This study examines parenting in 290 of the 2,322 families studied in the New Chance Demonstration, a national research and demonstration program operated between 1989 and 1992 in 10 states. The demonstration project sought to improve the economic prospects and overall well-being of low-income young mothers (ages 16 to 22) and their children…

In fall, 1991, La Frontera Center, the Tucson Council for Alcohol and Drug Dependence, and the Community Organization for Drug Abuse Control were funded to carry out an educational program to reduce alcohol and other drug abuse in the Tucson, Arizona area. The resulting project, Pasos Adelante (Steps Forward), is an early intervention…

This paper examines the negotiations that occur in a specific educational setting when traditional student placement practices are challenged and redesigned in an effort to better meet the needs of English language learners. The settings for these negotiations is an elementary school where over 90 percent of the students are native English…

This paper explains how and why the author involved her undergraduate sociolinguistics students in doing field research in a local Texas elementary school. She notes that a continuing concern for linguistics education has been the viability of undergraduate linguistics programs. She agrees with other researchers and argues that one way to…

Describes an in-class activity where children and their parents are invited to an undergraduate child development class. The children's ages match the developmental stages that the class is studying. The parents/children discuss various issues with the students. Briefly outlines some of the discussion patterns that occur. (MJP)

Examines the effects of school organization and climate on mainstreaming in an urban middle school. Discusses how certain behaviors, beliefs, and mechanisms result in the exclusion of some special education students from regular classes, programs, and facilities. (FMW)

The purpose of this study was to investigate two research questions: What literacy learning did preservice teachers experience through a Penpal Project embedded in an early literacy course? What sense did preservice teachers make of the Penpal Project?--with an overarching focus on bridging literacy theory with practice. Data were gathered in a…

The emergence of Foundation Degree programmes in response to employer workforce development needs provides a rich environment for the study of undergraduate curriculum innovation in the context of cross-sector partnerships in post-compulsory education. This article presents the findings of a case study of foundation degree development by consortia…

Standardization discourse is dominantly linked to tests; yet standardization occurs in practices of everyday social life, too. This research seeks to understand standardization processes involved in the writing done by a class of seventh grade students, half of whom did not do well in school or on tests. Acting as participant observer in a…

This article explores the student resistances that shape orientations to schooling. Drawing on a study of Latina/o youth, I examine how race and gender influence whether they perceive education as oppressive or useful in resisting oppression. The key lever that may alter their perceptions is how school and society treat Latinos differently from…

The ability of the microcomputer to compile voluminous and detailed measures of students' learning activities automatically has seemingly outpaced the ability of commonly-used data analysis methods to make effective utilization of this wealth of potentially useful information. This study explores the use of computer-based quantitative methods,…

Ethnographic research (1) observes human behavior in its natural setting over a substantial period of time, (2) claims that classes of events are better understood through intensive examination of carefully selected particular cases, (3) incorporates as many of the complexities and variables into a setting as possible, and (4) is usually comprised…

The positivist paradigm has dominated the shape and direction of research in education. Traditionally the scientific method is adhered to, variables are strictly controlled, statistics are compiled, and conclusions are reached. In the post-positivist paradigm, studies conducted using naturalistic inquiry take place in the natural setting and do…

A new framework for designing qualitative studies is described to optimize the emergence, representation and presentation of insights. The framework, called Reflection Methodology, is presented as a "Conversational Paradigm" that includes four components--interviewer (researcher as participant); child, task situation, and observing…

Basic issues concerning interpretive research, and theories and methods of using interpretive research to study teaching are discussed. The concept of interpretive research may also be known as ethnographic, qualitative, participant observational, case study, symbolic interactionist, phenomenological, or constructivist. Interpretive research…