The research design commonly used by educational researchers is not inappropriate for evaluative research. But narrow or rigid adherence to traditional experimental design can lead to inadequate curricular evaluation. (Author)

A dialog between two fictional teachers provides some basic examples of how research that uses approved methodology may provide results that are significant statistically but not significant practically. (PGD)

The second half of a dialogue between two fictional teachers examines the significance of statistical significance in research and considers the factors affecting the extent to which research results provide important or useful information. (PGD)

In view of the need for open-mindedness in the instruction of new curricular approaches, such as the analysis of public issues, these studies survey pre-service social studies teachers to discover their positions relative to other pre-service subject teachers in strength of authoritarian and dogmatic characteristics. (JH)

The implications of data from a review of ten years of the American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) indicating that random sampling is rare and that there is increased use of quasi-experimental designs lacking in random assignment are considered. It is suggested that tests of significance could be abandoned or at least placed in a subsidiary…

Discusses and explains experimental validity, including both internal and external validity, in terms that a classroom teacher can understand and use in his own research. (CK)

Describes a study undertaken to determine to what extent research in social studies education reflects attention to population and sample definitions and descriptions, to randomness, and to replication. Findings indicated researchers often continue to be careless in their data collection and analysis. (Author/DB)

The editor of the 'Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning" outlines the reasoning behind and the anticipated content of the handbook. The volume discusses the following topics: audience; scope; style; dimensions of social studies; teachers; students; contexts of social studies education; subject and objectives components;…

The solution to the lack of productivity of educational research is the recognition that applied research can be scientific and the reexamination of the implications of the scientific orientation for research strategies. (Author/EB)

Teachers do not intentionally use or consider research findings in making teaching decisions. This lack of use is usually blamed on research deficiencies; e.g., educational research does not address the realistic demands of classroom teaching, research findings are inconsistent, and research articles are difficult to obtain and read. A major…

Explores problems involved in the quantitative verification of independent variables in investigations of the effects on student outcomes of planned variations in instructional behavior. Specifically addresses (1) gathering of data through direct systematic observation, and (2) analysis of those data through the use of inferential statistics. (GC)

Provides data on several questions: Do educational researchers (1) select their samples randomly from accessible populations, (2) define their target populations and describe their samples, and (3) restrict their conclusions according to sampling limitations or in regard to differences between sample and target populations? (4) Is replication a…

Studies of elementary school social studies since the late 1970s, largely from an objective-quantitative perspective, have painted a dire picture but have paid little attention to what teachers are actually doing in the classroom. Researchers have found that little instructional time is spent on social studies, that the textbooks on this subject…

Research in law-related education has not led to cumulative knowledge that is of much use to curriculum developers or classroom teachers. Among the reasons for this state of affairs are that researchers concentrate on nonessential topics, educational research does not generally meet criteria for scientific research, educational research is too…

A test of statistical significance is a procedure for determining how likely a result is assuming a null hypothesis to be true with randomization and a sample of size n (the given size in the study). Randomization, which refers to random sampling and random assignment, is important because it ensures the independence of observations, but it does…