The authors argue that continuing medical education (CME) research fails to prove its effectiveness in patient outcomes, that there is no theory from which to generate measurable hypotheses and that questionable methodology, dubious applicability, and misleading conclusions pervade CME research. (SK)

The need to attend to both methodological and social concerns is demonstrated in two examples: one where the unchecked effects of the social consequences of a methodologically rigorous research design invalidated the evaluation and a second where explicit trade-offs between methodological rigor and social costs enabled the evaluation to proceed.…

Discusses the Teaching Act Model and the very complex set of contexts that determines why each teacher does what she or he does and that makes the appropriateness and effectiveness of those decisions not completely determinable by observation alone. (HTH)

Analysis of 21 early intervention projects approved by the JDRP (Joint Dissemination Review Panel) revealed that the projects reflected stress on parent involvement, early intervention, and structured programing, and had demonstrated feasibility of early intervention and developed curriculum and assessment materials. The frequency of serious…

A study of school district uses of evaluation and test data is used to illustrate the variety of ambiguities that can appear in qualitative data. Rules of evidence to distinguish valid and potentially nonvalid testimony are proposed. Uses of testimony in evaluation are discussed. (BS)

Reviews Vietnamese Studies in American universities, and stresses the problems of Vietnamese scholars who are usually refugees and thus face research problems resulting from the language barrier. Presents an overview of literature from this field, and describes research areas into which it might expand. (KH)

A study which compared two groups of college students--transfers and natives--and attributed the lower academic achievement of the transfer students to their community college experience is critiqued. The study results are not valid because the groups compared are not equivalent. An alternative approach for studying transfer students is suggested.…

Debates the effect of relocation on elderly patients in a critique of an earlier study and a rebuttal by the original author. Questions whether patient mortality is related to the stress of moving or a simple function of age, health status, or choice. Additional evidence on relocation effects is needed. (JAC)

The review of studies on parental language to language-impaired children cites methodological problems and discusses findings on the following topics: parental effects on language development, the importance of discourse contingencies, (semantic contingencies, acknowledgments, and parental self-repititions), sentence types and associated…

Three studies which examine the academic achievement of secondary students in British comprehensive schools as compared to their achievement in selective schools are critiqued. Research problems found in each of the studies are examined. (RM)

Reviewing household equipment research over 75 years, this study found researchers responding to needs for information on new appliances, energy, and consumer protection. Since 1950 research has increasingly reflected marketers' concerns. Researchers have been hampered by problems of conceptualization, visibility, funding, and a reactive…

Discounts Collier's study of the effect of computer-based text editors on the quality of students' revision, arguing that editing is not an innate skill and that the computer predictably would not improve upon a process with which the students are not familiar. Collier replies that he excluded several methodological alternatives to reduce the…

Argues that for English education there is a need to refine the concepts of validity, reliability, subjectivity, and objectivity in a theoretical framework encompassing both experimental and enthnographic research as interrelated and mutually supporting modes. (HOD)

Offers suggestions for future research in English education which need to be considered if English education is to be viewed, studied, and implemented as an entity of importance to the total curriculum. (HOD)

This paper reports on a two year investigation currently being conducted by the University of Washington into the "Assessment and Experiment With Management of Large-Scale Interdisciplinary Research Projects." The recruitment and resource issues, as common issues encounted in discussions of interdisciplinary research, are the focus of…