Designed for language teachers who find reading statistical research difficult but necessary, this article focuses on the minimal knowledge needed about statistical techniques for interpreting research findings. It first examines the statistical reasoning underlying quantitative, empirical studies, including normal distribution, standard…

This guide for researchers introduces important research methodologies and data collecting techniques, provides a framework for the critical assessment of existing research, and encourages involvement of academics and practitioners in research. Chapter 1, on planning a research project, discusses scheduling, time management, and planning the…

In fall 1995, the United States had 27,686 private elementary and secondary schools. Data on these private schools, organized by school size, school level, religious orientation, geographical region, community type, and program emphasis are presented in this report. The information was collected from the Private School Survey, which was designed…

Modules to teach the appropriate integration of technology into social studies teaching were pilot-taught in a secondary social studies methods course. The seven modules emphasized the World Wide Web as a resource for teachers and students. Pre- and post-course surveys were conducted with the 24 students in the course. Both qualitative and…

Data collection and analysis are frequently neglected by school leaders over the course of the decision-making process. All schools gather large amounts of information about students and teachers, but most data are used to satisfy administrative requirements rather than evaluate school improvement in a systematic fashion. Apprehension regarding…

This study investigated the findings of a previous study on the effectiveness of the Fort Bragg Child and Adolescent Mental Health Demonstration Project, a program that provided a comprehensive approach to the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services to a population of military-related children residing within the Fort Bragg…

This study examined the external impacts and monitoring patterns of student assessment information on institutions, based on institutional type and control in seven areas: student applications or acceptance rates, allocation or share of state funding, evaluations from regional accrediting agency, private fund-raising results, success on grant…

Straightforward and engaging in style, this book presents 10 essays that provide concrete, step-by-step examples of how to conduct studies of the impact of television on behavior from quantitative perspectives, qualitative perspectives, and an integrated approach, making the volume useful for both undergraduate and graduate students. Its…

This indicator highlights findings about Internet access in schools. From 1994-98, Internet access and the percentage of instructional rooms with Internet access in public schools increased. Public schools with a high student poverty level were less likely to have Internet access than schools with a low poverty level from 1994-97. In fall 1998,…

The paper considers the effects of study abroad on student second language acquisition (SLA) and suggests areas for further study. It begins with an overview of current research on study abroad, its relationship to foreign language programs, and the innovations that this growing research base holds for program development. Attention then turns to…

This study examined whether new streamed Internet audio and video technology could be used for primary instruction in off-campus research classes. Several different off-campus student cohorts at Illinois State university enrolled in both a fall semester qualitative research methods class and a spring semester quantitative research methods class.…

This study sought to determine the extent to which instructional processes characterized by cognitive complexity influence the development of general cognitive abilities during the first, second, and third years of college. The sample for the study consisted of incoming first-year students at 18 four-year and 5 two-year colleges and universities…

This paper presents findings on predictive models used to identify student characteristics associated with persistence and success in the Administration of Justice (ADJ) program at Blue Ridge Community College (Virginia). Data mining was used to discover patterns and relationships in the data, and analysis was performed using the SPSS program,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between working memory and text coherence in Chinese text comprehension. Eighty-six subjects were asked to complete an operation-character working memory span task to classify them into low-span and high-span and a reading task to measure the time to detect inconsistency as well as their…

What means can we use to predict the success or failure of the future English teacher? Authors subject a number of assumptions to rigid statistical tests and conclude that it is difficult to find an answer. (RB)