Defines Participatory Action Research (PAR) as involving practitioners in the research process and building objectives into the research design. Discusses the history of organizational behavior research, listing the lessons learned from the Hawthorne study. Views current research as following either the course of "normal social science"…

Observation of 18 three-year-old boys revealed that they reacted more positively to both of their parents when their play style was more physical and active, resembling the typical paternal style. (Author/BJV)

Nighttime seat belt use by patrons of 10 taverns in two Canadian cities increased following an intervention consisting of police enforcement and the use of signs and posters. Separate observations of daytime seat belt use noted an increase in one city and maintenance at a high level in the other. (JW)

Safety belt use with and without addition of an incentive strategy was observed among 8,635 drivers at a drive-through restaurant. During the promotional campaign, average rate of belt use tripled compared to baseline following the introduction of a contingent reward (a large soft drink), and declined during followup. (JW)

Examines similarities and differences in responses and experiences of two children's natural literacy development--the author's son, and the daughter of librarian Dorothy White, described in "Books before Five." Concludes that by reading aloud and discussing books with the children, parents created a strong foundation for beginning…

Discusses qualitative research and its application to educational evaluation. Approaches discussed include the following: (1) ethnography; (2) naturalistic inquiry; (3) generic pragmatic (sociological) inquiry; (4) connoisseurship/criticism; (5) metaphors; and (6) phenomenography. (FMW)

This article details the rationale and purposes of an ecology-travel course-trip made available to preservice education majors at a small liberal arts city college between 1975 and 1987. Included are the course objectives, pretrip planning and procedures, posttrip debriefing, and statistics on destination, participation, duration, and expenses for…

An auxiliary study of the direct observation method for counting periodical usage in Evans Library at Texas A&M University found that student observations contain substantial error and that aggregation problems and cost issues are fundamental constraints to this method. Concludes direct observation may be useful in calibrating the results of…

Interviews with 24 adolescents, observation of minors using cigarette vending machines, and studies of the attempts of 20 minors to purchase cigarettes over the counter all confirm that it is easy for minors to gain access to cigarettes in Chicago (Illinois). Implications for tobacco purchase laws are discussed. (SLD)

Using ethnographic methods and taking a sociocultural perspective, examined preschoolers' social competence. Focused on the interactions of two children who were members of a peer group and one who sought membership in the group but was rejected. Discusses the importance of the sociocultural perspective to understanding children's social…

Advantages of direct observation are prominent in assessment of dietary intake by children, particularly those too young to recall diet accurately, and in situations in which self-report bias exists. The article describes the direct observation method (focusing on institutional settings) and reviews literature on the subject, noting methodological…

Conducts a naturalistic study in a first grade remediation classroom to study language in use and to consider the transactive nature of spelling. Finds that spelling is a social/transactive process in which the learner makes meaning through interpretations of transactions among themselves, others, and the environment. (MG)

A study evaluated the use of a situational assessment for identifying work task preferences among three individuals with multiple severe disabilities. The assessment involved systematically observing indices of happiness and unhappiness while participants worked on different tasks. Work engagement was most frequent when workers worked on their…

Compares bullying and victimization in the playground and in the classroom through naturalistic observations. Results indicate that there were more opportunities to observe aggression and receive and initiate aggression in the playground than in the classroom. Nonaggressive children were more likely to bully in the playground, whereas aggressive…

Presents an overview of the goals and procedures of qualitative research, and discusses linkages between epistemologies and methodology. Reviews possible guidelines involved in the several steps of the evaluation process of qualitative research, emphasizing naturalistic research with families. Reviews common problems with qualitative research.…