This article will draw on an investigation of teachers' research in a small-scale project involving 19 schools in the North West region of England. The teachers engaged in the research were funded by a government initiative, the Best Practice Research Scholarships Programme, and were mentored and tutored by university staff. The sample is very…

Differences between researchers and practitioners can be found in four areas: the distance from the object of study; the ideological perspective; the purposes of the research; and the political agenda behind the research. Each of these principles dominates the perceptions of the people involved and thus contributes to the phenomenon of mutual…

A way to assess the large volume of student data generated in an introductory graduate-level course in qualitative research in education is described. Primary attention is given to assessing the technical aspects of field data collection, and only secondary attention is given to the consideration of the substantive aspects of the field data. In…

Noting that raising standards for teaching is a key to education reform, this guide outlines a tested plan for helping practicing teachers upgrade and fine-tune their own performance by systematically studying their own classroom methods and the student learning that results. Following an introduction, the guide discusses research group…

This monograph analyzes transition in educational administrative theory. A brief introductory section describes the theoretical movement, the substance and repercussions of Thomas Greenfield's critique of educational administrative theory in 1974, and emerging qualitative approaches. Seven readings, all written by the volume's author, view…

This paper describes a 2-year project establishing an interpretive community of field-based teacher researchers and a university-based teacher researcher at four urban preschools in San Francisco, California. The primary research focus of the project is an examination of practical and theoretical connections between current notions of…

The organization and role of higher education research and development units (HERDUs) are described, and international perspectives on educational development theory and practices are examined. Factors constraining educational development operations in HERDUs are discussed, and recommendations for addressing current concerns are offered. (MSE)

Discusses issues related to music education research. Presents three criteria to guide selection of research topics. Concludes that the challenge for music researchers is to avoid research that merely supports a "favored" methodology. (ACM)

Educational researchers are not engaged in discovering mechanistic universal truths sought by positivists or tidy prescriptions about what works. Instead, they provide guidelines and interpretive material to liberate the teacher's intelligence so that the teacher can use whatever ability he or she can achieve. (SLD)

A former editor of this journal, 1989-91, selects an outstanding article from his tenure that illuminates the research merits of creativity, planning, and skepticism in the work of Milton Ezra LaZerte, a prominent Alberta educator in the first half of this century. The article selected describes LaZerte's learning theories and several…

The development of a new national policy on achievement testing and how researchers sought to influence its development are chronicled. This development has been marked by the emergence of assessment advocates and educational researchers as two classes of assessment experts. Their differential effects on educational reform are explored. (SLD)

This article describes the rationale, development, and first-year implementation of Wisconsin's Preschool Action Research and Development Initiative, a school-university partnership that creates opportunities for researchers and teachers to work collaboratively while examining issues related to early childhood inclusion. Findings on the impact on…

Considers the competing demands placed on evaluators in relation to the service (characteristics of the intervention), the sample (people participating), and methodology or research design. Explores compromises that may be required between scientific ideals and real-world limitations, and assesses implications for obtaining meaningful results in…

Several Colorado schools hired data analysts to help with school improvement efforts. The analysts are teachers who participate on school leadership teams and who support school action research teams. They collect and organize baseline data, help teams measure results of proposed changes, and evaluate results after implementation. Because they are…

This article focuses on the limitations and possibilities of teaching as a research-based activity in the current context of further education (FE) practice. The article argues that research can deliver real improvements in the quality of teaching and learning in further education. To enable this improvement to take place, the article suggests…