This report and a motivation seminar were prepared for teachers in the Social Sciences Department at Champlain Regional College (Quebec) to study motivational dispositions of students who either avoided registering for a course in Quantitative Methods or failed out in important numbers. Teachers' consensus was that students in general seemed to…

This descriptive study used qualitative methods to examine academic and affective components in two primary level multi-aged classrooms at a special school for gifted children. The study methodology included classroom observation, a parent questionnaire, parent interviews, a student questionnaire, student interviews, and teacher interviews. The…

This paper explores how various perspectives influence inquiry in education. Normative perspectives function as implicit theories of inquiry as a researcher undertakes formal inquiry, and such theories should be acknowledged. Epistemological as well as methodological issues raised by conceiving of such theories as normative rather than merely…

Studying or finding out about children is exceptionally difficult--intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Physical, social, cognitive, and political distances between adult and the child make their relationship very different from the relationships among adults. This book explains the art and science of doing qualitative research involving…

Three areas of importance to computer coordinators in the schools are: support by walking around, nuts-and-bolts support, and the computer coordinator as policy maker. A day spent following a computer coordinator around an elementary school was examined in the context of a larger qualitative study in which various aspects of support for technology…

An integrating framework to explain the research process was presented in the first edition of this book. This edition, which brings the material up to date, is designed to serve the Master s level student better while still meeting the needs of doctoral students of educational research. The nature of research, methods for qualitative and…

This document contains five papers from a symposium on advances in qualitative research in human resource development (HRD). "Case Study and Its Virtuoso Possibilities" (Verna J. Willis) asserts that the case study method is particularly well suited for research in HRD because its creative and investigative possibilities have not yet…

This report is based on a qualitative research study which utilized a nominal group process to identify major life stressors for parents of children with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). It focuses first on effects of TBI on siblings and then on effective interventions. The first section uses quotes from participating parents to identify their…

Researchers of gender differences in computer-related behaviors have reported a confusing picture. When asked which sex is more positive toward computers, more apt at using computers, and more likely to use a computer, one would be best advised to answer "it depends." It depends on what attitudes you are measuring, what skills you are…

When student and novice teachers see themselves as learners or researchers and spend some of their energy trying to understand their students and their students' perspectives, they become less attached to pedagogical techniques and move quickly to a responsive and reflective way of teaching that is more commonly associated with experienced…

This investigation paired four university secondary education student teachers with four experienced English teachers. As the students did their practice teaching, they conducted joint classroom research with their cooperating teachers. Their relationships over the course of the semester were documented and analyzed using a qualitative case-study…

The Regular Class Participation System (RCPS) project attempted to develop, implement, and validate a system for placing and maintaining students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms, with a particular emphasis on achieving both social and learning outcomes for students. A teacher-based planning strategy was developed and…

This paper introduces the Pause Model, an innovative means of integrating self-directed learning and continuing professional education. Since the method was developed for professionals such as counselors, educators, and managers who practice in social settings, the paper begins with an explanation of a few of the unique attributes of professional…

More and more faculty members are using web-based instruction as part of their course or as complete courses, which has resulted in an entire web-based instruction programs and virtual universities. As such, web-based instruction is one of the major areas that are becoming key to the development of the Web. To the contrary, despite having…

What issues do distance education (DE) leaders believe will influence the future of DE? What are their colleges' DE strategies? This qualitative study compares DE strategic thinking and strategic choices at three community colleges. Two propositions are investigated: (1) each college's DE leaders use common strategic mental models (ways of…