The research foundations for understanding strategies of second language learning are outlined. Three research themes are highlighted: the importance of second language learning strategies, the effectiveness of strategies as demonstrated by research, and the definition and classification of these strategies. Second language learning strategies are…

A research study of American Indian high school students and dropouts in the Milwaukee Public Schools explored cultural factors which affect Indian students' decisions to remain in or drop out of urban, middle-class American schools. Enculturation, i.e. acquisition of Indian culture, and its effect on acculturation, i.e. adopting traits of another…

Prior research has documented the failure of both staff development and teacher evaluation practices in schools to serve as sources of accountability and improvement for teachers. Few districts coordinate these two aspects of a human resource management system. Using a concept of organizational control, this study employs a qualitative methodology…

This dissertation determines how state-level textbook decisions were made in Texas during the period 1969-81. A combination of primary document, survey, and oral history data is employed to reveal actions of participants in three decision groups and their interactions with textbook publishers and petitioners during phases of three textbook…

This paper presents an overview of Florence Nightingale's statistical background and accomplishments; discusses Victorian statistics, Nightingale's education and statistical contributions; and concludes with implications for professors and students of educational research. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the first woman elected as a fellow of…

This article reports on a classroom-based case study of a group of six Year 10 students, within a class of 23 students. The study implemented constructivist-informed teaching and learning approaches within a classroom setting in the topic of optics and documented any changes in the conceptual understanding students had about seven central concepts…

The foreign language classroom is considered a legitimate and important arena for educational and linguistic research. Research projects developed through a French survey include: an analysis of the foreign language classroom through diary studies; and an analysis of classroom discourse of teachers and pupils. (Author/CB)

The purpose of the present evaluation study was to examine the progress made in program implementation, school climate, and student achievement by the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) DIAMOND (Daring Individual Achievers Making Outstanding New Dreams) Academy (KIPP:DA) housed in Cypress Junior High School in Memphis, Tennessee. The school began…

This dissertation addresses the need for community college administration to consider the opinions, needs, and perceptions of faculty when instituting educational change. Governments and colleges are tending toward market-driven responses to community needs. Faculty often perceive these business model innovations as short sighted, meant to…

An evaluation was conducted of 12 higher education service-learning programs at 9 colleges and universities and 1 nonprofit agency in Minnesota. Research was based on interviews with individuals involved in local programs (program directors, faculty, participants, community agency personnel, and service recipients). Analysis of interview responses…

The science education reform movement is difficult for parents to understand because the new constructivist paradigm is far afield from science education as parents experienced it themselves. Educators in a New England middle school developed a new science curriculum without inviting general parental input. The problem addressed by this study was…

The Qualitative Studies section of the Proceedings contains the following 16 papers: "Public Journalism and the Search for Democratic Ideals" (Theodore L. Glasser and Stephanie Craft); "Scratching the Surface: 'The New York Times' Coverage of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, 1977-1997" (Carolina Acosta-Alzuru); "Context and…

A study in Finland examined rural students' experiences of the transition from a small rural primary school (grades 1-6) to a bigger village secondary school (grades 7-9). Qualitative data were obtained from essays written by 132 students in 13 small rural primary schools, 1 village school, and 1 city school. Students wrote the essays as…

With the advent of computer technology, students can now be informed about their progress and provided feedback limited only to the level of efficiency. For the 1999-2000 school year, a computer reporting program, TigerNet, was instituted in a junior high school in Pennsylvania. Through a year-long investigation, data were collected to determine…

This document contains three symposium papers on workplace diversity issues. "Expanding Theories of Career Development: Adding the Voices of African American Women in the White Academy" (Mary V. Alfred) questions the validity of existing career development models for women and minority groups and examines the professional development of…