The primary research problem confronting many experimental researchers is finding valid stimulus (instructional) and criterial (testing) materials that operationally fit their hypotheses. Five experimental studies have been completed, and two are in progress, using the Dwyer instructional materials to address the problem of finding valid…

The site variability issue for Direct Instruction Follow Through sites is examined from a variety of perspectives--meta-analysis of the Abt Associates' data, norm-referenced comparisons, and a longitudinal look at stability of effects. Much of the seemingly unexplained variability found in both the Abt report and the reports by M. Kennedy and E.…

One problem faced by researchers is the selection of the most appropriate research method or methods, given the context of the research setting. This dilemma does not concern the choice of the best research method given the program objectives or research questions, nor the selection of the best state-of-the-art methods. The issue concerns the…

Kinds of faculty workload data that can be obtained from college and faculty reports are examined, along with potential problems in workload studies. A main research concern is deciding which faculty activities should be considered as workload. Types of data that are sometimes used in colleges' faculty workload formulas concern student credit…

Piaget's conservation experiments have been criticized and reinterpreted in the light of various theoretical orientations. Some research studies suggest social as well as cognitive factors to explain children's answers. Other research indicates the importance of interaction variables in the conservation task. Actually, interaction in the…

This paper inquires analytically about the connotative meaning of the terms poverty and learning as they function in the language of comparative education research. In the analysis of concepts, the analytical techniques used are the techniques of definition, explication, illustration, and substitution. Four conceptions of the term learning and…

Argues that the mood of today's racial climate, the ideological demands of many minority social scientists, and the governmental research and funding policies all come together and suggest a racial change in the search for knowledge, and in the methodology and values of social science research. (Author/JM)

Patent protection is important in bringing technology arising from government-sponsored research and nonprofit organizations to fruition. This is an area of vital interest to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare since it is the largest single source of funding for such research in the United States, and a substantial portion of its…

Policy implications stemming from empirical analyses that evaluate national federal compensatory programs are clouded because negative findings could be due to either the nature of the educational process or the inadequacy of the data collection and analysis technique. This paper constructs a framework within which the separate effects of each are…

Previous research on class size has serious limitations because factors such as the abilities of pupils or the experience and teaching style of teachers were not controlled, and because of inconsistent criteria for large and small classes and for criteria of success. A major two-year study was mounted with four class sizes, random assignment of…

This address by the Director of the National Institute on Aging is a plea for the recognition of the necessity of fundamental research on the aging process. It cautions that new scientific discoveries need to be evaluated more carefully before they are used on humans, and warns that the effects of drugs and treatments on older people may vary from…

The follow-up of participants in a longitudinal survey can be difficult and expensive. This paper reviews the experiences of Project TALENT's 11-year follow-up survey of 400,000 individuals tested as high school students in 1960 and the experiences of follow-ups in other longitudinal studies. Methods for minimizing sample attrition and detecting…

The workshop was convened by the Social Science Research Council of Canada as part of its annual meeting. Its purpose was to explore the possible usefulness of a large-scale conference on the same topic. The three papers presented are included in the final report: (1) social science research needs of smaller Canadian universities (John T. Sears);…