Robert L. Stevenson recently described the problems facing international communications researchers: the field has no common focal variable, no common method, and no common literature--despite this, he professed pleasure at the state of the field. This paper takes Stevenson as a starting point to analyze international communications through a case…

This paper described an interdisciplinary course on the interaction between prejudice and the conduct of science. Scientists often possess the same prejudices as others in their culture. Students learn how subtle prejudice can affect the processes of science. This course examines major scientific endeavors that have been influenced by the…

Three criticisms of overreliance on results from statistical significance tests are noted. It is suggested that: (1) statistical significance tests are often tautological; (2) some uses can involve comparisons that are not completely sensible; and (3) using statistical significance tests to evaluate both methodological assumptions (e.g., the…

How the term urban and other terms related to it are defined can enhance the efficiency of research on urban education issues. A review of urban and related word uses reveals considerable variety in definitions. Since the aim of much research is to derive useful generalizations applicable to other similar groups, it is important to define the…

This annotated bibliography on the use of facilitated communication with people unable to express themselves was developed as part of a statewide training and technical assistance project in Maine. The 75 citations are listed alphabetically by author and date from 1986 through 1993. The items listed report on the use of facilitated communication…

As Americans strive to reform and restructure schools and design programs that prepare young people for a new century, education policy and practice must be guided by the best that is known about education and all areas of inquiry related to learning, schooling, and young people. The academy suggests ways in which the organization and character of…

To study the problems of secondary schools in the context of the Surrey School District, British Columbia, it was necessary to answer the question of how to overcome secondary school inertia so as to fundamentally alter the organization or practices within it. The primary obstacle was gaining the district Management Committee's support despite its…

Ethnographic research projects have surged in recent years and are well represented in Research in the Teaching of English (RTE) bibliographies. However, methods texts were written for social scientists and anthropologists, not for writing researchers. Methods texts and rhetoric programs' general grounding in positivistic research imply that…

Additive conjoint measurement models for educational research are construed as practical applications of the hermeneutic theory of scientific instrumentation. It is argued that the model of the text is no less paradigmatic for quantitative method in the natural and social sciences than it is for qualitative, ethnographic methods. It is also…

This paper describes the strategies used by the Research Department chief of the Cleveland (Ohio) Public Schools to restructure a department beset with staff cuts, district reorganization, and a demoralized staff. The reform movement for accountability is challenging school district research departments to provide timely, meaningful, objective…

This paper examines the problems caused by relying solely on statistical significance tests to interpret results in contemporary social science. The place of significance testing in educational research has often been debated. Among the problems in reporting statistical significance are questions of definition and terminology. Problems are also…

A study addressed the general issue of whether or not a touring college drama production would somehow stimulate greater interest, on the part of elementary teachers and students, in the use of drama as a classroom learning medium. Specifically addressed were whether (1) educational gains would be realized; (2) data would show measurable gains in…

The purpose of this review was to examine research designs in studying knowledge utilization. The results are based on 32 studies of knowledge utilization, and the report describes the various types of research designs and their strengths and weaknesses. Survey research methods are appropriate for dealing with either of two aspects of a…

Children's ability to recognize unfamiliar faces shows an unusual developmental trend: performance improves from 6 to 11 years, a temporary regression occurs at 12 years, and then recovery leads to adult-level performance. The first study described in this paper tested 80 children 5 to 11 years of age on a face-matching and recognition task.…

The growing demand for program evaluation in the 1970s gave rise to a need for a comprehensive, carefully developed, objective set of guiding principles for the evaluation process, from initial planning to final report. The Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation was established to meet this need. This broad-based group, representing…