State education agencies are allowed to retain up to 20 percent of the funds they receive from the federal government through the block grant provisions of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. A review by the General Accounting Office (GAO) of the United States of the uses to which these retained funds were put in California and…

Three possible versions of Project Follow Through are discussed to explore the kinds of knowledge that each approach would yield and to describe alternative ways in which the program could maintain the unique feature of federal coordination of research. Versions compared include (1) a federally coordinated research program designed to generate…

Commonalities between the philosophical perspectives of Alfred Schatz, a European phenomenologist, and George Herbert Mead, the father of symbolic interactionism, are discussed, and the two men's potential significance in social science research is examined. Both men were concerned with the question of the nature of social action, believing that…

This study was designed to compare the toy/activity preferences of a group of young children, as measured by traditional procedures, with their spontaneous toy/activity choices as they occur during unstructured periods of free play. Participants in the study included fifty-seven 4-year-old children enrolled in three half-day nursery school…

After delineating the differences between Competency Based Teacher Education (CBTE) and traditional teacher education, the author analyzes the problems in conducting research on effective teaching/learning processes. He concludes that CBTE provides a better base for such research than traditional teacher education programs do. (SJL)

Examines a study conducted by Lam (1986) which compared sheltered and supported employment programs for persons with mental retardation. Discusses how study was designed and how some conclusions were drawn. Raises questions about outcome data interpretation and presents alternative means of comparing program models. (Author/NB)

Responds to comments made by Wehman, Hill, Kregel, and Moon (1987) concerning the results of Lam's 1986 study comparing supported and sheltered employment programs for persons with mental retardation. Addresses specific questions raised by Wehman and his colleagues and discusses research issues on sample comparability. (Author/NB)

Examines the differences between writing research conducted in England and that conducted in Canada and North America. Discusses how educators and researchers have used their observations to derive a pedagogy and have done so much too rapidly. (HTH)

Several problems in reporting and presentation of Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) data that might affect data comparability are outlined and recommendations of a HEGIS study group are presented. Suggestions range from increased institutional involvement and increased feedback to institutions, to improvements in data storage and…

The effects of father absence on educational achievement and intellectual development of 6- to 11-year-old children were investigated by employing a nationally representative sample of 5,493 father-present and 616 father-absent children from the Health Examination Survey of the National Center for Health Statistics. (Author/RH)

Used the Children's Emotion Projection Instrument to investigate the emotional predispositions of children from divorce or disruption and children from intact families. Results indicated that children of divorce or disruption are not more hampered emotionally than children from intact families. Discusses implications for family therapists.…

This article explores some of the conceptual and strategic problems of truly comparative research. Addressing the study of national educational policies, the author considers the uses of theory in defining units of analysis and compares the costs and utility of research strategies based on differing compositions within the research team.…

This letter is written in response to Joseph P. Farrell's article (Comparative Education Review 23, February 1979), "The Necessity of Comparisons in the Study of Education." It raises doubts about the possibility of an exact science of education because education is based in the humanities. (KC)

Analyzes the concept of comparison as a methodological problem in cross-cultural studies and comparative education. Outlines five types of relationships that rely on equivalence or comparability. Discusses the questions of whether the concepts under comparison correspond, how to measure correspondence, and how to resolve linguistic difficulties.…

Examines seven articles that employed path analysis to test causal models of the acquisition of literacy or the reading-writing relationship. Reveals that, although such analysis holds promise for a better understanding of the components of literacy, several potential difficulties remain for those attempting to synthesize this body of literature.…