The purpose of this heuristic study was to establish preliminary language categories for student definitions of quality secondary education in rural North Carolina and to compare that language for congruency with teacher definitions in the context of selected quantitative data. The sample was 39 students and 19 teachers in three secondary schools in the same local education unit. The qualitative data from the following questions were analyzed from student and teacher interviews: How do (STUDENTS /TEACHERS) define quality education in your school? How do YOU define quality education in your school? Categories constructed from an analysis of nouns and verbs from interview language are as follows: Concrete: grades, attendance, tests or money Program: current academic or comprehensive school Interactional: peer and social relationships Learning: life-long education for personal fulfillment Don't Know: students only
