This article, the second in a three-part series, outlines the qualitative research design and findings. The qualitative study was conducted three to five years after students completed their developmental mathematics course work at a large Midwest public university. The purpose was to collect students' points of view regarding what, if any,…

Latent trajectories of credit hour accumulation were modeled using three independent samples of community college students. Five qualitatively distinct patterns of persistence emerged from these samples: Full-time, long-term; 2 years and out; long-term decliners; part-time, long-term; and one term and out. Follow-up analyses using measures on the…

Context: Drawing from Ingersoll's (2001) study of teacher attrition, Huberman's (1989) study of the professional life cycle of teachers, and recent retention/attrition literature across the professions, this study seeks to make sense of the complexities of contemporary teachers' careers in light of changes in social and economic forces, the…

This article contains a description of the organization and method of use of an active learning environment named MODeLeR, (Multimedia Object Design Learning Resource), a tool designed to facilitate the learning of concepts pertaining to object modeling with the Unified Modeling Language (UML). MODeLeR was created to provide an authentic,…

When university academics implement changes in learning, such as introducing blended learning, it is conventional practice to examine and evaluate the impact of the resulting curriculum reform. Judging the worth and impact of an educational development is a complex task involving subtle differences in learning. Qualitative methods to explore these…

Teacher educators may have different views on what constitutes knowledge base for teacher education. Most of them, however, would agree that field experiences are indispensable for shaping and maintaining high-quality teachers. Unlike teacher training courses in the UK and US, fieldwork components are not always an option in Taiwan. This study,…

This book explores philosophical differences between feminist teacher-educators of the post-World War II generations and their students, who have experienced the restructured schools and recessionary environment of the "New Right." The volume reaches across boundaries and cultures with a life-history approach to women's studies, giving dimension…

In the mid-1960s, social scientists Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss developed grounded theory as a systematic and rigorous method of qualitative data analysis leading to "the discovery of theory from data." In grounded theory, the researcher applies a set of coding procedures to the data until a provisional theory emerges inductively.…

The article argues that the law-related educational (LRE) community should understand education research methods better to demonstrate to policy makers and funding sources the value of LRE and to evaluate alternative educational strategies. To facilitate the reading and conducting of research, the article explains for LRE practitioners research…

In 1993, E. Perrigo and D. Gaut surveyed 222 business communication professors and received the names of textbooks that there instructors used. From the list, 10 were chosen and examined to discover what the authors deemed important knowledge for business students. Areas identified were: (1) the role or importance of communication in business…

Even though increasing numbers of blind students have been attending schools and colleges, little research has appeared specifically on the writing processes of blind writers. This paper presents a case study which developed a preliminary process account of the composing techniques of a blind executive who administers a medium-sized social service…

This study analyzes how undergraduate university teachers are thinking in the classroom about the theoretical and practical contents related to the subject called "Curriculum Studies." The study focuses on the aspects of the theory-practice relationship, the idea of curriculum, and the theoretical references used by the undergraduate…

This study examines how Robert Kapilow, Yale-educated classical- and Broadway-music conductor, educates diverse audiences about classical music. Phenomenological and case study methods were used to explore: (1) what music education has meant to Kapilow; and (2) how this view influenced his practice of teaching and conducting. Analysis of in-depth…

This paper summarizes practical strategies that qualitative researchers can employ to improve their interviewing skills. The first section, "The Art of Questioning: Wording Makes a Difference," presents several guidelines: (1) questions should be short and precise; (2) ask only one question at a time; (3) avoid questions in which the…

Groups from two Michigan-based science education projects, funded through the Kellogg Foundation Science Education Initiative, used networking conferences with cluster evaluation processes for their program assessment format. Cluster evaluation is categorized as a type of naturalistic evaluation, and it includes negotiated common cluster outcomes,…