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This description of ways in which a microcomputer can enhance the process of conducting qualitative research uses a multiple site case study in education carried out during 1986-87 as an example (the study examined the mobilization and implementation stages of introducing microcomputers into a majority adopter school district). Specific microcomputer applications are described, i.e., the use of 512K Macintosh computer to facilitate the collection, analysis, and presentation of ethnographic interviews, naturalistic observations, historical documents, and tabular data. Software packages discussed in this context include MacWrite for word processing; FileMaker for creating databases; Multiplan to produce spreadsheets of tabular information; and MacDraw to produce graphs and illustrations for the final research project. Sample output is shown. Also discussed are the potentials of Hypercard, a new software package implementing the concept of hypertext that will enable researchers to organize qualitative data in a relational database. It is concluded that the computer proved especially valuable for tracking themes and for text arrangement, and that it allowed the researcher to collect, analyze, and present the data more efficiently. (21 references) (Author/MES)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert