Posits that a "democratic approach" to defining and evaluating educational quality is necessary, since the concept of quality itself is heavily subjective and value based, and that educational evaluation is best achieved through the involvement of all participants, including practitioners, parents, and children. (MDM)

Reviews the recent growth of interest in qualitative geography. Discusses whether or not qualitative research can be accepted on the same scholarly level as quantitative research. Contends that qualitative methodology has much to offer geography and geography instruction. (CFR)

Diary studies in language teaching are first-person case studies in which the diarist-researcher investigates his/her own language learning or teaching through by recording personal observations. A diary study of a teacher of English for Academic Purposes II is described, including data collection, procedures, and problems. (10 references) (LB)

In this qualitative study, 43 Black undergraduates (65 percent females) were interviewed and asked to describe the bases of academic success, particularly success by Blacks within predominantly White institutions. Subjects' responses indicate the importance of including beliefs about how one is perceived by others in taxonomies of…

Explores limits of quantitative research methods and introduces qualitative approach, focus groups, as alternative information-collection tool for student personnel administrators. Presents two research projects where focus groups were used. Maintains that focus group approach has several advantages, including cost effectiveness, emphasis on…

Examines the experiences of five female physical education teacher educators in their first positions as assistant professors in research-oriented universities. Data were collected using primarily qualitative methods. All participants reported experiencing role ambiguity and stress. (GLR)

Describes a qualitative research study of innovative instructors who use the Internet to deliver college courses. Topics include teacher motivation, problems encountered, philosophies toward teaching and learning, learning environments, and recommendations for other instructors beginning to use the Internet for instructional purposes. (LRW)

Describes work done to provide staff of the Sandy Point Discovery Center with methods for evaluating exhibits and interpretive programming. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation measures were designed to assess the program's objective of estuary education. Pretest-posttest questionnaires and interviews are used to measure subjects' knowledge and…

Examines one high school's implementation of a conflict resolution program, focusing on how the teacher's use of this process affected both teacher and students. Full development of a caring community, including mutual trust and respect, is needed to allow students to become fully self-responsible and empowered. The teacher's philosophy,…

An emancipatory researcher morally committed to reciprocity, or sharing results with study participants, felt extremely uncomfortable when disclosing findings about power definitions to one friend and participant. Clearly, this participant felt betrayed, not emancipated, when findings were applied to her own situation. The researcher learned a…

This study examined actual implementation of inclusion as part of a district and university restructuring initiative. Participant observation and interviews did not find any movement of special education students to general education despite use of the term "inclusion." Two themes were seen to explain this failure to understand and implement…

The needs of international students on American campuses differ from their American counterparts. This exploratory qualitative study provides insight into the unique vocational situation of this population. A focus group of 28 international students discussed 15 open-ended questions. Results identifying areas of vocational need are presented and…

Comments on Reba Page's methods of teaching about interpretive research methodologies. Points to four potential problems: (1) students have little knowledge of underlying epistemological debates; (2) students are unaware of broader "conversations" between texts; (3) students have read little qualitative research; and (4) students must learn to…

Describes examples of standards frameworks for principals' work operant in three countries and describes an alternative approach based on interviewing 40 Australian principals. By combining qualitative case studies with probabilistic measurement techniques, the alternative approach provides contextually rich descriptions of growth in performance…

Studied the experiences of reentry women in psychology doctoral programs at a research university and illustrates the usefulness of the qualitative case study in exploring women's experiences. Case study research can be a powerful tool for feminist researchers. (SLD)