Native Americans have oral traditions that are distinct from the European literacy consciousness, having different modes of discourse, different kinds of metaphorical thinking, and different conceptions of teaching as storytelling. Storytelling is important in children's education, but to be effective and respectful of Native culture, school…

Surveys of 28 New Brunswick (Canada) principals and vice-principals from 23 elementary schools examined their perceptions of their ability to assist teachers in using information and communication technologies (ICTs). Correlational analyses show that the more principals used ICTs, the easier it was for them to support teachers in ICT integration.…

A study examined socioeconomic and gender influences on student computer use. Surveys of 2,681 seniors from 60 Alberta high schools indicated higher computer use among males. Male and female students of higher socioeconomic status were more likely to use computers at home, but less likely to use them at school. Findings challenge claims that…

A survey of 219 children from a kindergarten in the United States and a Kuwaiti kindergarten and Indian private preschool in Kuwait examined children's perceptions of God, death, and the afterlife. The common responses of the children suggest that although different views of Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism may appear contradictory, they are all…

A study examined preservice teachers' professional "risk taking" during student teaching with regard to experimenting with cooperative learning. Classroom observations and interviews with 14 preservice teachers who were student teaching in Quebec high schools indicated that risk taking and innovation depended on support received during planning…

Interviews with teachers of 17 small first-grade classes at 10 Edmonton (Alberta) schools found that teachers drew on the contextual benefits of small classes to support students' skill development in a creative and integrated curriculum. Teachers used individualization; active learning; integration of reading, writing, and speaking; and a variety…

Interviews with seven recent-immigrant Chinese families in Canada examined parental expectations of their children's school performance. Parents' expectations motivated their children to pursue goals with hard work, which enhanced self-efficacy and nurtured good study habits. However, high parental expectations and unwillingness to accommodate…

A 3-year study will examine conflict in professional field education. Stage 1 will collect narratives about critical incidents from student-field instructor-faculty member triads in the fields of education, medicine, nursing, and social work. Stage 2 will focus on analysis of narratives. Stage 3 will include multidisciplinary conversations among…

Considers the role and aim of education in the thinking of J. Rousseau. To Rousseau, education serves as a medium between nature and society, with the task of education being that of turning man into a social being. Discusses Rousseau's philosophy in light of his novel "Emile." (SLD)

Using two-level structural equation modeling, examined the dimensionality of socioeconomic status (SES) and its relationship with mathematics and science performance at student and school levels. Data from 13-year-olds from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study show that SES dimensions have different effects on mathematics and…

Studied parent's choice of preschool facility in a Swedish city to illustrate social and cultural changes in Swedish society. Findings from a survey completed by 1,584 mothers show that parents' use of the right to choose a preschool facility is economically, socially, and culturally segregated, although patterns of choice are not a simple effect…

Examined the validity of teacher ratings of adolescents' social skills in a followup of a cohort sample of 395 students from seventh to ninth grades. Findings show multi-informant consistency in ratings; teacher ratings consistently covaried with teacher ratings of problem behavior and academic competence, nominations by peer students, and grade…

Investigated whether the "ontological reversal" described by E. Husserl, the tendency to view abstract mathematical models of phenomena as more real than the phenomena themselves, is present in the reasoning of pre-service science teachers. Findings for 23 pre-service teachers indicate the presence of the ontological reversal as a figure of…

Studied how doctoral students experienced their working conditions as they worked toward PhDs in Sweden. Survey responses of 278 doctoral students and interviews with 6 female students show their attitudes about their PhD work and describe the advantages and limitations of research freedom and demands on their time. (SLD)

Recently, universities and other research institutions have increased the number of regulations concerning research "ethics." Driven by fears of litigation or political unpopularity and acting in an authoritarian manner, many institutional ethics boards are exceeding their purpose and are threatening both the validity of their faculty's research…