This article is a critical review of the 1992 "Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education." The article examines diverse approaches to qualitative field research, discusses ambiguous relationships between education and parent disciplines, notes how the collection represents current dialogue, and examines chapters on critical ethnology. (SM)

Reports results of investigation of reasons why a majority of practitioners refused to participate in a field-based psychotherapy process research project and to learn from them what would be required to enlist their future participation in this type of research. Main reasons were insufficient time, unwillingness to audiotape sessions, and clients…

This article details the rationale and purposes of an ecology-travel course-trip made available to preservice education majors at a small liberal arts city college between 1975 and 1987. Included are the course objectives, pretrip planning and procedures, posttrip debriefing, and statistics on destination, participation, duration, and expenses for…

Describes the experience of Asian-American and Hispanic-American immigrant students at Garden City High School. Finds that school policies and programs and a lack of empathy on the part of teachers and majority students tend to marginalize the newcomers. (DM)

Argues that the loss-function analysis used to adjust the census of 1990 depends on estimating probable errors in census and adjustment and that data from field-validation projects does not provide estimates accurate enough for the purpose. The loss-function analysis is actually driven by assumptions, not data. (SLD)

A diagnostic assessment system--based on performance specifications of the American Association of School Administrators' National Executive Development Center concerning instructional leadership for superintendents and assistants--was field tested with over 250 executives and evaluated using 89 executives. Data support continued use of the 42…

Describes a case study methodology that combines a three-year longitudinal study with nine retrospective studies about the same phenomenon. Explains how specific strengths in each method compensate for some particular weakness in the other. Suggests circumstances for which dual methodology is especially appropriate. (35 references) (MLF)

In northeastern Peru, U.S. mammalogists are tapping the knowledge of the indigenous Matses people to catalog the fauna of the rainforest. One zoologist turned linguist has recruited Matses research assistants; together they are creating a classroom text on mammals in Matses, which will help preserve both local ethnobiological knowledge and the…

Presents an overview of the goals and procedures of qualitative research, and discusses linkages between epistemologies and methodology. Reviews possible guidelines involved in the several steps of the evaluation process of qualitative research, emphasizing naturalistic research with families. Reviews common problems with qualitative research.…

Describes the experiences of two high school students who traveled to the Caribbean island of Curacao to view a total solar eclipse and prepare methods for teaching classmates about the eclipse the following school year. (Author/WRM)

Describes a project based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) that offers students a chance to design and implement a mini-research program to prepare them for an undergraduate research project. Discusses the context of the GPS exercise, teaching and learning outcomes, and advantages and evaluation of the exercise. (CMK)

Addresses the Science Education Enhancement and Development (SEED) project, providing a brief summary of the resources produced within the four main areas of SEED: (1) fieldwork; (2) laboratory work; (3) computer-aided learning and assessment; and (4) employer links. (CMK)

The present experimental research examined whether framing early adolescents' (11- to 12-year-olds) learning activity in terms of the attainment of an extrinsic (i.e., physical attractiveness) versus intrinsic (i.e., health) goal and communicating these different goal contents in an internally controlling versus autonomy-supportive way affect…

Protege selection was examined in a laboratory experiment and a field study of experienced mentors. The results from both studies indicated that protege willingness to learn was a critical component of protege selection. Results of the field study also revealed that organizational rewards for developing others related to the influence protege…

Any effort to understand academic departments would be facilitated by a better understanding of its relationship between its two larger spheres: the institution and the discipline. This study particularly asks: How do the relationships between institutional culture and the culture of the academic department vary by disciplinary field? Using…