The ineffectiveness of community-based interventions can often be traced to problems that occur during implementation. In this study, we outline the implementation of a human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention program in an educational setting in South Africa. An action research approach was used in the…

The concern over cannabis and its possible effects have prompted the establishment of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This project was funded as one of a number of international studies focussing on chronic cannabis use in its natural setting. Four major ethnic South African groups were examined relative to their use of cannabis: African,…

South African experiments with an intervention in university chemistry instruction are critiqued for their poor descriptions of the method, problems with research methodology and data, reliability and validity issues, and assumptions made about application of the intervention. The intervention, Academic Support Programs (ASP), taught…

Examines a five year period of the perceptions of University of Durban-Westville (South Africa) student teachers who wrote narratives portraying a significant experience in their schooling. Explains that five themes emerged in the stories: (1) violence; (2) authoritarianism; (3) passive ways of learning; (4) poverty; and (5) language-medium…

Responds to the first paper in this journal issue that discusses using dialog about how to conduct studies and organize projects to help enhance educational quality in various settings. This article agrees with issues the paper raises that are crucial to reform efforts but highlights areas that need more detailed discussion between researchers and…

This report describes methodological problems encountered in categorizing or coding responses to a questionnaire. The survey in question was designed to investigate the problems encountered by language teachers in two African countries in teaching large classes. The key analysis was of the responses to two survey items: "Large classes make it…

This article explores the state of skills development for smaller enterprises in South Africa through a consideration of two recent empirical studies of very small and micro enterprises (VSMEs--those with 2-10 employees). It provides new evidence about the complexity of the VSME sector and the mixed performance of state attempts to engage with it…

An introduction by Jon Baggaley provides background information on this international conference and its participants, and introduces 10 papers which were presented. The papers are as follows: (1) "Teaching Production Research and Design: The Interface of Theory and Practice" (James M. Linton); (2) "The Impact of Television on…

Introduction: In-service education is a widely used means of enhancing the skills of health service providers, for example, in undertaking research. However, the transfer of skills acquired during an education course to the workplace is seldom evaluated. The objectives of this study were to assess learner, teacher, and health service manager…

This article questions why a somewhat singular focus on orphanhood in the context of AIDS persists despite important shifts to more inclusive terminology of "orphans and vulnerable children." Analysis of data from South Africa raises questions about the "spin" placed on "orphanhood" and its perceived consequences for…

An introduction briefly summarizes the four previous conferences in this series, identifies trends in topics addressed, and introduces the 16 presented papers in this collection. The papers are as follows: (1) "Formative Evaluation and the New Technologies" (Marjorie Cambre); (2) "Formative Evaluation of Sesame Street Using Eye…

Describes a longitudinal study in South Africa of teacher education students that measured associations between frequency of students' school library use and their subsequent academic success in college. No association was found between frequent use and academic success, and further investigations that use qualitative research methodology are…

A study investigated the ability of educationally disadvantaged and limited-English-proficient University of Cape Town (South Africa) students to write about science research projects. Analysis of students' reports showed a strong relationship between task presentation methods, specific task-completion guidelines, and quality of writing. Poor…

The purpose of this article is to identify factors that distinguish between Achievers and At Risk Students in Accounting 1A, and to explore how qualitative and quantitative research methods complement each other. Differences between the two groups were explored from both a quantitative and a qualitative perspective, focusing on study habits,…

A study at Cape Technikon (South Africa) investigated college choice decision making by surveying 923 applicants during the application process and 314 enrollees during orientation. Results show demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of applicants and enrollees differ, applicants consider multiple institutions, alumni and friends are the…