Last year, OCLC Research and the UK's Research Information Network (RIN) undertook a pair of parallel studies in the US and the UK on the theme of research support services in universities (Kroll and Forsman 2010; CIBER 2010). In the US, the library and scholarly information consultancy Kroll Research Associates was commissioned, and in the UK the…

While strong evidence exists that the use of data in decision-making is critical for quality improvement and effective student outcomes at the university, institutions of higher education are not using the data from assessments to inform their decision-making processes. The disconnect between what current research describes as the effective use of…

As a leader, what can you do when economic turmoil threatens an organization that you have been entrusted to steward? How do you ensure that an organization with deep roots and clear purpose endures during prosperous and challenging times? How can an organization continue to live its mission while operating in an environment that threatens its…

As the standards and accountability movements have gained momentum and political favor in recent years, a renewed interest in instructional practices intended to promote greater success on standardized tests has been evidenced. One such instructional practice, homework, while certainly not a recent practice, receives both support and criticism and…

This one-term practitioner research study, conducted with 33 Year 5 children, considers the impact of teaching exploratory talk skills on the learning of the class, with particular consideration of the development of the ability of gifted and talented children to manipulate and control sentence structure to create effect. Beginning with metatalk…

An estimated 95,000 people developed methicillin-resistant "Staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA) infections during 2005 of which 14% were community-associated and 85% were hospital or other health setting associated, and 19,000 Americans died from these infections that year. Purpose: To explore health care providers' perspectives on management…

This paper describes how Marche Regional Administration (MRA) introduced an innovative institutional reform of an Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (AKIS) in central Italy. In order to study the main features of the MRA reform we used a methodological approach based on three steps: (i) first we applied a desk analysis to sketch the…

This study evaluated a device that applied a sustained increase in accelerator pedal back force whenever drivers exceeded a preset speed criterion without buckling their seat belts. This force was removed once the belt was fastened. Participants were 6 commercial drivers who operated carpet-cleaning vans. During baseline, no contingency was in…

It is generally accepted that art and design related disciplines attract a higher proportion of students with dyslexia than traditional academic counterparts. Combined with this is a prevalent perception that dyslexia predominantly affects students' writing and linguistic ability and it is this, as well as an increased visual-spatial sensibility,…

Background: Little is known of paid carers' perspectives when caring for people with intellectual disabilities at the end-of-life. Materials and methods: Sixty four individuals from intellectual disability services took part in 12 focus groups. Interviews were analysed using framework analysis. Results: Participants wanted to provide palliative…

Objective: There is limited evidence regarding effective smoking cessation interventions in deprived communities. This study explored what factors are considered most important in smoking cessation, from the perspective of a group of NHS Stop Smoking Service users from a deprived community. Design: A qualitative study. Setting: A deprived…

Research is lacking on the effect of the deaths of fellow service users on people with intellectual disabilities. This qualitative study formed part of a project which aimed to describe the provision of palliative care to people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland and to assess the population's palliative care needs. We report on findings…

It is widely acknowledged that traditional teaching methods such as lectures, textbooks and case study techniques on their own are not adequate to improving the most in-demand employability skills for graduates. The aim of this article is to explore the potential impact that novel learning and teaching methods can have on improving the…

The National Association for the Education of Young Children and Head Start have clearly articulated their position on the provision of high-quality instruction for the 4 million dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in early childhood (EC) programs nationwide. Professional development (PD) provides a way for educators to increase their knowledge…

Preservice teachers need opportunities to understand the special needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) before they begin to teach them, yet frequently their exposure is limited to a journal article or college lecture. This collective case study aimed to explore the experiences of 17 American, native English-speaking preservice teachers as they…