Weather is a topic that occurs many times in the standard course of study (NRC 1996) from elementary school through high school. The activity described in this article allows students to collect data on the questions that interest them about the weather, and learn from their peers about a range of other questions that were investigated. No matter…

This research aimed to reveal how prospective teachers viewed their professional future and to discern how their lives would be affected in case they were not recruited as teachers. The research was conducted on senior students at Buca Faculty of Education. The sample of the research consisted of 149 senior students, including 82 girls and 67…

Some research on new teachers suggests that new teachers feel "lost at sea" when confronting the complexities of planning curriculum (Kaufman et al., 2002). In the tradition of self-study and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), this article describes a pedagogical approach that has met with some success in the author's own…

In 2008-9 the Centre for Early Scientific Learning (CRESL) at Bath Spa University worked with 10 primary schools in Bath and South Gloucestershire on the "Eco-monitoring at key stage 2" project, funded by the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust (AZSTT). As part of the project, the authors are writing a continuing professional development (CPD) unit…

In the absence of any national quality performance monitoring system (until 2006) 8 of 21 Greek public universities voluntarily participated in the European University Association Institutional Evaluation Programme (EUA-IEP). Empirical data were collected through documents (eight evaluators' reports). This article uses qualitative content analysis…

Many colleges and universities are now investing in more e-learning and blended learning courses. For a course to be worth the investment the institution must first recognize the most important factors to consider while developing the course. Of all the factors considered while developing a course the student must be considered as the most…

This case study investigates how several universities in the state of Connecticut (United States) responded to teacher education accreditation policy between 2002 and 2006. Using a cognitive perspective on policy implementation and a purposeful sample, we describe three common responses: articulation of a programme-wide conceptual framework,…

The provision of accurate, in-depth data on substance abuse trends and service needs has become increasingly important in light of the growing wave of substance abuse in South Africa and particularly in the Western Cape Province. This article describes the design and implementation of an electronic substance abuse surveillance system (SASS)…

Social validity is the extent to which procedures, goals, and outcomes are acceptable and important to end users and is not commonly addressed during assessment development. This article pilots a process of triangulating multiple methods to evaluate the social validity of a self-report assessment. These procedures were piloted using the Child…

This paper presents approaches to inclusion taken by primary teachers and discusses the institutional contexts in which these are located. Focusing on the development of enabling practices for the inclusion of children accredited with "special educational needs" (SEN), a continuum of approaches is identified, ranging from inclusive to…

The activity described here uses the creative natures of visual art and music to enhance students' potential for creativity while increasing their understanding of the science associated with force and motion. Students design, test, and redesign a sailboat vehicle; collect data; make interpretations; and then defend their design. Music is used to…

This comprehensive review of Social Story[TM} literature included (a) a descriptive review, (b) an analysis of research quality, and (c) a meta-analysis using percentage of nonoverlapping data. In the review, 28 studies were included; 18 were included in the meta-analysis. Descriptive results highlighted information on participants, dependent…

When a student demonstrates a challenging or problematic behaviour in the classroom, the climate and the instructional experience can change dramatically for both the students and the classroom teacher. Before resorting to sanctions and punitive consequences, there is a series of steps a classroom teacher can conduct to reduce and replace the…

This paper describes the development of a Quality of Care and Support (QOCS) scale for use with adult persons with physical and intellectual disabilities. In the pilot phase of the study, 12 centers from around the world carried out focus groups with people with physical and disabilities, their carers, and with professionals in order to identify…

This paper focuses on young foreign language learners' attitudes and motivations. An overview is given of the main issues in this research area, based on key European studies. Approaches to studying these affective learner characteristics are described. Some attention is devoted to data elicitation techniques and the importance of triangulation.…