This research was supported in part though an IMLS Kent State University Grant supporting Information Literacy. Based on the importance of teacher-school library media specialist collaboration, this study seeks to advance knowledge involving the dynamics of this special relationship. The subjects were a group of student librarians--themselves…

Asynchronous computer-based conferencing offers several unique capabilities as a medium. Participants can read and write messages at whatever time is convenient for them, groups can interact even though participants are geographically separated, and messages are available to readers almost instantly. Because the medium has served for over a decade…

A model of the impact of urban networks on monetary circulation is developed. The author argues that considering the effects of urbanization and occupational specialization on the velocity of money provides a fuller understanding of English inflation from 1500-1650 than traditional explanations focusing on population growth or changes in the money…

This paper analyzes electronic mail and its role in adult education, identifies research on the educational implications of electronic mail, and discusses theoretical issues from an economic, psychological, and sociological perspective. (SK)

Examines the relationship between the international telephone network and democratization through network analysis. Highlights include principles of modern democracy; community and global interactions; a country's pattern of communication and its relationship to democratic development; and a country's position in the international telephone…

To comprehend the developments underlying the suicide attacks of recent years, we suggest that the organizational approach, which until recently was used to explain this phenomenon, should be complemented with a social network perspective. By employing a social network analysis of Palestinian suicide networks, the authors found that, in contrast…

This article explores school-university partnerships in educational research and is written from the perspective of the university partner. It explores three main questions: Why engage in teacher research? Why do it in a partnership? What are the benefits, limits and difficulties? The author draws on her experience of two collaborations, where the…

In this article, the authors describe an evaluation of a troubled high school that was conducted approximately fifteen years ago. Their original evaluation plan focused on the collection of academic achievement scores and attitudinal variables taken from the school effectiveness literature, but the serendipitous inclusion of what they called…

This study investigated how different tools differentially mediate the way groups interact and how the differential tool use and interactivity influence interdependence in online collaborative activity. Activity Theory is used as a framework to examine and explain computer-mediated interactions among students during group work. The findings reveal…

This essay describes the pertinence of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for the social sciences in general, and discusses its methodological and conceptual implications for comparative research in particular. The authors first present a basic summary of the theoretical and methodological assumptions of SNA, followed by a succinct overview of its…

Online discussion plays a unique role in face-to-face and distance teaching and learning. Interaction and student cognitive engagement during the online discussion are critical for constructing new understanding and knowledge. This article analyzes types of interaction that occur during online discussions, examines levels of student cognitive…

While many factors are taken into account when identifying appropriate practicum placements, effective technology use by the classroom teacher is rarely considered. This is disconcerting given the recent emphasis on teacher technology preparation. The research described in this article studies 30 preservice teachers' participation in a six-week…

This article connects teachers' experiences of reflective school portfolio development to the idea of teachers' knowledge communities, the different groups and individuals with whom teachers negotiate meaning for their stories of experience, lived and told, and re-lived and re-told, over time. The reflective analysis makes the case that the…

The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges that relate to the implementation of virtual inquiry practises in middle school. The case was a school course in which a group of Finnish students (N = 14) and teachers (N = 7) completed group inquiries through virtual collaboration, using a web-based learning environment. The task was…

Focusing on the analysis of communication networks within organizations with an eye toward implications for study of external communication, this paper (1) develops a systems theory/communication view of the nature of formal organizations, (2) illustrates the notion of holistic organizational communication networks in organizations which include…