Legitimate and fair criteria for the publication of qualitative naturalistic research in occupational therapy include credibility and transferability. Such methods as triangulation, negative case analysis, and testing for rival hypotheses are promising criteria for fairness and rigor. (SK)

Naturalistic inquiry methods were used to explore the spiritual dimension of wilderness experiences among 26 participants in wilderness adventure programs. Participants identified their spiritual experiences and factors contributing to or inhibiting such experiences. Program recommendations are offered for planning wilderness trips conducive to…

Naturalistically observed 52 preschoolers' responses to their crying peers. Found that variations in preschoolers' ways of responding were related to the children's temperament, friendship status, and interactive style with peers. (Author/BC)

Presents a philosophical grounding for valuation in educational administration. It is based on a naturalistic perspective that shows how scientific methods and relevant concepts and explanations can be used in situations requiring moral deliberation. Examples illustrate how administrators can use tentative explanations and consequence analysis to…

In this ethnographic study, Mark Granovetter's theory of the strength of weak ties was used to investigate the flow of human services information (HIS) among nurses and the elderly at neighborhood clinics. Analysis of observations and interviews revealed that nurses were bridging weak ties and helped link seniors with local services. (Contains 81…

This study examined the relationship between children's ability to delay gratification and time spent in make-believe play in a sample of 39 three-to five-year-old children. Delay of gratification was determined in an experimental situation (Mischel, 1974). Children's play was assessed using a teacher questionnaire, a mother interview, a child…

A qualitative study of was conducted to have an insight about public school teachers' use of instructional applications and their daily practices. The specific objective of this study was, to explore how teachers apply instructional theories, methodologies, strategies and techniques in their lessons before the implementation of new constructivist…

The article reports phase 1 of a two-year study that focused on seeking and use of information by students at various stages of their secondary education. The project used a large qualitative sample selected from four Australian schools and was undertaken during 2006 as part of a wider project concerned with using information creatively and…

This paper examines and analyses where and how information and communication technologies (ICT) are integrated in Singapore schools to engage students in higher-order thinking activities. Taking the activity system as a unit of analysis, the study documents the actual processes and sociocultural elements that engage students in higher-order…

We have been exploring the potential of a web-supported professional development system, the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), that integrates videotaped classrooms and discussion forums for use in preservice science methods classrooms. This article examines pre- and inservice teachers' perceptions about using the ILF and how their participation in…

The play activity of 20 children was videotaped and annotated. The children were questioned about their play and artifacts of the play were collected. Data revealed a qualitative organization similar to a hierarchy. This structure reflected themes, domains of literate behavior, functions, and skills. A vignette of an episode of spontaneous play is…

This chapter advocates the use of naturalistic inquiry as a method for undertaking unobtrusive research in instructional development. The advantages of naturalistic inquiry are listed, and it is suggested that these advantages make this form of research very useful to the field of instructional development. It is argued that both naturalistic…

The effects of the familiarity of setting and partner on the social behavior of infants was studied. Subjects were 22 infants 6-18 months old. Eleven of the infants were in a day care center; the remainder were cared for at home. In the first portion of the study, the day care infants were observed interacting with each other in the nursery…

The article presents a rationale for naturalistic assessment of young handicapped and nonhandicapped children in the classroom. Observation of such areas as cognitive activity, materials use, sustained activity, activity variation, adaptive environment, and classroom structure are encouraged. Four alternative assessment procedures are presented,…

Unobtrusive observations were made of 50 mother-child, 50 father-child, and 50 mother-father-child groups in an urban park playground in South Africa. The children ranged in age from one to five years. Each unit was observed for one four-minute sample. Results show similarity between father-child dyads and mother-father-child triads. (Author/BN)