In an effort to discern the perceptions of the importance or value of mathematics education held by ordinary people in Appalachia, a qualitative research study was performed in accordance with an agreement with the ACCLAIM Research Initiative. The study engaged the qualitative research method known as "folknography" and targeted the…

This document focuses on a stakeholder survey for a research unit. Although it covers just one part of the overall planning process that the Research & Planning (RP) Unit at the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, the researchers did survey other groups in the strategic planning effort. The stakeholder survey focused on four…

During the 2000-2001 school year, an 18-month evaluation of Ohio's Phonics Demonstration Program (PDP) was conducted by the same evaluation team that had conducted a similar evaluation in 1997. In addition to evaluating phonics instruction in PDP schools, the evaluation also addressed the preparation of teachers for reading/phonics instruction in…

This edited volume covers the language situation in Nepal, Taiwan, and Sweden, explaining the linguistic diversity, the place of minorities and their languages, the historical and political contexts, and the current language situation, including language-in-education planning, the role of the media, the role of religion, and the roles of…

This paper reports on a study of the factors influencing the educational placement choices of 25 rural parents of children who are deaf. Specifically, the study: (1) traced the placement decisions from the time their child's hearing loss was first documented to the transition periods into elementary and middle school; (2) identified the resources…

A qualitative study was undertaken in a bilingual school for the deaf to examine how meaning is negotiated during literacy events in this setting. Analysis was conducted with reference to Vygotsky's theory of the Zone of Proximal Development, similar to the theory of scaffolding, in which one who is more "expert" enables one or more…

The electronic storybook may be one tool that can simulate the read aloud story by a human reader. If the electronic story can serve to provide some of the elements derived from a human book reading experience, then time spent with these electronic stories can give children some building blocks that will aid in their literacy acquisition. A study…

This qualitative study looks at the Pio Pico experience, Santa Ana (California), which includes the Santa Ana Boys' and Girls' Club, Pio Pico Elementary School, and the surrounding community associations. In each setting, community members were asked about the necessities for work in the setting and about attributes they would like to see in the…

This paper summarizes responses of students in grades K-3 to questions about Native Americans. The paper draws on findings from two studies, both done in a suburban school system deemed "average" on a variety of educational and socioeconomic indicators. In each study, samples of students stratified by gender and achievement level were…

This book is designed to help undergraduate and graduate students begin a discussion about the technicalities, politics, and ethics surrounding qualitative research, focusing on research in the interest of social justice. It offers a view of how two researchers have conceptualized their own research process and renders problematic many of the…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that used qualitative data to examine the concept of attention deficit disorders from an international perspective. Surveys were conducted in two different parts of the world (West Virginia and Pakistan) among elementary school teachers. Seventy-two Pakistani school teachers and 149 American school…

The influence of family on institutional choice and post-freshman persistence of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students was studied at a small Bible college with a freshman retention rate of 86 percent. Data included interviews with 29 of the college's 62 AI/AN students. Findings indicate that family had both a positive and negative…

Many of the students at Olive-Harvey College, a community college on Chicago's south side, are struggling to balance their education with low income, service sector jobs and family needs while living in communities plagued by drugs and violence. The question is how teachers can help these students to attain their educational goals, despite their…

Hidden messages are part of the culture of reading at any school, particularly at the secondary level. In many schools, the overt message that reading is essential to success on state-mandated tests and in society is jeopardized due to hidden messages about the nature of the reading process and the place of reading in everyday life. A qualitative…

This book examines the capacity of the career academy--one of the initiatives spawned by the school-to-work movement--to address academic reform in terms of increased education and workplace skills. Qualitative data collected as part of a 7-year local evaluation of career academies and a data set that contains transcript data on a population of…