Reports research concerning the definition of variables by pupils ages 12 to 14 during investigative work. Findings suggest that an increase in the complexity of an investigation lowers the ability to identify relevant variables and substantive concepts intrude on the ability to define the appropriate dependent variable and to control variables.…

This article presents a study on how to improve the quality of Year 1 children's mathematical talk. Using a dictaphone, the children were recorded as they worked with their partner. Later, the children's responses were marked against a checklist of three types of talk: (1) disputational; (2) cumulative; and (3) exploratory. Throughout the study…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project carried out in a UK Pupil Referral Unit during the 2000/01 academic year. It describes and analyses the strategies adopted by a small group of Behaviour Support Service teachers in order to achieve their everyday occupational goals. It is argued that despite their commitment to the…

In this study, the explanations of two classes of 10-year old children about what happens to the food that they eat were explored, particularly in the context of theories about the development of children's concepts of the human body. These ideas were investigated in a number of ways: obtaining children's own writing and drawings; semi-structured…

This article aims to encourage the development of safe, valuable and scientifically sound field investigations, and offers suggestions or guidelines for your people participating in environmental work on expeditions to areas in the northern United Kingdom. (Author/MDH)

This paper examines a data set that has its origins in European Social Fund Objective 4 financed training programmes in small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain to examine the extent to which three different personal development outcomes are attributable to different types of skills acquired during the training process. The three…

This article details an investigation into the use of interactive whiteboards undertaken in five elementary schools in an English education authority. Evidence was collected by using a questionnaire containing closed and open questions, lesson observations, and structured interviews of teachers and headteachers. Potential benefits in the…

This article outlines BPRS funded investigations into my own school's and other establishments' practices and processes within data analysis, needs identification and tracking of children's academic progress. It describes the evaluation of my school's then current practices and policies and the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews…

This paper examines three concepts relating to the role of heads of department (HoDs) in secondary schools: boundary management; the roles of subject leadership and departmental functioning as HoD activities; and the place of HoDs in evolving school hierarchies. To throw light on the last an empirical study is reported that explores hierarchies in…

This ongoing investigation was concerned with why some children were labeled gifted while others of identical measured ability were not. Each labeled "gifted" child was matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) with two others in the same school class. The first matched child had an identical Raven's Matrices raw score, and…

Discusses a teaching method using investigational skills for Nuffield A-level Physics including assessment technique, change of the assessment criteria, advice for choosing the topic, and future development. (YP)

A new virtual learning environment (VLE) was developed to provide structured support to distance education students undertaking postgraduate study on a core study module of the Master of Education degree at the University of Dundee. Students were offered the option of receiving support via the VLE as opposed to the existing methods, that included…

Discusses communication problems in industries with a multilingual and multicultural work force, with suggested approaches for an industrial language trainer to follow when investigating communication channels and in organizing language training programs to remedy inadequacies. (MF)

In the UK Centres of Excellence were funded by the DfES to model high quality, multi-agency, early years services for young children and their families. They were precursors to Children's Centres to be established across the UK. Early Excellence Centres were evaluated at national and local levels. This article will draw on data from local…