As part of a broader study of the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program, this report focuses on the process by which collections of products (the knowledge base) were developed to serve clients' needs, the types of products included for dissemination, and the types chosen by sites. The seven project…

This paper explores ways in which practitioners can use research findings in their daily jobs--to keep up to date, to support program proposals, to substantiate budget requests, to improve selection of media, to evaluate services and communication, and to compare methods of instruction in the use of materials. Specific studies are reviewed and…

This book presents a discussion and analysis of various theories of play behavior. The book is divided into 12 chapters. The first chapter delineates 3 criteria (intrinsic motivation, suspension of reality or make-believe, and internal locus of control) that distinguish play from nonplay behavior. Chapter 2 reviews scientific research on the…

The process of curriculum development involves two phases: transformation of research findings into curriculum material by external developers and implementation of curriculum materials by teachers. In a study of the development of an eighth grade biology unit in Israel, the authors examined the characteristics of and relationships between the…

To examine the impact of program evaluation information upon decision making, case studies were conducted of five different programs: (1) a diagnostic teaching kindergarten program (K-LEAD), funded under the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I; (2) Project MORE, an ESEA Title IV-C funded junior high school program dealing with school…

In comparison with traditional experimental design, which is concerned with what happened, a case study approach is more appropriate for answering the question of why or how something happened. As an alternative complementary-vocational-education-evaluation approach, the case study attempts to describe and analyze some program in comprehensive…

Research adaptation is an endeavor that implies solid collaboration among school practitioners and university and college researchers. This volume addresses the broad issues of research as an educational endeavor, adaptation as a necessary function associated with applying research findings to school situations, and change as an inevitable…

The "Rural America Guidance Series" of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education is a set of sixteen handbooks designed to help rural and small schools plan, develop, implement, and evaluate a career guidance and counseling program for grades K-14. It has been widely adopted by state departments, intermediate service…

A study conducted by the School District of Philadelphia and that city's Federal Reserve Bank, entitled "What Works in Reading," was used as a case study to determine what factors influence the translation of research findings into educational policy. The Philadelphia study, which examined variables associated with achievement growth in…

In this report of the Panel for the Review of Laboratory and Center Operations to the director of the National Institute of Education, the results of site visits and reviews of long range plans of 17 research and development centers and regional educational laboratories are analyzed. Following a brief overview of the history of educational…

The impact of NCHEMS (National Center for Higher Education Management Systems) products upon planning and management tasks is examined in this study performed at a sample of 126 institutions. The institutions have used one or more of the following NCHEMS products: Program Classification of Structure (PCS); Resource Requirements Prediction Model…

The point is made that teacher educators must not be categorically included or excluded from teacher center activities, but should be considered on the basis of their personal worth and their individual teaching and/or research competencies. Stronger links are needed between the educational research community, as well as the research on teaching…

Intended to aid teachers in making systematic decisions regarding the use of research and development products, a check list has been constructed that compares products in terms of their predicted effects on school and classroom practices. A copy of the check list is included in the report. (LH)

A consortium of 39 schools, colleges, and departments of education along with representatives of the Office of Education convened to study the salient problems in secondary teacher education. Areas of interest included: the working cooperation between administrators and faculty; the development of new curricula despite declining enrollment; the…

The flow of information resulting from educational research into the practical lives of professional educators is a slow and tortuous course, but an increased awareness of the role of communications can help to alleviate matters. In 1972 the Kentucky Department of Education addressed itself to the problem and instituted a statewide information…