A number of issues involved in the large-scale assessment of science and mathematics education were illustrated during the conduct of two national surveys: the 1977 National Survey of Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies Education and the 1985 National Survey, Science and Mathematics Education. Development of the survey questionnaires started…

This study compares the long-term desegregation effectiveness of voluntary plans with magnet schools to mandatory reassignment plans with magnet schools. The introduction includes an extensive discussion of the problems of choosing dependent variables for use in desegregation studies. The potential study population was chosen based on the…

Prepared as a tribute to the late Professor Ronald R. Edmonds, this paper reviews the history and progress of school improvement based upon the effective schools research. Topics related to the scope and precision of effective schools research are discussed. A need for further research is claimed in the following areas: (1) noncognitive and higher…

This document contains 53 plenary and contributed papers presented at the eighth Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) meeting. Two plenary addresses focused on mathematics research in Australia and Japan, and problem solving and symbolism. Contributed papers were classified under 13 headings including: teaching and learning theory; cognition;…

This review of research on computer use in education focuses on the development of higher order thinking skills and the effects of programming instruction. Eight hypotheses are proposed to account for the general failure of the research to confirm the expectations, and a new programming language, Prolog, is described. (70 references) (Author/LRW)

Recommends confronting the problem of validity in intercultural research by adopting research approaches that focus on the problem (for example, ethnopsychoanalysis, intercultural psychology). Briefly reviews the current debate on intercultural-comparative research. Concludes with examples and a discussion of the recent developments in comparative…

Describes an introductory sociology class that used two forms of an in-class survey to conduct experiments regarding response framework: response order and question order. The results of the experiment are presented to the class. This encourages critical thinking and informed skepticism about research methodologies. (MJP)

Analyzes the "Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learnings'" section on teachers. Focuses on research on teaching, history of teaching, and teacher education, characteristics, and competence in the social studies field. Concludes the handbook reveals the impoverished nature of research on social studies teaching,…

Maintains that even a cursory reading of "The Bell Curve" reveals a skewed methodology that deliberately ignores relevant data. Includes statistical tables illustrating the relationship between environmental factors and test scores. Contends that the basic purpose of "The Bell Curve" is to justify economic racism. (MJP)

Presents R. Scarce's account of his jailing for refusal to divulge to the authorities information gathered for his doctoral research. Revealing the information would have been a violation of the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics. Concludes with 13 concerns and suggestions for protecting scholarly research from legal intrusion.…

This study determined whether experts in special education transition services perceived a need for a common theoretical model and core set of outcome variables for follow-along research at the state level, evaluated a model for use in follow-along studies, and suggested research questions to be measured in a common format across statewide…

Briefly presents the results of a study comparing the responses of Asian Canadian students and European Canadian students for evidence of social responsibility bias. Using the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding, the study found little evidence of bias. Discusses implications and weaknesses of the experiment. (MJP)

This conference proceedings document serves to establish the state of the art, highlight important methodological and conceptual issues, and identify priorities for future research in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. The document includes the papers from two opening presentations, issue papers and reactant papers, a…

These proceedings consist of the papers presented at a conference on vocational education research in the 1980s. The first group of papers deals with various approaches to, and priorities for, vocational education research in the 1980s. Discussed in the next group of papers are national perspectives on research programming. Following this group…

The stability of teaching behavior was examined by observing student/teacher interaction over one academic year. One teacher was studied using a time-series analysis. He had 14 years experience and taught physical education in grades K-6 in a single school. Data were collected over one academic year using the Cheffers Adaptation of Flanders…