This paper reports on a research process that evolved as the researchers considered a study they conducted with kindergarten children, in which the process problematized the research construct of participant/observer. The paper is informed by poststructuralist theory as the participant/observers are observed. According to the paper, a…

Describes the concluding activity of a cultural geography course in which students went on a field trip to Venice (Italy) during spring vacation. Emphasizes the representation in relations between land and life, using the metaphor of theatre to conceptualize these relations. (GG)

Identifies and characterizes the knowledge used by 10 experienced librarians while searching for subject information in online catalogs. Metaknowledge is examined through participant explanations, observation, and self-evaluation; and implications for online catalog design and for library and information science education are suggested.…

Explores the origins, characteristics, and objectives of peer coaching in faculty development, looking at its two basic forms (coaching led by experts and reciprocal coaching). The article presents theoretical concepts and proposes directions for future research, indicating points to consider when establishing a peer coaching program. (SM)

Describes an approach to teaching undergraduate anthropology focused on anthropological modes of thought rather than accumulation of exotic data. Central technique is use of a journal focused on relating classroom material to students' daily lives. Aim is to teach students to be participant-observers in their own cultures. (Author/JS)

Designing inquiry-based-learning with and for university students develops problem-solving skills and logical reasoning, as well as reflective thinking. It involves working as a member of a team, questioning, being creative, shaping the skills for continued intellectual development. It is argued that inquiry-based group work is one of the most…

In the Fall Semester of 2003, an accredited course for graduate students, entitled "Homosexual Health Social Sciences," was launched at the School of Public Health of Fudan University, located in Shanghai, China. Using participant observation, in-depth interview and document review, this article details the experiences and strategies in…

This paper examines the development of student functional thinking during a teaching experiment that was conducted in two classrooms with a total of 45 children whose average age was nine years and six months. The teaching comprised four lessons taught by a researcher, with a second researcher and classroom teacher acting as participant observers.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate pain management among 42 hospice and 65 non-hospice residents in two proprietary nursing homes. Design and Methods: In this prospective, anthropological, quantitative, and qualitative study, we used participant observation, event analysis, and chart review to obtain data. The Medication…

It has been claimed that there is only one language, the English language in the United States, because America is not a "polyglot boardinghouse ..." (Portes and Rumbaut 196). The fact is that America has always been a multilingual society, even though this mythical notion of a monolingual American identity reflecting American loyalty…

We present a three-dimensional cube framework to help community organizational researchers and administrators think about an organization's learning and empowerment-related structures and processes in terms of first-order (incremental or ameliorative) and second-order (transformative) change at the individual, organizational, and community levels.…

This paper explores the implications and affects of a level two compulsory module concerned with "gender, difference and leisure" on a predominantly male student group studying for sports-related degrees. Participant observation was undertaken by a male and female lecturer who were delivering the module. A cohort of male football…

Research on teacher learning consistently documents the disjuncture between the practices beginning teachers encounter in university teacher preparation courses and those they reencounter in the K-12 classrooms in which they learn to teach. As preservice teachers enter teaching, they gravitate toward conventional K-12 practices, dismissing those…

A study conducted at a primary school in Birmingham, England, considered teachers', college tutors', parents', and pupils' perceptions of the way in which a group of 4-year-old children became incorporated into two reception classes. Study methodology included teacher and researcher observations and the videotaping and photographing of six types…

This paper explores technical questions of ethnographic study and uses as an example an actual episode observing college students and the subsequent decisions and steps taken to produce a written account. In particular, the paper seeks to address the question of researcher subjectivity by examining some issues relating to the practice of…