Project PREPARE (Professional Renewal and Educational Preparation through Action Research Experiences) is a multi-year, collaborative effort between public schools, a regional intermediate school district, and a university. Its purpose is to develop a collaborative site of inquiry and practice where there is an emphasis on professional…

This paper follows the development of and changes in relationships between university faculty and middle school staff involved in a Professional Development School (PDS) group. Discussion is based on two imaginary "snapshots" contrived from descriptions of the group at their first meeting and again at the year-end meeting. The snapshots reveal a…

The authors integrate poetry and narrative into their self-study application of the research methodology known as Appreciative Inquiry (AI) focused on: (a) their personal and professional practice and development; (b) their teaching practice in universities and informal/popular education settings; and, (c) their educational research in the area of…

This paper outlines a Community-based Participatory Action Research model designed and implemented by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education with two community-based agencies in Milwaukee. In two participatory action learning seminars, research was combined with action to improve the educational experience of…

This paper offers some historical perspective on alternative research traditions and discusses some of the basic principles of community-based research as a tool for partnership development. The authors then describe an example of how Calvin College, a Christian comprehensive liberal arts college has used a multi-disciplinary approach in…

An examination of policy studies in the twentieth century shows that there has been a movement away from an earlier concern for a policy science of democracy. Traditionally, political scientists in the United States have wanted to do good, and for most of them, doing good has meant studying regimes and the state in order to promote liberal…

Designed to promote an institutional environment in which research activities and perspectives are integral to the infrastructure of the community college, this compilation of articles presents strategies for developing and strengthening links between research and decision making. Following a brief introduction to the role of the Community College…

This book contains the proceedings of a seminar that investigated the impact of cognitive and social development on the teaching of science in secondary schools, and the possible ways in which the science curriculum could be a context in which adolescents' development could be positively influenced. Six plenary papers were presented: (1) "Research…

This study explores the use of design technology to teach a unit on poetry in a fifth grade class. The main goals of the poetry unit were to develop students' abilities to use their own creative voices to express themselves and to write descriptive poetry that creates detailed images for the reader. This unit was implemented in a fifth grade class…

"DITonline" is an independent, daily news website run by students, for students, at the Durban Institute of Technology (DIT) in Durban, South Africa. The website is a collaborative project, emanating from blended teaching and learning environments in the university's journalism department. "DITonline" was launched in August…

This paper attempts to provide a synthesis of the best available knowledge on ways to evaluate the effectiveness of foreiqn language programs. Procedures that have worked well are outlined, an evaluation model is suggested, and a list of specific guidelines, checklists, and other resources is provided. The results of a survey designed to get…

In the fall of 1974, I was invited to serve as a consultant to the Indonesian effort to develop a National Strategy for Non-Formal Education. The brunt of my effort concerned action research for developing and testing an empirical "Community Learning System" designed to link local learning needs with the management-resource-learning…

This report on extension activities of member institutions of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges describes 91 program innovations and action oriented research activities. Objectives, sponsorship, program evaluations, and other data are cited for program innovations in such areas as continuing medical education,…

The study was motivated by 2 concerns: (1) a large proportion of offenses that are committed both by juveniles and adults are never reported or officially recorded; and (2) without detailed information concerning the delinquent acts committed by non-Indian youths in the Wind River Reservation area of Wyoming it is impossible to ascertain whether…

Consists of three articles describing research in business education. Topics include (1) computer education provision and computer utilization compared to known needs of the business community, (2) the influence of alphabetic shorthand courses on shorthand enrollment, and (3) an evaluation of software used in a business communications course. (CH)