The content and characteristics of the work of three Australian principals who were observed for three weeks are described with the findings expressed in a set of propositions about the principalship. (Author/IRT)

Examined the production of crime and justice field experiments in the 1990s through data on criminological experiments funded by the National Institute of Justice from 1991 through 2000. Although funds increased in this period, the number of projects and amount of funds awarded to field experiments declines. Discusses reasons for this finding.…

Field experiences with external (qualitative) evaluation audits based on the work of E. G. Guba and Y. S. Lincoln (1981, 1985) are detailed, including evaluation contexts and purposes, procedures, and findings. Such audits represent a viable meta-evaluative tool for assessing the quality of naturalistic evaluation results. (SLD)

Discusses the processes involved in a field study of technological change in radiology and how researchers can design a qualitative study and then collect data in a systematic and explicit manner. Illustrates the social and human problems of gaining entry into a research site, constructing a research role, and managing relationships. (63…

Discusses the need for long-term field experiments in undergraduate ecology curricula, and describes a field experiment in long-term succession set up to address this need. Reports on findings from the first year of the project. Contains 25 references. (WRM)

Describes a fieldwork training school for graduate students sponsored by the University of Georgia (UGA). Bringing graduate students to the summer program at the school gives school organizers new perspectives on their own work, surroundings, and relationships. (SLD)

Cornell University offers an urban semester in New York City focused on diversity, multicultural education, and field-based learning. Components include an internship or community project, multicultural seminar, and in-depth study of diversity issues. (SK)

Describes a course on amphibian research for environmental science majors. Involves students in field studies and introduces them to investigative research. Evaluates the course. (Contains 19 references.) (YDS)

Ethnography derives from traditional anthropology, where time in the field is needed to discern both the depth and complexity of social structures and relations. Funding bodies, seeking quick completion, might see ethnographies as unlikely to satisfy 'value for money' criteria, in spite of the rewards to be gained from time-consuming 'thick…

One of the most fundamental tasks relating to the undertaking of fieldwork for a qualitative research study lies in "gaining access". This involves both securing entry into a particular organisation and ensuring that individuals associated with it, such as employees or users, will serve as informants. In terms of the first problem, a range of…

This paper explores the nature of postgraduate research in the broad area of Pacific education completed in New Zealand universities. First, a number of basic trends are identified in terms of institutional affiliation, area of educational research, MA and PhD balance, growth over time, national/ethnic focus and the expected beneficiaries of the…

Academic literacies research has been identified as an emerging but significant field in higher education. This article extends the discussions around methodology in academic literacies research by drawing on the current text and context debates in sociolinguistics and linguistic ethnography. It uses illustrations from a recent academic literacies…

The Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) at Hiroshima University established a program of research on the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) in 2005. The first conference of this new project was held in Hiroshima in February 2011. This conference was organized by the Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, Japan in…

The field of educational development has a 40-year history of providing continuing education or professional development for academic staff, particularly focusing on improving teaching and learning. However, little has yet been written on the historical origins and development of this field, apart from content analyses of some key journals and…

This article describes the process by which the faculty of the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College conceived and implemented a new doctoral program designed for senior education practitioners. The authors describe the organizational context in which decisions were made. Next, they explain…