The research related to laboratory work in science instruction is reviewed in this position paper. The history of the laboratory is outlined from its roots in the nineteenth century, and the goals of the laboratory are enumerated from a review of the literature. Research findings are critically analyzed regarding the effectiveness of laboratory…

RESEARCH IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STATE STAFF, TEACHER EDUCATORS, DIRECTORS, SUPERVISORS, COORDINATORS, AND TEACHERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT IN EVERY ASPECT OF MODERN LIVING, BUT IT IS VITAL IN THE VOCATIONAL AND PRACTICAL ARTS FIELDS WHERE MANY QUESTIONS, MANY PROFOUNDLY AFFECTING POLICIES,…

THIS WAS ONE OF FOUR SEMINARS CONDUCTED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. OBJECTIVES WERE TO DEVELOP (1) A CONCEPT OF THE ROLE AND THE ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN STATE PROGRAMS, (2) AN UNDERSTANDING OF A FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR CONDUCTING A PROGRAM OF…

AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED--(1) TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS TO WHICH RESEARCH SHOULD BE APPLIED BY STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (SDE) ADMINISTRATORS AND RESEARCH PERSONNEL, (2) TO INCREASE THE COMPETENCE OF SDE RESEARCH PERSONNEL IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH DESIGNS, (3) TO FORMULATE…

Four ethical problems resulting from a fieldwork study of elementary education student teachers are explored. The problems include: acquiring permission to execute the study; how far to dig into personal lives to extract necessary information; the pitfalls of doing collaborative research; and how much information can be revealed without…

A study was conducted at Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) to test the relative reliability of small-sample telephone interviewing and large-sample mailings with postcard and telephone reminders for student follow-up. The study involved conducting a telephone survey of 245 former students who had enrolled at LAPC in four program areas, and a mail…

An understanding of how children interact with reading material in educational settings is crucial to the understanding of successes and failures in teaching children to become skilled readers. This report describes the development of a plan for observing, describing, and coding reading activities in a representative sample of classrooms. The…

This paper reviews the reliability of several efforts by educational researchers to determine variables in teacher behavior that influence student attitudes and achievement. In particular, works by Rosenshine (1971), Dunkin and Biddle (1974), and Rosenshine and Furst (1970) are examined and evaluated in terms of research criteria developed by…

The effects of using different data analysis methods on estimates of treatment effects of educational programs were investigated. Various regression models, such as those recommended for Title I program evaluations, were studied. The first effect studied was the amount of bias that might be expected to occur in the various settings. Results…

This document is part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759. Working from the premise that temporal analysis is indispensable for the study of change, the document examines major alternatives in research design of this nature. Five sections focus on the features, advantages, and limitations of temporal analysis. Four designs which…

This technical document, part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759, describes a basic model of panel analysis used in a study of the causes of institutional and structural change in nations. Panel analysis is defined as a record of state occupancy of a sample of units at two or more points in time; for example, voters disclose voting…

This document is part of a series of chapters described in SO 011 759. The chapter advocates the analysis of event-histories (data giving the number, timing, and sequence of changes in a categorical dependent variable) with maximum likelihood estimators (MLE) applied to log-linear rate models. Results from a Monte Carlo investigation of the impact…

With an emphasis on the problems of control of extraneous variables and threats to internal and external validity, the arrangement or design of experiments is discussed. The purpose of experimentation in an educational institution, and the principles governing true experimentation (randomization, replication, and control) are presented, as are…

Some of the problems that occur for researchers using the TICCIT computer assisted instructional system are described. The underlying learning strategy of the TICCIT system states that the student rather than the developer is best able to select the order of instructional frames. In order to successfully engage in research with the TICCIT system,…

In this paper it is suggested that current research methods are of questionable validity as they pertain to minorities, but that this problem may be solved by encouraging more minority input into the conceptualization, organization, and implementation of surveys that affect them. All phases of survey research are discussed in detail. Planning…