This study examined the mathematics experiences of talented children in an impoverished rural school district located in a coal-mining area of Appalachia. Using interview methods, the researchers explored the children's ideas about the nature of mathematics, their perceptions of the mathematics instruction they received at school, and their…

This paper explores issues of teaching and learning Chinese as a heritage language in a Chinese heritage language school, the Zhonguo Saturday School, in Montreal, Quebec. With a student population of more than 1000, this school is the largest of the eight Chinese Heritage Language schools in Montreal. Students participating in this study were…

In this article, we report findings from a study in which the daily lives of novice and experienced secondary mathematics teachers in Victoria were tracked. Two novice and two experienced teachers were also interviewed. Data collection focused on the activities the teachers undertook in and out of working hours, and their reactions to them. The…

Using qualitative methods, the author explores how adult learners' lives are affected by participating in adult literacy programs in Manitoba, Canada. After a description of research methods, changes in six major areas of learners' lives are discussed: general attitudes toward life, levels of interpersonal awareness, self-esteem, academic…

Extensive studies have been conducted on programming knowledge, instructional environments and effective pedagogies in order to improve the teaching and learning of computer programming. However, there have been few studies on the usefulness and effectiveness of using simulation. The aim of this paper is two-fold: to describe the design and…

Outcomes assessment is a process by which an academic unit defines and articulates its program goals and assesses its attainment of those goals. This article chronicles one language division's efforts at outcomes assessment for beginning and intermediate Spanish. The evidence used for program assessment consisted of WebCAPE placement scores,…

The increased diversification of classrooms in recent years has placed additional demands upon teachers who strive to facilitate the learning and participation of all pupils. The aim of the current study was to explore how primary teachers across Europe understand and respond to diversity in their classrooms. A total of 35 teachers from 7…

New heads taking up their appointments in English schools in recent years have had supportive programmes to help them, both prior to headship and on taking up the role. This study examines the experience of heads new to their role in primary and secondary schools over the period 2002-2004. All were participants in the National College for School…

We focus on how African American parents in a low-income neighborhood experience, interpret, and respond to current reform efforts as implemented in their children's school. As part of a larger project on parent-child numeracy connections in an elementary school, we interviewed 10 parents and held 2 focus group meetings, during which parents…

The "Learning How to Learn" project of the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme engaged teachers from primary and secondary schools in the UK in development and research of practice related to "assessment for learning" between 2001 and 2005. As part of the project, we were concerned to discover what factors encouraged…

Argued to "raise boys' grades" and "boost boys' academic achievement", single-sex classes in coeducation schools is one strategy among a plethora aimed at raising standards. This paper explores the experiences of teachers in one coeducation post-primary school that sought to raise academic performance, particularly among boys,…

Systematic inventive problem-solving is an approach for finding original and useful ideas by systematically examining alterations in existing components within a system, their attributes, functions or internal relationships. This method, which aims at complementing divergent thinking in problem-solving and design, is gaining increased attention in…

This study explores the impacts of backpacking as a therapeutic process for troubled adolescent women participating in wilderness therapy. A qualitative case study approach was used to investigate the experience of six adolescent women and three female wilderness instructors at an established wilderness therapy program. Data were collected through…

Heavy drinking continues to be a nationally recognized problem on college campuses. This article describes how student affairs professionals play a pivotal role in identifying and referring these students for relevant services. A five-step model for alcohol screening, advising, and referral is described using motivational enhancement strategies.

A defining characteristic of grandparents raising grandchildren is parenting a second generation of children. To learn how grandmothers compare parenting their grandchildren to parenting their children, 40 custodial grandmothers were interviewed. Results of a qualitative analysis indicated that grandmothers perceived themselves as wiser, more…