Objective: Students will develop positive attitudes toward communication research by linking new values and principles with the familiar values and principles contained in children's literature. Course: Communication Research Methods.

A sixth-grade class investigated the ecologies of two local retention ponds over the course of one school year. In this context, instruction assisted development as students designed models of the pond in one-gallon jars and attempted to stabilize these jars in sustainable ecosystems that could be used to study questions about the ponds.…

To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally interpreting and communicating the results. The…

This article presents an activity for early-in-the-year parents' night. The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. The authors, as teachers, like to capture that excitement by engaging their 10th-grade biology students in an inquiry project demonstrating the nature of science and scientific inquiry. They developed the Next Step…

Discusses a research design course in which undergraduates were taught to program microcomputers for the control of experimental tasks. Describes the teaching approach for the three-hour course unit, along with the experimental tasks that were performed. Reports that students ranked the programing of experimental tasks as important as other…

Describes a graduate research methods course in which students were taught electronic communications skills. Lists three course requirements involving electronic mail, subscriptions to electronic journals, and participation in electronic academic lists. Discusses six problems that emerged and the student evaluations. (CFR)

Using a standard economics course as a control group, tests the relative effectiveness of "Economics U$A," a telecourse on student achievement and attitudes in both on-campus and off-campus settings. Concludes that the telecourse can be used successfully in nontraditional courses, and that delivery format may have an impact on student…

Asserts that the need for precise and detailed procedures in the collection of qualitative data is of paramount importance. Describes qualitative procedures that were used in a research study of teachers' and students' perceptions of effective teaching and learning. (CFR)

Contends that the success or failure of an undergraduate research project can hinge on one or two decisions made at an early stage in the process. Describes a "Snakes and Ladders" board game used to remind students of good and bad research design practices. Includes game rules and a listing of the good and bad practices. (CFR)

Presents a summary of nine research reports from a National Educational Computing Conference research workshop whose purpose was to bring together researchers who have been conducting gender-related research in computer science education. Three subgroups discussed the issues of exposure, attraction, and retention of women to computer science. (MDH)

This paper proposes some possible areas of research and tentative theoretical guidelines for the Learning in Science Project (Primary)-- LISP(P). This new project, designed to investigate the teaching and learning of science in the primary school, arises from the work of the original Learning in Science Project (LISP). LISP(P) has two…

Describes the application of the problem method, or case study approach, to teach undergraduate research methods. Maintains that the approach is particularly applicable because research design is a classic ill-defined task. Reports that students find the method challenging and interesting. (CFR)

Describes a six-week project culminating in a student-designed exit survey for graduating seniors. Exit surveys assess a department's strengths and weaknesses in curricula, instruction, and advising. Discusses the students' design and implementation of the survey. Students felt that the project enhanced their critical thinking and research skills.…

Administered questionnaires to 1,459 secondary social studies students in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands to examine age, gender, and country differences in adolescents' perceptions of classroom climate. Studied relationships between political attitudes and perceived classroom climate and between the use of…