Describes how a comparative study of street children in Montevideo (Uruguay), Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City contributes to a synergism between theory and method. Notes how theoretical approaches of symbolic interactionism, genetic structuralism, and habitus theory complement interview, participant observation, and content analysis methods;…

Describes how two middle school science teachers approached the integration of interactive videodisc into their science teaching and curriculum. (Author/MKR)

Participant observations and key informant interviews were used in three case studies, each case corresponding to a different degree of researcher involvement in a Canadian school district's participatory evaluation. The contextual differences observed are discussed, and the usefulness of the approach to studying evaluation methods is described.…

Explores the types of behavior in the studios of acclaimed string teachers whose instruction is based on the principles of Shinichi Suzuki. Focuses on (1) the time allocated to teacher, student, and parent and (2) the relationships between student characteristics and lesson participants. (CMK)

Four researchers argue the merits of qualitative methodology and its particular relevance to those in special education who seek to move beyond a deficit perspective. Unconstrained by defined variables and decontextualized settings, qualitative methods allowed the researchers to extend the scope of their studies beyond originally stated research…

This study examined the experiences of secondary rural school students, teachers, and administrators to determine their perspectives on distance education. Discusses results of interviews, naturalistic observations, and document analysis that showed the importance of teacher characteristics; problems with a lack of socialization; and problems with…

Describes different research activities that can be used in a college dining facility to make it a real-life laboratory where students can apply research skills and learn about the scientific method. Offers evidence that the experience provides an effective tool to teach the scientific method. (CMK)

An Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R) was conducted with parents of 11 children with early infantile autism and 16 with a language disorder, along with a standardized Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-G). Ten children with autism were correctly classified on both measures. One child with a language disorder was falsely classified on…

Describes and analyzes how context acts as a resource for and a constraint upon the personal experience narratives of educators. Examines a teacher's story told in a support group for democratic educators. Illustrates the role that context has on storytelling, how teacher-narrators interpret/act upon context, and how context constrains a story.…

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)

This critique of J. Renzulli's review of his own work on gifted education suggests that no classroom observational studies have critically examined the dynamic interaction of Renzulli's Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness model, that within a school context the model is difficult to conceptualize, and that the model's complexity limits the number…

Describes a short undergraduate course built entirely around a research trip to an astronomical observatory. (WRM)

Discusses the role of peer interaction in the music classroom through the observations of how sixth-grade students accomplish the "Canon no. 40" improvisation and composition assignment. Concludes that peer interaction was a key element in the students' learning and provides the lesson plan for "Canon no. 40." (CMK)

Examines the relation between a play-based assessment tool, specifically the PLAY observation system, and a standardized assessment of cognitive and social skills of preschool children. Recorded the level of play each child exhibited. Play behaviors reflected the child's cognitive and social developmental functioning. (CMK)

Examined whether data on child care quality obtained from a telephone interview with the provider could serve as an adequate proxy for data obtained from direct observation of 89 child care homes and 92 centers. Found that a 25-item interview predicted accurately the quality classification of 92 percent of homes and 89 percent of centers.…