This qualitative study was conducted to answer two questions concerning service learning in youth populations: Do teens understand their roles in the process of service learning? How do teens perceive service opportunities within their communities or organizations? The intent was to investigate these issues in order to provide depth to the…

After 2 years of a 5-year pilot project to develop approaches to strengthen basic competencies of students enrolled in vocational programs in Oklahoma, two of the projects were reviewed. The study sought to: (1) document the incidence and level of basic skills instruction, along with the teaching methods and materials used, in the vocational and…

A focus group was convened to discuss the behavioral, emotional, and intellectual expectations college instructors have of their students. The group was comprised of six part-time and full-time instructors from universities, private not-for-profit colleges, private for-profit colleges and community colleges. Five questions, with follow-ups, were…

This qualitative study aims to explore teachers' opinions on traditional professional development (PD) courses and their experiences from an online course. 10 teachers from a private school participated in an online professional development (PD) course. After completing the course, they evaluated their PD experience. A focus group discussion and…

Reforms to Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector have had a significant impact on practitioners' work in public and private providers. This study analyses practitioners' perceptions of, and reactions to, the changes. The scope of these changes has been substantial and has required shifts to practitioners' habits, norms, skills…

This report recounts how four high schools were able to narrow or completely close the achievement gap and sustain their success over time. The four schools are all large, comprehensive public high schools that serve large percentages of minority students. They were selected based on their four-year record of narrowing or closing the achievement…

In response to the need for data on higher education faculty and instructional staff, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) in 1987-88 and 1992-93. Both cycles of the NSOPF consisted of an institutional component and a faculty component. The earlier study surveyed only faculty…

This study, part of a graduate level social studies methods course at a large midwestern university, investigated beginning teachers' ideas about teaching and learning social studies before and after their participation in a set of open-ended interviews with children in the elementary grades. The interviews were designed to give new teachers…

Colleges and universities have come under increasing pressure from various constituencies to demonstrate their effectiveness in measurable terms and to justify their existence in an era of declining resources. A critical element in meeting these demands is a systematic and comprehensive approach to assessment, which demonstrates the effectiveness…

This study focuses on how teachers are responding to changes in the new global history curriculum and the attendant tenth grade New York Regents examination. It compares the messages broadcast by the new state curriculum and assessment policies with individual interview data collected from ninth and tenth grade New York state global history…

A team of three organizers and a panel of five experts representing scholars and practitioners from multiple disciplines participated in an innovative session that explored performance at multiple levels in organizations. The session objectives were as follows: (1) raise participants' awareness of multilevel approaches to the study of…

Although there is a library in every secondary school in New Zealand, very little is known about the variables that affect the student use and perceptions of the library. This research combines questionnaires and focus groups involving Year 12 and 13 students to give a picture of school library use in Christchurch. Students were asked about where…

A study with both quantitative and qualitative components was conducted with undergraduate teaching faculty at Kansas State University for fall 1999 to spring 2001 to study faculty role in addressing cheating at the collegiate level and faculty awareness of the University's honor system and cheating policies. Data were gathered through a variety…

This report tells the story of the inception and growth of the Gender Project of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMCE) (Sanford, Maine) and shares the results of an evaluation study of program impacts on the lives of individuals, families, and communities over the past six years. Information in the report can guide the growth and…

School districts are finding that demand for community use of school buildings and grounds is increasing. A 1995 series of focus groups explored implications for community access, including effects on facilities, scheduling, and educational programs. The most prevalent activities involved sports and recreation, day care, meetings, adult education,…