As dropout and student disengagement rates reach alarmingly high levels, learning styles theory offers one way to expand teaching methods and curricula to reach more students. Although accommodating individual differences is appealing, nagging doubts and murky research results (detailed in a sidebar) persist. Another sidebar explores culture/style…

Provides an overview of changes in contrastive rhetoric and research problems associated with them; reanalyzes the concerns of process-oriented teachers and researchers in light of these changes; and examines the extent to which the findings of modern contrastive rhetoric can play in second-language writing classrooms. (59 references) (GLR)

The Huntington Library (California) decision to make generally accessible, for the first time, copies of photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls, previously tightly controlled by a small group of editors, is hailed as breaking a scholarly monopoly over an important intellectual resource, reaffirming the mission of the research library and the…

Criticizes the research literature in comparative education for its pessimism over the perceived failure of education to bring about changes such as economic development in developing nations or elimination of social inequalities. Suggests that educational researchers must clarify what they mean by desired change, which changes are valuable and…

Two articles discuss the controversy about the relationship between reliability and the power of significance tests in response to the discussion of Donald W. Zimmerman, Richard H. Williams, and Bruno D. Zumbo. Lloyd G. Humphreys emphasizes the differences between what statisticians can do and constraints on researchers. Zimmerman, Williams, and…

Reviews the research methods literature examining the benefits and pitfalls of doing educational research in familiar settings and among peers. The review encompasses educational literature and material from anthropology and sociology. The impact of structural differences between researcher and researched is discussed, noting problems of antipathy…

Responds to comments by David Hursh and Aggie Seneway on the author's classroom experiments with student democracy. Clarifies points from her initial article to answer questions by the commentators. Finds agreement with them on most points, except for the necessity of parliamentary debate as a fundamental element of democracy. (DSK)

Suggests that testing developmental ordering hypotheses is difficult because rare use of ratio scales prevents direct comparison of measures. Demonstrates that the observed data pattern is constrained by the underlying relationship--although observed data pattern may not reflect the exact relationship, it limits possible relationships. Shows the…

Aware of the invasive aspects of emancipatory research methods, the author constructed a classroom experience to expose her own use of power when conducting such projects. Her student participants had varied responses to a power definition/perception experiment: trapped, captured, and willing. (27 references) (MLH)

Conducting qualitative research takes researchers to places and into lives to generate new knowledge. When researchers move beyond academic curiosity to caring, they cross a fine line. This article recounts a three-year study of middle-schoolers, in which subjects and researchers moved beyond invasive inquiry to develop common ground, mutual…

Meier and Krashen, both employed in California's education system, do an injustice to students in rehashing an already settled battle. Fed up with two decades of failure, California voters replaced bilingual education with structured English immersion. Meier and Krashen offer no suggestions for coping with Proposition 227. (27 references) (MLH)

Focuses on the educational theories and practices of John Dewey and their reception in England between 1895 and 1939. Adopting Quentin Skinner's approach to the definition of influence, prevailing accounts of Dewey's impact on the English educational system are found to be misleading. Presents an alternative account which minimizes Dewey's role.…

The experiences of a researcher from the United States in his field study of squatter-camp schools are presented. His reactions to conditions of extreme poverty in the community are juxtaposed against a divergent view from a project worker, a native of South Africa with extensive experience with teachers in squatter-camp schools. (MMU)

Research suggests correlations between student gains and college experiences may be an artifact of halo effect. A study examined whether halo error underlies students' self-reported gains, significance of the error, and its effect on the relationship between college experiences and educational outcomes. Results confirm halo error may be an…

Describes a technique for teaching undergraduates some of the problems associated with constructing self-report delinquency surveys. Argues that the exercise, requiring students to critique a flawed survey, increases students' interest in the problems and ultimately may lead to a better understanding of them. Outlines procedures, evaluation…