Issues in the design of research to describe educational practice are examined, and arguments for and against particular methodologies are summarized. A single study is used for illustrative purposes; it explores the relationship between English taught as a second language in school and English language needs in the workplace. The study uses both…

A study of 23 secondary school students in year 11 at a British comprehensive school investigated students' feelings about English and Bengali, their native language, their language learning history, how they had developed English language skills in a predominantly Bengali-speaking community, how they had maintained and developed their Bengali,…

In general, studies investigating sex differences in mathematics performance have empirically analyzed students' responses from standardized tests. This paper reports a study to extend the investigation of sex differences related to mathematics performance by examining cognitive and motivational factors as well as standardized test scores. Boys…

This document presents an interview with Pam Martell, who coordinates educational services to Michigan's approximately 60,000 Native Americans. Since over 98 percent of Michigan's American Indian children attend public schools, Martell places a high priority on the quality of public education. Equally important is working on issues concerning…

This Swedish language report describes a preliminary study to test a retrospective life-history-inspired approach to studying children's experiences in a day care center, and whether children's experiences vary in different educational contexts and in relation to the teachers' experiences. The theoretical part of the study dealt with theories of…

Designed to aid decision makers at the Otselic Valley Central School (New York) in selecting the most cost-effective way of providing advanced courses to high school students, this study sought to identify the consequences of choosing a particular alternative so that better decisions could be made. This was done by comparing the cost and…

In 1992, a study was conducted to examine the relationship between a number of organizational criteria and the community college transfer function. Using a case study approach, six California community colleges, with either above average or below average transfer rates, were assessed in terms of adaptive capacity; organizational culture and…

The purposes of the survey described in this paper were to: (1) produce a database on state efforts to develop systems for assessing educational outcomes; (2) assess state needs for solutions to technical and implementation problems; (3) identify important state-level information and existing databases; and (4) assess efforts to design a…

A discussion of family literacy projects focuses on alternatives to traditional methods of program evaluation. In the first chapter, the distinction between standardized and alternative assessments is clarified and the special evaluation needs of family literacy projects are highlighted. The remainder of the handbook is intended to help program…

As part of a larger examination of student perspectives in science, social studies and communication arts, this report uses qualitative methodology to explore two teacher-researchers' collaborative teaching of social studies and students' construction of meaning in social studies. Teacher-researchers involved in the overall study included two…

A component of preservice teacher education is the methodology of teaching mathematics using manipulatives. To enhance prospective teachers' understanding of the use of manipulatives to teach mathematics, interactive video can provide an effective medium to bring the reality of the school classroom to the university classroom. Two interactive…

A study examined preservice teachers' responses to a teacher education course and explored the relationship between how the preservice teachers made sense of the coursework and the assumptions of teacher educators. Nine preservice teachers enrolled in a preservice content area reading summer course were each interviewed six times during the…

This preliminary case study examined the knowledge and beliefs one seventh grade science teacher to determine: (1) how the teacher's knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning informed her thinking and actions; (2) what her conception of teaching was; and (3) what were the constraints of the instructional setting. Data was collected from…

In 1991, a study was conducted to determine perceptions regarding the deterrents to college attendance among adult learners in an isolated northern community. The study consisted of a survey of 40 students at the Fort Nelson campus of Northern Lights College (NLC) in British Columbia, and a follow-up interview of eight of the survey respondents.…

A study was done of homeless children and their access to education in District of Columbia Public Schools and of implementation of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in that school district. A review of District of Columbia proposals for programing and for funding, interviews with school and city officials, and interviews with…