This qualitative study provides insight into the first-year university experiences of students in a problem-based learning context an area that has received little attention in the literature. Data collection consisted of one-on-one interviews with students throughout their first year and of participant observation of students in the classroom at…

Intercultural understanding is a prerequisite for peaceful local and global citizenship, especially in South African society where prejudice and negative stereotypes were previously the order of the day because of official separatism. It is therefore crucial to teach intercultural understanding in South Africa. I report with commentary on a…

The focus on academic performance testing in elementary schools has caused a decrease in student experience in the arts. Visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage) have been minimized in elementary schools. Without exposure to the special avenues of cognitive development and personal expression nurtured by visual arts, students are…

A study of Channel One, the 10 minutes of television news programs and 2 minutes of commercials in classrooms, described the opinions and evaluative comments of participant teachers, librarians, administrators, and students. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted at eight secondary schools (four in Florida and four in…

This study examines the beliefs of Norwegian 16 year-olds about conflict resolution strategies. During 1990-91 over 40 high school students were interviewed in over 50 upper secondary schools throughout Norway. The interviews were conducted in English with groups of two or three students. The students interviewed had stronger English language…

A study examined the personal, social, and institutional factors that facilitated the career development and career choice of 11 African-American and 9 Latino juniors and seniors (12 females and 8 males) who were attending a large Midwest university and who had successfully identified and acted on their vocational plans. The students had all…

This study demonstrated the use of self-recorded audiotape to collect data on students' perceptions, attitudes, and use of learning activities in written teaching texts. The process of asking students to respond to questions within the teaching text was straightforward and presented few problems in subsequent analysis. On several indicators…

This report reviews the work which has been carried out under the label of "research in student learning," in order to examine the significance of the findings for distance education, and to discuss some of the methodological issues raised in carrying out this research. The discussion also provides insights into conducting this type of research in…

This study looked at the perceptions of their undergraduate educational experience and the future plans of students majoring in Studio Art at a state university. Using written questionnaires, interviews, participant observation at the site, and photos of art work done by participants, the study gathered information on career choices, perceptions…

This study used qualitative research procedures to evaluate the learning impact of a long term (3.5 years) leadership education program on participants' cognitive models of leadership. Situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and communities of practice principles (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002) were used to develop research…

An instrument was developed to identify the needs and concerns of graduate students enrolled in the College of Education of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). The instrument was designed to measure students opinions, perceptions, and needs. Issues addressed were: perceived quality of instruction; perceived quality of the administration of…

Using the perspective of gender, this study examines the views of science and science-related careers held by students in Kenya. The study is directed at exposing the experiences that girls have of school science education within the historical and cultural context of Kenyan society. The rationale for the study draws on findings showing that…

Little is known concerning the satisfaction of newly admitted graduate students with their program's orientation process. In fact, Pruitt-Logan and Isaac (1995) called graduate students' experience "the great unaddressed academic issue in higher education." Some research has addressed specific aspects of graduate student orientation and retention,…

This qualitative study sought to determine what academic and social difficulties are encountered by community college transfer students in adjusting to their transfer institutions. Data was collected from interviews with 12 students who transferred from Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) to the University of Virginia (UVA) in the fall of…

Efforts are currently being made across the country to strengthen the connection between students' service learning experiences and course content at the university level. A study used qualitative data for gaining insight into preservice teachers' experiences and perceptions related to service learning. Subjects were undergraduate students…