The goal of this exploratory study was to gain a better understanding of methamphetamine use among suburban users. We know very little about the mechanisms of initiation and trajectory patterns of methamphetamine use among this under-researched and hidden population. This study employed qualitative methods to examine the drug career of suburban…

Universities need to work with teachers to dispel the belief that research is disconnected from practice and teachers must be open to the benefits of action inquiry. This study examined the process and impact of conducting action research on teachers' perceptions of practice and professionalism. Twelve teachers enrolled in a master's level course…

Though social inclusion is essential to enhancing a person's quality of life, people with disabilities continue to face many barriers. The purpose of this qualitative meta-analysis was to describe the elements and experiences of social inclusion for people with disabilities. The study analyzed data from 15 primary research reports through thematic…

To illustrate how theoretical studies should blend with empirical research, this article describes how scholars changed the ways they thought about schools and poverty. It begins with a historical review of the perspective of educational theorists and public policy prior to the 1970s. Taking a Marxist perspective, Bowles and Gintis (1976)…

This grounded theory study examined how social service providers and refugee service recipients in a city in the upper Midwestern United States described the intercultural knowledge and skills necessary for effective work with refugees. Ten refugee service recipients, 28 county service providers, and 9 "stakeholders," or noncounty service…

With a goal to better understand what it means to become a United States citizen, the present qualitative study uncovered the narratives of 11 Afro-Caribbean immigrants living in Phoenix, Arizona, and included the investigator as a research participant. Grounded theory analysis of the combined auto-ethnographic and interview data yielded…

Reflecting on the 140th anniversary of the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July, 1868), this qualitative case study described a response by educator-activist Tony Stewart to the Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi hate group that attempted to intimidate Stewart's community, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, between 1972-2000. Stewart galvanized community response using…

This article describes and discusses issues related to research design and data analysis in the mixing of qualitative and quantitative methods. It is increasingly desirable to use multiple methods in research, but questions arise as to how best to design and analyze the data generated by mixed methods projects. I offer a conceptualization for such…

Despite legislation and the best efforts of special educators, students with disabilities continue to be segregated from the general education curriculum and classroom for a majority or part of the school day. Inclusion is often the goal, but is seldom fully implemented. This interview-based study explores new special educators' lived experiences…

This study expands upon the research of arts-based inquiry by exploring the ways creativity and flexibility impact communicating and organizing in an arts-based nonprofit. Based on ethnographic observation and interviews, this piece reveals specific tensions that impact the ways staff members and mentors communicate: (a) consistency/inconsistency,…

A major historical shift is taking place in Tibetan Buddhism with the relocation of large numbers of monks from Tibet and the establishment of monasteries in Dharamsala, India and other parts of South Asia. This has created a shift in the way that young men are joining these monasteries and leading this age old religious tradition. Fifteen college…

The keynote address on which this article is based considers four stages or types of studies that qualitative researchers undertake in the field of education. The reason that I explored this focus was to illustrate the benefits and the dangers of designing studies to serve policy makers. The research that I selected sought to uncover information…

This study investigated the possibility that a link exists between an individual's concept of Divinity and concept of self. Participants were 12 Christians (6 Catholic, 6 Methodist) and 8 Buddhists. They answered open-ended questions about sacredness, after-death experience, and humanity's relation to the natural world. Content analyses focused on…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. Participants included 14 adults from 21 to 35 years of age with a mild or moderate intellectual disability who were able to verbally communicate their thoughts and experiences. I ensued with open-ended questions about…

Continuing education allows professionals to supplement their pre-professional training and respond to a rapidly changing world. Although seldom the focus of professional development research, clergy also benefit from continuing education and lifelong learning. Clergy-related research often details the professional development of pastors, but many…