Concern about poor school attendance and participation, particularly of Indigenous children, is a key issue in Australian education; however, strategies to address this issue have been piecemeal and have met with limited success. While much has been written about the issue of school attendance, little attention has been given to absenteeism in…

This paper describes the use of quantities in video games by young people as part of a broader effort to understand thinking and learning across naturally occurring contexts of activity. Our approach to investigating the use of quantities in game play is ethnographic; we have followed eight children over a six-month period as they play their own…

This article examines the efficacy and potential of naturalistic methods of inquiry for addressing research questions related to teacher participation in personnel selection decision making in schools. (MT)

This paper provides an account of the methodological approach of a study designed to address some fundamental questions relating to formative assessment. The paper reports on the use of a critically quasi-ethnographic approach and describes the practicalities of adopting such an approach. The validity of the study is also considered, reflecting on…

Suggests that the practice of ethnography in the spirit of Clifford Geertz's "thick description," and the thinking that this practice demands, can give college students both a tool for inquiry and a sense of their positions as authorities in the writing process. Defines thick description and discusses how ethnography works in a…

Collecting outdoor adventurers' stories for research is best done using the naturalistic inquiry paradigm. This type of hypothesis-free investigation, used in the study of folklore, requires maintaining the normal storytelling context while meeting scholarly demands for reliability and validity. Choice of focus and site, the participant-observer…

If one undertakes naturalistic evaluation without formal training, there are some important considerations and sources of information to keep in mind. Labor intensive qualitative approaches are discussed in terms of field relations, data collection and analysis, and writing. (Author/LMO)

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)

The use of ethnography in educational research has a potential for building bridges between teacher practice and theory and research. In preservice teacher education, it can induce reflectiveness and encourage observational skills. In inservice education, research would be rooted in teachers' concerns and could become a joint enterprise between…

Proposes a methodology for the naturalistic investigation of classroom environments in primary schools. Maintains that this approach is derived from a critique of the work of classroom ecologist Walter Doyle. Proposes suggestions for empirical research methods for naturalistic investigation. (CFR)

An ethnographic approach with added quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis was used to study the extent and nature of technology-based materials in 15 elementary school mathematics classrooms. The blend of methods provided rich and varied information and gave insights either type of analysis could not provide alone. (SLD)

Uses participatory ethnography to interview lay persons about the role of religion and the church in personal meaning-making. Probes the motives that call people to theology, the theological methods people use, how people engage in religious knowing, and how the church helps these efforts. Suggests shortcomings in present religious education. (DSK)

This paper contains ethnographic participant-observation field notes taken on a one-night visit to a "shooting gallery" in East Harlem (New York City) along with background information and commentary. East Harlem, also referred to as "El Barrio" or Spanish Harlem, is a 200-square block neighborhood on the upper East Side of…

Discusses two issues central to ethnographic research, representation of truth and confidentiality, and how they relate to art education research. Notes that in art education areas of expertise between researcher and subject often overlap. Concludes that ethical considerations are guided by compassion and understanding rather than formula. (MJP)

This ethnography explores the academic practices of three lesbian faculty members at a public research university. The book seeks to rethink constructions of identity and knowledge in an academic setting by looking closely at how these women are defined by and redefine the terms "lesbian" and "academic," and it examines how…