Reviews the literature on implications of caregiver-parent relationships for children in daycare and at home. Finds that choices in day care are not randomly distributed across families; family and daycare characteristics tend to covary. Longitudinal studies, studies in noncenter settings, and studies of the child's influence on parent caregiver…

Discusses the theory and practice of rural socioeconomic surveys in developing nations. Highlights the close links between choice of research topic, field area and research methods, and the ethics of field research. Offers a personal commentary on some practical problems concerning field research. (MJP)

Critical reanalysis of a previous Australian study comparing the effects of single-sex mathematics and mixed-sex mathematics instruction on students in grades seven and eight suggests that the randomly assigned class-type intervention had relatively little effect on mathematics achievement or attitudes, and that at least some effects favored…

Suggests that the study of contemporary history can provide a vehicle for testing the validity of theories developed in higher education policy studies. Greater attention to the cultural and historic contexts of higher education, particularly in cross-national studies, is urged. (MSE)

Discusses student research, information literacy and research skills, and the role of inquiry in the research process. Presents a case study of a middle school science fair project that examined what students should accomplish in their research and what the role of stakeholders is, including teachers, parents, and school library media specialists.…

A survey of 1,267 doctoral students found their primary consideration in selecting a doctoral program was not having to relocate. Students were fairly satisfied with the training they received in research skills, less so in areas of college teaching, administration/supervision, and diversity. Less than half were interested in faculty positions.…

College administrators are complaining that "Yahoo! Internet Life" magazine used a flawed surveying process and inaccurate data to select the institutions it named in a recent ranking of "American's 100 Most Wired Colleges." Even some institutions faring well in the ranking have concerns about the survey, citing problems with…

As private colleges approach the turn of the century, they must again operate independent of government support, using enrollment management principles in increasingly sophisticated ways. They will rely more on institutional research to provide both predictive and management tools. Institutional researchers, enrollment managers, and data…

Provides an exercise for introducing research methods to undergraduates. The students view a graph revealing that left-handed people are underrepresented in older age groups. Small group discussions attempt to explain this phenomenon. A follow-up class discussion focuses on the different approaches and methods available for interpreting the data.…

Maintains that autobiography, as a form of qualitative research methodology, has the ability to incorporate a deep sense of the intricate relationships of the meaning and process of artistic practice and its embeddedness in cultural influences, personal experiences, and aspirations. Provides specific examples of how to use autobiographical…

Attempts to document the process of being immersed in the discipline of visual art making by presenting excerpts from an artist's studio diary. Includes post-diary commentaries on the excerpts and a discussion of how this process informed the artwork. Includes photographs of artworks produced during this period. (MJP)

Considers the complete ethnographic project as a strategy for teaching qualitative methods. Describes an undergraduate class where students chose an ethnographic setting, gathered and analyzed data, and wrote a final report. Settings included Laundromats, bingo halls, auctions, karaoke clubs, and bowling leagues. (MJP)

Describes the introduction of the Patchwork Text in a Masters-level research methods course at Ashcroft International Business School at Anglia Polytechnic University (United Kingdom). Evaluates Patchwork in light of whether it met three objectives: helping students achieve a coherent grasp of the research process; helping students develop the…

Seven papers focus on the relationship between research on effective instruction and teacher evaluation (TE). The first two articles depart from previous articles by M. Scriven; the others reflect new research. Topics include using rating scales in TE, improving instruction, at-risk and expert teachers, and supervisor critiquing. (SLD)

Reviews research that focuses on the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and suggests implications for limited English proficient (LEP) students, both native and nonnative speakers. Highlights include narrative and meta-analytic research; reduction in learning time; attitudes toward computers; self-esteem; and the interaction of…