This conference was designed to facilitate an exchange of information and experiences on the major issues in research with human subjects. In each session, a speaker from the United States and one from the United Kingdom reviewed procedures, progress, and problems related to a particular topic, leading to a thorough discussion of the advantages or…

Reviews research on teaching and makes an appeal for involving classroom teachers as field workers and partners in applied pedagogical research. Covers difficulties involved with such an approach, the need for replication, teacher training and the problem of generalization. (JDH)

Background: Research reveals that the relationship between a student and a supervisor is so crucial that students cannot afford to leave it to chance. It must be managed. Phillips and Pugh (2000, p. 193) maintains that if students are to do this well, they must understand what their supervisors expect of them. Once they have this "inside…

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have experienced increasing pressures to provide accountability data and consumer information on the quality of teaching and learning. Existing ratings and rankings of HEIs tend to neglect information on student learning outcomes. Instead, they focus on inputs, activities and research outputs, such as resources…

This paper argues that if new communications technologies and online spaces are to yield "new relationship[s] with learners" then research that is tuned to recognize, capture and explain the pedagogical processes at the center of such interactions is vital. This has implications for the design of pedagogical activities within Initial…

Determining the potential of educational information and communications technology for enhancing teaching and learning is the subject of a great deal of research activity. This paper argues that the technologies employed to enhance learning can also be exploited for the enhancement of research. Recorded learner-system interactions, dynamically…

This paper reports on 12 in-depth case studies of trainee science teachers' use of the Internet in their science teaching from teacher training programmes in four UK universities. The findings reveal many opportunities and challenges trainee teachers face in using the Internet and these are examined in the light of the promotion of the use of ICT…

Fifteen studies of severe mental retardation in children are reviewed, from the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Quebec, and West Germany. For each study, the aims, definitions, subpopulations studied, case-finding methods, and findings are reported. Findings are then analyzed in terms of prevalence, etiology, service provision, and associated…

Describes recent developments in United Kingdom politics that have affected development of evidence-based policy for children. Examines the notion of "what works," leading to a suggestion that evaluators be concerned with "what is worth doing" for children. Considers robustness as a guiding principle for evaluation design and…

Critical thinking and working together are key skills for lifelong learning, but current assessment practices do not necessarily support their acquisition, given the instrumental attitudes to learning of many higher education students. A small-scale action research project was undertaken within the context of tutoring on a research module of an…

Describes the history of the random experiment in the Home Office in the United Kingdom and demonstrates that research and the conduct of research is not an altogether rational process and that fashion, personality, and politics play a role in research policy and methodology choice. (SLD)

Explores the role of narrative-based research with ex-clients as a celebration and extension of the counseling process. Renegotiates issues of power and control, ethics, and safety in establishing research relationships in light of concerns about dual relationships in counseling. Reflects on these issues within the context of conducting a…

Two papers respond to an article by P. Atkinson, S. Delamont, and M. Hammersley (1988) critiquing papers by E. Jacob (1987, 1988) on qualitative research traditions. The use of T. Kuhn's concept of "paradigm" and the criticism that the British were not included in the Jacob's study are addressed. (TJH)

Addresses strategies needed in using longitudinal data on psychopathology to test cause-and-effect relationships, including natural experiments, testing of competing hypotheses on mechanisms, study of reversal effects, multiple replications in different circumstances, use of designs to dissociate possible mechanisms, testing for dose-response…

The overall aim of this paper is to give an account of action learning in practice. It demonstrates the potential strengths and weaknesses of action learning. The information given is derived from five years in an action learning set. Significant events from within and without the action learning set will be explored using the themes clarifying;…