation.     

Stochastic Oil Price Models: Comparison and Impact

A good investment decision-making process is one that is able to assess risk and uncertainty and manage them in a balanced manner. Literature on current oil and gas industry practice indicates that the modeling of uncertainty is largely restricted to reserves while production, cost, and oil price data are all single point deterministic values indicating certainty. The objective of this article is to explore the impact of three stochastic oil price models: geometric Brownian motion (GBM), mean reversion (MR) and mean reversion with jumps, on the uncertainty output of a project's net present value (NPV). Furthermore, it investigates the impact of varying the input parameters of the three stochastic oil price models. This article concludes that range in the project NPV values using the MR with jumps model is far greater than the MR and GBM models. In addition, if the decision is based on the mean value, then the GBM model is a good approximation if the current oil price is close to the long-term price. However, if the decision is based on the standard deviation, GBM does not provide a good approximation. Finally, uncertainty in the volatility of oil price has a significant impact only in the GBM model, but not on the MR or the MR with jumps models.     

Bilateral M&A activity from the Global South

This paper studies the factors associated with outbound bilateral mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity by firms located in emerging economies. We document recent trends in emerging market M&A flows, which have risen dramatically over the past decade, and explore the factors that may have contributed to this rise. We find distinct patterns for M&A deals according to whether the acquisition targets are in other emerging economies or advanced countries, and that these differences can be attributed to differing theoretical motivations behind foreign direct investment. We also consider the implications of our model for future M&A originating in the Global South, in light of the global financial crisis of 2008.     

Religious regimes and prospects for liberal politics: Futures of Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia

This paper interrogates Huntington's civilizational perspective in order to assess its power to explain cultural change in a non-Western context. As an alternative, it considers cultural change as issues resolutions. The paper then suggests that the nature of the national regime is one of the most important factors that shapes resolutions of issues—hence the state as one of the best predictors of the future of cultures in Islamic countries. From the values surveys carried out in Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, this article extrapolates trends in values change among the publics from these countries. Key features of these trends include shifts toward liberal democracy and individualism among Iranians, toward secular politics and nationalism among Iraqis, and away from religiosity and toward support for gender equality among Saudis.     

A multi-objective model for lot-sizing with supplier selection for an assembly system

Lot-sizing with supplier selection (LS-SS) is a fast-growing offspring of two major problem parents in logistics and supply chain management (‘lot-sizing’ and ‘supplier selection’). The model proposed in this paper is an attempt to extend it to an assembly system, by formulating a multi-objective model for an integrative problem of LS-SS for assembly items. The total costs of the system, consisting of purchasing, ordering, transportation, assembly, and holding, is considered the first objective function, while the total reliability of the finished products is considered the second objective function. The decision-maker aims to minimise the total costs while maximising the total reliability. Several constraints of the system (e.g. storage capacity, supplier production capacity) are taken into account. Given the complexity of the model, a heuristic evolutionary algorithm is proposed to solve the model. The results indicate which assembly items to order in which quantities, from which suppliers and in which time periods.