Competency in the new literacies of the Internet is essential for participating in contemporary society. Researchers studying these new literacies are recognizing the limitations of traditional methodological tools and adapting new technologies and new media for use in research. This paper reports our exploration of usability testing software to…

This article examines the Framework for Participation: a research tool established to support a recently completed study. The research was undertaken to explore the relationship between achievement and inclusion because headteachers and teachers in some schools continue to resist becoming more inclusive in their student intake on the grounds that…

Drawing heavily on my MA dissertation but influenced by subsequent transcription experience, I relate how a technical problem in the recording of an interview necessitated deliberations on the nature and purpose of transcription that continue to have repercussions for my transcription practice and, furthermore, for my understanding of research as…

This descriptive study was designed to examine middle school adolescent boys' singing voices ( N = 104) comprising volunteers enrolled in band (n = 72) or choir (n = 32). The authors sought to confirm possible earlier voice change, to compare vocal characteristics among frequent (choir) and infrequent (band) singers, and to determine use of…

The author investigated the teaching and learning processes among children in a suburban community of The Gambia, West Africa. Participants included children and adults in the community (N = 101). The researcher used ethnographic techniques of participant and nonparticipant observation, interviews, and song and chant collection. Data consisted of…

The purpose of this study was to survey assessment and grading practices employed by secondary music teachers throughout the southwestern region of the United States. Three main research questions guided the study: (1) What types of school district frameworks and classroom contexts are secondary music teachers operating within? (2) Which specific…

The authors classified citations included in papers presented at 10 International Society for Music Education (ISME) biennial International Research Commission Seminars across an 18-year period (1988-2006) based on the six world regions as specified by the ISME Research Commission. Citations (N = 4,535) were examined from 238 papers presented at…

Examination of the music opportunities available to students in the junior high schools of the early twentieth century lends historical perspective to current challenges facing middle level music educators. This article describes the specific music offerings at Lincoln Junior High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from the school opening in 1923…

The purpose of this study was to standardize the Primary Measures of Music Audiation in Greece ( N = 1,188). Split-halves reliability was acceptable across grade levels (K through 3) for the Tonal and Rhythm subtests, but test-retest reliability was generally unacceptable, especially for the Rhythm subtest. Concurrent validity was mixed, with…

This study is an investigation of how school consolidation between 2003 and 2006 affected the lived experience of students and educators in four Arkansas high schools. We present findings from twenty-three interviews with students, teachers, and school administrators who moved to a new high school because of consolidation, as well as those who…

The relationship of participation in school, community, and church activities to the academic achievement (i.e., end-of-year school grades) of African American youth in rural low-income communities was examined. Participants included 280 students (177 girls and 103 boys) in the 7th and 8th grades of two public middle schools. Participation in…

Under the No Child Left Behind Act schools that fail to make progress in having students reach proficiency are designated in "need of improvement." If this continues, schools that receive federal Title I funds are required to offer their low income students supplemental educational services (SES) such as tutoring outside of school time. Across the…

Educational research is often criticized for its lack of impact on practice and policy. In this paper, we discuss different approaches to the application of educational research and criticize some of the existing positions for missing the point, namely that the context of interaction between researchers and practitioners is closely connected to…

Raising standards in education has been the mantra for educational stakeholders in England for the past two decades and has informed national, regional and local agendas for school improvement. In the relentless pursuit of finding solutions to pedagogical problems, action research has been promoted as an effective strategy. Informed by an…

The full service extended schools (FSES) initiative in England sought to build the capacity of schools to deploy multiple interventions across a range of child, family, and community contexts in order to improve the lives of children and families, and to enhance the sustainability of the areas where they live. As such, it was part of wider…