A critique of rankings of Canadian universities focuses on one popular 1993 ranking and comparative data for the previous year. Several problems in the ranking procedures and results of some correlational analyses of the ranking data are discussed. Implications, particularly in the wider context of public institution accountability and the…

This study compared the formation of the names of Victorian women writers in the Library of Congress name authority file to the formation of names in selected bibliographic tools created by humanities scholars. A purposive sample of 52 writers, divided into 12 problem categories derived from Chapter 22 of the "Anglo-American Cataloguing…

This study was designed to look for patterns of parental behavior by assessing styles of child rearing in a novel way--through responses on an interactive computer program simulating an average day in the life of a mother and a preschooler. Presented to each subject (39 mothers of preschoolers and a control group of non-mothers) were 30 common…

Arguments and research studies examining whether people prefer arbitration or mediation to resolve a conflict between disputing parties are discussed, critiqued, and compared. In both mediation and arbitration a presumably neutral third party is involved, along with disputants, as an element of the dispute-resolution process. Mediation and…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in its expansion of data reporting, should consider approaches for studying the curricular content of elementary and secondary instruction and student achievement of curricular goals. More specific information is needed about the curricular content of U.S. education. For example, data collected…

This paper examines and critiques several learning style inventories (LSI) in an effort to find the optimal research instrument for a proposed empirical study of both the quality of courseware and the impact of courseware characteristics on variations of learning effectiveness due to learner characteristics. Five LSIs are examined: (1) Dunn LSI;…

The effects of daily training in visual memory and basal reader instruction were investigated. Training and tests on 295 first-graders indicated that visual memory training resulted in more growth in visual discrimination and higher levels of reading achievement than reading instruction alone. (SDH)

A study was conducted at Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) to test the relative reliability of small-sample telephone interviewing and large-sample mailings with postcard and telephone reminders for student follow-up. The study involved conducting a telephone survey of 245 former students who had enrolled at LAPC in four program areas, and a mail…

This document is part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759. Working from the premise that temporal analysis is indispensable for the study of change, the document examines major alternatives in research design of this nature. Five sections focus on the features, advantages, and limitations of temporal analysis. Four designs which…

This technical document, part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759, describes a basic model of panel analysis used in a study of the causes of institutional and structural change in nations. Panel analysis is defined as a record of state occupancy of a sample of units at two or more points in time; for example, voters disclose voting…

There is a need for clarity regarding different research strategies in order to assess the relative contribution of each. Using the framework of the Facet Design Technique (FDT) for problem structuring, eight general research strategies are identified as they relate to measurement fidelity, representativeness of units, and treatment…

Examined and measured effects of individual differences among the elderly in a cognitive training program emphasizing general learning skills. Memory improvement was greater for learning skill training and social support compared with a waiting list group. Individual variability obscured statistical differences in treatment effect. Examined…

Reviewed studies that used methods of brief lateral visual presentation of linguistic stimuli to investigate asymmetry of organization in the cerebral hemispheric functions of both normal and poor readers. Most studies failed to demonstrate that both groups approach the given tasks in the same way. (Author/DB)

Argues that what we need to do in the future is: (1) to continue to validate broader methodological approaches to evaluation; (2) to defend alternative scientific approaches and at the same time to indicate how they differ from essentially nonscientific views of the world; (3) to recognize the difference between methodological familiarity and…