What is "action research" and how is it relevant to urban youth activists? Action research is a systematic process of inquiry, which involves gathering information about an issue or problem, analyzing the findings, and developing practical plans for affecting positive change. It is motivated by the desire to investigate in order to better…

This paper describes several methodological decisions made during a study of linguistic development of French in British classroom learners, highlighting the significance of choosing suitable tools for collecting, transcribing, and analyzing oral interlanguage data and noting the usefulness for interlanguage research of the CHILDES (Child Language…

This how-to guide to classroom inquiry takes educators through the process step-by-step, from beginning to end, answering critical questions on developing the research plan, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing and publishing the results. Seven chapters include: (1) "Teacher Inquiry Defined" (e.g., what teacher inquiry is and how it…

This collection of research instruments, together with a user's guide, is a supplement to the final report of the Salish I Research Project. The Salish I Research Project was an exploratory study conducted by a national collaborative to uncover knowledge about the relationships between secondary science and mathematics teacher preparation, new…

Presents activities having to do with data generation, organization, interpretation, representation, drawing conclusions, and making predictions on the basis of data which students have collected. (ASK)

Social information processing skills of 13 children (ages 5-12 years) with mild mental retardation (MR), 13 chronological age-matched children, and 13 mental age-matched children were studied. The MR group was less accurate in interpretation of accidental cues and more hostile in their responses to ambiguous cues, even after partialing out…

Reports research concerning the definition of variables by pupils ages 12 to 14 during investigative work. Findings suggest that an increase in the complexity of an investigation lowers the ability to identify relevant variables and substantive concepts intrude on the ability to define the appropriate dependent variable and to control variables.…

Explains the design and implementation of a student research project called Project SunSHINE. Explores the relationships between ultraviolet light and humidity, temperature, cloud type, and cloud cover. (SOE)

Examined a process for unifying two teacher self-efficacy scales, providing a common metric for communicating and comparing results. Data from 118 education students indicated that items from the two scales defined a unidimensional construct. Correlations between person measures from the two scales demonstrated their strengths for measuring…

Data from interviews, surveys, and archival records were used to examine gifted education policy implementation in Missouri. The study found that school districts tend to use a programmed approach to policy implementation when identifying gifted students with state guidelines usually being used prescriptively. Results suggest a need for greater…

Describes activities focusing on reading, recording, and analyzing schedules. Provides objectives, directions, worksheets, extensions, and answers to each of the activities. (YP)

Reviews how census data are used every day to make decisions in businesses, government agencies, and community organizations. Identifies key tools used in demographic analysis, suggesting applications of demographic data at a local level. Concludes with ideas for student activities, including guidelines for creating a community profile. (LS)

Discusses conflicting interpretations of results from contrasts of poor and normal readers matched either for chronological age (CA) or reading level (RL). Argues that the outcomes from RL-matched designs or from RL- and CA-matched designs in combination should be interpreted within a broad theoretical and empirical context. (RS)

Discusses the use or misuse of statistics or probability in society. Presented are examples from opinion polling, sports, the 1970 draft lottery, and the law. Lists 18 references. (YP)

This paper responds to a 1992 study in which it was argued that the structure of intelligence in adults with severe mental retardation deviates from Greenspan's model, in which social and practical intelligence form separate factors. Application of confirmatory factor analysis to the original correlation matrix found the Greenspan model to be…