Suggests that findings of brain research have been adopted uncritically by educators; points out misconceptions about such studies. Cautions educators to ensure that practices are based on well-designed and validated studies. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

Guidelines for achieving significance in vocational education research include the following: (1) specify whose problem is addressed; (2) describe consequences of conclusions or recommendations; (3) involve those affected in the inquiry; (4) do not let statistical precision substitute for purpose; and (5) avoid research to justify political…

Increasingly, teachers--but also parents and politicians--voice dissatisfaction with the divide they experience between research and practice and the resulting minimal impact of teacher education (Ashton, 1996; Barone, Berliner, Blanchard, Casanova, & McGowan, 1996). The problem seems to be perennial. More than a century ago, John Dewey pointed…

Suggests that societal change occurs more rapidly than dependable developmental research findings emerge. The research establishment in developmental psychology is examined to determine aspects which affect the ability of the system to produce better results faster. (BRT)

Three major propositions discussed in this article include: (1) There are two major obstacles to research influencing educational practice in the long term. (2) These are the pragmatic-practical notion that research should pay off and that it should be relevant to contemporary social and educational problems. (Author/AM)

Argues that defining "progress" is fundamental to understanding how effective educational research is in improving practice. Discusses the problem of partial specification and its consequences for defining the research-practice relationship. Presents three different, but complementary, approaches to defining "progress":…

Unnecessary polarization between research traditions (basic vs. applied, experimental vs. correlational, and laboratory vs. field research) has resulted in extreme, nonproductive conflict between experimental rigor and policy relevance. The analogue model (described) grounds experimental studies in social problems without losing the unique…

A brief description of four of the major expedients that are being employed by doctoral candidates in counselling as they try to deal with problems in their research are presented. The result is a scarcity of findings having little consequence for either theory or practice. (Author/CG)

A response to the review by Robert Calfee and Priscilla Drum, in issue three of the eighth volume of this journal, discusses the issue of incorporating research results into practice. (Author/MLF)

How is the usefulness of research assessed as university research becomes more and more commodified? The question is addressed through an analysis of how the results of a particular research project were received in a large private company that had provided the main funding for a research project on gender and top management, a project based on…

This article explores the applicability of interdisciplinary research on the implementation of technological innovations to the field of e-learning research. Arguing that there are important ways in which e-learning systems can be treated as "technological innovations," this article presents a review of several key theoretical and research design…

The vast amount of literature on curriculum and instructional design does not establish a clear frame of reference to help teachers utilize and operationalize concepts and information. Four specific problem areas are of special concern in the literature: (1) the terminology and definitions are confusing; (2) the place of the classroom teacher is…

AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS, ISSUES, FUNCTIONS, QUESTIONS, AND KINDS OF RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY ACTIVE COUNSELORS IN THE FIELD OF PUPIL PERSONNEL SERVICES. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS DEVELOPED FROM ISSUES CONSIDERED TO BE OF IMPORTANCE TO THE PUPIL PERSONNEL PROFESSION AND MAILED TO A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 500 MEMBERS SELECTED FROM A ROSTER OF…

Suggests that the results of research and the practice of teaching are related in many more ways than as a dialogue between a psychologist and a teacher. (Author)