This paper reports preliminary work in an ARC Linkage Project involving collaboration among James Cook University, Education Queensland, and Technology One (a Queensland based company). The project aims to identify and interpret factors associated with low female participation rates in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professional…

This article examines the problems of lower secondary education in Spain (ESO, or compulsory secondary education), in view of the implementation of several education reforms, focusing on their effect on the crisis in secondary teachers' professional identity. Using research data, we analyse their experience of the crisis and the problems involved…

We analyze a two-year Faculty Fellows Program designed to enhance the service-learning pedagogy and scholarship at a regional comprehensive university. The impact of the program was analyzed using initial questionnaires, meeting notes, final reports, and faculty reflective essays. Participation in a faculty fellows cohort program provided a sense…

In a study to evaluate the drug treatment and aftercare efforts sponsored by the State Department's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau, residential Therapeutic Community (TC) treatment programs in three Latin American countries--Brazil, Peru and Argentina--were examined to identify promising practices and to assess lessons…

As part of the EFFECTS award (Effective Framework for Embedding Communications and Information Technology using Targeted Support), the necessity of evaluating the use of Information and Communications Technology (I&CT) in teaching and learning was reinforced and, as a result, the following study has been produced. This formative evaluation…

This article discusses the findings of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) that were conducted as a formative assessment for Project MYTRI (Mobilizing Youth for Tobacco Related Initiatives in India), a randomized, multicomponent, school-based trial to prevent and control tobacco use among youth in India. Forty-eight FGDs were conducted with students (N…

Objective: To explore the experience and practice of students entering a problem-based (PBL) medical undergraduate course and to identify contributory social, curricular and contextual factors. Design: A multiple case study exploiting the natural experimental features of the setting. Qualitative data collection methods, including participant…

The under-representation and poor retention of women in computing courses at Victoria University is a concern that has continued to defy all attempts to resolve it. Despite a range of initiatives created to encourage participation and improve retention of females in the courses, the percentage of female enrolments has declined significantly in…

This article describes the development and use of a norm-referenced instrument called the Healthy School Indicator Tool (HSIT) that was designed to assist educational professionals monitor their progress in addressing critical health issues in schools. Factor analyses of two administrations of the survey indicated a stable factor structure. In…

The recruitment of respondents belonging to ethnic minorities poses important challenges in social and health research. This paper reflects on the enablers and barriers to recruitment that we encountered in our research work with persons belonging to ethnic minorities. Additionally, we applied the Matching Model of Recruitment, a theoretical…

Instructional immediacy is an established communication strategy that teachers can implement to create engaging learning environments. Yet, little is known about experiences distance education learners in graduate study programs have had with immediacy. This article presents findings from a qualitative research project designed to explore…

This qualitative study used focus groups and interviews to investigate the inclusion of students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) into secondary education from the perspectives of: general teachers; special education teachers; students with AS; and their parents (N = 122). Across the four cohorts, five main themes emerged, however, different cohorts…

This study represents a collaborative school university partnership. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors report on the motivational and psychological consequences of students choosing their groupmates in cooperative learning triads. 139 students in five science classes participated in this study. Classes were randomly assigned to condition:…

This article presents the findings from a qualitative study that sought to learn about students' perceptions of a Cross-Cultural Learning Community (CCLC) at a large Midwestern University. The article focuses on three major areas that emerged as a result of focus groups: 1) students' reasons for joining the CCLC, 2) the role of the CCLC in the…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an online professional development course for inservice teachers in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) and concurrently explore the factors that influence online professional development. The study integrated quantitative and qualitative methods including survey, focus group and…