Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the critical realism (CR) philosophical viewpoint and how it can be applied in qualitative research. CR is a relatively new and viable philosophical paradigm proposed as an alternative to the more predominant paradigms of positivism, interpretivism and pragmatism. This paper reviews the concept, its…

Purpose: Education is a key institution of modern society, long recognized for its central role in the reproduction of inequities and with the potential to challenge them. Schools behave as their systems are designed. Achieving equity and excellence is not possible through attempts to fix "the school" or educators. Principles of systemic…

The importance of engaging in high quality program evaluation is a generally accepted principle underscored by external pressure from funders. High quality evaluation necessarily begins with good evaluation planning. This paper outlines Evolutionary Evaluation and specifically the Systems Evaluation Protocol, an approach that emphasizes…

Language teacher cognition research is a growing field. In recent years several features of language teacher cognitions have been noted: they can be complex, ranging over a number of different subjects; they can be dynamic, changing over time and under different influences; and they can be systems, forming unified and cohesive personal or…

Knowledge translation (KT) interventions can facilitate the successful implementation of best practices by engaging and actively involving various stakeholders in the change process. However, for novices, the design of KT interventions can be overwhelming. In this article, we describe our experience as participants in a problem-based case study on…

Learning participation only makes sense if it is purposeful. From our perspective its primary purpose is to achieve more effective managing in situations of complexity and change. We describe our evolving understandings and practices (a praxeology) for Systems Practice for managing complexity, built on 30 years of developing supported open…

Since behavioral interventions for challenging behaviors in children with developmental disabilities have limitations in the family setting, this paper presents a theoretical and working model of intervention that integrates contemporary behavioral and systemic orientations. Four stages for intervention are provided, each consisting of practical…

This article explores instructionally useful assessment in the social studies. In the first section, the concept of usefulness is discussed as a function of the alignment between goals, instruction, and assessment. Next, three approaches to instructionally useful assessment are reported, followed by a case scenario suggesting how these disparate…

An exploratory study examined relationships between interpersonal communication theory and public relations from 1970 to 1990. One hundred thirty-six public relations campaign cases recognized for excellence by the Public Relations Society of America were analyzed for applicability of seven interpersonal theoretical perspectives. Information…

Analysis of a case study of a whitewater rafting accident reveals that such accidents tend to result from multiple actions. Many events leading up to such accidents include procedural and process factors, suggesting that hard-skills technical training is an insufficient approach to accident prevention. Contains 26 references. (SAS)

This book, which is intended as a resource/reference guide for experienced financial managers and course planners, examines accepted methods and new approaches for using financial information in continuing education. The introduction reviews theory and practice, traditional and new methods, planning and organizational management, and technology.…

This document contains case studies of troubled adolescents and is intended for use by educators for discussions, especially in in-service and graduate programs. Case studies of 10 young adolescents are presented, each followed by a set of questions drawn from a psychological theory. To help new practitioners who may have difficulty connecting…

This document presents a case study for an innovative session exploring the nature of learning and the relationship between action learning within academic programs in adult education/human resource development (HRD) and the higher education institutions that house them. The first two sections discuss the dilemmas confronting higher education and…

A cross-case study approach was used to determine how school-to-work reform affects clients and participants and to identify elements critical to the success of school-to-work systems. Fourteen school-to-work reform initiatives in communities across the United States were examined by using a research protocol that included individual interviews,…

This document contains 41 papers and 11 poster session presentations from a conference on research-to-practice in adult, continuing, and community education. The following are among the papers included: "Learning in a Multicultural Environment" (Mansur Abdullah, Cory Eisenberg, Willard C. Hall Jr., Pauline Valvo); "How to Engage in…