What issues do distance education (DE) leaders believe will influence the future of DE? What are their colleges' DE strategies? This qualitative study compares DE strategic thinking and strategic choices at three community colleges. Two propositions are investigated: (1) each college's DE leaders use common strategic mental models (ways of…

Informal learning is still a core part of lifelong learning provision in higher education (HE). However, the focus is now moving to accredited courses that aim to provide progression pathways towards HE-level qualifications. This study surveyed community learners at local education venues in the South Wales Valleys and surrounding areas. A…

This paper describes in detail the narrative approach taken in a study of a particular facet of learning in the workplace--how people make sense of change. In unstructured in-depth interviews, employees were encouraged to tell their stories about their organisations, revealing details about the organisational culture and the ways in which this…

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate about the relationship between the social and the individual as it is enacted in personal learning and the remaking of cultural practices through work. It discusses progress in a two-year study of the work, working lives and learning of 12 individuals: four groups of three employees each. The concept of…

This lesson plan contains four activities based on the theme of newspapers and journalism. It includes a lesson to familiarize students with newspapers, journalistic writing, interviewing, and creating a class newspaper. The activities can be used as individual lessons or a larger project of creating a class newspaper.

Sex differences on Perry's stages of epistemological development were investigated in a study of 100 freshmen (50 men and 50 women) at a large midwestern university. A semi-structured interview probed six domains related to Perry's theory, including the role of the learner, instructor, and peers in the learning situation, the question of…

This monograph is designed to acquaint classroom teachers with the language proficiency guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the oral testing guidelines of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The guidelines are intended for language proficiency assessment by the oral interview technique. Designated…

This newsletter reports research findings from 31 rural New York school districts on teacher recruitment and retention. Of 31 superintendents interviewed in September 1987, 55% reported rising elementary enrollment; 61% had difficulty filling positions; 84% had too few applicants; and 68% reported a scarcity of appropriately certified applicants.…

This annual report on the numbers of homeless children in Massachusetts and their educational experiences is based on information from the following six sources: (1) family, adolescent, and battered women shelters; (2) the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare (Welfare); (3) the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS); (4) school…

This journal issue features a review of the edited volume, "Building a Professional Culture in Schools," and an interview with Charles Thompson, the associate dean for clinical studies at Michigan State University's College of Education. The review discusses the book's three major sections: one arguing for new professional roles for teachers; a…

Using a qualitative research approach, the researcher interviewed (over an 11-month period) four black, low-income mothers of children with disabilities concerning their perceptions of empowerment in interactions with professionals from an outreach agency attempting to increase family involvement in the special education process. In previous…

This handbook of culturally responsive ways to teach the basic, mandated curriculum to students from diverse backgrounds was developed by a multicultural group of teachers. The techniques draw on the students' diverse backgrounds to increase student motivation and maximize teacher effectiveness by decreasing the mismatch between the students' home…

The purpose of this study was to explore the value of variables beyond undergraduate grades and admission test scores in predicting success in the preclinical curriculum of the College of Human Medicine of Michigan State University (East Lansing). Subjects included about 93 students with relatively low scores on the Medical College Admissions Test…

Developmentally disabled adults who are cared for at home by their older parents present a challenge because community-based social and health services are required to meet the needs of both the aging parents and the offspring. In this study, 11 local case managers were interviewed in depth, for 2 hours, about their work with parents of…

This report presents findings from a study of the cognitive processes and learning difficulties of ninth-grade students in Algebra I. A clinical interview approach was used with 14 students. A group of six Hispanic students and a group of five Anglo students were enrolled in the same algebra class; three Hispanic students were enrolled in an…