This study identified the main explanatory factors of dropout in higher education in Rivera, Uruguay, and showed that the limitations and methodological implications related to the polysemic nature of the concept of dropout should be addressed by studies on this subject. Through a systematic search of the international scientific literature, the…

In this paper, four critical friends meet to discuss qualitative research practices. Together they put one of their own case studies under the knife and deconstruct it to investigate the possibilities that knowledge work is complicated not only by the dynamics of socially constructed enterprises and the actors involved therein, but by the…

Internationally, efforts are being made for educational practice to be research-informed on the grounds that schoolteachers will implement what research shows will "work". However, teachers do not necessarily accept research findings; sometimes they contest them. This article considers teachers' contestation in two empirical studies,…

Most research on educational policy making in Britain has depended on the case study approach. This article outlines the procedures, advantages, and theory of this approach and then discusses the problem of trying to generalize from case studies. (WD)

Children's ability to recognize unfamiliar faces shows an unusual developmental trend: performance improves from 6 to 11 years, a temporary regression occurs at 12 years, and then recovery leads to adult-level performance. The first study described in this paper tested 80 children 5 to 11 years of age on a face-matching and recognition task.…

Explores whether student subjects' implicit leadership theories are generalizable to professional subjects. Samples consisted of 220 undergraduates and 152 government employees in New Zealand. Finds the mean importance ratings were similar for the 2 samples, except students placed greater importance on factors beyond individual control. (DB)

British and U.S. preschool intervention projects are now reporting dramatic long-term follow-up findings that appear to vindicate the claim that preschool can serve as an "innoculation against failure," especially with disadvantaged children. However, important questions remain about the generalizability of these effects in other…

To determine the factors that influence interpretation of a research study description, 8 descriptions of research studies were interpreted by 320 undergraduate students in psychology, mathematics, and economics statistics and research methods classes at the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada), Millersville University (Pennsylvania),…