A research project identified the challenges and benefits of collaborative research between extension agents and researchers. Its methodology was a critical review of the collaborative research approach used in a case study examining the usefulness of social capital in promoting rural landscape sustainability in two counties in the Hudson River…

This action research explored the relationship between community and learning. The essence of community was examined through informal conversations with Hawaiian parents, service providers, and students involved in advocating for family/community centers in the schools. Community was found to be inversely related to alienation and defined by…

Describes and analyzes a short teaching episode in a multilingual secondary mathematics classroom in South Africa where the teacher uses a participatory-inquiry approach. Argues that such an approach to teaching and learning mathematics creates dilemmas of mediation for teachers. (AIM)

Describes a longitudinal and ecological methodology for evaluating innovation in preschool education which features the involvement of those responsible for the innovation being evaluated. Reviews the use of this methodology in an evaluation of community nursery schools in the Strathclyde region of Scotland. (MDM)

Proposes a methodology for the naturalistic investigation of classroom environments in primary schools. Maintains that this approach is derived from a critique of the work of classroom ecologist Walter Doyle. Proposes suggestions for empirical research methods for naturalistic investigation. (CFR)

Vocational education projects in developing nations often fail because they are based on empirical theories that ignore cultural context and change. A critical inquiry framework allows a more participatory, adaptive planning approach and enables decentralized decision making, participation of beneficiaries, technology transfer, information…

Involving students in community-based participatory research is a useful mechanism for engaging the community and helping it build future capacity. This article describes student involvement in a series of community-based environmental health research projects with migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina. High school, undergraduate,…

This single case study, situated within a larger narrative inquiry project, closely examines the professional stories told by one Project Grow teacher. Project Grow is a 10-year-old collaborative interdisciplinary environmental education project at a New York City alternative public high school. Through the practice of an innovative …

This article examines how universities engage with what students from mature, non-A-level backgrounds bring with them to the curricula of social policy, social work and community and youth work courses of study. It draws on participatory research undertaken with a group of non-traditional entrants to university. The "stories" of three students are…

Mental health consumer-run organizations are alternatives to mainstream mental health services, and they have the dual focus of supporting members and creating systems change. The existing literature suggests that these organizations have beneficial impacts on social support, community integration, personal empowerment, subjective quality of life,…

Interviews were conducted with 127 American Indians with disabilities living in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. This executive summary briefly describes the research process, emphasizing that American Indians were involved in designing the project, and reports the study results. Graphs and tables indicate tribal…

Promoting social change is the goal of the seven community case studies reported in this book. Each study is a "natural experiment" that involved long-term research, close collaboration between researchers and the host community, and the application of research methods and findings to social change goals within the community. The following reports…

For five years, a collaborative team consisting of a special education teacher, a general education teacher, and a university professor conducted research studies in a rural secondary school. Although the general education teacher initially was reluctant to participate in a research project, especially one that involved students with disabilities,…

This interview with Dianne Roberts, director of the Minimbah Aboriginal Preschool in Armidale, New South Wales (Australia), explores research issues, leadership styles, and how decision making and responsibilities are handled at Minimbah. Incoming researchers must show how research will benefit the community under study, how they will work in…

An Australian study was conducted to develop a strategy for safe use of farm chemicals by Asian migrant market gardeners in Western Sydney. The researchers chose to use participatory approaches for which policy makers and development practitioners had in other studies shown enthusiasm, although this enthusiasm could not at times be sustained…