Describes qualitative study of chemistry laboratory groups of undergraduates to explore notion that a critical aspect of the environment in person-environment models is the nature and density of the social interactions of the people in the environment. Holland's hexagonal model of personality types was the framework used to study related…

Participant-observation research was conducted in the home care components of a free-standing inpatient facility associated with several hospice organizations over three years. The data are reported using negotiated order theory as a framework for understanding the hospice movement and its attempts to change the experience of dying. (JPS)

Progress of 26 female students aged 10 to 13 participating in 4 database-oriented activities--library research, database construction, information retrieval, and writing--was monitored through student worksheets, researcher and student logs, audio/videotapes, questionnaires, and tests. Improvement of cognitive and metacognitive skills including…

Discusses the potential impact of computers in qualitative health research. Describes the original goals, design, and implementation of NUDIST, a qualitative computing software. Argues for evaluation of the impact of computer techniques and for an opening of debate among program developers and users to address the purposes and power of computing…

Discusses how students construct mental images that aid estimation skills in the measurement of angles. Reports research identifying four strategies that students use to estimate sizes of angles. Strategies include utilization of the mental images of (1) a protractor; (2) a right angle; (3) a half-turn; and (4) angles of a polygon. (MDH)

Provides new evidence for mathematical problem-solving abilities of preschool children. These problem-solving behaviors occurred in a study of sharing of discrete items by dealing, in which we examined the abilities of three categories of counters to solve a discrete redistribution problem. Identifies problem-solving strategies used in the context…

This paper analyzes particular discourse markers (okay, oh, so, well, and now) to offer insights into how speech therapy lesson participants organized their interactions. Three regulatory role dimensions emerged, including information, evaluation, and control. It is concluded that comparisons and contrasts can be made between adult-controlled and…

This qualitative and interpretive study of the normalization effort for individuals with mental retardation in Sweden analyzes the cultural context; legislation, jurisdictional considerations, and societal attitudes; potential barriers to integration; and the economics of service provision. Sweden's system of comprehensive service and support…

A study documented 10 college students' understanding of the limit concept and the factors affecting changes in that understanding. Encouragement by the researchers for the students to change their common informal models of limit to more formal conceptions were met with extreme resistance. (Author/JJK)

Argues that sociology's future is bright. Cites the field's younger, more diverse professoriate; the more qualitative, critical research that will result from reduced educational funding; and opportunities provided by global change. Suggests that the post-Cold War era, ecological crises, and economic transformation will present challenges to…

This article provides an analysis of data collected in a study of six teachers reflecting upon their evaluation practices as they contemplated implementing a Science-Technology-Society (STS) curriculum. Authors conclude that teacher evaluation methods are dependent upon personal understandings of the assessment process developed from teaching…

Discusses ways that researchers in higher education may gain access to and collect quality data about teacher thinking and practice, proposing roles and relationships for researchers conducting qualitative research in which they may be consultants and in which affective, human-relating skills are as important as traditional technical research…

Reviews of multivocal literature are assessments of what can be learned from a given body of literature and assessments of the claims on which that knowledge is based. Methodological rigor is less likely to be a problem in such reviews than is lack of independent judgment. (SLD)

Suggests a method for translating graduate education in qualitative methods into undergraduate teaching. Focuses on intensive interviewing and its benefits for both graduate students and for undergraduate teaching as a means of bringing the subject into the real world. Discusses planning the interview assignment, developing interview questions,…

University professor addresses issues that can inhibit or distort collaborative qualitative research. The article looks at issues of power and authority in collaborative research in a teacher researcher group involving five classroom teachers and the professor. (SM)