The goals of this study are to evaluate a relatively novel learning environment, as well as to seek greater understanding of why human tutoring is so effective. This alternative learning environment consists of pairs of students collaboratively observing a videotape of another student being tutored. Comparing this collaboratively observing…

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are being diagnosed at alarmingly high rates and school psychologists are charged with evaluating, identifying, and providing interventions for students with ASD in the United States' public school systems. A national survey probed Nationally Certified School Psychologists (NCSP) to determine their level of…

Constructionism places an emphasis on the process of constructing shareable artefacts. Many virtual worlds, such as "Second Life", provide learners with tools for the construction of objects and hence may facilitate in-world constructionist learning experiences. However, the construction tools available present learners with a significant barrier…

This dissertation analyzes a decision system that was used in the early 1900s in the Federated Malay States (FMS) by Malcolm Watson in order to make anti-malaria program recommendations to decision makers in a wide range of ecological settings. Watson's recommendations to decision makers throughout the FMS led to a dramatic suppression of malaria…

The purpose of this study was to describe the assumptions, beliefs, perceptions, practices, and visions that P-3 leaders from disparate settings hold in regard to system alignment as a means to identify effective bridges for P-3 programs in California. The researcher employed qualitative methods, including field notes, semi-structured interviews,…

This paper formally examines two competing methods of conducting a lottery in assigning students to schools, motivated by the design of the centralized high school student assignment system in New York City. The main result of the paper is that a single and multiple lottery mechanism are equivalent for the problem of allocating students to schools…

The proportion of apprentices and trainees completing their contract of training has received considerable attention in recent years. To support public discussion, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has been publishing tabulations of both completion and attrition rates. Up until recently, the approach taken was to…

School improvement and reform has again taken center stage both among educators and the public due in no small part to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's call for turning around 5,000 of the lowest performing schools, coupled with a budget of approximately $4 billion dollars in competitive grant funding to address those needs. A recent…

Purpose: The paper aims to provide an overall methodology and case study for the innovation and extension of a digital library, especially the service system. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the three-dimensional structure theory of the information service industry, this paper combines a comprehensive analysis with the practical experiences…

The cornerstone of evidence-centered assessment design (ECD) is an evidentiary argument that requires that each target of measurement (e.g., learning goal) for an assessment be expressed as a "claim" to be made about an examinee that is relevant to the specific purpose and audience(s) for the assessment. The "observable evidence" required to…

The main purpose of this study was to investigate how receiving personal counseling at a university counseling center helps students deal with their personal problems and facilitates academic functioning. To that end, this study used both clinical and academic outcome measures that are relevant to the practice of counseling provided at a…

This paper describes the use of an "institutional inquiry assignment" for pre-service teachers at a large state university in the US to foster critical understanding of institutional oppression. Written inquiry assignments, web-based journal entries, and class discussions with one hundred and six pre-service teacher candidates enrolled…

Objectives: To describe how nominal group technique (NGT) was used to inform the development of a sexual health education program for black high school youth in the South. Methods: NGT was used with a community advisory board (CAB) to obtain information regarding the key components of a sexual health program for youth in their community. Results:…

The article outlines the methodology used in an ethnographic study of identity with teenagers who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It is unusual to investigate this population in naturalistic contexts using qualitative methods. Nine individuals are studied, in a range of contexts using ethnography as the main method. The…

As the educational research community has struggled with research issues over the last few decades, we have turned almost exclusively to epistemologically oriented methodology for answers. Implicit in this methodological discourse are three questionable presuppositions about the relationship between methods and methodology and between researchers…