Tools for assessing the quality of parent-child interactions in programs for handicapped infants and toddlers include: (1) behavioral observation systems (molar rating, molecular coding); (2) interaction assessment systems (molar rating scales, molecular coding systems, checklists). Considerations in selection should include content validity,…

Permeated with ethical and political concerns, with racial gender, and cultural differences, this case study deals with specifics of Native American education in Canada. It is an example of educational change and takes its meaning from that reality. (Author)

The delicacy required of ethnographic work is nowhere more evident and more necessary than at the conceptual crossroads where methods and ethical decision making intersect. This paper addresses moments of decision and puts them into perspective by locating them within the lifecycle of ethnographic evaluation. (LMO)

The use of ethnography in educational research has a potential for building bridges between teacher practice and theory and research. In preservice teacher education, it can induce reflectiveness and encourage observational skills. In inservice education, research would be rooted in teachers' concerns and could become a joint enterprise between…

In separate interviews, Andrew, Ellen, and Caroline, English teachers from the same high school, each pause thoughtfully when asked about how their students respond to literature. Each day, they work carefully with scores of students--organizing lessons, reading together, observing and assessing student work. A study sought to place teachers'…

This paper presents a "thick description" of a phonics lesson delivered to a first grade classroom (n=18) by the teacher. Following the description, the paper presents analyses from the following different perspectives: (1) the definition of reading; (2) curriculum from a critical point of view; (3) reading and culture; (4) teachers and…

Although multicultural education is misunderstood by many and feared by some, it has been embraced by educators throughout the world as a necessary approach to preparing the next generation for the complexities of the 21st century. A study explored the work of three Catholic secondary religion teachers, who use multicultural strategies in their…

A case study examined the beliefs and theories of a high school social studies teacher and the life experiences he used to explain how he came to hold those beliefs. Examining the teacher's beliefs and theories and also the experiential roots of these theories offers greater potential for illuminating the role of teacher biography in curriculum…

Recent debates focus on literacy curriculum as if it is separate from teachers' other work, almost at times as if teachers and their contexts are irrelevant to what is the most appropriate literacy pedagogy. Perhaps learning to read and write is not hard work, but teaching is, no matter which theoretical orientation about literacy is adhered to.…

This paper considers how Australian young people living in relative poverty, per se, are portrayed in media reports and how a specific group of socioeconomically disadvantaged young people are constituted in teachers' classroom talk. The paper begins with the examination of several newspaper reports, part of an archive of articles concerned with…

During a 48-hour period, 36 Mexican American and Anglo mothers were videotaped at home teaching their 5-year-old child to tie shoelaces. Contrary to previous research, Mexican American mothers used less "controlling" and nonverbal teaching behaviors than Anglo mothers. Groups differences were also found for relationships between maternal teaching…

Results are reported from a study designed to identify and describe the implementation and adaptation of content reading methods by six beginning secondary teachers. Findings indicate contextual constraints, as a result of competing demands and little support or reward, inhibit inservice application of preservice methods. (IAH)

Explores preschool children's movement responses to music. Using naturalistic procedures Metz generates three substantive core categories regarding the nature of movement response: conditions, interactions, and outcomes. Provides seven propositions for early childhood music education. (LS)

Argues for the scientific and practical value of participatory action research (PAR) and urges that this methodology be used in the social sciences. Defines PAR and places it in the context of traditional research. Illustrates the PAR process using two case studies. Claims that PAR can contribute to the advancement of social theory. (KO)

The case study of a young male adult with moderate to severe handicapping conditions used naturalistic inquiry procedures including interviews and observations of home, community, and employment settings. Decisions had been influenced by personal and cultural values of the participants and reflected a lack of informed choices, miscommunication,…