A study explored the effect of drama on the writing development of adolescents in four Toronto (Canada) schools over a 6-month period using a naturalistic observation methodology. The range of schools and student groupings included: a grade 10 drama class in a collegiate institute; a grade 12/O.A.C. drama class in a technical-commercial school;…

"Thick descriptions" are descriptions that are layered enough to draw conclusions and uncover the intentions of a given act, event, or process. In a video environment, thick descriptions are images, gestures, or sequences that convey meaning. Neither the quantity nor the resolution of the images makes the descriptions thick. Thickness is…

This paper recommends the replacement of student evaluation methods based on the behaviorist model with holistic assessment based on principles of seeing individuals as active learners who interact with their physical and social environment. Four approaches are recommended: (1) gathering information from a variety of sources and contexts; (2) a…

To make the point that infant emotions are more dynamic than suggested by Differential Emotions Theory, which maintains that infants show the same prototypical facial expressions for emotions as adults do, this paper explores two questions: (1) when infants experience an emotion, do they always show the corresponding prototypical facial…

This paper offers guidelines in the consideration of an open or closed classroom-observation system. Factors in the definition of an observation approach include target, timing, focus, topic of observation, and data-collection system. Because there are advantages and drawbacks to any classroom-observation system, the following factors should be…

In the conduct of field studies, there are three different points at which data may be collected unobtrusively. The first is when there is a "search" for an area of study. The second point in which data may be gathered unobtrusively is when the researcher is attempting to further the analysis. The third point in which data are collected…

The relationship between interaction with the caregiver and the emergence of play activities during the one-word period was examined. In particular, investigation centered on Vygotsky's views regarding the importance of social interaction as the source of the child's knowledge of the world. To empirically examine the role of the caregiver,…

Conventional experimental research in mental imagery and visualization presents conflicting findings. Naturalistic inquiry offers an alternative approach for the study of mental imagery and problem solving. Paulo Freire, for example, used a naturalistic approach that emphasized active involvement in learning. Imagery can play an important role in…

This report describes a two-phase study designed to (1) investigate the appropriate evaluation literature and develop a formative evaluation model; (2) investigate the formative evaluation procedures utilized by Advanced Systems Incorporated (ASI), a successful producer of training materials; (3) develop a model based upon these procedures; and…

Fignting behavior in young children was investigated in a sample of 96 first- and second-grade children from 14 classrooms in two suburban schools. A fight (or "conflict episode") was defined as a sequence of interchanges between two children in which child A attempts to influence child B's behavior, child B resists, and child A…

Describes a simple observational method for recording and evaluating the caregiving behavior of teachers of younger and older infants that may be used to foster program improvement. (ED)

This study investigated whether the familiarity of an object observed by an individual influences his responses on observation and comparison tasks. Results indicated no significant differences between the number of observations of ordinary objects and the number of observations of novel objects. (MLH)

Examined sex differences in the play preferences of 2-year-old nursery school children and determined whether teachers of this age group reinforce female sex-typed behaviors as do teachers of older preschoolers. (SDH)

This guide provides an introduction to the use of microcomputers with qualitative data. It is deliberately non-specific and rudimentary in order to be of maximum benefit to the widest possible audience of beginning microcomputer users who wish to analyze their data using software that is not specifically designed for qualitative data analysis. The…