This article presents a learning cycle with the aim of helping students understand the evidentiary basis of scientific claims. Students consider data and interpretations as used to support contradictory views in the debate surrounding the causal relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).…

This present study investigated engineering students' conceptions and misconceptions related to derivative, particularly interpreting the graph of a function and constructing its derivative graph. Participants were 147 first year engineering students from four universities enrolled in first year undergraduate calculus courses with or without the…

There is a cross-national trend towards unified curriculum and qualifications frameworks in upper secondary education, but such reforms face epistemological, political and institutional barriers and "unification" remains a contested issue in many countries, including England. This article examines the experience of the Scottish Higher…

Prior research on oppositional culture theory has generally focused on beliefs about the opportunity structure, or the "acting white" hypothesis, as an explanation for racial differences in school achievement. However, little attention has been given to the mechanism by which these beliefs affect achievement: schooling behaviors. The authors posit…

This article reports on a research effort that investigated whether the use of Microcomputer-Based Labs (MBLs), implemented within an inquiry-based activity sequence on phase transformations (melting and freezing), contributes to the development of fourth grade (9-10 year-old) students' conceptual understanding and ability to construct and…

The rush to do qualitative enquiry in education in the past decade has spawned a variety of methodologies and non-methodologies. The desire for absolute rules and lawlike procedures lingers and the current search is for certain rather than good judgments about educational phenomena. A methodology described as "quasi-historical" is…

Communication scholars should be skilled in the use of focus groups in communication research and in interpreting the data this approach generates. The focus group is a discussion group that concentrates on a particular topic or topics and typically consists of eight to 12 participants. The group is facilitated by a moderator who follows a…

Focusing on actors' employment problems, part 1 of this report describes data collected by Actor's Equity primarily in terms of: (1) membership files; (2) the organization's contract department; (3) pension and welfare funds; and (4) employment statistics. Part 2 analyzes these data sets in relation to employment, unemployment, risk factors for…

This 1987 study replicates a social work education program. Reviews factors affecting practice in rural areas and current educational trends. Results indicate drop in preparation for rural practice since 1980, especially at bachelor's degree level, and a trend away from rural course offerings. Includes charts and references. (Author/TES)

Computer-based management systems offer an efficient means of recording, categorizing, and summarizing data on student discipline. This article furnishes basic information on developing student files, entering data, and generating meaningful reports, such as individual student profiles, date and period frequency, student referral distribution, and…

Argues that teaching is both art and science, but that it is possible to evaluate effectiveness empirically. Discusses common research problems, including the large number of variables that can affect successful teaching; the validity of measurement instruments; and the relevance of research to actual classroom practices. (KH)

Summarizes the major findings of a study on the nature and scope of support for foreign languages by private and corporate foundations. The study identified 83 supporting foundations and 178 recipient organizations as well as 340 grants made in support of foreign language education during the 1973-84 period. (SED)

Describes a classroom project that allows students to learn the scientific method by going through the entire process of data collection, hypothesis generation, data analysis, and hypothesis testing. This instructional activity concerns "book carrying behavior" and is aimed at introductory anthropology students. (KH)

The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to have 100 percent of America's public school students "proficient" by the year 2014. As Rosenberg points out, however, there are multiple interpretations of proficiency, including: (1) Different methods of setting performance standards yield different meanings of proficient; (2)…

Finding good help is difficult enough these days, but trying to hire a qualified sign language interpreter can be especially difficult if you don't know what to look for. This paper provides some ideas that may help in your search. These include such considerations as using an interpreter referral agency versus direct hiring and certification and…