Used the domain sampling model of generalizability theory to study ways of improving a construct measure, the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS) (R. Nygard and T. Gjesme, 1973). AMS results for 504 Chinese high school students and 252 U.S. graduate students are the basis for suggestions to improve the two language versions' approximations to the…

Examines the field of international traveler and nomadic education research and argues for the need to extend the boundaries of this "field" significantly. Research on the education of travelers and nomads is mobile and fluid, but the approach used in this collection, the mapping and celebration of international diversity, is needed to expand…

Traces the development of education in Nigeria for two migrant groups, nomadic pastoralists and migrant fishermen, and describes the current state of research on nomadic education in Nigeria. Suggests some concepts and research strategies that would engender greater understanding of nomadic education and promote international cooperation. (SLD)

Discusses a pilot scheme for literacy education for the Rabaris of Gujarat State, India to suggest possible ways to meet the critical literacy needs of Indian nomadic pastoralists. Reviews tensions between the Rabaris' desire to "learn to talk" though sedentary education and the peripatetic teaching program. (SLD)

Studied the education of Showground families in Scotland, a group of traveling show and fairground entertainers who tend to settle in one place for the winter, putting their children in the local schools. Data from many sources about the approximately 400 families in this group show weaknesses in the actions developed to address the…

Used participant observation, formal interviews, and policy documents to study the relationships between Fairground and Gypsy Traveler parents and the children's teachers in England. Teachers in the schools, which children attended only in the winter, were quite important to traveling families. Case study results suggest that power-sharing…

Describes the provision of early childhood education for the toddler children of Dutch itinerant "bargees," children who live with their parents on ships until they enter boarding schools for the school week at about age 7. Education for these young children is a microcosm of continuing changes to the educational system and the socioeconomic…

Explored educational practices in Australian circuses between 1847 and 1930 through interviews with several elderly circus people. The route by which the child entered the circus environment more or less defined the quality of education he or she could expect to receive. "Apprenticed" and "adopted" children generally received little attention and…

Studied how circus personnel of all ages interact in Australian circuses to preserve traditional circus lifestyles and entertainment. Interviews with 30 personnel from 4 circuses show the importance of learning to be a member of a cooperative society through immersion. Results provide information about the education of a community of occupational…

Uses semi-structured interviews with Australian show people, children and adults, and their home tutors and teachers to show how the Traveller people's dissatisfaction with the learning opportunities available in the past has fueled their determination to have a separate school for show children. (SLD)

Investigated the effects of positive versus negative orientation in item wording on interpretation of the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) factor structure by varying the orientation of items across both dimensions of efficacy. Teachers completed one of two forms of the TES. Three potential factor structures were examined using principal axis…

Explored 9th-grade urban and rural English students' reading engagement and interpretation of a multicultural novel involving bi-ethnic identity. Students read and responded to the novel via journal writing and a research paper. Results indicated that students produced more personal and interpretive reactions to the novel than simple descriptions…

Used data from the New Brunswick Elementary School Study to examine how teacher professional satisfaction related to background characteristics and workplace conditions. Female teachers had more job satisfaction than males. Teachers who stayed in the profession longer were less satisfied with their professional role. Workplace conditions…

Surveyed science students in Australia and Taiwan to explore their perceptions of seven dimensions of the classroom learning environment. Some students and teachers also completed interviews. Results highlighted differences in student attitudes between countries and emphasized the importance of cross-national studies to further understanding of…

Explored within-school differences in teachers' sense of community. Surveys of teachers in three public high schools investigated time-related, work-arrangement, and school-organization variables. School organization (support for innovation and orderliness of student behavior) and time-related variables (tenure in school and time spent interacting…