Discusses the IEA Written Composition Study in relation to other IEA studies, national cultural patterns, and research on writing in general. Describes research design problems, development of representative writing tasks, and a scoring scheme based on a system of writing competencies and preferences and their elements. Summarizes preliminary…

Studies the pedagogical growth of two student art teachers as measured by their language during practicum interviews. Measured the level of description of teaching activity and level of explanation of activity success. Delineates the value of this research and notes factors that limit the drawing of broader conclusions. (DSK)

Discusses (1) the applicability of cross-cultural research, particularly Kohlberg's model, for Africa; (2) close connections in Africa among religion, morality, and life; (3) the nature of the ethos and worldview that shape Africans' moral beliefs; (4) elements of a model of moral/ethics construction; and (5) limitations of the study. (DSK)

Presents two groups of text encoding problems encountered by the Brown University Women Writers Project while using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to create a database of book transcriptions: dual emendation and correction, and multiple hierarchies. Offers several possible approaches to these encoding problems and analyzes the issues…

There is little research-based analysis of education's past or prospective contribution to the constitutional reconstruction of Scottish participatory democracy. Describes the constitutional changes occurring in Scotland and the relationship between educational research and policy. Analyzes positive and negative elements of educational research…

Despite six decades of leading researchers' research findings upholding progressive, whole-language reading approaches, consensus is lacking. Pundits tend to discredit educational research. News media promulgate tougher standards while overlooking progressive classroom successes. Parents may fear children's exploration of a wide variety of books…

Discusses the range and limitations of local and regional case studies based on studies of the educational history of Berlin (Germany), Jewish school systems under National Socialism, and women's education. Examines their content-related results as well as their systematic significance for research on the history of education (DSK)

Mentoring programs cannot always obliterate deficiencies in adult/child relationships or better student achievement. Two successful programs are the Big Brother/Big Sister program and the Office of Juvenile Justice's Juvenile Mentoring Program. (JUMP). Social support, not social control, is essential. Sidebars contain program tips and selected…

Achievement in reading, math, science, and social studies was examined among rural, suburban, and urban school students using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Controlling for socioeconomic status and using nationally representative samples of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, rural student achievement equalled or exceeded…

School effectiveness and school effectiveness researchers have increasingly sought to establish synergy between their respective fields, but differing organizational change perspectives have produced an irresolvable methodological and theoretical divide. Incorporating the "power" concept provides a bridge between structural and cultural analysis…

Looks at how "scientifically based" literacy research promoting the direct, explicit, and systematic use of phonics and related word skills in beginning reading instruction is having a massive effect on policy and practice. Examines what this research claims to have found and what it actually shows. Discusses how it harms research,…

A total of 1,311 administrators, teachers, staff, and students from an elementary, a junior high, and two high school campuses in a large school district completed the Charles F. Kettering School Climate Profile. Primary and secondary principal components analysis suggested subscales different from those given for the Kettering instrument. (SLD)

Results of studies involving over 10,000 college students, adolescents, and teachers indicate that the models, paradigms, and methods used to teach cognitive skills, enhance cognitive learning, impact affective learning, or otherwise lead to new behaviors are ineffective for learning about sex. Outlines challenges and priorities for educational…

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…

Asserts that Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" (1994) is an attempt to influence and control public discourse about public policy and inequality. It examines four of the book's flaws in classification, analyses, research, and its failure to recognize intelligence as having both genotypic and phenotypic manifestations. (GR)