Qualitative analysis of language generated in structured interviews with 11 high-ability at-risk middle school children (who had not been identified for gifted programs) yielded information concerning personal difficulties, perceived support, familiarity with danger and violence, home environment, school experiences, perceptions of the future, and…

A study of 81 experienced teachers reports that to understand and survive classroom life, a knowledge of interpersonal politics was essential. The qualitative data set disclosed seven major categories of ineffective principal influences on teacher thinking and behavior: lack of participatory decision making, lack of support, favoritism,…

A British summer adventure education program aims to re-engage high risk secondary students into society. A qualitative evaluation found that although the participants had fun, there was not enough focus on transferring skills to daily life. Because of the many factors affecting the experience, any difference made in the lives of the youths was…

This qualitative interview-based study examines lecturer perspectives on the roles of electronic information resources in undergraduate education. Highlights include electronic academic libraries; changes toward more constructivist approaches to learning; information quality on the Web; plagiarism; information use; information literacy; and…

Explored family context for children's health-related learning through qualitative research. Gathered data from one dual-career, middle-class, two-parent family with school-age children. Identified core conceptual category, maintenance of structure and order in family life. Claims relationships are evident between and among this category,…

Examines the dynamic aspects and political nature of educational policymaking in France's centralized educational system. Considers the obstacles to the introduction and implementation of comprehensive middle schools, created in 1963 to permit social mobility through education. Contains 48 references. (SV)

Explores the impact of classroom environment on curriculum implementation. Provides historical background for this area of study, describes instruments for assessing prosocial behavior, and examines studies of teacher and student perception of classroom environment. Reports on two studies that combine qualitative and quantitative methods, and…

Five research principles are proposed to increase the utility of studies of college student culture: attempting to discover how group membership mediates member behavior and contributes to valued outcomes of college; using best practices of qualitative research; using flexible cognitive frameworks when collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data;…

Asserts that ethnography's development out of anthropology left it tainted with biases from colonialism and imperialism. Discusses several contemporary approaches, including critical ethnography, really useful knowledge, and action research. Suggests further incorporation of postmodernist ideas into the field of ethnography. (MJP)

This study examined the effectiveness of embedding a targeted linguistic structure within an interactive instructional context with 10 deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades 6 and 7. Comparison with control subjects supported the effectiveness of adopting instructional strategies consistent with a social-interaction perspective on language…

This article describes action-oriented teacher research in which teachers use information students reveal about the competent aspects of their lives as learners to direct their teaching efforts. The article notes methodological considerations of this approach and applications to the study of special education. (Author/DB)

Focuses on current knowledge of families' involvement in intensive family preservation services. Identifies gaps in knowledge pertaining to the context of service delivery, the theory of family preservation practice, the process of service delivery, and the conceptualization and meaning of service outcomes. Suggests that gaps might be…

Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) is a technique in which audiotapes are used to evoke students' memories concerning their own thinking. Reports a study using IPR to probe elementary students' (n=17) thinking during a problem-solving situation. Concluded that IPR has potential in classroom research. (MDH)

Reports a study to investigate the extent to which research experience of designing and conducting their own study could enhance five preservice teachers' understanding of children's knowledge of the mathematical concept of fractions. Results indicated that research experience is fruitful in developing an inquisitive disposition in preservice…

Presents a metacritical examination of published essays by three professional critics of Richard Avedon's photographic exhibition, "In the American West," to determine how critics describe art work. Concludes that more comparative research is needed to bridge the gap between professional art criticism and that taught in schools. (KM)