This paper describes two institutions, in England and Massachusetts, that aim to connect students and adults to the land through the study of particular places. Gilbert White, an 18th-century curate in Selborne, England, was a keen observer and one of the earliest naturalists. His book, "The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne,"…

Forty case studies made by research teams of independents or governmental agencies in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States were analyzed to provide managements and trade unions with illustrations of present systems of technical and manpower changes at the enterprise level and to describe the…

The 29 case studies in this report seek to define the policies and practices followed by firms in programing technological change and manpower adjustments. The purpose of the report is to make these policies and practices more broadly known and to extend the range of effective adjustments provided by individual managements. The inquiries were…

Compares the results of two survey designs administered to visitors of three South African nature reserves to ascertain changes in conservation awareness. Explains the method, data collection, questionnaire design, statistical tests, pretests, pilot studies, results, and conclusions of the study. Finds that no statistical differences between…

Describes a field study of kindergarteners which found 1,006 pupils conserved identity up to 8 months, and 693 pupils conserved identity and equivalence. Follow-up studies showed no relationship between kindergarten conservation abilities and grade 1 math skills, although grade 6 math performance correlated significantly with kindergarten…

A French course for graduate students and professors preparing for field work in West Africa is described. Difficulties included defining the context for the language's use, time constraints, and learners' job-orientation and tendency to set their own standards of performance. Students' preexisting knowledge of the subject was an advantage. (MSE)

Since the mid-1970s, participatory research (PR) has provided an alternative approach to those development systems that rely on outside experts and implement predetermined solutions. PR empowers disadvantaged people by recognizing them as co-researchers working together to gather information and implement solutions to their problems. This paper…

This book contains 11 essays that offer in-depth accounts of qualitative research in developing countries. Each chapter focuses upon a specific method and considers related theoretical and practical issues with reference to recent experiences in selected developing countries. Key issues addressed include: (1) the identification of appropriate…

Israeli researcher at an environmental field school created a different kind of research report, turning an evaluation report into a textbook of didactics and adapting it for use in personnel training and inservice education without impairing its essential nature as an evaluation study. (SM)

Stresses the danger of sociological fieldwork in Latin America for researcher and subject. Recommends that the researcher build a network of contacts for support and protection. Discusses the interpersonal relations, problems of security, and field entry techniques involved in sensitive research situations. Suggests unobtrusive methods of research…

Proposes a number of culture-sensitive practices based on Guba and Lincoln's (1989) criteria for trustworthiness and authenticity when working in Melanesian cultural contexts. Addresses issues of initial contact, ownership of knowledge, prolonged engagement, persistent observation, member checks, language and interview process. Contains 15…

This paper describes two innovative and linked approaches to teaching and student learning in the environmental and development geography of the Mekong region, a region remote from students' normal experiential options. The first approach is field-based learning through Field Schools carried out in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. The second approach…

Instructional strategies determine the approaches an educator may take to achieve learning objectives. Research has shown that sets of strategies or instructional models anchored on social constructivist learning theories were found to be effective in enhancing active participation. It is particularly influential and meaningful in many areas of…

This study investigates how learning to become a "researching professional" (Bourner, Bowden, & Laing, 2000) is understood by students undertaking a professional Doctorate of Education in one university in the United Kingdom (U.K.). This research is apposite given the present context for doctoral education both internationally and in…

Colin Smith's experience in South Africa and his research on the role of storytelling in the Xhosa culture met all of the guiding principles of Brigham Young University's (BYU) International Field Study Program: that students are prepared to do serious research in a topic that relates to their major, and that they will be in the host country for…