Over the past 20 years, universities in the United Kingdom have been undergoing a dramatic period of transformation and change which can be attributed to the expansion of the higher education sector, the growth in student numbers and the development of an ideological approach to public service management referred to as "new…

In this article, the "researcher" narrates the issues faced by novice researchers in choosing the correct lenses to conduct research when searching for the truth via the use of qualitative methodology. It is argued that choosing an appropriate research approach and methodology can be described as an "arduous" journey. For the…

This article documents the contribution of local elementary teachers and examines the teachers' role as a conduit between an urban school and its community. Based on participant observation and interviews with local teachers and parents, the research considers the teachers' bridging position as professional practitioners and community constituents…

Preliminary findings and implications from this study were presented at the 45th Annual Convention of the International Reading Association in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 30, 2000. The author would like to express sincere gratitude to the kindergarten teacher who cooperated with this study and willingly allowed the researcher unlimited access to…

This paper describes an innovative pilot project at the University of Canberra aimed at providing pre-service early childhood teachers with the skills, confidence and ideological change required to include technology-enhanced learning as part of the early childhood curriculum. The impact of the project was evaluated through participant…

How welcome parents and carers feel at their children's school seems likely to have a significant influence on the degree to which they and their children engage with its educational programme. The ethos of the school and the nature of the classroom environment as determined by teachers are therefore significant and continuing features of its…

After a review of the literature on cognitive "cause maps" in organizational decision-making, this study describes a midwestern elementary school from the perspective of individual sensemaking, captured through individual cognitive maps of cause-effect relationships. Data were collected with an adaptation of Bougon's (1983) Self-Q…

To overcome teacher isolation and help make teaching a more attractive profession, educators might consider a peer support system based on the Stanford Collegial Evaluation Program. This paper describes the program's background, functioning, barriers to successful implementation, and how to neutralize them. The Stanford program uses a peer…

The study described in this paper includes original qualitative research and analysis that addresses: how future secondary teachers are educated; perspectives from veteran and student teachers; insights into preparing teachers for the schools of our future; and suggestions for incorporating the voices of teachers and of those learning to teach…

Describes an evaluation study of a special English-as-a-second-language program developed for a group of 18 to 21 year olds with a severe gap in their schooling due to political upheaval and war. The five stages of the study, its recommendations, and its outcomes are outlined. (Author/SED)

Teaching is by nature a complex activity filled with ambiguities and dilemmas. Teaching also is fundamentally a moral activity, making the dilemmas and ambiguities both pedagogical and moral in nature. This article describes one teacher's reflections on her efforts to resolve the dilemmas and ambiguities presented to her by the competing…

The case study presented in this paper describes the thinking-in-action of a first grade teacher who, within the natural setting of her classroom, was constructing a new way of teaching language arts by changing to a whole language approach. In contrast to traditional implementation models, this study highlights the constitutive nature of…