This study analyzes how undergraduate university teachers are thinking in the classroom about the theoretical and practical contents related to the subject called "Curriculum Studies." The study focuses on the aspects of the theory-practice relationship, the idea of curriculum, and the theoretical references used by the undergraduate…

This study examines how Robert Kapilow, Yale-educated classical- and Broadway-music conductor, educates diverse audiences about classical music. Phenomenological and case study methods were used to explore: (1) what music education has meant to Kapilow; and (2) how this view influenced his practice of teaching and conducting. Analysis of in-depth…

This paper summarizes practical strategies that qualitative researchers can employ to improve their interviewing skills. The first section, "The Art of Questioning: Wording Makes a Difference," presents several guidelines: (1) questions should be short and precise; (2) ask only one question at a time; (3) avoid questions in which the…

Groups from two Michigan-based science education projects, funded through the Kellogg Foundation Science Education Initiative, used networking conferences with cluster evaluation processes for their program assessment format. Cluster evaluation is categorized as a type of naturalistic evaluation, and it includes negotiated common cluster outcomes,…

This paper examines the nature and extent of friendships between disabled and nondisabled people through a study of several pairs of such friends. Indepth interviews examined such questions as how the individuals met, the history of their relationship, how each individual perceives the friendship, and how this friendship compares to other…

This study sought to identify the variables which influence the meanings of labels used by science education researchers doing qualitative research. In a qualitative emergent design study, participant observation, informal interviews, and document review were used to gather and analyze data in recurring cycles. Presentations and discussions among…

The paper describes a naturalistic evaluation study of an enrichment program for gifted learners in Newfoundland. The pull-out program (for two half days out of six) is described in terms of audience concerns and issues, standards, program components, and data-generating techniques (observations and interviews). The evaluation led to a report…

This qualitative study of expectations for and outcomes of practicums in library and information science had four aims: (1) to discover whether faculty, host librarians, and students had the same objectives; (2) to ask students what they experienced in the practicum and compare this to their previously stated expectations; (3) to assess the…

This paper serves two purposes: (1) it outlines some of the conflicting characterizations of the differences among scientific and artistic approaches to qualitative research; and (2) it provides some illustrations from conceptual and empirical research to demonstrate that these are indeed differences that matter. The following four ways in which…

The dominant model of schooling is a technical-rational management model based on behavioral, positivistic, quasi-scientific language, which has shifted attention from the art and craft of teaching to the "science and technology" of teaching. However, this model and the language which it uses limit educational thinking. Emphasis on…

This preliminary report of a project in progress--the creation of an alternate research guide for educational technology--begins by noting the influence of early ties to behavioral psychology and systems theory on research in the field and recent recommendations by researchers and scholars that the field be broadened to include such…

Interest is growing in naturalistic inquiry and qualitative methods in educational inquiry. Naturalistic inquiry refers to a paradigm of inquiry with two major features: a low degree of manipulation or control of the variables prior to the inquiry and a low degree of constraints imposed on the outcomes of the inquiry. Qualitative methods seek to…

Drawing on 2 months of intensive research in a network-affiliate newsroom, this paper describes how the researcher coped with studying newswork by qualitative and quantitative methods within a naturalistic paradigm and addresses methodological issues facing the naturalistic researcher. The paper discusses the following five methodological issues:…

This paper reviews models of program evaluation. Major topics and issues found in the evaluation literature include quantitative versus qualitative approaches, identification and involvement of stakeholders, formulation of research questions, collection of data, analysis and interpretation of data, reporting of results, evaluation utilization, and…

Summarizes recently articulated research needs in business and technical communication. Argues that qualitative studies of writing on the job and in the classroom are the most needed form of empirical research. Shows how research can be conducted using one type of qualitative research, ethnography. (JAD)