Phase III of the Louisiana School Effectiveness Study (LSES-III) was designed in part to obtain rich, qualitative data on the characteristics of more and less effective schools in the Gulf South. Data were gathered on eight matched outlier pairs of schools during the 1984-1985 school year. Of the eight historically ineffective schools in LSES-III,…

Policymaking is a subjective, cultural, and intellectually complex activity in a democracy and should be researched with the multidisciplinary approach. This paper focuses on theoretical implications of the multidisciplinary approach and on its opposing position, the structural-functional approach, in educational policy research. The paper briefly…

A participant observation study was conducted to address socialization, cultural, and values questions related to high school students' interactions with microcomputers. Specific issues addressed included: (1) student social patterns in microcomputer interactions; (2) cultural and sex differences in microcomputer interactions; and (3) student…

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining the role of digital teaching portfolios in teachers' professional development and classroom practice. The participants, all teachers, took part in a formal course in which they develop a digital teaching portfolio. The findings suggest that the processes involved in creating digital…

This final report describes a one-year qualitative research study that explores service coordination to children with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) and their families. First, the project's conceptual framework, an ecological approach, is briefly explained. Next, the concept of service coordination is discussed, noting the role of the…

California's Southwestern College (SWC) conducted student surveys and synthesized research data to create a report that identifies 12 common student experience themes, providing a framework for improvement. The study includes information from various surveys, a review of responses to the 1990 Community College Student Experience Questionnaire, and…

Through a Pennsylvania statewide curriculum integration project involving 11 school districts, this research examines the curriculum reform process and determines which factors, or combination of factors, are absolutely essential for successful curriculum reform. Comparing programs and their respective levels of success makes it clear that only a…

This paper describes an evaluation study conducted on a student evaluation of teaching form and evaluation process newly instituted at a university in Hong Kong. The study used an integrated design with both quantitative and qualitative methods and collected information from a variety of stakeholders. The major focus of the paper is on the diverse…

This paper reports learning environment research conducted in Australian Catholic high schools. A two-stage methodology involving quantitative and qualitative data-collection methods was employed. In the first stage, a sample of 1,719 students and 160 teachers responded to a specially developed classroom-environment questionnaire. Results…

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the use of young children's artwork in the assessment of reading abilities. The research method for the study was qualitative, and the design followed an interpretive approach. Subjects were 12 transitional-first grade students (a transitional-first grade allows a child with normal academic ability…

Basic principles and methods of ethnographic research are outlined for students who may wish to undertake this form of qualitative research. Ethnographic research is defined as a form of study based on observation of human action, discourse, and self-perception, and is suggested as an appropriate form of research when experimental research is…

This qualitative study examined the experiences and impressions of first-time freshmen at Boise State University (BSU) in Idaho. Twenty-five freshmen completed weekly open-ended interviews, kept journals, and participated in an end-of-term group meeting during the fall term of 1996. The results indicated that most students found getting…

The validity of the notion that welfare receipt is equivalent to "dependency" and work represents "self-sufficiency" was examined in a qualitative study during which 214 recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and 165 low-wage single mothers in 4 U.S. cities were interviewed. The women were contacted…

This study examined comments from a qualitative study regarding African American students' level of adjustment at predominantly white institutions. A phenomenological approach and ethno-methodology provided the framework to focus on what African American students experience and how they interpret their experiences in what they perceive as a…

Rising demand for schooling on the part of many Pakistani parents has immediate implications for the cost of children. To fulfill their educational aspirations, parents must invest more than they have in the past in each child both directly, in terms of various costs associated with school attendance and indirectly, in terms of missed…