Papers given at an international conference applying the social sciences to the study of the relationships of languages include the following: "Reseaux sociaux et comportements langagiers en milieu de contact des langues" ("Social Networks and Language Behaviors in a Language Contact Setting") by M. Blanc and J. Hamers, with…

This study adds to the effective schools debate a criticism of existing criteria--based on standardized achievement test profiles--for targeting schools for intervention programs. Qualitative and quantitative methods of gathering data result in conflicting assessments of the magnet elementary school studied as needing or not needing intervention.…

It is proposed that student motivation can be maintained and enhanced when teachers combine authentic oral and written language with activities leading the student to identify with sympathetic individuals in the target culture. Suggested activities, emphasizing language training at the intermediate level, include interviewing native speakers, work…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 dissertations abstracted deal with the following topics: (1) female managers' approaches to organizational conflict; (2) relationships between organizational climate and pupil control ideology; (3) information communication…

The development and validation of the Home Learning Environment Profile (HLEP) are outlined. The HLEP instrument was designed to assess successful preschool home educational programs for Hawaiian families. The instrument covers sociodemographic, cultural, and environmental factors of Hawaiian families. After an extensive review of published…

This comprehensive state-wide study of library systems in New York state describes them and analyzes the way they are working; compares that to the intent of library laws and regulations and to the needs of state residents for library services; and recommends changes where a need for them is indicated. (Three types of library systems are…

This report assesses the relationship between teacher expectations and the achievement of black intermediate school students attending school in Fairfax County, Virginia, a relatively affluent part of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan Area. Information was culled from interviews with and observation of 46 black students, their peers, teachers,…

This report examines factors in high and low academic achievement among Hispanic females in public schools, based on three data sources: student interviews, parent interviews, and classroom observations. The first part of the report, Student Interviews, is subdivided into five sections. Section 1, "Cognitive," covers the following: (1)…

This manual was developed to provide a model for evaluating programs for handicapped preschoolers that can be used by all Maryland school districts regardless of size or resources. The model has five components: (1) how children are identified as handicapped; (2) what type of testing takes place before and after a child is placed in a program; (3)…

Designed to describe effective computer inservice programs and to determine the components that contributed to their effectiveness, this study identified eight school districts from across the country that appeared to be providing outstanding computer training for teachers. Case studies of these eight model districts were conducted in which…

A case study of a teacher as a naturalistic inquirer is presented. A class in naturalistic inquiry methods was offered to practicing teachers and other graduate students during a 15-week semester. During the first two or three weeks, students read extensively about qualitative methods and identified a possible site to conduct a study. The…

A new framework for designing qualitative studies is described to optimize the emergence, representation and presentation of insights. The framework, called Reflection Methodology, is presented as a "Conversational Paradigm" that includes four components--interviewer (researcher as participant); child, task situation, and observing…

In one high school French department, videotaping began to be used as part of a final examination. It was found that the students wanted to see their tapes and began to critique their own and others' performances. The next year, taping was done earlier in the school year so that the tapes could be used as performance models. Students were more at…

The major part of this report describes the method and findings of a study of work and family life in a sample of 30 Anglo-, Black-, and Mexican-American single-parent (divorced) families. A qualitative approach based on two semistructured interviews with each family was used to explore the effects of workplace policies and social support networks…

This text is the second in a series of advanced career education materials which, with an elementary segment, form a career education curriculum for elementary-secondary migrant students. Complementing texts on careers and roles and on work exploration and work experience, the text uses activities, poems, and cartoons to focus on self-awareness…