The authors review the contribution of qualitative methods to exploring concepts and experiences of wellbeing among children and adults living in developing countries. They provide examples illustrating the potential of these methods for gaining a holistic and contextual understanding of people's perceptions and experiences. Some of these come…

The author presents a case for the combined use of people-centered development and participatory research as a tool for maximizing local human resources to deal with local concerns. In building his case, Brown defines participatory research as a legitimate form of inquiry, drawing some distinctions between it and more traditional forms of…

This report summarizes 1979 activities of the World Fertility Survey (WFS), an international population research program to assist interested countries carry out surveys of human fertility behavior. The document is organized into six major sections. Following an introduction, section two briefly describes participation of countries in Africa,…

The exploratory research raises questions regarding the learning environment of rural adults in Ghana and Sri Lanka and challenges assumptions regarding adult learners in developing countries. Utilizing an inductive approach, the study hopes to identify the overall principles of rural life-long learning. (MW)

A summary and an analysis of the findings of the Land Resources for Populations of the Future project are provided in this report. The project, conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization, studied the food production capabilities of 117 developing countries to determine how many people they could support at different levels of farming and…

The international area has grown as a field of graduate research in the past 20 years. Graduate students in adult education need to become more involved in international research both to stay viable as scholars and to be able to effect positive change in the lives of people in developing countries. The four main priorities in research in adult…

The objectives of the state-of-the-art paper, second in a series on farming systems research (FSR) in the Third World, are to: (1) review the literature on farming systems; (2) evaluate farming systems research in international institutes and in national agricultural research systems in the Third World; and (3) recommend what can be done to…

This article describes problems affecting special education services in developing counties where economic challenges have harsh consequences on health, education, and welfare and force difficult ethical choices. Special education efforts in Ecuador are used as examples to describe inherent problems and give inspiration toward developing potential…

This report summarizes preliminary results of the Yale Project which is attempting to identify and document relationships between social and economic development and major physical and mental growth, and health deficiencies in Tunisian children. A total of 112 children aged 6-1/2 to 8-1/2 were examined physically and psychologically, and a social…

The four papers in this collection form part of the nucleus of research by a task force of advanced social science doctoral students who were foreign nationals enrolled in Midwestern universities. The first three papers, each a chapter situated within an interdisciplinary context, draw from politics, sociology, and history to define constructs on…

This commentary focuses on four common issues of concern that affect special education research in different countries: how philosophies, laws, and ethics influence special education research, how policymaking and research affect each other, how research topics are selected, and who conducts special education research with what methodologies.…

This commentary reflects on findings from previous articles that reviewed trends in special education research in the United States, Norway, Botswana, Ecuador, Australia, and Turkey. It discusses the function, funding, and subject matter of special education research, on research on the education of special education teachers, and on research…

Analyzes Kenyan educational research conducted over the past 25 years. Examines choice of research topics, research methodologies, training of researchers, funding, and research utilization. Advocates more action and participatory research, greater regional cooperation and coordination, publishing findings in accessible sources, and greater…

We reflect on methodological issues arising in two of our own research projects as a form of practice, as a way of engaging in a praxis of project research. The projects chosen for this purpose are themselves concerned with teacher education and curriculum development in environmental education: they include participatory "reflective…