Between the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census several Southeastern states, largely void of a permanent Latino population prior to 1990, witnessed significantly large increases in the number of Latina/o residents, particularly in rural communities. This study was designed to ascertain the impressions of non-Latina/o teachers and school counselors working…

An information literacy (IL) framework has been proposed for Hong Kong students to adapt to the emergence of the knowledge-based society, digital culture and globalisation. The aims of the study reported herein were to validate the proposed IL model and collect the views of practitioners and representative stakeholders on the possibility of its…

Students' understanding of history may be shaped less by their social studies teachers than by the powerfully ubiquitous, historically themed media images they passively consume outside of school. In this article, the author describes two strategies conducted during a classroom-based action research study designed to explore how historically…

There has been wide recognition that today's graduates need the type of generic capabilities necessary for lifelong learning. However, the mechanism by which universities can develop these generic skills is not clearly established. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism for their development. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to…

This paper reports on research aimed at investigating the ways in which teachers in Portugal and in England are experiencing recent changes in the policy environment which have affected their sense of professionalism and their professional identity. Data were collected through questionnaires and focus group interviews. Findings suggest the…

Pregnancy among young Latinas demands attention. These teens have higher birthrates than other teen populations. Seven focus groups (N = 40) were conducted with Latinas to explore how relationships between young Latinas and their mothers, fathers, and male partners contribute to teen pregnancy. ATLAS/ti (a qualitative data analysis software…

A study examined the impact of the "Closing the Achievement Gap" (CAG schools) program on the academic achievement of students in 30 schools serving high percentages of African American and economically disadvantaged students in West Virginia (WV), 2004-2008. The program assigned experienced educators, "CAG liaisons", to the…

Background: Many of the potential benefits of using virtual worlds for teaching and learning are difficult to define and often become overly focused on the functionality of the technology or on its ability to support informal or "social" forms of learning. Purpose: The aim of the paper is to highlight the experiential nature of virtual…

The key to marketing a town is determining and promoting the town's "differential advantage" or uniqueness that would make people want to visit or live there. Exercises to help communities gain important insights into the town's competitive edge include a brainstorming session with knowledgeable community members, a visitor…

Thirty-one female psychology students with a mean age of 31 years (all enrolled at a public liberal arts institution at which 49% of all students are over the age of 25) were invited to participate in a focus group to discover their perspective of the college experience and identify their concerns as nontraditional students. The group moderator…

This research study investigated the concern that too many women were dropping out of the Ph.D. program in chemistry and getting an M.S. degree. A major focus was on the differences and similarities in the reasoning between males and females who dropped out. The major source of data was focus group interviews involving 3 people in each of 2…

To help the Middle College National Consortium to learn about students' perspectives on the transition to college, the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching (NCREST) conducted two focus groups with 13th grade students at two Middle College-Early College high schools. There was consensus by the students in the focus…

In the fall of 2003, PACER Center's Parent Partnership Project for Children's Mental Health conducted a survey to better understand what parents and families need from the children?s mental health system in Minnesota. The research team developed a survey questionnaire, a telephone interview, and a focus group session directed at learning what was…

This study addressed the construction and application of an instrument to measure students' perceptions of their resident assistant's ability to complete specified job skills. Survey items were written from identified training objectives necessary for effective, intentional interactions with students. The instrument has been constructed following…

This report gives the results of a study that probes how typical individuals think about religion, faith, and personal morality. Alongside their belief in the power of religion to help individuals become better people, most people are also instinctively wary about injecting religion directly into politics, the public schools, and public life in…