This report, which was written during a project to develop a better understanding of which occupations may relate to agribusiness and to identify employment opportunities in agribusiness, is designed to assist state occupational information coordinating committees and state employment security agencies in developing special reports/lists of…

Action research is an approach to professional development and improved student learning in which teachers systematically reflect on their work, seek feedback from colleagues, and make changes in their practice. Several benefits of action research have been cited: (1) teachers investigate their own practice in a new way, looking at what children…

At the Futures Conference held by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1995, discussants from inside and outside the NCES considered the commissioned papers and contributed their expertise. This volume assembles the papers and commentary and summarizes some considerations for policy, research, and practice in future operations of…

This practical guide is one of a series aimed at assisting academics in higher education in researching specific aspects of their work. Focusing on small-scale insider research in colleges and universities, the handbook covers contemporary issues, research methods, and existing practice and values in the area of teaching methods. Strategies for…

Genuine educational reform depends on developing relationships with the home, community groups, politicians, and the business community (Seeley, 1981). This report is the third of three volumes that are products of a 3.5 year study of education reform, with a focus on the role of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. The…

The methodology that has been used over the past 5 years to develop and implement the Parent Survey of the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools (DoDDS), known as the "Report Card from DoDDS Parents," is described. The focus is not on survey results, but on the processes and procedures used to design appropriate instruments, distribute and…

An overview of the fourth conference of the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) on the Quality of Early Childhood Education is provided in this document. The conference focused on how interactions among settings at various levels in a micro-macrosystem influence, directly or indirectly, the experience and behaviors of…

The experiences of Canadian women in adult basic education and literacy (ABEL) were examined in a national research project during which 2 contact women from each of 12 ABEL programs across Canada spend one-half day each week "researching" their program's "woman-positive" activities and the consequences of those activities for…

The aims of this paper are to: (1) illustrate a practical, collaborative methodology that helps to provide insights into teaching perspectives and practices; (2) provide information about a self-study approach that had the potential to assist educational practitioners in diverse roles and contexts develop understanding about themselves, their…

This handbook, which was written by researchers with expertise in Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) system, provides background information about the following: approaches to research in vocational education and training (VET); the range of methods normally used in research and their the application to VET; and procedures for…

Three papers written by graduate students on educational linguistics are included. These papers represent works in progress by students and professors on topics ranging from speech act analysis and classroom discourse to language planning and second language acquisition. The papers are generally based on research carried out for courses offered in…

In 1990, as part of an effort to assess the effectiveness of the transfer function, Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas, conducted a follow-up study of former students who had transferred in 1989. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of 1,277 JCCC transfer students identified through a list of all active and former students who…

This book was developed to provide guidance in the process of systematic inquiry in the field of adult education and training. The book contains 11 chapters. It begins with an introduction and overview of the research process, followed by two chapters on how to shape a research problem and conduct a review of the literature that will help to…

This report describes how a longitudinal study was conducted, which examined 1,235 at-risk sixth-grade students (95 percent Black and 5 percent Hispanic) in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools and their schools and families. The longitudinal study traced the children's patterns of school adjustment since their enrollment in government-funded…

Educational research conducted by classroom teachers can offer valuable insight into the experience of teaching and the nature of student learning. However, striving to be both a researcher and a teacher can present unique and serious challenges. An incident from the classroom experiences of a researcher/teacher is described that portrays much of…