This digest makes the case that careful planning of replication can enhance the interpretability of applied research. When results are consistent across several studies, there is a stronger basis for observed relationships than the support that is available within each study by itself, since results that have been replicated are considered more…

Field development should be thought of as a process for solving problems. This process is carried out by adapting both knowledge and materials within the context that they exist. (4 references) (Author)

Discusses the need for would-be writers to undertake on-the-scene research to become thoroughly familiar with a writing topic. Relates some of the author's experiences gained through such "field" work. (HTH)

Compared data collected through paper survey forms to data collected with handheld computer-based forms in a field study of alcohol purchase attempts at 47 community festivals. Agreement between the two methods was greater than 95%. Findings show handheld computers to be a feasible alternative to paper forms for field data collection. (SLD)

Introduces the articles of this special issue focusing on randomized field trials in criminology. In spite of the overall lack of randomized field trials in criminology, some agencies and individuals are able to mount an impressive number of field trials, and these articles focus on their experiences. (SLD)

Discusses advantages of randomized experiments and key issues raised in this special issue. Focuses on growth and decrease in the use of randomized experiments by the California Youth Authority, the U.S. National Institute of Justice, and the British Home Office. Calls for increased recognition of the importance of randomized experiments. (SLD)

Describes the randomized field trials conducted by the California Youth Authority in the 1960s and 1970s and discusses why such rigorous tests were used and why they eventually came to be used less often. (SLD)

Discusses the contrast between the frequency of randomized clinical trials in the health sciences and the relative famine of such studies in criminology. Attributes this difference to the contexts in which research is done and the difference in the status of situational research in the two disciplines. (SLD)

The author provides several reasons why every child should become a field naturalist, including the chance for children to discover on their own, to experience the complexity of nature, and to realize how easy it can be to make wrong assumptions. (LZ)

Critical elements in the success of off-site research projects include the following: negotiation, attention to personnel issues, communication, participation of research subjects, data management, and concern for privacy issues. (SK)

This research reports findings from field observations of debriefing sessions following organizational operations in interactive simulation systems. Focuses on the relationship of different debriefing session techniques to identification of potential organizational learning opportunities to improve performance. (Author/LRW)

This dissertation study sets out to take a close look at the complex mix of factors on the ground, which influence the appropriation of language and education policies by local education stakeholders at Lesotho primary schools. I argue that much of the research in language policy and planning (LPP) has focused too largely on the macro-level…

The mission types of 105 current doctoral programs in higher education and the extent to which their missions have changed since a similar study was conducted by Dressel and Mayhew in 1974 was studied. The curricula offerings of these programs by degree type (e.g., Ed.D. & Ph.D.) were compared with Fife's 1991 findings. Finally, the study…

For more than 20 years there have been growing and widely expressed concerns that teaching is not sufficiently rewarded and recognized in universities, particularly in comparison to research. Individuals, institutions and governments have each responded in different ways to promote changes in institutional systems and practices. Two of the major…

Background/Context: New technologies have been largely absent in arts education curriculum even though they offer opportunities to address arts integration, equity, and the technological prerequisites of an increasingly digital age. This paper draws upon the emerging professional field of "media arts" and the ways in which youth use new…