School counselors need to understand survey methodology even if they do not use it as research practitioners. Counselors can be better consumers of survey research by noting response rates, sampling techniques, reliability and validity in research articles. (JAC)

Discusses faculty research in community colleges. Describes the rationale; research approaches including literature research, theoretical investigation, and experimentation; funding sources; obstacles; and benefits of faculty research. Lists addresses of five resources. (YP)

Reports on the work of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges in helping two-year colleges to define and establish their rates of transfer. Presents the outcomes of 1990 forums where study participants discussed problems and issues in data collection. (DMM)

This guide is designed to assist adult educators who are also first-time practitioner-researchers. It is organized in three parts. Part 1 is an introduction to practitioner research. The following steps of designing and conducting a research project are examined in a section on strategies and methods: identify a research question, collect data,…

Four influential studies on school effectiveness reported by Brookover and Lezotte (1979), Edmonds and Frederiksen (1979), Phi Delta Kappa (1980), and Rutter and others (1979) are limited in their usefulness as recipes for creating effective schools by the following four issues: (1) The four studies differ in their definition of what…

Points out weaknesses in research studies purporting to show that there is no transfer value to the teaching of grammar; presents 21 pointers to aid in establishing a good grammar program. (DD)

Describes an experiment utilizing the Solvay synthesis of sodium hydrogen carbonate to teach students to organize and plan a synthesis procedure. (SL)

Reviews the findings of the White House Science Council's survey of the condition of the United States university-research community. Indicates the problems that threaten the quality of academic research and outlines recommendations for its improvement. Funding changes, tax credits, and scholarships are among the panel's suggestions. (ML)

Discusses the issue of academic fraud in the form of science research malpractice. Topic areas considered include: malpractice studies; causes of misconduct; normal and deviant research behavior; and distinguished research characteristics in production, reporting, dissemination, and evaluation. Consequences of malpractice and…

This article is a response to Ruth Wade's meta-analysis of inservice teacher education research in the same issue of "Educational Leadership" (EA 518 308). Factors making a difference in inservice education are identified, but more work needs to be done in understanding the specific, practical details, allowing application. (DCS)

This book about reading tracks and questions the 30-year campaign that has focused on testing, accountability, and federalization of education to demonstrate that it is not just whole language advocates who are having problems with the National Reading Panel report and the new education laws. The book gathers together a comprehensive collection of…

Suggests that indirect process oriented teaching methods are not too successful with elementary school social studies students because there is a tendency for teachers to provide too little information to enable a rational child to discover the ideas he or she is supposed to learn. Modifications in the form and application of the teaching strategy…

Benefits and potential problems with formal college and university programs of Interinstitutional data sharing are examined from an institutional perspective and the perspective of the institutional researcher. Benefits include access to data, networking and consulting, efficiency, increased researcher visibility, and better understanding of…

The advantages and justifications for using small animals in human-oriented research are reviewed. Some of the pitfalls of extrapolating animal-derived data to humans are discussed. Several specific problems with animal experimentation are highlighted. (CW)

Describes a class demonstration of observer bias in which students were led to believe what the research data would indicate. Reports that students reported trends consistent with the expectancy. Asserts that the demonstration had a strong and memorable effect on students and has value for demonstrating observer bias. (CFR)