Written for students, educators, and researchers, "Methods in Educational Research" offers a refreshing introduction to the principles of educational research. Designed for the real world of educational research, the book's approach focuses on the types of problems likely to be encountered in professional experiences. Reflecting the…

This book provides those new to the field with a blend of practical and theoretical information. The author addresses a spectrum of recent information about the process of qualitative educational research and brings together in one volume the essential elements of all aspects of the field. The text: (1) Introduces traditions and influences in the…

Using as a starting point the painting "Las Meninas" by Velasquez, which depicts the painter within his painting, this paper discusses the interpretive paradigm in research and, within it, the value of metaphor as a research tool. Example situations from an ethnographic study of a master teacher and her kindergarten in Lisbon are used to…

This paper reports on an integrated methodology adopted to help solve the problem of accessing boys' fleeting, mobile, and often unvoiced self-work during the process of constructing their gender identity. The study is part of a larger investigation examining the experience and education of boys and young men in relation to matters of sexual…

The push to integrate computer-assisted instruction in the curriculum is a phenomenon experienced by many teachers at all levels of instruction. However, questions remain unanswered regarding the effect that such technology will have on both the communicative instructional style of the teacher and on the learning process of the students. To…

In civic journalism classes, students set aside the philosophy of "objectivity" that rules traditional journalism in order to develop closer relationships with community residents and understand their needs. Thus, civic journalism lends itself well to introductory service-learning courses. But students from privileged backgrounds often…

Noting that the German educational reform movement has deviated significantly from the international norm with its emphasis on progressive education and open instruction reminiscent of the 1960s, this study examined the elementary school reform movement in Germany, using analytical frameworks drawn from policy analysis and sociological theory, to…

Leslie Herrenkohl's work in science (1998) has demonstrated that introducing "problem-solving steps" and "audience roles" to an elementary classroom can have a dramatic impact on rates of student engagement as measured through classroom talk. It is not known to what extent the success of the intervention was due to its…

This document summarizes a doctoral dissertation that examined activities in school libraries, including educational and leisure activities. The research focused on how pupils in two senior high schools in Norway use the school library in their everyday life at school, who the users are, and what use of the library means to them. The focus was…

In this paper two educational consultants, one a researcher in South African issues and the other a researcher in Kazakstan issues, share their respective experiences of teaching in South Africa and Kazakstan and examine their assumptions and methods of consultation. The paper analyzes how the consultants' observations of education in these…

As a dimension of a total school reform initiative, the Delcroft School faculty, committed to a more integrative literacy curriculum, implemented a proposed framework to align teaching/learning/assessment. The staff was already committed to implementing the integrative curriculum framework of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the new…

Examining both qualitative and quantitative approaches, this introductory text addresses media and communication research methods. Written for beginning research students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the book is clear, concise, and accompanied by many detailed examples. Attention-grabbing dialogue begins each chapter and gives…

This interpretive research explores five first graders' perceptions of reading and of being readers, asking the questions: What does reading or being a reader mean to a group of children who are at the end of first grade? What do they see as its purpose? and How do they view themselves as readers? The data are presented in the form of narratives…

Elliot Eisner has sketched the outlines of the move toward plurality in educational research in an essay that embraces, perhaps unintentionally, a postmodern orientation that has the potential to disrupt the historically monolithic character of educational research. Eisner's discussion is expanded to suggest that qualitative research in…

A qualitative case study design was used to identify effective staff development practices in schools where there had been an increase in scores on the state-mandated tests over a period of 2 years. Informal interviews were conducted with 10 Algebra I teachers at 2 high schools, 4 eighth-grade mathematics teachers at 2 middle schools, 7 English…