Suggests that the 1980s neoliberal renaissance marketized education, with negative social consequences. Examines the emergence and promotion of a national-level discourse that positioned schools in the service of the economy. Ethnographic research shows how local growth elite utilized this discourse to further their own race and class interests,…

Draws on a study of the literate lives of two African Americans living in urban poverty. Suggests that the nonalignment between home and school discourse communities is not the only, or even perhaps primary, problem for the subjects. Suggests that explanations must account for the complexity of literate subjectivities through the process by which…

Explains how conducting ethnographic interviews can promote openness toward culture learning. Reports on a study in which 35 college students from second-year Spanish classes were introduced to ethnographic interviewing skills and assigned to interview native speakers of Spanish. Results showed the interviews positively affected students'…

This conversation between two educators begins by examining what brought them to their interest in looking at learning from an ethnographic perspective. Though they come from different viewpoints in regard to education, they agree that they got interested in ethnography through teaching. They discuss time, space, and language in relation to…

This ethnographic study explored perspectives of parents of young deaf children living in urban areas. Nine parents, two grandparents, and six staff members were intensively interviewed and observed over six months. Themes identified included diagnosis and grief, language struggles, systemic barriers, and impact of the urban setting.…

Focuses on the use of reflective audiotaped journals within a university content-based English-as-a-Second-Language course. Data came from 54 audiotaped journal entries made by 18 students and an unstructured ethnographic group interview. Results support the adoption of constructivist learning approaches that encourage students to take a more…

Reports on the impact of managerialist discourse on the lives of United Kingdom primary school teachers prior to and in the year following Office For Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspections. The study found teachers indicating that, one year after inspection, there has been no lasting impact on what they do in the classroom. (CMK)

Illustrates with one play example, from a five-year study of mentally retarded persons in a state school setting, that the prevailing nature of educational and therapeutic practice needs to be questioned. Identifies the different levels of interpretation and form of analysis in this setting and how each influences the other. (Author/JS)

Describes ethnographic survey of professional mentoring relationships in rural Colorado mountain community. Describes characteristics, dynamics, phases, and motivations behind mentoring relationships. Suggests that social workers identify and support rural mentor relationships. Suggests direction for future study. (TES)

Proposes that ethnography is a useful tool for helping teachers understand the cultural context of their students. Examines a high school writing lab, emphasizing the role of the tutor. Describes the experiences of the writing lab staff in learning the culture of adolescents through ethnography. (RS)

Discusses qualitative research and its application to educational evaluation. Approaches discussed include the following: (1) ethnography; (2) naturalistic inquiry; (3) generic pragmatic (sociological) inquiry; (4) connoisseurship/criticism; (5) metaphors; and (6) phenomenography. (FMW)

Argues that researchers must broaden conceptual frameworks, broaden samples, and broaden methods used in the study of rejected peers in light of Merten's work (PS 524 830). Suggests that conceptual frameworks must consider the full range of characteristics that contribute to peer status, and be sensitive to contextual factors that shape peer group…

Conveys the power of children's questions and highlights the process of questioning in a whole-language classroom. Suggests that the role of questions in the classroom talk demonstrated to the teacher the connections and relationships between discourse content and discourse structure. (RS)

This article is a critical review of the 1992 "Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education." The article examines diverse approaches to qualitative field research, discusses ambiguous relationships between education and parent disciplines, notes how the collection represents current dialogue, and examines chapters on critical ethnology. (SM)

Examines how the new sociology of science can approach data access issues. A perspective is developed based on an analysis of the process of scientific production, data streams, and intellectual policy issues. (Contains 55 references.) (JLB)