Discusses 100-year-old debate about the primary function of the social work profession: to seek social reform or to provide individual treatment. Uses debate format to argue that these need not be mutually exclusive and divisive, and that they are increasingly evident in social work education and practice. (Author/JDM)

Reviews the current state of research paradigms in the field of instructional technology from the perspective of research standards and paradigms recommended by Leslie J. Briggs in early 1980s. Analysis of articles published in "Educational Technology Research and Development" from 1992 to 1996 revealed that relatively few research…

The National Science Foundation-funded Center for Innovative Learning Technologies (CILT) is designed to be a national resource for stimulating research and development of technology-enabled solutions to critical problems in K-14 science, math, engineering, and technology learning. The rationale and operations of the Center and first-year progress…

Three years after seven teachers had participated in an intensive year-long professional development experience in three multilevel reading practices (partner reading, collaborative strategic reading, and making words), all but one teacher sustained one or more of the practices at a high rate, as determined by classroom observation and interviews.…

Describes the joint NSF/JISC (National Science Foundation/UK Joint Information Systems Committee) International Digital Libraries Initiative. Discusses JISC funding criteria and procedures; personalized information environment (PIE), a conceptual architecture that allows unified, highly customizable access to distributed information resources; and…

Addresses three relationships between research and practice in speech-language pathology: (1) shared-interest communication; (2) research-driven communication; and (3) practice-driven communication. Recommendations for developing effective communication are offered. (Author/DB)

Responding to an article (EC 618 445) describing an individualized program for young children with severe disabilities, including autism, and their families, this article notes features of the program such as its individualized nature, its emphasis on building capacity in families and early intervention providers, and its integrative practices…

Discusses results of a survey of special librarians that investigated research knowledge and activities. Topics include formal and informal training in research methodology; continuing education; barriers to research, including a lack of institutional support; and the disinterest in and lack of understanding about research and its relevance to…

A questionnaire was completed by 510 special education teachers in 3 school districts, revealing that teachers' attitudes toward both research and instructional analysis were positive. Significant relationships were found between teachers' attitudes and the research methods courses they had taken, their involvement in research, and their earned…

Noting that examination of emotions in adolescence from a treatment or intervention perspective is unusual, this article discusses the emotions in adolescence literature from the vantage point of a particular, empirically tested family-based intervention model, multidimensional family therapy. Demonstrates how research-based concepts guide…

This section of "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook" profiles centers and institutes that carry out research and development in the field of instructional technology. Both the Concord Consortium and the Institute for Learning Technology at Columbia University are working hard to use media and technology to transform teaching and learning…

Reviews what is known about the overall effectiveness of Title I programs and discusses how Title I can become a more effective intervention. Makes three policy recommendations for fostering better research and better programs, centering on accountability, continued research and development, and randomized experimental studies of promising…

Discusses how the sources of research-based information in developmental education have increased in recent years except in the area of program evaluation. Describes the differences between program evaluation and research and argues for the need to standardize the criteria used. Concludes with a list of practical ideas for conducting program…

This introductory article notes the special issue's purpose of highlighting ways to close gaps between research and practice in special education from the perspective of teacher preparation, inservice training, professional development, and collaborations between researchers and teachers in local schools. (DB)

This article summarizes the journal's special issue on intervention research for students with learning disabilities with emphasis on common themes in the preceding papers: (1) modeling in instruction, (2) the provision of feedback, (3) instruction for generalization, and (4) teacher preparation. (Contains one reference.) (DB)