Experienced teachers tend to have an internal locus of control (LOC) orientation. This paper considers the validity and reliability of two commonly used measures of teachers' locus of control orientation for use within a Caribbean and particularly, a Jamaican, educational context.

A survey of postgraduate studies indicates that researchers in Jamaica while still embracing monomethods - qualitative or quantitative approaches - are also moving towards employing mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative approaches) in their investigation. While mono-method research tends to run the risk of missing significant findings mixed methods offer a more comprehensive understanding of the variables of a study.

The purpose of critical inquiry is to 'offer critiques of our world that allow us to transform it' (Baez, 2007: 18). Inthis article it is argued that limiting critical inquiry to qualitative techniques is fallacious. The critical theorist seeks to understand the experiences of individuals and groups in light of social prescriptions and cultural constraints (Stage, 2007). Lamiell (2003) noted that the scientific objective of quantitative methods was alwaysto ascertain an understanding of human experiences andto gain insight into the workings of the human mind.

Extensive information exists regarding the university choice process for some students, but little is known about the process for students who do not move directly from high school diploma to higher education. In this article, we explore the process that these nontraditional students take to earning a university education.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the root causes of absenteeism among children of the rural poor in one hundred Jamaican primary schools in which absenteeism was most problematic. The research utilized a mixed methods approach and involved transforming qualitative data into quantitative data and generating descriptive statistics. Focus group interviews were utilized to collect data from school and community members and involved 165 children, ranging in age from 7 to 12.