Comparative education can provide a background of contrasts and possibilities against which to examine one's own problems. For comparative education to be effective, background conditions must be understood; educational systems must be examined as wholes, in their contexts; and ideas should only be borrowed from systems sufficiently similar to…

Responds to the issues raised by Werth and Holdwick, and Westefeld et al. (2000, [this issue]). Posits that there are important biopsychosocial trends that make the issue of suicide particularly salient today. Supports this view using two examples: the increased incidence of death from chronic disease and the greater awareness of the psychosocial…

The introduction to this special issue introduces each of the following 11 research-based articles, all originally presented in November 1999 at the 23rd annual conference of the Teacher Educators for Children with Behavioral Disorders. The articles cover a variety of research and practice issues relative to the education and treatment of children…

This article describes the characteristics of Participatory Research and Development (PR&D), a means of integrating research and practice by linking the university research and teacher practice. It outlines related methods and activities, details a number of qualitative findings regarding the nature of instructional change, and discusses the…

Discusses the limitations of experimental studies of learning and the emergence of alternative paradigms such as constructivism. Examines the growth of teacher research and its historical influences, including Montessori, Dewey's Progressive Movement, and Lucy Sprague Mitchell. Discusses current trends in teacher research, asserting that it is…

This commentary on C. Addison Stone's paper on the scaffolding metaphor for learning disabilities first suggests the flying buttress, which becomes integrated into a new structure, as a better metaphor. It suggests that scaffolded instruction depends on sophisticated shared assumptions about the conversational process. Evidence that some children…

This commentary on C. Addison Stone's paper on the scaffolding metaphor for the learning disabilities field urges that all available literature, rather than a particular metaphor, should be used to evaluate the efficacy of instructional procedures in interpreting findings of instructional research. (Author/DB)

This response by the original author to six commentaries on his paper concerning the scaffolding metaphor for learning disabilities highlights common themes (such as the basic dynamics of meaningful learning) and revisits arguments for and against the utility of the metaphor. Suggestions for broadening the metaphor to address related issues such…

Explores the perspectives of two high school science teachers on teaching for conceptual change as they work with graduate level preservice teachers. Details the conceptual change model employed by the teachers. (DDR)

Research shows that there is a big gap between intent and performance when students are taught about environmental issues. Discusses ideas for narrowing this gap and alleges that environmental bias is common in the teaching of environmental issues. Contains 33 references. (DDR)

Offers six strategies that can be used in human development courses to promote student understanding of the research practice relationship: (1) observation; (2) priming; (3) clarification of tacit assumptions; (4) a life span perspective; (5) the meanings of diversity; and (6) theory as process. (CMK)

Recent findings in brain research suggest the implementation of contemporary instructional practices is in order for base practices. Incorporating best practice research is critical for students to be competitive in a global market. This article provides a brief overview of educational philosophy, recent findings on brain research and language…

This article considers how the psychoanalytic concept of transference shapes relationships between teachers and students by integrating narrative case studies with a literature review. It provides an overview of transference concepts as they emerge in the context of clinical psychoanalysis and human development with implications for classroom…

Within-class experimental designs are subject to diffusion effects whereby both experimental and control students benefit from the intervention, thereby contaminating the control group and biasing evaluations of intervention effects. In support of diffusion effects, this study showed that a classroom intervention resulted in higher academic…

This article discusses the future contribution of art therapy to social science research and proposes that art therapists proactively develop collaborative ties with qualitative researchers from fields such as psychology, social anthropology, and education. Although the application of art as a tool in qualitative research is not new, its potential…