Current research on applications of computer conferencing in six institutions identifies a number of common problems related to communications and conferencing software and hardware and user attitudes about the medium. Despite these difficulties, there have been indications of a growth in the incorporation of computer conferencing in distance…

Arguing that relevance judgments are fundamental to the design and evaluation of all information retrieval systems, and that a consensus on the definition of the central concept of relevance has not been reached, this paper begins by critically reviewing four approaches to the problem of defining relevance: (1) the system-oriented approach…

This monograph contains, in condensed form, the papers presented by the members of a joint working group of curriculum researchers at the Curriculum Seminar in Helsinki in Septemenber, 1986. The articles largely reflect the problems which curriculum researchers have in Finland. In this report, the curriculum has been confined to refer exclusively…

This paper discusses four kinds of reasons for studying child language. The first of the four, biological reasons, includes the desire to understand our own species and its place among other living things in the universe. The common human faculty for communication, the variability in language building, and the similarity of human communication to…

The primary purpose of this paper is to set forth the rationale for governments' undertaking of strategies that promote the growth of children. The rationale has three dimensions: economic, humanitarian, and political. The primary focus of this paper is on the economic arguments, although the main humanitarian and political arguments are also…

Current approaches to distance education in elementary and secondary schools are summarized in this review of the literature, which was conducted to identify distance education programs at the K-12 level, together with any associated evaluation or research findings, and discover implications of these findings for future developments in this area.…

As more and more students arrive at colleges increasingly unprepared, the issue of how to teach effective study skills becomes more important. Yet, research on study skills is far from conclusive. Study skills may be defined as any activity or behavior which enhances the learning and recall of new academic material, and includes such activities as…

The construction of cognitive tests is largely based on a Thurstonian model of the structure of the intellect, with test content described in terms of loadings on broad constructs called factors. Knowledge of factorial content of a test does not necessarily correspond to knowledge of mental activities elicited by test performance. Modern cognitive…

The success and safety of flight in actual instrument conditions is dependent upon the communicative competency of the individuals involved. The more obvious elements of communication involved include crew coordination and communication both verbal and nonverbal, aircraft and ground communication links, pilot interpretation of verbally and…

English teachers tend to welcome computers uncritically into the classroom, resulting in three problem areas: (1) a lack of critical thinking about computers and their role in writing pedagogy; (2) a limited selection of computer-assisted instruction that is both theoretically and pedagogically sound; and (3) a limited program of research on the…

In this working paper on needed research issues, areas of inquiry are grouped in a way that parallels the programs of the National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL); additional categories are also cited. The following topics are addressed: (1) issues of student learning (participation and involvement,…

This report on a symposium sponsored jointly by Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) and the Stanford University School of Education to foster understanding of the role of educational technology in educational systems and to identify needs for further research begins by summarizing international trends in the…

These hearings on international cooperation in science focused on three issues: (1) international cooperation in big science; (2) the impact of international cooperation on research priorities; and (3) coordination in management of international cooperative research. Witnesses presenting testimony and/or prepared statements were: Victor Weisskopf;…

In this paper an attempt is made to present a comprehensive picture of the effects of separation and divorce on children. After information on trends in divorce is presented to indicate how many families and children are involved, three comprehensive reviews of one-parent families are discussed. Because some detrimental effects are associated with…

This document contains eight papers presented at the 1981 White House Conference on Aging. Each paper begins with a statement of a Congressional finding relevant to the topic under consideration, followed by a presentation and discussion of important issues related to each topic. The first paper, "Research on the Aging Process," explores…