The goal of this inquiry was to create a social justice-oriented inclusive and enabling pedagogy by situating traditional individualised views of disability alongside three alternative understandings: a disability studies in education perspective, a First Nations view of disability and one based upon the autism pride/autism-as-culture movement.…

Parental communication and support is associated with improved developmental, health and behavioral outcomes in adolescence. This study explores the quality of mother-daughter communication about sexual maturation, abstinence and unintended pregnancy in Korogocho, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We use data from 14 focus group…

The current approach to solving educational problems in Taiwan is to adopt policies employed in Western countries. However, given the very different cultural and educational environment of Asia, not all policies effective in Western countries are necessarily applicable to schools in Taiwan. Therefore, an examination of the feasibility and…

This study was designed to improve teachers' confidence levels for inclusive education. Two groups of teachers in one elementary school participated. One group of teachers participated in special trainings and met in small focus planning groups with special education teachers. One group did not participate in the trainings and focus groups. Both…

This paper offers a summary of key findings from a telephone survey of 1,204 California parents conducted in September and October 2009 in both English and Spanish. The survey was prefaced by four focus groups: in Oakland, San Jose, Fresno and Los Angeles. The survey highlights several important themes for educators and policymakers, the most…

Intergenerational service learning is frequently used in gerontology courses. However, research usually focuses on the experience of the younger (e.g., children, youth, adolescents, students) rather than older participants, or older adults who are in poor health. Using a focus group methodology, this study explored the experience of active older…

This article aims to develop the concept of ethnolinguistic vitality by adopting a qualitative approach to vitality rather than the statistical approach traditionally used. Ten small-size focus group style interviews were held with members of the Welsh-Argentinean community in the Chubut Province in the south of Argentina in order to explore…

The professional literature is filled with criticism of standardized testing, and the belief is that most teachers oppose standardized testing because it forces them to abandon creative lesson plans in exchange for test prep. However, a study of Arkansas teachers found that teachers also have positive views of testing. The teachers reported that…

The goal of this project is to identify guidelines for privacy policies that children and teens can accurately interpret with relative ease. A three-pronged strategy was used to achieve this goal. First, an analysis of the relevant literature on reading was undertaken to identify the document features that affect comprehension. Second, focus…

This paper provides new empirical evidence on primary pupils' views on school attendance in Wales at Key Stage 2. The research was conducted as part of the specific evidence commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) for the National Behaviour and Attendance Review (NBAR) in Wales which was chaired by the lead author. The findings…

Background: Care and service trajectories for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are routes within the healthcare delivery system that consist of all the steps that people with ID and their families have to take in order to realise the needed care and services. In contrast to the growing system-orientated knowledge concerning quality of…

This paper highlights key themes which emerged from schoolgirls' responses to focus group questions regarding perceptions of Information Communication Technology (ICT) subjects in the Queensland senior secondary curriculum, primarily, Information Processing Technology (IPT) and Information Technology Systems (ITS). The 2006 focus group interviews…

A compelling body of research demonstrates that music continues to offer powerful potential for enhancing health and well-being in old age. Active music-making has been found to provide a source of enhanced social cohesion, enjoyment, personal development, and empowerment, and to contribute to recovery from depression and maintenance of personal…

This project starts with the contention that social work education must challenge students to reframe their knowledge and assumptions to prepare them for working with oppressed groups and develop emancipatory practice. Using transformative learning theory, constructive developmental pedagogy and related approaches, it explored the extent to which…

The technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework has been regarded as potentially effective in helping teachers integrate technology into the classroom. This study explores the instructional strategies of teachers when developing TPACK. A teacher professional development (TPD) program, in which teaching activities and deep…