Much has been written about the characteristics of effective college teachers. However, skill sets have not yet been defined with any level of specificity. Also, instructors at community colleges have unique working conditions and challenges that influence how they teach. This paper illustrates the use of three studies conducted to build and…

Results from a programme level survey at a university in Hong Kong were used to select six departments which had good records in developing graduate capabilities. Focus group interviews were conducted with students in the departments to discover which capabilities students thought were important, how the capabilities were nurtured and the…

Learning in clinical practice can be characterised as situated learning because students learn by performing tasks and solving problems in an environment that reflects the multiple ways in which their knowledge will be put to use in their future professional practice. Collins et al. introduced cognitive apprenticeship as an instructional model for…

In this exploratory study focusing on teacher perspective, 46 experienced general education teachers met in focus groups to offer advice for their new colleagues regarding teaching students with disabilities in inclusion contexts. The participants' written and verbal comments were analysed, and results were disaggregated by level of experience…

It is believed that the possibilities of integrating environmental issues into the formal and nonformal education programs depend on the capacity of teachers who put such programs into effect. A pilot project, aimed at building the capacity of schools in Ethiopia to address key environmental issues, was initiated in 2004. Among the major…

The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of instructors as they participate in an online classroom setting. It sought to find the purposes, goals, and objectives set by online instructors for the utilization of threaded discussions. The methodology employed was qualitative. A case study of a public two-year and four-year degree…

One of the areas of increased importance to social work pedagogy is the development of culturally competent practice skills. In focus groups, first and second year students, and recent alumni reflected on their growing awareness and competence concerning cultural diversity. Meaningful patterns emerged emphasizing the importance of psychologically…

Aggressive student behaviors are of concern to every school in the nation. Discovering ways to help teachers prevent and/or respond to such student behavior is of great importance. This reported research sought to discover if and how teacher behaviors impact student aggression in the classroom. In doing so, the researcher did not set out to blame…

Describes the evolution of a partnership model to be applied to the teaching and learning process in a university setting. Surveys and focus groups of faculty and students were used to gain insight into teaching/learning processes; clips from the focus groups were then used to stimulate discussion in student and faculty workshops. Themes emerging…

While politicians and the media have devoted a great deal of attention to the "problem" of school violence, classrooms teachers remain an underutilized source of information and inspiration about the frequency of school violence, its causes, its consequences, and appropriate interventions. In essence, teachers have been given little, if any,…

This qualitative study explored the experiences of five gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents' perspectives on their schools' acceptance of their sexual orientation, and perceptions of these schools' approach to suicide risk intervention. Focus groups were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through constant comparative analysis. Themes that…

A teacher who teaches General Educational Development preparation to at-risk teenagers in a nonprofit alternative education program called FutureWorks conducted a study to identify those elements of FutureWorks that keep students coming to the program. The study included the following data collection activities: a consensus-building activity to…