The Research Utilization and Problem Solving (RUPS) Model--an instructional system designed to provide the needed competencies for an entire staff to engage in systems analysis and systems synthesis procedures prior to assessing educational needs and developing curriculum to meet the needs identified--is intended to facilitate the development of…

Teams of teachers from four middle/junior high schools, in collaboration with faculty from the University of New Hampshire and consultants from the New Hampshire State Department of Education, implemented systemic changes in the teaching of mathematics and science. The curriculum goal was to design, adapt, implement, and evaluate hands-on,…

Written with teachers, administrators, and students of Purcell Marian High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, this book is grounded in a 2-year action research project that created an inclusive high school. Chapter 1 provides snapshots of interactions in an inclusive high school and refutes some of the concerns expressed by teachers and administrators.…

Many volunteer literacy tutors in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, have not completed their 1-year tutoring commitment. Consequently, an action research project was undertaken to determine the causes of the high tutor turnover and to identify ways of improving the tutor retention rate. All tutors involved in the program from 1998 onward were asked…

This project evaluated a program for enhancing student motivation as evidenced by improved academic growth and increased work completion. The targeted population consisted of fifth graders in a small school in a medium-sized rural community in the Midwest. The problem of lack of achievement motivation and lack of student concern about academic…

Research in Australia on evaluating the application of action research as an action learning tool and its impact on the learning of students, educators, industry, and training providers, explored how that learning, in turn, has impacts on research, learners, educators, and the community. In the field of social and community services, in…

Traditional instructional methodology in the Information System Design (ISD) environment lacks explicit strategies for promoting the cognitive skills of prospective system designers. This contributes to the fragmented knowledge and low motivational and creative involvement of learners in system design tasks. In addition, present ISD methodologies,…

This master's project analyzed the implementation of a program designed to address the academic needs of all students in a heterogeneous classroom. The targeted population consisted of secondary parochial school students from working and middle class backgrounds in or around a large midwestern metropolitan area. Problems of underachievement were…

Understanding the principles of sustainability and the interdependence of the environment, the economy, and social systems can help individuals learn to make the changes necessary to become effective stewards of natural resources and the environment. This document describes three broad policy recommendations as to how Americans can build concepts…

Workshops and presentations in this volume are as follows: "Learning the Language of Learning" (Firestone); "Self-Study Examination Program of Higher Education for Adults in China" (Wang, Smith); "Using the Principles and Process of Adult Learning to Develop an Award Level Program for the Education of Adult Educators: An…

Findings from a study, which examined the development of leadership skills and roles among the teachers in a professional development school (PDS), indicate the emergence of a nontraditional teacher leadership paradigm at the PDS. In contrast to typical teacher leadership models, in which carefully selected and screened teachers are placed in…

This volume on quality learning in higher education discusses issues of good practice particularly action learning and Total Quality Management (TQM)-type strategies and illustrates them with seven case studies in Australia and the United Kingdom. Chapter 1 discusses issues and problems in defining quality in higher education. Chapter 2 looks at…

This collection of essays examines the importance of scholarship to the community college and suggests approaches that community college leaders can take to promote a sense of professionalism built around scholarly work. In Chapter 1, "Scholarship and the Community College Professional: Focusing the Debate," George B. Vaughan suggests a broad…

This volume contains five reports of practitioner research projects within adult education programs in Virginia. "Learning in Everyday Life" (Susan Erno, Diane Foucar-Szocki) explores use of a monthly calendar as a time management and goal-setting tool for adult learners in a workplace setting. "Factors Related to Student Retention…

A growing trend in social science research is to reject those modes that treat individuals as objects of research and to accept the role of catalyst in helping the people to do their own research. Also, there is an increasing demand that results of social research must serve in a timely way to improve the situation of those involved. Participatory…