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)

This essay on a paper (EC 602 982) about a master teacher's cognitive processes involved in leading group discussions focuses on the place for qualitative inquiry on teaching in special education, the usefulness of professional practical knowledge and cognitive maps as heuristics for further research, and the relationship between researcher and…

Utilizing student interviews, this study assessed fourth, eighth, and eleventh graders (n=105) in 11 Maine schools concerning their understanding of 4 natural and social science concepts related to pollution. The results hold direct implications for teaching strategies and curriculum design within the environmental and science education domains.…

Presents a naturalistic study involving 112 Hong Kong Chinese college psychology students who worked in small groups. Reveals the perceived fairness of all group members receiving the same grade related positively to group cohesiveness. Also shows students' endorsement of receiving same grade depends on low contributors' personality, previous…

Interviewed 25 high school juniors, 4 counselors, and 4 English teachers to determine their perceptions concerning guidance-language arts career unit. Findings suggest that all groups felt positively about unit. Students also felt positively about cooperative effort and what they gained from their involvement. (NB)

An overview is provided of the nature of reflective practice as presented in pedagogical literature and of the necessary characteristics of the reflective practitioner in an educational context. Implications for the evaluation of classroom teachers are explored, and suggestions for further research are offered. (SLD)