Describes a study of secondary school students in Nigeria to determine whether use of musical accompaniment on videotape recordings used in instruction of economic geography had any effects on students' learning. Results offer inconclusive differences in effect between video instruction accompanied by music and video instruction without music.…

Proposes a model to help teachers become consumers and producers of research as an integral part of classroom instruction. The strategy begins with teachers' concerns and aims at helping them become more responsible for directing their own professional development. Suggests employment of the model in preservice teacher education. (TRS)

Describes difficulties in locating accurate data on child care workers: numbers, occupational categories, salaries, differences in education and experience, and data on enrollment in training programs and final job choices. Advocates the formation of a review panel to guide agencies' efforts to clarify their current data collection systems. (KS)

Reviews sociologists' dilemma of seeking to reconcile knowledge requirements of specific social problems and those of scientific theory building and testing. Indicates that rural sociological research has become more sophisticated in method but less concerned with social utility. (LFL)

Research studies concerning how nutrition affects educational performance are examined. From a developmental perspective it seems likely that the earlier the onset and the longer the duration of the nutritional deficiency the higher the probabilities of a cognitive deficit and poor school achievement in childhood and adolescence. (RM)

While small-scale initiatives in educational innovation do have advantages, problems are often encountered during the process of project replication or extension. Increased awareness of potential hazards with regard to pilot projects is a prerequisite for successful educational planning and development. (RM)

In third-grade and tenth-grade subjects, results included (1) the absence of age differences in proportionalized short-term retention and (2) significant age differences in long-term retention only between groups that had received a different number of learning trials. (Author/CI)

Some health researchers have used the concept of acculturation to explain health behaviors or illnesses prevalent among Hispanic people. This paper reviews studies in health, educational, and social science research among Hispanics and argues that acculturation studies are seriously limited by several basic conceptual and methodological problems.…

These three newsletters focus on advances and challenges in disability research. The first issue focuses on the results of a survey that investigated how many consumers with disabilities had a computer available in their home and their Internet use. The study involved administrators of Independent Living Centers (ILC) and ILC consumers. Findings…

Child labor remains one of the most controversial challenges at the end of the 20th century. Approximately 250 million children in developing countries work either full- or part-time. Child labor is not confined to less-developed countries, as economic transitions bring shifts in the prevalence and nature of child labor. Throughout the world,…

Replicated a study of boys with conduct problems using a parent-mediated treatment. Parents were trained to alter deviant behavior by following procedures derived from social learning theory. Child behavior showed significant change through termination as measured by parental reports. Follow-up data showed improvements were maintained through one…

In an extensive review of research on participation in adult education, the author discusses limitations and problems in past studies. If lifelong learning principles are to be adopted worldwide, he suggests that participation data be systematically collected and experimental research be rigorously conducted. (SK)

Results of a study conducted with first-grade Mexican American children indicate that direct reading instruction to precise behavioral objectives is more effective than teaching to Mexican American children's supposed "cultural learning styles" as recommended by Manuel Ramirez and Alfredo Castaneda in 1974. (GT)

An examination of the reported psychological profile of runaways suggests no clear relationship between personality and runaway behavior. A multiplicity of factors are potential causal agents for running away; these factors range from sociocultural values to school problems. Future research might focus on alternative values, rather than on…

Research on the effectiveness and use of college students' evaluation of faculty is reviewed. It is suggested that the research shows student feedback has a minimal effect on instructional improvement at the university level. (MH)