The recurrence of problems in connection with research and development (R and D) activities supported by the Audio-Visual Center of Indiana University led to the development of a proposed control system. This paper lists those problems and examines the assumptions which must be met by the control system--that the Center will support all types of R…

This Digest argues that management factors are central to youth program successes and failures and that these factor have been ignored in research on youth programs. Instead, the Digest notes that research and evaluation of programs have focused on the following: (1) whether the right audience is served; (2) whether to make incremental…

This report is a retrospective account of a single research project conducted between 1973 and 1976 which involved a field study of the administrative feasibility of vouchers for skill training in the Work Incentive Program (WIN) in Portland, Oregon. (The program was designed to change relationships among clients, WIN staff, and training vendors,…

The purpose of this review was to examine research designs in studying knowledge utilization. The results are based on 32 studies of knowledge utilization, and the report describes the various types of research designs and their strengths and weaknesses. Survey research methods are appropriate for dealing with either of two aspects of a…

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…

THIS WAS ONE OF FOUR SEMINARS CONDUCTED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. OBJECTIVES WERE TO DEVELOP (1) A CONCEPT OF THE ROLE AND THE ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN STATE PROGRAMS, (2) AN UNDERSTANDING OF A FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR CONDUCTING A PROGRAM OF…

Benefits and potential problems with formal college and university programs of Interinstitutional data sharing are examined from an institutional perspective and the perspective of the institutional researcher. Benefits include access to data, networking and consulting, efficiency, increased researcher visibility, and better understanding of…

This article describes the life cycle of an industrial research and development project and suggests applications to educational research and development. It also discusses the importance, funding, staffing, and management of a research and development effort.(DC)

Argues that the mood of today's racial climate, the ideological demands of many minority social scientists, and the governmental research and funding policies all come together and suggest a racial change in the search for knowledge, and in the methodology and values of social science research. (Author/JM)

A discussion of the state of interdisciplinary research (IDR) in academia, government, and industry in North America and Europe focuses on current issues and themes, organizational structure, researchers, input-output processes, the process of IDR, outputs, and future research needs. Descriptive research on IDR and normative research for…

This article on the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (a consortium of universities, state departments of education, parent groups, and school districts) addresses problems in research on gifted education, the Center's rationale and mission, its component parts, its research on typically underrepresented populations, and its…

Funded in 1979, the Administration for Native American Research Analysis Project (ANARAP), had three primary objectives: (1) to create a computerized data base of the past decade of research about Native Americans (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Hawaii natives), especially research concerning natural and human resource…

Two reviews of NIE's study of compensatory education are provided in this document. The conclusions of the first reviewer (House) are that: (1) the study is valid because it meets the standards for the evaluation of a public program; and (2) the compensatory programs, especially Title I, are very good. Other conclusions are that the funds'…

Educational program evalaution is subject to many difficulties. Problems with evaluation include such conceptual problems as: (1) understanding of decisions to be made; (2) adequate definition; (3) consensus on values and criteria; (4) coordination among administrative levels; and (5) use of an appropriate evaluation model. Technical problems…

There is a continuing need in evaluation research for the establishment of a relationship between evaluation findings and decision making. A method is proposed for a particular situation: annual funding decisions for projects in a large grant program in vocational education. Outcome and predictive impact variables were ranked by three groups of…