This article responds to Wright and Nelson's (1995) call for a "creative synthesis" of participant observation and participatory research, which may allow the limitations of both methods to be addressed. It does so by reflecting on the experience of doing long-term research both with and on young Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Although…

This article presents the author's keynote address delivered at the "North Eastern Ontario Education Network 2011 Research Carousel: Evidence in the Classroom--Affecting Student Achievement at the Grassroots Level." In this address, the author first discusses teachers and learning in the literature on adult and professional learning.…

The academic style (conduct) of academic circles has become a hot topic in the media. This article presents an interview conducted by "China Newsweek" with Vice Director Yuan Zhenguo of the Ministry of Education, Social Sciences Department. In this interview, Zhenguo talks about the Ministry of Education's plan to set up such…

This article considers the landscape for educational research in the smallest country of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland. As elsewhere, educational research exists in political and economic circumstances that have considerable influence on its direction, nature and purpose and this article seeks to contextualise these influences. Northern…

Describes a postgraduate research degree program in National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) designed and offered at the University of Sussex. Vocational education and training is discussed, a brief historical background of NVQs and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications is included, and the development of the degree program is…

A clerk in the procedural service of Canada's House of Commons describes functions of the service, his duties in the procedure and reference section, and the applicability of his training in library science to these duties. Library school students are advised to look for wider applications of their skills. (CLB)

A discussion supporting the systematic integration of research skills into graduate study programs looks at five different strategies for developing this area of the graduate curriculum, including both broad-based and specific methods and theoretical and practical approaches. Issues and problems addressed at one institution are examined. (MSE)

Describes Datamondo, an instructional package that introduces the use of a newspaper database in humanities teaching at the secondary level in Italy. The effectiveness of the package in developing basic linguistic skills and as a research tool is evaluated. (8 references) (Author/CLB)

An Australian university honors course in political science used an apprenticeship model to develop student appreciation of and skills in the process of research, in preparation for research careers. In the pilot course, students conducted a survey on corruption. Challenges encountered and lessons learned in implementing the course are discussed.…

Recent French reforms in the university system and their implications for doctoral research are criticized as adding constraints without improvements, and a new approach to assessing the quality of doctoral theses is proposed. (MSE)

Comparative education is singularly ill-equiped to examine interactions in a situation of conflict and domination between rival cultures, educational systems, or related positions of economic and political power within dominated and colonized societies. Comparative education may still be possible if a more inclusive and comprehensive framework of…

A University of Canberra (Australia) program pairs new researchers with experienced researchers as mentors. Mentoring is supplemented with a workshop on research skills and on researchers' issues, questions, and projects. Participants benefitted from support of mentors and other peers. Mentors assisted participants with specific aspects of their…

Researchers working in foreign settings are often influenced by a number of factors which are quite different from factors which influence research activities in one's own culture. The hypothesis is that these cultural differences can influence research in a positive or negative way depending, at least partially, on the degree of sensitivity shown…

An Australian report identifying "generic skills, attributes, and values" as the central achievements of higher education is criticized as vague and inconsistent. A more systematic analysis is offered of higher order generic skills as they manifest themselves in thinking, research, and communication, and of the way in which these skills…

This book provides a practical, realistic understanding of the process of doing research for a doctorate degree (Ph.D.) from a British viewpoint. The work discusses many issues often left unconsidered, such as the emotional investment made by students and its effects, the skills required by an effective supervisor, and the importance of time. The…