Describes problems in Middle Eastern studies, focusing on: (1) the problem of access for students and faculty conducting research due to countries being completely closed or highly restrictive; (2) declines in Middle Eastern and American corporate donations to language and area studies as oil prices decrease; and (3) the difficulties inherent in…

Presents a framework in which notions of cross-cultural equivalence are related to the abstraction-concreteness and the universality-cultural difference continua. Uses this framework to compare strategies proposed to improve cross-cultural measurement of characteristics and behavior other than ability and aptitude. Suggests that the adoption of…

The use of nominal group technique in course evaluation has these advantages: it restricts the researcher's influence, encourages respondents to frame their own responses, sustains individual autonomy during group pressure, and provides respondents with knowledge of the full range of possible responses. However, it also underestimates group…

The use of single-case research techniques as a method for social work students to identify, change, and record conditions and behaviors relevant to their practice is discussed, and some of the obstacles in using the techniques and possible educational strategies to overcome the obstacles are outlined. (MSE)

Discusses results of two 1983 educational microcoputer use studies which indicate schools are acquiring microcomputers but lightly utilizing them, and concludes that this may be due to lack of research on the intelligent use of microcomputers. Research questions needing answers are noted and scarcity and problems of research are discussed. (MBR)

Solutions to methodological problems in medical technologies research synthesis relating to temporal change, persons receiving treatment, research design, analytic procedures, and threats to validity are presented. These solutions should help with the planning and methodogy for research synthesis in other areas. (BS)

Introspective interviewing can often determine the magnitude of relations more meaningfully than statistical analysis. Deduction from empirically validated premises avoids many research design problems. Guesswork can be combined with sensitivity analysis to determine the effects of guesses and missing information on conclusions. (Author/DWH)

Discusses the obstacles and opportunities that school counselors face in attempting to conduct research in the public schools. Suggests that engaging in research and program evaluation may necessitate restructuring the goals of the guidance program, altering the priority of counselors' tasks, and modifying the expectations of various groups within…

In 1979, Eric Hanushek pointed out a potential problem in estimating educational production functions, particularly at the precollege level. He observed that it is frequently inappropriate to include school-system variables in equations using the individual student as the unit of observation. This study offers limited evidence supporting this…

In this paper, tables for the appropriate sample sizes are presented and discussed in the context that the determination of the effect size must precede the determination of the sample size. (Author/PN)

The research papers in the current Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (Vol. 30, No. 2) invitational issue on temperament are examined from the perspective of previous research and the indications they provide for critical unsolved issues concerning temperament. (Author)

Notes three features of current community service satisfaction research that hinder its progress: weakness of study designs, lack of standard service and disregard for how user satisfaction varies with service use. Makes recommendations regarding the content, reliability, validity, and analysis of useful measures of service satisfaction. (SB)

Discusses problems in Pratt, Golding, and Hunter's investigation (in this issue) of two propositions central to Gilligan's (1982) thesis on the mismeasurement of women's moral orientation and development. Describes research addressing the problems and indicates directions for further research. (RH)

Temperament and attachment, as defined by Bowlby and his followers, are fundamentally different constructs, and research guided by the attachment perspective cannot meaningfully be assimilated to the temperament construct. Qualitative aspects of relationships simply cannot be reduced to individual behavioral dimensions. (RH)

Used data from 51 pairs of parents to show the results of miscalculations and inadequate procedures on the assessment of the relative validity of the final-say measure of marital power. Demonstrated that, even when analytical procedures are carefully selected, external criterion variables must be used. (JAC)