This ethnography is a study of the cultural scene at one store of a chain of twenty-eight retail "discount department stores"--the Bi Mart Company, a subsidiary of the Pay 'n Save Corporation. It is an exercise of an ethnographic method developed by James Spradley that is used to uncover and describe the cultural grammar of acquired knowledge which Bi Mart employees use to define and interpret their situation and to generate and understand their work. The method is based on the assumption that culture is best learned and best described (as much as possible) from the "native" point of view.

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the effects of their collaborative involvement in the school planning process. It is a descriptive case study of three elementary schools from a large east coast suburban public school district that had participated in the district's "Effective Schools Project." These schools evolved from beginning the collaborative planning process to full staff involvement and in some cases, community collaboration on the school operating plan. This descriptive case study consisted of basically qualitative research, however it also contained a quantitative dimension. The first part was a questionnaire administered to 104 teachers in three schools. The questionnaire survey measured teachers' perceptions of student achievement, the staff's level of collaborative involvement over the last several years, teachers' attitudes regarding collaborative involvement, and what factors motivated teachers to want to become involved in the process. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression were used to analyze these data. Following the survey, focus group interviews with three teachers from each of the three schools who had been at those schools the entire time of transition were conducted. Participants for the focus groups were selected from different grade levels and years of teaching experience. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, coded, and a content analysis was conducted. Next, three principals from each of the three schools were interviewed separately and their words were also taped, transcribed, and coded. The last part of the study was a review of records consisting of biennial plans and their reports, standardized test scores and other demographic data on each of the three schools. A content analysis of these records was also conducted. It appears that those items on the questionnaire that were common to teachers' motivation factors had the highest frequencies and percentages for agreement as did those items dealing with perceived student achievement. Eight themes or constructs emerged during the interviews with teachers and principals--evolution and changing paradigms, implementation of the school plan both before and after collaboration, training, time, ownership, appreciation and recognition, empowerment of teachers, and the whole school as a community. Many of the salient quotes drawn from the interviews have been presented to share the voices of teachers and principals who have been involved directly in the collaborative planning process. The data collected from the regression analysis of the survey neither confirmed nor failed to confirm the qualitative data, due to a lack of reliability of two of the scales. However, when looked at simply as descriptive data the survey responses corroborated with the interview data. Teachers' focus group interviews were supported and validated by principals’ interviews and by a review of records from the three schools. These records included school operating plans and their final reports as well as standardized test scores. Teachers and principals in these three schools perceive that student achievement has improved since teachers have been involved in the collaborative planning process as indicated by standardized test scores and by other indicators of achievement noted in the evaluation component of the plan. They also perceive the overall school climate as improved since teachers have become collaboratively involved in the school operating plan. / Ed. D.

While many follow-up studies have been conducted which examine the post-school status of special education students from a single point in time perspective, few can be found which provide an in-depth look into their lives in the years following school completion. The purpose of this study was to develop a detailed picture of the adult lives of selected learning disabled subjects to determine the impact of their disability on this post school years. / Ed. D.

From the establishment of Harvard in 1636, to the establishment of the first public Junior College in 1901, to the curricular reforms of the 1960's and 1970's, the purpose of higher education and the role of general education have been the subjects for many lively debates. The national debate on issues relating to general education has intensified within the last decade, and community colleges continue to be active participants in these debates. The purpose of this study was to describe the course contents and classroom environments of selected community college general education general biology courses in sufficient detail as to shed light on the contribution each makes to general education. This study offers descriptions, interpretations, and evaluations of community college general education biology classrooms and laboratories. The intent was to present vivid descriptions of the classroom experience and to offer interpretations of what was being taught and what was being learned. / Ed. D.

In the restructuring efforts currently under way in many of the nation’s schools, emphasis is being placed on involving teachers, parents, and community members in decision making. In addition, schools are working with businesses and with other community agencies to provide services to students and their families. Both of these efforts require a degree of collaboration not found in traditional schools. Successful collaboration may require changes in behavior for which participants may not be prepared. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe leadership behaviors of the principal and others in a collaborative environment. The following questions were investigated: 1. What behaviors are exhibited by the principal in involving parents? 2. What behaviors are exhibited by the principal in working with groups in shared decision-making Situations? 3. What behaviors are exhibited by the principal in working collaboratively with other agencies? 4. What behaviors exhibited by others contribute to the accomplishment of mutual goals in a collaborative environment? The research design was a case study of one school which met specific criteria related to shared decision making and involvement of parents, community members, and agencies with the school. Data on leadership behavior of the principal and others involved in the collaboration were collected through interviews, observation, and document review. The AskSam software program was used to thematically analyze the data. The findings were used to develop a description of leadership behaviors used by the principal and others in a collaborative environment. Two conclusions are drawn from the study. 1. Collaboration requires an increased awareness of and emphasis on facilitative and human relations skills. These are not new skills, but they have received little attention in traditional principal preparation programs. 2. A strong commitment to mutual goals is of vital importance in a collaborative environment. A model of the participants and behaviors needed in a collaborative environment was developed. / Ed. D.

Cultural preservation efforts have evolved from traditional, site specific projects administered by a single agency, to regional, multi-jurisdictional projects administered by a cooperative partnership. The projects administered cooperative partnerships are a recent phenomena and are often termed heritage preservation projects. An analysis of the evolution of cultural preservation efforts is undertaken through historical and case study research. The selected cases are examples of innovative regional cultural preservation efforts of their era. The results of the analysis provide a descriptive evolution of the cultural preservation efforts, and a description of the components of both traditional preservation efforts and heritage preservation efforts. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Three first-year agriculture teachers were analyzed using the case study approach. The descriptive account presents each teacher's daily events in chronological order. Two traditional teacher education degree teachers and one alternative certified teacher are described. The descriptive account uses data gathered through transcribed daily logs, personal interviews, and participant observations. Each teacher experienced different daily events, however the data analysis revealed certain themes. Each teacher experienced difficulty in a particular area early in the school year and needed specific assistance. Also, student interactions greatly affected all three teachers. The teachers reported personal stress and frustration in the area of student discipline. As a result of some tragedy, each teacher served as a counselor to their students at some point in the school year. The teachers received many positive results from their Future Farmers of America local chapters. Another theme was observed in the area of instructional management. The teachers experienced varying degrees of difficulty in curriculum development, lesson planning, and teaching techniques. The area of time management caused problems for these teachers throughout the school year. Administrators also influenced the daily lives of these three beginning agriculture teachers. The area of health concerns was the final theme observed. All three teachers experienced illness during the school year. In addition, all three commented on the frequency that their students were ill. / Master of Science

This research employed a model of interorganizational relations (Van de Ven, 1976) based on social action theory to examine the interagency relationships between Title III/Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) agencies across the country. The specific purpose of this study was to investigate five AAA/SSBG agency relationships using case study methodology to determine the adequacy of Van de Ven’s model in portraying the relationships. I also examined possible changes in the framework that might enhance its ability to characterize the relationships. In general, qualitative data analysis supported the model’s ability to depict the interagency relationships. The following factors were influential in the formation and continued functioning of at least three of the five interagency relationships: (a) resource needs, dependence, and exchange; (b) a commitment to serving older adults; (c) a commitment to the interagency relationship; (d) interagency communication, awareness, and information exchange; (e) interagency consensus (i.e., agreement between agency representatives on the goals and expectations of each agency in the relationship); (f) domain similarity (e.g., overlap in client populations and geographic service areas); (g) informal means of interaction and communication; and (h) perceived effectiveness of the interagency effort by agency representatives. Based upon the results of this investigation, I have proposed a revised framework that incorporates the major components of the original model but also simplifies and conceptually clarifies important relationship factors. It places more emphasis on the individuals involved in interagency relationships and is tailored to fit the special circumstances of social service agencies. An important implication of these findings for further research is the need for examining other social service agencies with the original and revised framework to further enhance their usefulness in characterizing interagency interaction. Implications for practice include the use of this information about AAA/SSBG agency relationships to improve interagency collaboration, service delivery and planning, and public policy decisions. / Ph. D.

This article describes how an anti-racist curriculum constructed on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Pedagogy (LatCrit) helped Mexican and Chicano middle school students enrolled in an alternative education program to alter their attitudes toward the use of English, and to change their forms of self-identification resulting in the development of a Chicano consciousness. In the beginning of this fourteen-month study, 9.6% of the students identified with the Chicano label. However, at the end of the study, 77% of the class selected the Chicano label for self-identification. Moreover, this investigation bridges the theoretical concepts of Critical Pedagogy to everyday practice in a middle school classroom. In short, the tenets of this theoretical framework were applied in the design and the implementation of the curriculum.

Two teams of researchers conducted participant-observation studies in Middletown in the past fifty years. The first study was made by Robert and Helen Merrill Lynd in 1929 and subsequently, they re-evaluated their work in the 1930’s. The early sixties brought a third to fruition. Whitney Gordon concentrated on Temple Emanu’El, the Jewish Reform synagogue in Middletown. Gordon, following the organizational structure used by the Lynd’s, attempted to study the temple using the concept of stress as his frame of reference.As a revisit, my research attempts to study and understand the ritualand belief patterns within the framework of Temple Emanu’El Temple, a cultural system. Described are the temporal and spatial dimensions which define the tangible boundaries in which the ongoing ritual processes occur. As demonstrated here, a cultural system regulates as well as it is regulated by its membership, the human element necessary for existence.Due to the unique history of Middletown, this revisit study was enhanced. It succeeded three previous studies, the last of which took place in the same cultural system. The question of ethics which is generally faced by a social scientist as well as his subjects received significant attention in this research.