Complex decision-making environments often demand that a range of alternative strategies be identified and compared for their shared value in achieving desired ends. Simple parametric statistical procedures such as analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis can be used in such situations to compare (using selected criteria) the value…

A bargaining process, begun over 10 years ago, is based on problem-solving rather than on adversarial confrontation and uses elements of participative management. It has resulted in outstanding benefits for two school districts. Called "Theory Z bargaining," the process follows a procedure based on each side treating the other with…

Using reading models interchangeably with reading theories blurs the distinction between models as representations and theories as explanations. This report presents several models of reading comprehension and compares the functional purposes and research implications of selecting one model over another. The report draws the following conclusions:…

The findings, recommendations, and conclusions of a policy-oriented, multi-disciplinary study of copyright in computer-readable works are reported. The foundations of copyright are examined for basic principles, and the theory of public goods is applied to develop the rationale for copyright protection. The judicial history of copyright in the…

The characteristics of clinical problem solving tasks are discussed and applied to reading diagnosis and remediation. These characteristics are: (1) clinical practice is concerned with action directed toward a particular problem or set of problems, (2) clinicians are generally concerned with the problems of a particular individual, (3) clinical…

Reviewed is research on the etiology and treatment of child abuse, specifically on three basic theoretical models: A psychiatric model emphasizing the individual abuser's role; a sociological model stressing the impact of social factors; and a model which focuses on the child's role in stimulating his own maltreatment. The second part of the paper…

Argues that economic methodologies can be of great assistance in framing the problem of how much more should be spent on the educationally disadvantaged student than on his more advantaged counterpart, and in contributing to studies that address it; and outlines a simple macro-economic model of society which incorporates educational expenditure as…

A prescriptive model of problem-solving performance is described. The aim of the model is to specify explicitly how problems should be described initially in such a form as to facilitate their subsequent solution. According to the model, the process of initial problem description can be decomposed into two successive stages. The first uses general…

This study examined a proposed procedure for constructing theoretical descriptions of mechanics problems, in particular, to determine if the procedure led to explicit and correct descriptions of the motion and interaction of systems and if the resulting theoretical descriptions facilitated generation of correct constraint equations and, hence,…

To explore the utility of decision seminars as instructional tools in educational administration training, researchers observed two one-quarter graduate courses in educational administration at Ohio State University. In the courses--one with 13 students, the other with 18--the decision seminar was used as an instructional framework within which…

This planning guide, written for those developing new education programs and those attempting to improve existing educational services, uses a family planning education program to illustrate the planning process in a practical, step-by-step approach. Each of the five chapters - How to Plan and Evaluate Your Program, Client Education, Community…

The idea of educational vouchers goes back to Adam Smith in 1778, according to this examination of past and present discussions about vouchers. The author begins by defining educational vouchers and summarizing the idea's history, especially since its revival in 1955 by economist Milton Friedman. Seven models of voucher systems are briefly…

This paper introduces an artistic model of planning and problem solving. The model is based on a case study of processes engaged in by a college art student during the course of producing a senior thesis in batik (a wax-resist fabric dyeing process). Based on the premise that knowledge of the creative process is essential to understanding the…

The relationship of aptitude, strategy, and cognitive task performance is explored through the use of mathematical models of performance time. Models of strategy and strategy-shifting on a spatial visualization task were tested individually for 30 male high school and college subjects. For each of three successive task steps (encoding,…

This study undertook to develop an improved conceptual system for explaining effective behavior; to build reliable measures of the components of that behavior; to develop and apply the measures internationally; and to validate the measures and concepts against objective criteria of achievement. An eight-nation team defined three sets of components…