The traditional K-3 social studies curriculum has focused on food, clothing, shelter, communication, transportation, and other cultural universals. Very little information exists about children's prior knowledge and thinking (including misconceptions) about these topics. A study was designed to provide such information with respect to the topic of…

The purpose of this study was to enhance the reflection of pre-service science teachers by infusing museum resources and context into a methods course. Qualitative methods were used for data collection from 21 students who took the course. The data sources came from field notes, reports, diaries, and interviews. The findings showed that when the…

Noting that the quality of early childhood education (ECE) programs offered in public schools is directly affected by the understanding of and value placed on such a program by the building principal, this qualitative study examined principals' understanding and beliefs about children's play and its place in K-2 early childhood programs. Phase 1…

Based on the premise that preschool and school settings fail to take into account children's popular cultural interests when developing curriculum content, this study explored the potential of popular culture for motivating young children to engage in literacy and oracy practices. Participating were 94 three- and four-year-olds in two nurseries in…

In the United Kingdom, the term "outdoor management development" (OMD) is commonly used to describe courses using outdoor facilities to achieve the aims of management development. OMD courses claim to be able to train staff and managers from a variety of organizations. The received wisdom in OMD is that practice in the field has a sound…

This paper examines young peoples' ideas and their dreams of the future. It is part of a longitudinal study in which students at four schools in Australia were interviewed twice a year during their time in secondary school. The paper claims that this long-term engagement with individuals heightened specificity of the dreams, though it was…

This qualitative study examined constructs of "expertise" in the domain of music with five groups of handbell choirs, four of which were comprised of individuals with mental retardation or developmental disability. Subjects with mental retardation also differed in their residential placements (home, community, institutions) and level of…

This paper presents an approach to the improvement of qualitative research courses in graduate schools, based on the case study of a graduate class. The study sought to link research to teaching through a qualitative research workshop. The course was developed to promote two goals: (1) community-building among graduate researchers, and (2)…

This qualitative study examined experiences of 139 individuals with doctoral degrees to identify factors that inhibit and/or facilitate students' success in doctoral programs. The study used an e-mail survey which asked about personal background, entry/structure of degree, university/other support, supervision of program, the process, and overall…

This paper examines issues and areas of concern for the educational researcher moving from the relative safety of academic research to the more perilous arena of practice-oriented or action-oriented qualitative research. The first question is one of purity or objectivity: giving credibility to research results by imposing adequate rigor on methods…

Case-based instruction (CBI) is used in a variety of professional schools. Studies indicate that CBI can have promising results, but they do not provide insights into the theoretical justification for using CBI. An earlier paper (Risko and Kinzer, 1994) identified five theoretical constructs for CBI: anchored instruction; reflective thinking;…

This pilot study investigated the experiences of preservice teachers enrolled in a required technology course as they mentored practicing educators about technology. Data were collected over the course of a semester through e-mail. A qualitative analysis revealed the following themes: reasons for mentoring, what happened, course resources,…

This article looks at the lessons that a novice qualitative researcher learned from interviewing an adolescent on AIDS education. The data informs us of what can be missed when adolescents are surveyed and not talked "to." As Toni informs us, "They should teach you this." The article points out how reciprocity, responsibility,…

Defines and describes phenomenography as a research methodology, and argues for its utility in examining aspects of higher education. Reviews research in higher education using the phenomenographic approach, outlines cautions in using it, and discusses alternative explanations offered in the debate over phenomenography. Previews a series of…

This qualitative study analyzed the retrospective attributions of adult sisters (five abused sister dyads, and five abused and nonabused sister dyads) who grew up in incestuous families. It examined the attributions of subjects regarding the general sibling group; victim selection and nonselection; and attributions regarding jealousy, protection,…