Describes a sampling strategy which involves linked pairs of persons used to obtain bereaved respondents for a study examining loss and coping responses following a recent natural disaster. The sampling procedure appeared not to produce an obvious bias and was very beneficial in meeting the research objectives. (Author/NRB)

Argues that defining "progress" is fundamental to understanding how effective educational research is in improving practice. Discusses the problem of partial specification and its consequences for defining the research-practice relationship. Presents three different, but complementary, approaches to defining "progress":…

Considers ethical issues that arise in conduct of family therapy research, emphasizing (1) researcher's responsibility to protect rights of research participants, (2) confidentiality and informed consent, (3) researcher's values, and (4) methodology. In each area, parallels are drawn between ethical issues facing family clinicians and those facing…

Compared two types of empirical study with two types of conceptual research on the validity of the Rorschach. Argues that the Rorschach does have some validity and that poor research is at least partly culpable for the Rorschach's perceived failure. (Author/BL)

A recent article by Nicholls on achievement motivation is criticized on three points: (1) definitions of achievement motives are ambiguous; (2) behavioral consequences predicted do not follow from explicit theoretical assumptions; and (3) Nicholls's account of the relation between his theory and other achievement theories is factually incorrect.…

The author replies to criticism of his interpretation of achievement motivation. A distinction between goals of demonstrating and developing ability cannot be made in task involvement. Attempts to extend the author's theory by adding this distinction suffer from a failure to predict when these different goals will predominate. (Author/LMO)

Presents friendly advice to potential authors and researchers on basic conceptual and operational mistakes commonly made in the most recent 100 manuscripts reviewed by the author. (MS)

Unnecessary polarization between research traditions (basic vs. applied, experimental vs. correlational, and laboratory vs. field research) has resulted in extreme, nonproductive conflict between experimental rigor and policy relevance. The analogue model (described) grounds experimental studies in social problems without losing the unique…

Critiques James Sanders' argument that differences in teacher behavior do not significantly affect student achievement levels. Finds empirical research inevitably inadequate for contributing to knowledge of cause and effect in the classroom. Suggests that teacher education helps develop conceptual finesse to enable teachers to make their own…

Several criticisms of Bandura's "reciprocal determinism" are offered: the unidirectional causal account works in cases cited by Bandura; Mackie's criticism of Russell's view of causation also applies to Bandura; and "reciprocal determinism" is a misleading expression when stressing person/environment interactions. (Author/BW)

A simplified introduction to path analysis, this article discusses the following: (1) basic rules, assumptions, and procedures; (2) strengths and weaknesses of the technique; (3) special considerations; (4) examples of path analysis in educational research; and (5) guidelines for constructing diagrams. (MCG)

Reviewed behavioral and industrial relations literature on grievances, and raised serious methodological, theoretical, and ethical questions. Given existing threats to traditional grievance systems, basic research, especially program evaluation, on proposed structural and behavior variants of grievance procedures is necessary. (JAC)

Examines the ethical and legal implications of adhering to treatment protocols in family therapy outcome research. Safeguards are proposed to minimize risks to subjects, and guidelines are suggested to prevent therapist deviation from treatment protocols. (Author)

Raises questions concerning Skuse's (1984) papers on extreme deprivation in early childhood (Vol. 25). (RH)

Despite much effort by scholars, the definition of play remains a problem. Observers of preschool children tend to rate constructive activities as play; this has implications for play criteria. Types of play recorded may be appreciably affected by the time frame of observations and the use or lack of supplementary interviews. (RH)