The effect of field-dependence-independence (FDI) on subject-matter achievement and mastery of inquiry skills was explored using a partially balanced design. No significant F values were found in the analysis of variance for either the main effects or the covariates: past achievement, teaching mode, and minutes of instruction. (Author/CT)

The conditions facing postsecondary education during the 1980s, it is suggested, call for institutional planning styles that are comprehensive, systematic, public, regular, and expansive. The formal democratic style is described as a comprehensive planning process that requires all departments to submit their plans to the college. (Author/MLW)

A personnel training and development system should be based on organizational development and organizational roles of the personnel being developed, states the author in presenting steps in a leadership training program. Engaging trainees and their supervisors in systematic data gathering will better indicate training needs. (MF)

A study designed to collect data on the daily activities of trainees on a medical ward and to test the diary method of obtaining data is described. The data were compared with findings from a faculty survey to establish whether the training program conformed to desired standards. (Author/MLW)

Discusses the design of a model-based management information system in terms of mathematical/statistical, information processing, and human factors issues and presents a prototype system for interlibrary loan networks. (Author/CWM)

A study used interactive focus groups to examine the perspective of 71 secondary students with disabilities about their experiences with career development and employment preparation. Results found school vocational experiences did not play a large role in the students' career aspirations. Family members had significant influence over career…

Discusses the evolution and content of CANCODE, an English-language corpus under development at the University of Nottingham (England) designed to reflect current language use, and several related issues: whether the grammar currently taught should be changed to more closely correspond to common usage; whether the native speaker should be the…

Discusses two issues central to ethnographic research, representation of truth and confidentiality, and how they relate to art education research. Notes that in art education areas of expertise between researcher and subject often overlap. Concludes that ethical considerations are guided by compassion and understanding rather than formula. (MJP)

Examines the expansive growth of distance learning in the United States Air Force (USAF). Highlights include interactive television and the Air Technology Network that uses satellites; computer-based instruction; online electronic campus; multimedia interactive courseware; CD-ROM; distance learning benefits; data collection; administration; and…

Shows how teachers can move beyond holistic teaching by engaging students in critical learning. Appropriate activities include introducing a research topic, development of the research question, additional research, data analysis and report writing, presentation of the report to the class and making recommendations for possible action, and…

Studies the effect of vocabulary glossing on reading comprehension in second-language learning. Findings reveal that there was a significant effect for glossing but no significant interactions between the treatment and any of the other variables, i.e., psychological type, tolerance of ambiguity, proficiency, frequency of gloss use, perceived value…

Examines the discursive structures and linguistic resources of the interactional environments influencing the development of individual communicative competence, with specific reference to providing speaking opportunities to students studying Spanish as a second language. Findings reveal that the ways in which topics are developed differ from how…

This article describes ways, based on the curriculum, to measure the progress of students with disabilities and then provides practical information on how to set up and use curriculum-based measurement (CBM) procedures to design meaningful and easy-to-communicate assessments for students. Tips for efficiency with CBM procedures are discussed.…

This article provides an overview of the family information gathering process in early intervention and the effect of cultural and linguistic diversity on family information gathering. Practical strategies that early intervention providers can use in interviews, surveys, and observations are discussed, as well as implications for personnel…

This paper describes a data-based case study of a linked array of community-based treatment services for troublesome, dual-diagnosed children and adolescents. Factors in the program's successes are described, followed by long-term data supporting treatment effectiveness. Results support applied research at this level and present a simple…