Case study of an English as a foreign language program in Central America that was based on linguistic theory illustrates how adherence to theory influenced learning expectations, motivation, and performance. Theory guided teacher training and curriculum design and gave learners concrete goals and a method of self-assessment. (Contains 22…

Four models of action-oriented research, a research approach that can inform policy and practice, are described: action, participatory, empowerment, and feminism research. Discusses historical roots, epistemological assumptions, agendas, and methodological strategies of each, and presents implications for family researchers. (JPS)

This article describes a special education preschool program that included four children without disabilities to serve as peer models to the eight children with disabilities. Results indicate that the peer models made a positive contribution to the program, as measured by their interactions with children with disabilities. (Contains references.)…

Reports on an action research project on ways and means of promoting learner autonomy in an English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. Focuses on the implementation of an autonomy-based English program with first-year university students at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The context and objective of the program are presented, classroom…

Elementary teachers in an interdisciplinary master's program in math, science, and technology conducted action research projects. Analysis of 40 projects involving design technology showed that teachers were transformed by the research experience, improved reflective practice, and moved toward student-centered learning. Students with special needs…

Argues that university faculty involved in teacher education should be conducting some form of action research intended to improve their own teaching. Suggests that much of the curriculum of language teacher education programs is based on intuition, and that it would be beneficial to subject intuitively-based practices to empirical evaluation…

This paper describes a one-year small-scale action-research project to identify the skills required by pupils (and teachers) to participate in individual program planning in a school for children with severe learning difficulties. A procedure was developed for the assessment of pupil readiness for full involvement in the target- setting process.…

Draws on experience with a transdisciplinary literacy project in writing development at the secondary level to address the sub-field of "writing-literacy," writing as a linguist working across an applied versus theoretical frontier. (Author/VWL)

Preservice English-as-Second-Language (ESL) teachers respond to various forms of feedback that they received in their TESL methodology course, and offer insights into how these individual response will shape their own evolving feedback practices. Results show that these preservice ESL teachers were pleased with the wide variety of forms of…

This article suggests possible applications of experimental analyses using analogues to empirically verify results of functional assessments in classrooms for students with autism and related disabilities. Analogue assessments involve creating conditions in which antecedents and consequences are held constant and specific variables suspected to…

Describes a recent national project focusing on involving teachers in carrying out action research in their teaching of vocabulary and the vocabulary learning of their own students. Teachers are given the opportunity to raise their professional knowledge and awareness of vocabulary issues and then to investigate their own classes. (Adjunct ERIC…

This article describes an innovative action research project based at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom that involved the professional development of teachers and instruction using specially developed Moon tactile code materials to teach literacy to pupils who are blind and who have additional disabilities. (Contains references.)…

This study evaluated use of a token reinforcement program to reduce three inappropriate behaviors of an elementary student with learning disabilities. Results indicated that awarding tokens for the absence of the target behaviors was effective. Practical aspects of the token program, as well as difficulties of employing data collection in an…

Argues that schools need to implement substantial, systematic changes in pedagogy, school organization, and professional development to address changing demographic realities in their communities. Reports on one district's response to this challenge as it implemented two action research projects for teachers and administrators to achieve…

Out of the moral panic surrounding the education of boys comes at least one good resource: this valuable book for teachers. While work on gender theory, queer theory, and the social construction of identity (Davies, 1995) have made huge inroads within the academy over the past dozen years, such theoretical thinking often seems exiled from K-12…