A qualitative study examined teachers' classroom practices and reasons behind observed practices. Subjects, four fifth grade teachers of reading who taught in different elementary schools in a large metropolitan school district, were observed during reading class time for 10 consecutive days. A profile of each participant and her teaching style…

Math Works is the fifth grade component of the "Mathematics for the '80s" project, a series of 28 video programs and related material developed by a consortium of state and provincial education and television agencies. A formative evaluation of Math Works programs (9 and 25) was conducted to assess the instructional effectiveness and general…

This paper presents a case study that investigated and compared the beliefs and actual classroom practices of two experienced English language teachers with regards to grammar teaching in a primary school in Singapore. Areas where practices converged with or diverged from beliefs about grammar teaching are examined and discussed as well as the…

This study of microcomputer use to access an online encyclopedia revealed attitudes of eighth-graders towards computer technology and videotex. Electronic searching is compared to searching with traditional library print materials for a science course, the role of computer printouts is discussed, and research methods including observation and…

Responses from library school faculty and academic library directors, asked their perceptions of the faculty and educational quality of graduate library programs, are ranked and compared to earlier surveys. Distinguishable trends of changes in schools' prestige are identified, and the validity of perception studies and qualitative rankings is…

The readings in this ready-reference report on specific program evaluations, offer critical guidance in the development and utilization of instruments for assessing gifted and talented programs, and are designed to stimulate the discussion of issues surrounding the evaluation of gifted programs. Key features include: (1) Carolyn M. Callahan's…

One of the most significant factors, determining effectiveness of any organization is an optimal management of the system, which is perceived as a social organization. Otherwise strategy errors in management potentially undermine the whole system of the organization. Assuming that management based on authoritarian relations may illusionary create…

Serving as a vehicle for raising the profile of and thereby gaining recognition for the important research and development work being conducted in Canada in support of children and families, the "Research Connections Canada" series compiles research and/or development papers as well as background papers, analytical literature reviews,…

This qualitative research paper reports on Latina students in single-gender and coeducational secondary-level special education placements for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted with nine Latina special education students. All participants were in their first, second, or third…

The focus group method has rapidly gained credibility among researchers in many fields, including public health researchers. The increased use of focus groups by public health researchers has underscored the demonstrable need for the capacity to apply this method of research among populations with limited abilities in or cultural resistance to…

This paper analyzes the academic success of 30 low-income African-American high school students. The 20 females and 10 males were participants in the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program, a high school program that places previously low-achieving, low-income, and minority students in a special class that offers them academic and…

This qualitative study explored the presence of community voice in a newly structured inner-city elementary school in Santa Ana (California). Nearly every family at Pio Pico Elementary School lives below the poverty level, and Spanish is the primary language of 90% of the residents, with most families being of Mexican or Central American origin.…

This manual, which is intended for vocational education and training (VET) providers, does the following: explains fundamental market research concepts; highlights situations where market research can help VET providers with their planning and policy development; and illustrates the uses of market research in VET institutions. The following topics…

This study compares the results of Australian and Taiwanese Grade 10 students (N=2959) on the Students' Perceptions of Teacher Knowledge (SPOTK) questionnaire. The purposes of this paper are to quantitatively compare the mean scores of each item in the two countries and to use qualitative research methods involving classroom observations and…

The 11 papers in this volume were presented at the 1996 American Statistical Association (ASA) meeting in Chicago (Illinois), August 4 through 8. This is the fourth collection of ASA papers of particular interest to users of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) survey data published in the "Working Papers" series. The…