The aim of this research project was to investigate the customer care methods within the Scottish college library sector. The researcher sought to compare examples of the customer care and service policies and practices from the sector with exemplars of good customer service from the retail sector. A qualitative, grounded theory approach was…

This paper draws on data from a research project investigating gendered identities and interactions of high-achieving students in Year Eight in England (12-13 years old), particularly in relation to students' "popularity" amongst their peers. As part of this study 71 students were interviewed from nine different schools in urban, rural…

This qualitative, descriptive case study employed the use of narrative to investigate a virtual school program in a public school district in Texas. A focus group interviewing process was used to interview the participants. Findings from this study conclude that with continued support from district leaders, along with having the appropriate…

Virtual schooling is an increasing trend for secondary education. Research of the communication practices in virtual schools has provided a myriad of suggestions for virtual school policies. Although transactional distance has been investigated in relation to certain aspects of the communication process, a small-scale qualitative study has not…

While research supports that formative assessment can improve student learning, it is rarely used and difficult to implement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the use of student handheld response systems (SRS) as a tool for formative assessment in high school classes as well as teachers' attitudes towards this…

With an increase in life expectancy in modern complex communities, there will be a prolonged period, post-retirement, in which older adults will seek meaningful projects. Juxtaposed with the longer period after retirement is the realisation that life is nearing the end. This paper draws on research undertaken from 2003-2010. The purpose of the…

Although popular media often provides negative images of mathematicians, we contend that mathematics classroom practices can also contribute to students' images of mathematicians. In this study, we examined eight mathematics teachers' framings of mathematicians in their classrooms. Here, we analyze classroom observations to explore some of the…

This article reports on an ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) doctoral study which investigated how teachers consulted pupils about teaching and learning in classrooms. Interest in consulting pupils has increased over the last decade; existing research suggests pupils have valuable perspectives on teaching and learning which teachers can…

This study investigated the qualitatively different ways which students experienced human-centered design. The findings of this research are important in developing effective design learning experiences and have potential impact across design education. This study provides the basis for being able to assess learning of human-centered design which…

Although the mathematical preparation of future teachers is of particular concern within the field of mathematics education right now, little research has taken into account the increasing role of community colleges in offering mathematics courses for elementary teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the curricular decisions of…

This article reports on an international study investigating university educators' ideas about the diversity of their students, carried out by using semi-structured email interviews. The information obtained from participants was analysed using a phenomenographic approach to obtain an outcome space, in which the narrowest conception ignored any…

At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Senator Edward M. Kennedy said, "We will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American--north, south, east, west, young, old--will have decent, quality healthcare as a fundamental right and not a privilege. We can meet these challenges ..." These now historic words from Kennedy are…

The research aims to articulate the experiences and opinions of Year 6 (Y6) teachers, primary headteachers and primary science coordinators as a contribution to the debate about the effect of statutory national testing in England and its abolition in Wales. A multi-faceted approach of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis was…

While learning about the types of weather events that occur in the local area, students in grades 4-6 were asked to consider how structures can be built to withstand extreme weather conditions. Teams of students designed, constructed, and tested buildings to withstand hurricanes and designed the tests they would use to evaluate their structures.…

This study investigated a gap that may have existed between students' expectations and perceptions of the 2007 Pre-Entry Science Program (PESP) cohort at the National University of Lesotho and factors that might have influenced these expectations and perceptions. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and…