This report describes the development and implementation of a 2-year program designed to prepare 32 undergraduates for roles in educational research. An evaluation of the program's success is made on the basis of the following five major objectives: (1) To develop competencies necessary to conduct educational research, (2) to develop favorable…

Describes a study, conducted by undergraduates in a research methods course, of faculty attendance at office hours. Results showed that faculty often fail to attend office hours and almost never notify students in the event of their absence. Discusses findings in terms of relevance for faculty-student communication. (Author/AV)

The effective use of research assignments with student-centered resources involves three steps: (1) identifying specific student resources, (2) designing an action research assignment, and (3) teaching students to effectively use research skills. Each of these steps is discussed. (RM)

In the teaching approach described here, middle-grade gifted students assume the roles of working social scientists in the fields of anthropology, economics, history, geography, political science, and sociology. This article includes a brief description of each of these disciplines, with an example of a related "social sciencing" classroom…

A fourth year honors thesis research course in psychology at the University of Toronto uses the device of adversarial interaction to improve critical thinking. Course components, including thesis submission, research seminar, student relations, and supervision, are designed to simulate the constraints, criticism, and relationships of actual…

Discussion of the Big Six information skills model focuses on a case study that examines the effect of Big6 on a class of eighth-grade students doing research on the African-American Civil Rights movement. Topics include information problem solving; metacognition; scaffolding; and Big6 as a metacognitive scaffold. (Author/LRW)

Recommends that students conduct ethnographic studies of language in their own communities. Emphasizes that the focus ought to be conventions of speaking and writing, as well as conventions that govern the conduct, the "texts," of a culture. (RAE)

The study described in this article investigated original student research using student-to-student telecommunications. Sixth graders gathered original data through Internet to answer their own questions about education in other countries. Student surveys and teacher observation indicated students found telecommunications highly motivating. (SM)

Describes "FLIP IT," a process developed to help a seventh-grade class succeed at information problem solving by analyzing and defining the research process. Explains the mnemonic, FLIP IT, as focusing on the topic, locating appropriate resources, investigating and implementing the information, and producing results while using intelligent…

Describes use of community-survey research by seventh-grade social studies students to teach research techniques and survey methodology in an authentic setting and record community attitudes about the school to establish strategic school goals. Concludes that the project provided multiple positive results for students while providing a basis for…

Characterizes a history course at Texas A&M University-Kingsville entitled "Methods of Historical Research" that focuses on the philosophy of history, research methods, and computer technology. Reveals how the philosophy of history and research methods aspects are intertwined and discusses the changes in the course due to advances in…

An action research project, managed by a graduate student, resulted in the development of an academic website as an effective internal and external communication tool. The main focus of the investigation was to uncover the tacit knowledge held by staff in the Department of Management Communication through a series of in-depth interviews, a focus…

This textbook in educational research is intended to guide students as they plan and carry out a research project. The book has three goals: to provide basic information needed to understand the research process; to enable students to use this knowledge to design their own research project; and to permit students to read and understand the…

Articles and essays in this journal issue focus on explaining ethnographic (observation taking into account socioeconomic and cultural factors) research procedures and showing how this methodology can be applied to English classes and reported in ways useful to teachers. The first article, by Paul Diesing, provides background on ethnography. The…

Appropriate for high school students, a research project to ascertain community needs and problems is outlined. Suggestions for research include areas of economic structure, government, education, and housing. Students are introduced to methods of data gathering (observation, questioning, and use of existing data) and to sources of data such as…