We articulate a framework for delineating student thinking in active, STEM-rich learning environments. Researchers have identified ways of reasoning that relate to specific content areas and practices within each of the STEM disciplines. However, attempts at characterizing student thinking in transdisciplinary STEM environments remains in its…

This paper reports an investigation of assessing students' information literacy (IL) in a naturalistic classroom environment by using a set of rubrics. A total of 72 lessons from 15 classrooms in Hong Kong were examined. Results indicate that the rubric is generally valid and usable in assessing students' IL skills but three more attributes which…

The purpose of this paper is to summarize some of the author's logical and empirical reflections on the practice of using naturalistic techniques to conduct evaluations. The main assertion to be supported by these reflections is that naturalistic evaluation is possible and in some cases powerful. This assertion is supported through a review of (1)…

The purpose of this study was to provide a description of the kinds of prosocial behavior that 2- and 5-year-old children naturally exhibit. Caretakers were asked for their observations of children's prosocial behavior in natural settings. Specifically, 40 parents and teachers who had daily interactions with 2-year-olds were asked to name the most…

Previous research in laboratory settings has found that preschool girls show more interest in babies than do preschool boys. To validate these findings in natural settings, 71 children at 3 and 5 years of age were observed by their parents as the children interacted with babies in their daily lives. Each child was observed with three different…

This paper outlines current theories of teacher practice that seek to promote equity from critical perspectives, and contributes to the empirical research on critical mathematics equity practice. Part of a larger study of equity and mathematics teacher practice in an urban public school, this paper reports specifically on the involvement and…

The effects of childhood epilepsy on family interactional patterns were examined with eight families with a child with epilepsy and eight matched control Ss. Families were observed in their home environment using a coded, direct observation tool, the Family Observation Record Keyboard System (FORKS), and the portable electroencephalographic…

Presents a philosophical grounding for valuation in educational administration. It is based on a naturalistic perspective that shows how scientific methods and relevant concepts and explanations can be used in situations requiring moral deliberation. Examples illustrate how administrators can use tentative explanations and consequence analysis to…

A qualitative study of was conducted to have an insight about public school teachers' use of instructional applications and their daily practices. The specific objective of this study was, to explore how teachers apply instructional theories, methodologies, strategies and techniques in their lessons before the implementation of new constructivist…

The play activity of 20 children was videotaped and annotated. The children were questioned about their play and artifacts of the play were collected. Data revealed a qualitative organization similar to a hierarchy. This structure reflected themes, domains of literate behavior, functions, and skills. A vignette of an episode of spontaneous play is…

This paper argues that while organizational research includes a diverse array of naturalistic approaches, a gap exists in the organizational literature that can only be filled by the ethnography of communication (EC). The paper proposes that, instead of using speech to do qualitative research, speech itself should be studied as the topic of…

This study examined children's attention to formal features and other attributes during television viewing. Subjects were 40 children, ages 2, 5, 8 and 11 years old, who were videotaped watching television at home during a 10-day period. Among other attributes, children's visual attention to television was coded, along with television program…

A naturalistic study of 112 families in two parks examined proximity and touching between family members as a function of age and sex of child, sex of parent, and family composition variables. Mothers and fathers were strikingly similar in their behavior. Distance from parent increased and touching decreased as age of child increased from the…

Learning to read and write music should be as natural as learning to read and write the English language. Similar instructional models can be used for both. This was the premise for the investigation of 5-year-old Joel's musical development. Joel was the youngest of a four-member musical family. He was surrounded by musical literature and role…

This study examines the relationship between societal forces and school computer use in the context of two issues surrounding computer technology: computer property and computer privacy. Four types of data were collected from district administrators, principals, computer teachers, and students over a 9-month period in a high school with a broad,…