Provides a critical overview of articles in this issue on field work in administration and policy. Focuses on three recurrent themes: field worker role; reciprocity (the repayment a fieldworker makes to his or her informants); and ethics. (KH)

Outlines a study of two teachers' image of "the classroom as home" illustrating how personal and professional experiences are expressed in their classroom practices. Offers a theoretical concept of "image" as knowledge incorporating theoretical, practical, objective, and subjective experience. (MD)

Investigates the person/environment transactional processes of 75 elderly Cuban-Americans, using participant observation to learn about their adjustment to aging. Findings suggest the productiveness of the short-term exchange approach in understanding the older person's creative use of resources. (JAC)

This paper describes a study of a speech community, a group of approximately 10 women, aged 25 to 65, who met at least 3 times a month to knit, drink coffee, and chat. The paper notes that knitting circles have survived through history because they serve a social function that surpasses historical events--they are communities that co-construct the…

A research project explored the potential of collegial coaching and reflective dialogue as mechanisms for school leaders to use to significantly alter the organizational context so that cultural change might occur. The study investigated the possibility that collegial coaching, reflection, and dialogue about teaching practices may provide an…

Shares the experiences of a researcher engaged in qualitative research. Looks at researcher sensitivity and flexibility, ethical dilemmas, and the importance of a good "research alliance" with participants. Discusses, the implications of including participants as collaborators and the role of co-researchers. Emphasizes the impact of…

Identified taxonomy of humor that was developed during seven weeks of participant observation in a small, family-owned business. The various types of humor were found to help minimize differences in status and alleviate workplace tension. Humor also had implications for socialization of employees and appeared to create bonds among employees. (TE)

Participant observation was used to examine the social-communicative interactions of six preschool students with mild to severe handicaps, during free play and semistructured activities. Results revealed that each child displayed a consistent set of initiations; each child used augmentative strategies to continue interactions; and initiation…

This study used interviews and participant-observation to examine the concept of "brown-nosing" (using compliments and other positive statements to curry favor) in organizational settings in the United States. It identifies various types of brown-nosing, as well as the motives and consequences of such behavior. (30 references) (MDM)

Examines the impact of violence on high school dropouts in their relationships with peers, family, teachers, and school structure. The resistance to school and violence in schools are seen as the result of schools' and society's resistance to dealing with diversity and the impact of various types of violence inherent in this resistance. (MMU)

Describes a four-hour drama session, held one hour for each of four weeks, in which 15 girls and one boy ages six through eight participated with 17 college participant observers in a 1991 Children and Drama course, during which a drama teacher came to a "different" playmaking process, guiding children to direct their own dramas, without…

This paper reports results from sixteen years spent investigating White racism among White people using naturalistic inquiry methods. More than 1,200 observations of Whites of diverse backgrounds and locations were made. Five psychological dispositions are identified which characterize the way White people cognitively, affectively, and…

Addresses the area of validating the match between intended and actual test-taker language with respect to a blueprint of language functions representing the construct of spoken language ability. Discusses an observation checklist designed for both a prioria and a posteriori analysis of speaking task output. (Author/VWL)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the processes of care, organizational attributes, cost of care, staffing level, and staff mix in a sample of Missouri homes with good, average, and poor resident outcomes. Design and Methods: A three-group exploratory study design was used, with 92 nursing homes randomly selected from all nursing…

The purpose of the study was to describe and interpret a particular culture of boys with changing voices at the American Boychoir School by means of an ethnography. Themes that emerged were (1) the boys' own perceptions of the voice change process, (2) healthy strategies for singing through the change, and (3) psychological issues. Informants were…