Investigates young children's opportunities to socially construct literacy during "story extension time." Finds that story extension time afforded the children with occasions to accomplish key purposes of literacy development and construct concepts about literacy. Notes children took the following identifiable stances toward the tasks:…

Describes the "corporate" approach taken by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to provide credible quantitative estimates of the long-term policy outcomes of total ACOA activity in its mission of economic development in Atlantic Canada. The Agency uses multiple lines of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, in its…

Used qualitative data from two schools using the Success for All (SFA) program to examine how teachers responded to SFA and how their beliefs, experiences, and programmatic adaptations influenced implementation. Forty-seven interviews with teachers, principals, and SFA facilitators and 49 classroom observations showed that teachers fell into four…

Proposes an alternative model of therapy for sexually abused children, and suggests envisioning the therapy process for children whose abuse therapies are particularly extreme as a series of cycles rather than progressive improvement through a number of stages. Discusses two cases to illustrate the proposed cyclic nature of play with this…

Reviews approaches and themes in the social work activities of the Centre for Evaluation Studies at the University of Huddersfield in England. Although adhering to methodological pluralism, the Centre's emphasis is on practitioner evaluation using single-case evaluation in combination with other methods. Presents some key findings. (JPS)

Three teachers describe how parents of deaf, severely disabled, and bilingual children participated in their children's learning. Qualitative research methods were used to help parents share their knowledge with teachers. (SK)

Most experiential educators acknowledge the centrality of the learner in experiences they facilitate, indicating a constructivist epistemological vision. Yet participant experiences are lost in research using an outcome-focused, objectivist epistemology. Employing a constructivist epistemology in research embraces a broader range of approaches,…

Examination of writing and reading graduate theses from the perspectives of theorists, graduate students, and faculty advisors resulted in the conceptualization of the process as dialogical storytelling and rewriting of each other's metaphors. Instead of modernist beginning-to-end narratives, postmodern qualitative research is perceived as…

Analyzes public debates over the authenticity of Wilkomirski's "Fragments: Memories of a Childhood 1939-1948" and Menchu's "I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala," arguing that they explain how audiences read and understand disclosures of the experience of trauma and how cultural memory frames these discourses.…

Qualitatively examined the college choice process for African American and Hispanic females at a large southwestern university. Identified, through the voices of these women, three major themes that support their decision to attend college: familial influences, the quintessential American dream, and striving to overcome. (EV)

An adapted version of the Puppet Interview was used to examine the self-concept of 6-year-old kindergartners. Responses showed that the fundamental structures identified by L'Ecuyer (1994) were present except the Self-Nonself. The adaptive self and personal self were central structures. Three substructures (self-image, social attitudes, and…

Uses 10 months of field research in a high technology start-up to identify six basic narratives types in three main categories deemed essential in founding and governing a new company. Shows how these stories enable founders to justify the existence of the company; convince others to devote funds and other key resources to the company; and make…

Analyzes texts published by ExxonMobil on the issue of climate change, employing both rhetorical analysis and discourse analysis to show their uses and potential value in business communication research. Shows how both reveal the socially constructed nature "reality" and the social effects of language, but are never the less distinct in…

Describes what qualitative research is in theory and how mid-level student affairs administrators can best use it to enrich their understanding of the deep complexities of the student clientele. Aids administrators in initiating a qualitative research process appropriate to their own departmental needs. (EV)

Outlines research basics for technical communicators collecting qualitative information in a workplace environment. Discusses: developing researchable questions from workplace experiences; searching existing literature for credible research reports; using observation, artifacts, and interviews as sources of information for answering workplace…