Based on a qualitative comparative study across four domains, this paper explores how the use and perceived usefulness of scholarly mailing lists is related to primary search methods, collaboration patterns, loci of critical information, physical proximity of like-minded colleagues, field size, the desirability of sharing information in public or…

Critical pedagogy, an ideology which opposes education as domination, views knowledge and learning as constructed by the student and teacher together. Its goal is personal and social emancipation and empowerment. The purposes of this paper are to (1) indicate problems in science education which can be addressed by teaching science from a critical,…

The proceedings of a July 1989 conference of directors of research grants and research-based contracts funded by the Division of Innovation and Development of the Office of Special Education Programs are presented. The meeting featured a combination of general sessions, small-group discussions on research issues and content areas, and a panel…

This report describes a qualitative research study of an Ounce of Prevention Fund (OPF) teenage parent home visiting program located in an Illinois county with a population of 125,000. The sample consisted of 28 present and former program participants, most of whom had never been married, ages 15 to 24. Sixty percent had one child; the remainder…

This study is a qualitative investigation into a teenager's view of the nature of science. This thesis draws on arguments from various philosophies of science and describes the data collection techniques employed. The data are presented in eight categories which are assumed to be related to the notion of "truth" that is central to this…

The potential educational impact of the Melbourne Zoo (Australia) for recreational visitors was examined in this study using time as the major dependent variable. Specific goals included: (1) assessment of the potential cognitive and affective educational impact of zoos on recreational visitors; (2) determination of the temporal and spatial…

The first section of the document consists of the questionnaire/survey instrument completed by 51 administrators as part of a study designed to evaluate the quality and efficiency of early education programs for handicapped children (ages 3-5) in Louisiana in 1985-86. The frequency distributions of the responses received are shown on the…

The first section of the document consists of a questionnaire/survey instrument completed by 43 supervisors or coordinators of preschool handicapped programs as part of a study designed to evaluate the quality and efficiency of early education programs serving handicapped children (ages 3-5) in Louisiana during 1985-86. Frequency distribution of…

While much has been done in the application of communicative principles to second language instruction, their application to language testing has been less fruitful. Experience with language testing projects in England and other countries suggests that communicative language test design should be based on the following issues and considerations:…

This study was designed to describe teachers' and students' conceptions of biology and biological knowledge. The conceptions were revealed through observations of classroom events, individual discussions, and interpretations of verbal communications recorded during classroom presentations and were described in terms of significant positions in a…

One in a series of issue papers commissioned by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), this document presents a comparison of contemporary evaluation approaches for special education programs. The first section describes the two approaches to be compared: (1) traditional scientific inquiry which emphasizes quantitative methods;…

Designed to identify research methodologies suitable for the qualitative evaluation of media support services, this 1-year prototypical study used ethnographic research methods to evaluate media services within a school of nursing. Objectives were established in the areas of needs assessment and evaluation of the condition and context of media…

The goals of this selective review are to analyze and organize the literature on the process of interracial education, and to examine the relationship between the researcher's conceptual framework and the research methodology employed. The topics treated within the literature include the following: (1) law and politics; (2) community concerns; (3)…

The revolution in hard sciences is explored, from the Cartesian-Newtonian worldview to the Heisenbergian universe, and consideration is given to whether the conventional, Cartesian model is a serviceable one for research in the social/applied sciences. Five axioms comprising the existing paradigm of logical positivism are outlined (reality,…

Exploring existing methodologies to determine whether they can be adapted or adopted to support strategic goal setting, this paper focuses on information gathering techniques as they relate to the human resource development professional's input into strategic planning processes. The information gathering techniques are all qualitative methods and…