This ethnographic study examined the introduction of school uniforms in the public schools of one California city. Findings indicated that the uniform issue intersected with issues such as student safety and violence, family stress, egalitarianism, competitive dressing, and a power struggle over shaping the childhood environment. It was concluded…

Presents a teacher-initiated model for reaching class consensus on the meaning of confusing or interchangeable concepts in social studies classrooms. Illustrates the model by delineating terrorism. Shows procedural steps that involve students in self and small group interviews where definitions are clarified until consensus is reached. Suggests…

Discussion of implementation of computer-based educational innovations highlights a case study of undergraduate music theory students who had the option of using computer-assisted instruction. Barriers to successful implementation are described, including instructor attitudes, instructional style, curriculum planning, lack of peer support, program…

Describes study that examined the mobilization and implementation stages of introducing microcomputers into the elementary and middle schools of a school district. The use of interviews, naturalistic observations, and computer usage statistics is discussed, institutional and innovation characteristics are described, and the influence of teachers'…

Discussion of training needs of business and industry highlights a study that was conducted to compare the effects of a detailed instruction guide versus an outline format on instructor preparation, presentation, and participant reactions. Instructional effectiveness and instructional design are discussed, cost factors are examined, and further…

Describes teachers' understanding of individualized instruction by presenting data collected from interviews with seven elementary school instructors. Finds a positive relationship between teachers' understanding of individualized instruction and their moral development as measured by the Defining Issues Test. Provides a number of interpretations…

Reports the findings of a descriptive case study carried out in Ontario, Canada, and designed to examine how a class of fifth- and sixth-grade students reacted to an integrated unit. Found that participating in the integrated unit was a positive experience for all the students interviewed. (KO)

Contends that Muslim women in West Yorkshire (England) place an inordinate trust in the educational system's ability to deliver their children from poverty. Results of a three-generational study indicate that daughters of Muslim immigrant families, though aware of intense racism and poor prospects, try to comply with parental wishes. (AF)

Describes study that was designed to assess user interaction with InfoTrac, a computerized periodical index on optical disc that is accessed through workstations consisting of a microcomputer and printer. Use in three types of libraries--an undergraduate academic library, a graduate-level academic library, and a public library--is examined. (LRW)

Hmong refugees in Minnesota were studied on three occasions during their first decade in the United States. While there was general evidence of acculturation, psychiatric care seeking, and reduced psychiatric symptom levels, a large subset of Hmong refugees remained culturally isolated and manifested depression, anxiety, hostility, and other…

Interviews with (n=21) fourth, sixth, and eighth graders, who were asked to construct their own notion of average and representativeness in open-ended problems, identified five basic constructions of average as mode, an algorithmic procedure, what is reasonable, midpoint, and a mathematical point of balance. (16 references) (MKR)

A study used structured interviews to explore the nature of written language difficulties of 31 university students with learning disabilities. Discussion of results addressed perceived demands for written expression; specific areas of difficulty (proofreading/detecting errors, spelling, grammar, writing speed, legibility); strategies used to…

Data from interviews with 475 parents of students (and 84 nonparent controls) at a multiracial-multiethnic high school were used to test hypotheses about communication between parents and their children's schools. Results suggest differences between parents and nonparents and between racial groups in their recognition and solution of problems and…

After a year of instruction, 70 kindergarten children were individually interviewed as they solved basic, multistep, and nonroutine word problems. Thirty-two used a valid strategy for all 9 problems, and 44 correctly answered 7 or more problems. Modeling provided a unifying framework for thinking about problem solving. (Author/MDH)

Introduces ex-teacher and author John Taylor Gatto's experiences and views on education, including contradictory patterns of family life and education in the United States, based on traditions of various immigrant groups; deleterious impacts of standardization and institutional usurpation of family functions; and conflict between the development…