Practical considerations associated with local norms development are discussed. A local norming project administering the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised to 398 elementary Mexican--American children is presented in detail. The utility of local norms and their interpretation is discussed in the context of this local project. (Author/BW)

Describes the utilization of database management as a inquiry tool to aid higher-level thinking in a fourth-grade American Indian studies course. (MBR)

Argues that the propensity and capacity of many adults to conduct self-directed learning projects is now well proven, and that researchers should now infuse a spirit of self-critical scrutiny into this developing field of research. Advances four criticisms regarding the current state of self-directed learning research. (Author/CT)

The importance to alumni of a nontraditional program and the negotiability of the degree to the alumni, their employers and peers, and graduate schools was examined. Data indicated that the main reasons for selecting a nontraditional program were a flexible schedule and the need to maintain a regular working day. (Author/MLW)

Possible reasons for conducting evaluations of college and university courses are outlined, and the evaluation system developed at the Australian National University is described. Sources of information for teachers to use in making course improvements are suggested. (MSE)

Reasons for carrying out cross-cultural and international health education research are presented, along with suggestions for adapting research methods to different cultures. Selection of appropriate topics, research design, development of measurement instruments, and data collection methods are considered. (PP)

Investigates the effects of certain aspects of the school context upon the attitudes of teachers, using data from a survey of Norwegian upper-secondary teachers. Specifically, the influence of the teacher's principal, his colleagues, the age composition of the school staff, school size, and the achievement level and social origin of students are…

Assesses the classroom environment to determine effectiveness of learning groups and offers suggestions for developing a "good" class, diagnosing peer interactions, and developing feedback between teachers and students. (Author/DB)

Investigates principals' behaviors which give rise to feelings of concern and pleasure in teachers generally. Sought to isolate common elements in these behaviors and more fully understand the interaction between principals and teachers. (Author/RK)

A survey of teachers in a number of secondary schools was conducted to gather their views on the condition of working relationships among members of the school community. Some of the findings are reported here. (Editor)

This longitudinal study identified twenty-five K-6 teachers as high (H) or low (L) graders and tracked their students' deportment and absence rates for two successive years. Three behavior patterns were identified. (Editor)

The author presents a step-by-step procedure for home economics teachers to follow with their students in gathering information in their own communities about what homemakers do. The information can then be used in planning a program to prepare young people for the occupation of homemaking. (AJ)

The article cites data collection instruments and summarizes findings reported by IBEX, Inc., a firm under contract with Illinois' Office of Education, vocational division, to evaluate secondary consumer and homemaking education programs in Illinois in 1975. Found to be generally successful, each program's strengths, weaknesses, and most effective…

Seven sequential ordinal scales of sensorimotor development are briefly described. These scales permit modification in the strategy for assessing infant development, investigating its structure and investigating infant-environment interaction. (GO)

This "Technical Guide" describes the methodology and concepts used to measure and grade the performance of the 50 states in the higher education arena. Part I presents the methodology for grading states and provides information on data collection and reporting. Part II explains the indicators that comprise each of the graded categories.…