Introduction: The study explores the social processes that influence the construction by academic (information behaviour) researchers of the meaning(s) and significance of an author and her work prominent in the literature of their field (Brenda Dervin). Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews, based in part on the "Life-Line"…

Leadership is a concept that has always been a major component of Colleges of Agriculture. Undergraduate students have numerous opportunities to develop their leadership skills and abilities though formal coursework, collegiate organizations, and personal leadership activities. This ethnographic qualitative research study investigated the…

This paper reports on an investigation into the changes in students' attitudes towards learning English in a Malaysian college. The main focus of the study is to investigate the changes in attitudes towards learning English during the critical transition period from secondary school, where the medium of instruction is Malay, to college, where the…

Concept mapping was investigated as a learning strategy to motivate 82 high-ability, 10th-grade students to take a more meaningful approach to learning biology. The study employed a quasi-experimental, prepost mixed methodology design to assess the relationship between concept-mapping proficiency and changes in motivational and learning strategies…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate if the environment of the State 4-H Council fosters transfer of training to life after the 4-H program. Purposive sampling identified former members of a State 4-H Council. The research methods included semi-structured and unstructured interviews. Major findings of the study noted that most…

Many elementary classroom science programs in North America have incorporated what is called design technology, design and technology, technology, technological problem-solving, and/or problem-solving through technology. Design technology involves designing and making products to meet some need, and is directly concerned with the individual's…

Echoing the current emphasis on examining changes in teacher beliefs, combined with the central role of inquiry in reform, this article argues that science "education" research experiences should hold promise in shaping preservice teachers' beliefs about the role of inquiry in understanding classroom science teaching. The aim of this…

Teachers in recent years have expressed a great deal of dissatisfaction with their status in society, consistently citing it as one of the most negative aspects of their role. Numerous studies have demonstrated that teachers believe their status in Australian society to be poor and their work undervalued. However, surveys of the Australian public…

This article reports on data collected as part of a four-phase study initiated to strengthen practice in the field of smoking cessation during pregnancy. It focuses on the perceived support pregnant smokers would receive for quitting smoking and how this support could be effectively used by incorporating the education of partners/family in smoking…

The curriculum of the Life Orientation (LO) learning area forms an excellent basis for equipping learners to respond positively to social demands, assume responsibilities, and optimise their life chances. I report on a qualitative study that focused on the extent to which schools and LO teachers succeeded in achieving the outcomes of the…

This study focused on the perceptions of paraprofessionals regarding the roles they fulfill while working with children with disabilities in special education and inclusive settings. Students were in grades K-12 and represented a range of disability categories (e.g., autism spectrum disorders, serious emotional disturbance, development…

Introduction: We report on a small-scale research project which examined the impact of mobile technologies on the users' experience of information overload. The project focused on a group of worker who have had relatively little attention in both the mobile technology and information overload literatures: senior managers. Method: The case study…

This study was conducted to explore leadership development within student collegiate clubs and organizations at an agrarian university in Ukraine. The data were then compared to a College of Agricultural Sciences at a university within the United States. The information collected in the study will serve as a basis for understanding leadership…

Research and educational policies have alerted teachers to the importance of multiliteracies. Communication in society today is characterised by rapidly changing and emergent forms of meaning-making in a context of increased cultural and linguistic diversity. This paper responds to these imperatives, releasing key findings of a critical…

Two current themes in social studies education- the inclusion of technology and the emphasis on "doing history"--intersect with the use of Web-based or digital primary sources in the classroom. Digital libraries make these resources available to students and teachers interested in accessing rare primary documents in order to study the…