Describes an alternative method for identifying exemplary practices in early childhood education programs. In this approach, parents and practitioners identify exemplary practices after coming to know the practices and the context in which they operate through observation, interview, and document review. Discusses methodological issues raised by…

This study explored how one eighth grade girl learned about the structure of recursive programs in BOXER programing language. The method of impasse resolution was presented in detail and used both to understand how she constructed her understanding and as an empirical method to analyze her learning. (MDH)

Searches for some precision in the discourse of whole language with respect to the role of the teacher as expressed in words such as empowerment, control, predictability, and authenticity. Observes and interprets the practice of two successful whole language teachers to refine understandings of these concepts as they are enacted in classrooms. (MG)

This article describes the development of a multifaceted evaluation strategy to assess the effects of guaranteed subsidized child care on the subsequent attainment of welfare independence and aggregate welfare expenditures for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Advantages of a multimethod approach are discussed. (SLD)

A study interviewed 6 grade-6 students after participation in 21 lessons on basic concepts of fractions and decimals to determine how different children construct rational number concepts. Discussed the formation of the key concept of equivalent fractions based on student responses to interview questions. (MDH)

Study (n=62) at suburban community college tested method of conceptual change in which treatment students worked in small cooperative groups on tasks aimed at eliciting their misconceptions so that they could be discussed in contrast to scientific conception that had been taught in direct instruction. Treatment group had significantly lower…

Interviews with and observation of six behaviorally disordered aggressive adolescents revealed that students perceived teachers as helpful when they engaged in specific aspects of teacher-student communication and flexible academic and behavioral program implementation. They perceived teachers' rigidity and use of discipline as unhelpful. Student…

Highlights qualitative studies from two preschools that view the framework of literacy use as socially constructed and embedded in social and cultural perspectives and practices of communities. Suggests ways to strengthen early-childhood programs, including greater use of writing and drawing materials readily available, additional orientation to…

Describes a study of preservice teacher education students that investigated the process used by learners to seek, locate, and integrate information resources from the World Wide Web for use in a project-based environment. Discusses hypermedia systems; open-ended learning environments; the role of metacognitive, domain, and system knowledge; and…

Maintains that metaphorically and psychologically the body is tied inextricably to the concept of self. Examines the absence of this concept in educational research. Argues that this impacts the self by creating a range of identity dilemmas and considers how this might be resolved. (MJP)

Quantitative and qualitative analyses show that in 24 selected restructuring elementary, middle, and high schools, professional community is strongly associated with technical (measured as authentic pedagogy) and social (measured as social support for achievement) dimensions of classroom organization. The relationships between authentic pedagogy…

Qualitative data about the Baltimore (Maryland) Educational Scholarship Trust, a program to place disadvantaged and talented African-American youth in private schools were analyzed. The study reveals that peer networks of African-American students in predominantly White elite independent schools support these students' academic success, allow them…

A year-long qualitative study of 10 families of gifted children (grades 5 to 8) found 4 levels of parental reasoning concerning their child's social and emotional development: (1) no framework; (2) an intellectual framework only; (3) a full intellectual and partial social-emotional framework; and (4) a comprehensive framework recognizing both…

Two frameworks for educational assessment distinguished, which is quantitative, adequate for construing some kinds of learning, and qualitative, which is more appropriate for most objectives in higher education. The paper argues that institutions implicitly encourage quantitative assessment, thus encouraging a surface approach to learning although…

Presents findings of a case study investigating participation of faculty, student, and support staff representatives on college boards in Alberta from an organizational politics perspective. Analyzes data collected at three colleges via interviews, document review, and meeting observations. Constrained by power exercised outside formal…