Although the federal role in education has expanded over the last ten years, critics have only recently begun to examine what this means to educational policy-making. Theorists, empirical researchers, and policy-makers need to examine a number of questions. (1) Why and how does the national government involve itself in public education? (2) What…

Meta-analysis techniques for integrating research findings are utilized in this report to determine the magnitude of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Also investigated are the factors which contribute to the large amount of variance in previously reported correlations between these two variables. Over…

This document contains the proceedings of a workshop conference sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held at the Institute of Man and Science in Rensselaerville, New York, in May 1976. The proceedings include presented papers, discussions, and comments of the participants. The conference had two sets of…

Research has identified a number of effective means of maximizing returns to mailed questionnaires. The accompanying cover letter, the first contact with the potential respondents, may be the most important aspect of the survey. Studies indicate that the most effective cover letters incorporate personalization with an altruistic and/or egoistic…

Three methodological improvements were incorporated into a two-channel study that tested the relationships between communication cues, dynamic/conversational delivery styles, and four dimensions of source credibility--dynamism, competence, evaluation, and trustworthiness. The methodological improvements included a molar rather than molecular…

In a study that examined the conditions that were likely to facilitate error detection, it was hypothesized that poor readers' comprehension monitoring abilities would improve if they were given assistance in selecting the appropriate schema for understanding a passage. When the hypothesis was tested with 20 sixth grade students in an error…

The randomized response technique, constructed by Warner (1965), was designed to reduce the number of untruthful responses to sensitive questionnaire items. The present study investigated the effectiveness of this technique for groups differing in the tendency to give socially desirable responses to questionnaire items. A questionnaire concerning…

This paper takes the position that theories about individual differences in childhood and theories about cognitive development both would be enhanced if the two lines of research were integrated. The heuristic value of this position is illustrated in the context of analogical reasoning tasks. A general model of analogy solution and potential…

This monograph is part of a series of reports focusing on women's studies in higher education. After summarizing the historical growth of continuing education for women and women's studies, this monograph describes the implementation of a study by the U.S. National Institute of Education on re-entry women and the field of women's studies.…

This paper discusses the problems and benefits of conducting research in a small institution. Problems related to personnel, finances, expertise, and credibility, and advantages such as communication and cooperation are described. The University of Lethbridge has created a common data-gathering system, QAULTEP (Qualitative Analysis of the…

THE MANY ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM THE RECENT EMPHASIS UPON IMPROVING EDUCATION SHOULD CONCERN THE MAJOR PROBLEMS, RESEARCH TOPICS, AND PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SUGGESTED SYSTEM OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION BOOKKEEPING IN WHICH RESULTS ARE REVIEWED BY APPROPRIATE STAFF AND RESOURCE PERSONNEL FROM BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES.…

SOME COMMON FLAWS IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH DESIGN WERE ANALYZED ON THE BASIS OF A STUDY BY DR. GERALD SMITH OF 1,091 UNSUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PROPOSALS. THE FOLLOWING INADEQUACIES ARE DISCUSSED-- (1) THE LACK OF SPECIFICITY IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN, (2) THE NON-DELIMITED PROBLEM, (3) THE LACK OF THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TO…

A 1964 SUMMER CONFERENCE WAS HELD TO INFORM PROJECT DIRECTORS OF INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH CENTERS ABOUT INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS IN FIRST-GRADE READING INSTRUCTION. IT WAS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE AWARENESS OF THE PROJECTS, TO GAIN AGREEMENT AND UNIFORMITY IN RESEARCH EFFORTS, TO APPRAISE RESEARCH DESIGNS, AND TO EXPLORE FURTHER PARTICIPATION IN…

A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY WAS CONDUCTED (1) TO NARROW AND BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN EXISTING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN SCHOOL PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION AND (2) TO IDENTIFY NEEDED RESEARCH. THE 6-DAY SEMINAR, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED IN NOVEMBER 1964 FOR 30 PARTICIPANTS SERVED AS THE VEHICLE FOR ACCOMPLISHING THE OBJECTIVES. FIVE MAJOR AREAS OF…

This final segment of a series of studies to ascertain the degree to which visually impaired persons use the Library of Congress National Library Service for the blind and physically handicapped (NLS) examines the methodologies involved in conducting the studies, as well as the problems associated with those methodologies. Chapters explore the…