Presents two separate interviews on one topic. William Styron and James West discuss West's biography of Styron from the vantage points of subject and biographer. Styron reveals some of the painful incidents in his life and West delineates how these have influenced Styron's work. Includes several photographs. (MJP)

Explores what focus groups are, how they have been utilized by researchers, and some of the practical and theoretical implications for incorporating focus groups in the design of educational research. Includes verbatim transcripts from interviews and specific examples of various focus groups. (MJP)

A severe space crunch and dismal academic performance prompted a Texas school district to adopt multitrack year-round education. Six years later, crowding is under control and test scores and attendance are up. In an interview, the superintendent and assistant superintendent discuss the district's success with this controversial schedule. (MLF)

Discusses strategies of social mobility involving education, occupational or residential change, and migration as well as the implications for language behavior of these strategies. The article assesses current theories of language maintenance and shift, drawing on network concepts and referring to change in an Irish-speaking community in…

Discusses pertinent issues with an urban public library director, including recent financial, demographic, and technological changes; developing partnerships within the community; service philosophy; communication with staff; and fundraising concerns, including management skills. (LRW)

Presents an interview with a technology teacher at a small Catholic school that manages to provide its students with technology education despite its tight budget. Describes the parents' involvement with the school through donations of money or used computers, and the positive effect of strong community and school involvement. (AJL)

This follow-up of the effects of the national Bookstart pilot study compared samples of urban families through structured interviews. It found that two years later those families whose babies had been introduced to books in the original experiment gave more priority to looking at books, buying books as presents, and book sharing between parents…

Investigates changes in preservice teachers' conceptions about projectile motion brought about by a combination of reading and demonstration and appeal to usefulness. Results indicate the effectiveness of a combined Demo-Text condition on immediate posttests and effectiveness of text in producing long-term change. Analysis also indicates an…

Presents a lesson for teaching students about slavery in the United States by using slavery petitions. Describes a lesson that spans over two class periods, explaining that on the first day students listen to an interview with Professor Loren Schweninger about the "Talking History" program. Includes reproductions of the petitions. (CMK)

Fifteen gifted students (grades 1-6) in a magnet school participated in phenomenological interviews. The students described the social milieu of the school as the backdrop for the meaning of the experience of attending the school. Four themes emerged across magnet school experiences, others, role, personal development, and time. (Contains…

Discusses outcomes of two small scale sets of interviews carried out in the Netherlands and England. Outlines views about and interpretation of work-based education routes for adolescents. Examines the Netherland's highly respected vocational route. Compares it to England's apprenticeship model, which is not held in high esteem. (CAJ)

Drawing on activity theory and the construct of investment, explores how three francophone college d'enseignement general et profesionnel (CEGEP) variously invested in a task that involved producing short documentary-style videos in English. case study data included interviews without he student and teacher and student work portfolios. suggests…

By placing integrated access to online information on the desktop, companies gain a competitive edge, empower their employees, and deliver higher-quality service at less cost. Information audits, focus groups, and employee interviews can determine the information needs of organizations and enhance their information infrastructure. In this light,…

Discusses a project that examined literacy development within the context of play in two Reykjavik preschool classrooms. Suggests that preschool teachers should enrich dramatic play with literacy props and print materials. Indicates that incorporating print materials in dramatic play provides a natural extension of children's preschool work and…

A follow-up interview with librarians from Hong Kong, Mexico, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand about library automation systems in their libraries and their plans for the future. Discusses system performance, upgrades, services, resources, intranets, trends in automation, Web interfaces, full-text image/document systems, document delivery, OPACs…