Policy analysis, or policy study, is defined as the study of the nature, causes, and effects of alternative public policies; sometimes policy analysis refers to specific methods used. Two new developments associated with policy analysis are discussed. One is the concern for deducing the effects of alternative policies before they are adopted, as…

This document is designed to provide an understanding of the major longitudinal issues and problems, a rationale for longitudinal studies, and the advantages and disadvantages of using longitudinal studies for evaluation and accountability purposes when applied to vocational education. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 presents a…

Findings that job applicants who are married and childless are evaluated more favorably than applicants who are single and have a child have serious implications for the growing number of single female heads of households. This study examines how evaluations of competence are affected by marital and parental status when males and females apply for…

A review of research on television's major compositional factors was undertaken to determine the status of such research and to note the major variables involved in the structure of television pictures. It was found that such research could be grouped in four categories--lighting and color, staging, editing, and sound--and that these areas covered…

This review of the research on the evaluation of career education provides a review and synthesis of five major publications prepared for and/or published for the United States Office of Education and considers a number of problems and promises facing evaluators of career education in the eighties. Reviewed are reports prepared by Tuckman and…

IN NOVEMBER 1966 A CONFERENCE WAS HELD TO (1) EXCHANGE INFORMATION ABOUT ONGOING AND PLANNED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN IOWA, MINNESOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, AND WISCONSIN, (2) EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COORDINATING ACTIVITIES, (3) DEVELOP A PRIORITY LIST OF CURRENT SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS IN THE REGION, (4) SELECT A HIGH-PRIORITY…

A RESEARCH TRAINING CONFERENCE ON LEARNING WAS HELD FOR 37 PSYCHOLOGISTS AND EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHERS. THE 6-WEEK CONFERENCE CENTERED ITS ACTIVITIES ON SUCH TOPICS AS LANGUAGE LEARNING, COMPUTER SIMULATION, INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES DESIGN, ATTITUDE AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT, AND CURRICULUM EVALUATION. LECTURES AND TALKS WERE OFFERED BY…

This paper makes three arguments reaffirming the overwhelming complexities inherent in any real history of the language of blacks in North America. (1) Although the study of black English, however that term may be defined, is desirable in itself and was profitable for white linguists during the 1960s and early 1970s, it did not and never will do…

The theoretical and research literature on women in treatment has increased over the past two decades as a result of the growing concern about the appropriateness and adequacy of mental-health services for women. This annotated bibliography, in six sections, is a response to the need to survey, organize, and abstract this new body of literature.…

Developed to orient the information seeker to the computerized literature search process, this guide provides background information that will help the user facilitate the search interview and the formation of a search topic, enabling him or her to focus on personal search needs and not on the fundamentals of online searching. Major purposes for…

Adolescent parenthood was investigated based on a large panel study known as the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) which has tracked over 22,000 adolescents who are now in their early 20's and have experienced many of the near-term consequences of early parenthood. Procedures for creating variables that mark entry…

This study was designed to compare the toy/activity preferences of a group of young children, as measured by traditional procedures, with their spontaneous toy/activity choices as they occur during unstructured periods of free play. Participants in the study included fifty-seven 4-year-old children enrolled in three half-day nursery school…

In response to a paper by E. Culpepper Clark, Eva M. McMahan, and Michael J. Hyde that calls for the application of hermeneutic theory to the study of the oral history interview, this paper notes problems in the relationships between the proposed research design and the conceptual framework for the proposed research. While conceding that the…

RESEARCH IN THE LEARNING, MOTIVATION, AND PERCEPTION OF MENTAL RETARDATES IS ESSENTIAL TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR BEHAVIOR AND OF THEIR ABILITIES. MANY INVESTIGATORS HAVE USED THE PROBLEMS AND DESIGNS OF RESEARCH WITH LOWER ANIMALS IN STUDYING THE BEHAVIOR OF HUMAN RETARDATES. IT IS QUESTIONABLE THAT SUCH ORIENTATION WILL REALLY ADD TO THE…

The problems of conducting research in schools are discussed. Solutions to social psychological problems are suggested, and an improved design for research is recommended. Clearer definition of terminology is recommended to avoid the confusion that can result from ambiguous terms. A research design should be adaptable to the administrative and…