This article reviews the critical issues that influence whether a child with language impairments can benefit from intervention. It recommends three procedures (profiling, dynamic assessment, and tracking/monitoring) as tools for helping speech-language pathologists make informed decisions about intervention. (Author/JDD)

Drawing on the results of sociolinguistic research in three ethnically different communities in Wellington, New Zealand, this paper explores and illustrates the process of language shift and language revival. Members of the Greek, Tongan, and Chinese communities were interviewed; and data were collected on their language proficiency, patterns of…

Presents an account of Italy's environmental research project carried out by five high schools, titled the Water Analysis Project. Examines the historical and socioeconomic context in which it grew and developed; its objectives, processes, professional and pedagogical results. Discusses student and teacher benefits from the project. (MCO)

In two studies, college students and sixth and ninth graders determined a hypothesis from data and were given opportunities to gather further data and test the hypothesis. Little evidence for students' confirmation bias, or tendency to avoid seeking and considering data that disconfirmed the hypothesis, was found. (BC)

Elementary teachers can help students consider how much trash they create by analyzing lunchroom waste. Students research the problem, brainstorm lists of items thrown away, and monitor the cafeteria, counting items and collecting data. They enter information into a spreadsheet which the class examines to search for alternatives. (SM)

Discusses the dynamics and outcomes of an unplanned classroom activity that developed from the integration of the use of spreadsheets with the study of the characteristics of previously collected seashells, specifically their color, size, shape, texture, and any other obvious differences. (JJK)

Five major steps are involved in evaluating school reading programs: clarifying evaluators' role, data collection, data analysis, data reporting, and followup. This article explains these steps and presents a checklist for guiding the measurement of motivation, clarification, application, and satisfaction components. (MLH)

Describes a series of 16 longitudinal studies conducted by Utah State University on alternative early intervention programs for disabled children, focusing on the intensity of intervention, the age intervention begins, and parent involvement. Reviews factors that gave rise to the studies, research designs and procedures, and data interpretation.…

Describes three approaches to collecting data on student intent. Mt. Hood Community College (Oregon) solicits goals data during registration. Johnson County Community College (Kansas) collects intent information on the admissions application and then updates each term. St. Louis Community College (Missouri) asks about goals at admissions and…

Applies chaos theory to complex social organization, beginning with a mathematical definition of chaos. Shows how a nonlinear equation might be used to describe organization. The conclusion section identifies three approaches to analyzing chaos in social organization: metaphorical analysis, mathematical modeling, and data collection. (36…

The efforts of a committee to involve stakeholders, faculty in a department of nursing, in a program evaluation for accreditation, are described. Experiences over a five-year period are described, with an emphasis on strategies that fostered success. Implications for other educational evaluations are reviewed. (SLD)

Ethnographic methods were integrated with survey procedures in an experimental daytime count of homeless persons in a major city. Ethnographic data proved valuable for choosing sites, designing questionnaires, developing new interview approaches, and interpreting test results. Recommends a wider use of ethnographic insights in developing surveys,…

This article confronts concerns in providing family intervention services to the growing population of non-White, non-Anglo families. Strategies are offered for gathering information about these families while respecting their nonmainstream culture, values, and beliefs. Alternative perspectives on child rearing, disability, medicine, intervention,…

A 1986 national survey of state agencies showed that level of foster care for handicapped children was lower than that shown by a 1981 national study of county agencies. Outlines limitations of collection of data from states and of comparison of two surveys. Discusses noteworthy increases in foster care that have occurred in some states since…

This article shows how the methods of survival analysis (also known as event history analysis) lend themselves to the study of the timing of educational events. Using examples from teacher attrition and student dropout research, survival methods are introduced for building statistical models of the risk of event occurrence over time. (Author/SLD)