The external audit is a way of assessing the trustworthiness of a study, attesting to its dependability from a methodological standpoint and to its confirmability by reviewing the data, analysis, and interpretations and assessing whether the findings represent the data accurately. This paper discusses issues in the audit process, drawing on data…

This paper describes a study of links between school environment and classroom environment in Catholic high schools in Australia. A sample of 893 students in 40 grade-9 and grade-12 religious education classes and 80 teachers of religious education in Catholic high schools was used to assess 4 dimensions of school environment (Empowerment, Student…

This book offers a resource guide for qualitative researchers in education, discussing data collection techniques, data analysis, reporting, and the issues of validity, reliability, and ethics. Part 1 reviews the nature and design of qualitative research; it discusses various types of qualitative research (including case studies), and how to…

There has been relatively little social science research on the influence of religious beliefs and practices on fathering. This study examined narrative accounts obtained through in-depth interviews from 16 Mormon fathers of children with special needs in the context of Mormon religious belief and practice, research on stress and special needs…

This research employs an ethnographic approach in the examination of the effects that computers in schools have on student learning in the United States. It is argued that emphasis on technology, science, and mathematics is not enough to meet educational needs in America. The enthusiasm fostered by technological innovation often overshadows…

The naturalistic inquiry is premised on a story narrative to describe classroom experiences. In an ongoing dissertation research study into the teaching and learning of secondary science, classroom stories were constructed to portray a student's point of view. The student's classroom goals, roles, and expectations for the teacher are discussed.…

This book addresses the teaching and learning of history in the elementary grades. The literature review in the first two chapters presents an overview of scholarship in the field and provides a context within which to interpret the research in subsequent chapters. The remainder of the book presents and discusses research on the teaching and…

This qualitative research study examined the impact of student leadership experiences on the personal and professional lives of alumni three to five years after graduation. Twenty-six former student members of two student alumni leadership groups at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were interviewed by telephone. Interviews focused on…

This study evaluates how various colleges across the country determine the effectiveness of their remedial/developmental programs. The author sectioned the country into 4 quadrants and solicited participation from 80 randomly selected colleges. A total of 50 colleges (63%) responded from over 30 states. Using personal interviews, case studies,…

Descriptions of the creative disposition are caught in a dilemma. If the spontaneous origination of ideas is a product of discrete mental dispositions, then how are these intentional traits made intelligible within conventional discourse? On one hand art students are obliged by teachers to find creative authenticity inside their own intentional…

This study addressed a void in the current literature by identifying and describing positive and negative influences on the persistence in school of African American students attending a private black college (PBC). Four students participated in the study: four males and one female. There were six formal interviews in all, with each subject…

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…