Reports on study of teacher decision making regarding instruction about Gulf War. Finds teachers were influenced by student grade level, number of students in class from another culture, and their own knowledge of Middle Eastern history and geography. Concludes that local and state curriculum officials should provide more flexibility so teachers…

Profiles a few of the affinities between pragmatists and scientific realists, and indicates a few dramatic differences dividing these schools of thought. Pragmatic research is driven by anticipated consequences. Scientific realists hope to find the truth about what the world is really like. (SLD)

Dismissing research that is not theory driven, hypothesis testing, or generalization producing does injustice to the variety of contributions that qualitative research can make. Studies conducted through qualitative approaches are reviewed to summarize the desirable outcomes that can result. No research model has a monopoly on quality. (SLD)

Describes a study conducted at the Dutch Open University to determine students' actual use of embedded support devices (ESD). Topics addressed include a theoretical background; research hypotheses; the use of student interviews; quantitative and qualitative aspects of ESD use; student characteristics; study success (i.e., final examination…

Describes the Treasure Mountain III conference that focused on how qualitative research can effectively address problems in educational settings, specifically in the library media field, and on the partnership role between researchers and practitioners. Presentations and group activities are described, and an annotated bibliography of 48 items is…

To study the knowledge that teachers use to understand and interpret teaching and learning, 28 respondents from 4 levels of teaching experience were asked to explain their understanding of videotaped classroom scenes. The increasing complexity of understanding with teacher experience is supported by the findings. (SLD)

Responds to commentaries in this issue by Greta Fein and by Daniel Walsh and Gary King on criticisms of quantitative research. Argues that the data-driven nature of child development research has an impact not only on how research questions are answered but on what questions are asked in the first place. (MDM)

This study examined the problem-solving strategies and systematic errors of (n=82) preservice elementary school teachers related to place value concepts and decimal representations of rational numbers. Problems were posed in the unfamiliar domain of numeration systems with bases other than base ten. (Contains 13 references.) (MKR)

Assesses the impact of women's studies courses on students' feminist activism and related behaviors in a qualitative and quantitative study of 161 female and 18 male college students compared with 154 controls. At posttesting, the impact of womens' studies was found in students' reports of increased activism and influence on personal lives. (SLD)

Uses case studies of students to outline the theories related to cognitive development and different ways of understanding what knowledge is. Organizes four sets of concepts: (1) the construct of intelligence; (2) different ways of knowing; (3) the nature of constructivism; and (4) the active, strategic process of learning. Contains 19 references.…

Reviews theories of identity formation ranging from the classic work of E. H. Erikson to postmodern and feminist theories, and incorporates qualitative research examining the identity formation of 14 adolescent girls. The article suggests that schools can serve as sites for deconstructing issues of socioeconomic status identity, body image…

Comments on Reba Page's use of the author's work, known as the Brad trilogy, in a lesson on validity in interpretive research methods. Wolcott prefers involving students more immediately with field work than in Page's approach. Discusses his intentions in writing the Brad trilogy and the questions it has raised. (DSK)

Examines the problems that four international graduate students of various linguistic and cultural backgrounds encountered in the process of adapting to the requirements of discipline-specific written discourses during their first year of studies in the United States. Suggests that international students need assistance to adjust more easily to…

Describes a community-initiated study of student motivational influences in Fountain Hills Unified School District (Arizona), which receives Yavapai students from nearby Fort McDowell Indian Community. Discusses collaboration between the school district and Indian community, quantitative results on student motivation and long-term effects of high…

Explores the evolution of a photomontage assignment in a college-level course for academically unprepared students by summarizing the original assignment and then describing the latest version after a three-year period. Believes that the current assignment promotes aesthetically rich and meaningful artwork from students and a positive shift in…