Argues teachers must be able to correctly interpret and evaluate research design and results to effectively use research to improve instruction. Offers five guidelines for teachers to consider before changing teaching methods in response to research results. Favors longitudinal and cross-sectional studies for best long-term results from…

This issue is devoted to a monograph. Topics are teachers' perspectives; beliefs about teaching during preservice training; research use in practice; induction of physical educators; life histories of physical educators; linking educators, knowledge, and quality; the reciprocal nature of organizational structures and identity; faculty consensus…

Among factors affecting African-American males' academic achievement, student/faculty relationships are vital. Using theory-based teaching strategies, faculty can support student success by designing in-class experiences to incorporate racial-identity development activities. The classroom should be a safe space for expression of personal…

This article critiques the "Research, Development, and Dissemination" model for development of innovations in special education and urges greater recognition of the cultural perspective for understanding resistance to change by teachers. Difficulties teachers have had in implementing Direct Instruction principles and their reactions to…

Attempts to distinguish between the lecture method and the constructivist approach, in general, and by citing classroom scenarios. The author cautions those whose writing seems to unintentionally endorse traditional lecture and drill and practice methods. (MKR)

A two-year community pharmacy clinical experience using self-directed learning modules is described and evaluated. The modules were designed to stimulate interest in community pharmacy, motivate learning by demonstrating applicability of didactic work to contemporary practice, develop communication and psychosocial skills, and promote…

Comments on problems raised in this special issue, focusing on the distinctive aspects of the risk research reported. Highlights issues like sample characteristics, measurement strategies, specificity of risk factors, and risk mechanisms. Discusses the challenges of integrating alternative models of risk, with special references to research into…

Career development theories do not typically highlight their relevance to the school-to-work transition process. This issue features articles that examine how several prominent career development theories (person-environment fit, social learning, developmental, and social cognitive) can be brought to bear on this process. Three discussants assess…

Discusses contributions of Krumboltz & Worthington, 1999; Lent, Hacket, & Brown, 1999; Savickas, 1999; Swanson & Fouad, 1999 to the application of career development theories to the school-to-work transition. Concludes with recommendation that theory-building efforts derived from the individual experience of work-bound youth should be included in…

The board certification movement was founded out of a concern for the quality of care, and today, more than 85% of all physicians licensed to practice medicine in the United States have been certified by an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member board. There is increasing evidence of a need for continuous monitoring and promotion of…

A team of early childhood teacher education faculty developed the 3-D talent development model of teacher education, blending theory and research from many sources. These sources include research on talent development, nonuniversal development, and roles of teachers and their professional growth. The faculty integrated constructs from these…

An eight-year study of 49 schools purporting to practice and apply Quality Management (QM) techniques and processes uncovered some revealing differences between what respondents thought "should be" happening in these schools and what they reported was happening. The gaps uncovered could be recognized as differences between rhetoric and…

This article sets the scene for the other papers in this Special Issue on children's and young people's participation, by outlining the nature of the ESRC Seminar Series from which all are derived and by developing the main themes discussed at the seminars. The focus of this Issue is participation by children and young people as this relates to…

According to Corman (1995), theory and practice are two sides of the same coin. Each is essential for effective function in organizational contexts and effective teaching in organizational communication courses. However, the classroom experience can benefit from increased efforts to provide students with activities that allow them to apply theory…

These are challenging times for teachers. Mixed messages, conflicting demands, and increasing needs on all fronts surround them. Each day, teachers face increasing requirements and significant pressures on their daily practice from administrators and policymakers. It is hard to be, or remain, a teacher of quality committed to one's ideals. In this…