The results of the work described here were taken as evidence of the feasibility of developing effective totally self-instructional materials for spoken language training. The author is Director of the Psycholinguistics Program at the Center for Applied Linguistics. This article comprises Supplement 24 to "The Linguistic Reporter. (FWB)

Reorganization of Agricultural Research Service is under way, triggered by charges that research hasn't kept pace with resource depletion and high cost of farming. A fight is predicted over the 1887 Hatch Act funds ($221 million appropriated by Congress in 1981). Comments on the situation by various individuals are included. (Author/JN)

Discusses educational offerings in polymers within the Chemical Engineering Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, including research programs, undergraduate and graduate courses offered, and sources of support for research projects. (Author/JN)

The degree of control that project directors exert over the technical direction of evaluations and the selection of evaluation staff is examined, and the way in which control has grown and shrunk over the past decade is considered. (Author)

Economic activity generated by federally-supported research and development in New York State is estimated at 3.7 times the level of original federal spending, generating enough national and state tax revenues to offset the original federal outlay of taxpayers' money. Results support continued aid to higher education during fiscal crises. (MSE)

Attracting high quality faculty and keeping young faculty in good spirits, satisfied in their work, and optimistic about their future are discussed. Emphasis is on attracting and keeping the best qualified women and minority candidates. The problems of two-career couples and joint appointments are outlined. (MLW)

Legal issues related to a research agreement include: project scope, sponsor commitment, university responsibility, funds administration, exclusivity of sponsorship, industry's technical collaboration, reporting, funding, use of results, proprietary information from the sponsor, patent rights, licensing, indemnification, use of school name, and…

Summarizes results of project identifying research priorities in field of library and information science sponsored by Department of Education, Office of Libraries and Learning Technologies. Background material, one-page summaries of projects comprising the Research Agenda, and a classification and brief summary of other projects reviewed are…

Concludes a review (begun in this journal's previous issue) of 16 studies, currently being conducted or recently completed, of secondary education in America. Outlines the types of information that these studies can be expected to generate and comments on the probable quality, usefulness, and shortcomings of the various findings. (PGD)

A discussion of the state of interdisciplinary research (IDR) in academia, government, and industry in North America and Europe focuses on current issues and themes, organizational structure, researchers, input-output processes, the process of IDR, outputs, and future research needs. Descriptive research on IDR and normative research for…

Research on 50 project groups in a large corporation's research and development facility examined the effect of group longevity and project characteristics on internal and external communication and project performance. Results indicate that projects became increasingly isolated, adversely affecting technical performance the longer project members…

Describes a 1920s study by Hartshorne and May, the "Character Education Inquiry," and summarizes its three-volume report, "Studies in the Nature of Character," about students' moral development and ethical instruction. Emphasizes findings that discussing hypothetical dilemmas and supplying moral knowledge are less effective…

Presents a progress report on Project SPAN (Social Studies/Social Science Education: Priorities, Practices, and Needs). The purpose of the project is to examine the current status of the social studies, desired states of the social studies, and recommendations for achieving those desired states. (KC)

Assesses the importance of age in determining the use of conventional and illicit drugs among secondary school students in Texas. Age-drug use relationships were examined in terms of sex, age, and residence of respondents. Rural students' use of deviant drugs exceeded that of urban students. Conventional drug use increases with age. (Author/BEF)

A procedure for evaluating concerns of drug users was applied with drug users entering an outpatient treatment program. Abusers had major concerns about areas which might not be predicted on the basis of their actual situation. The utility of such information for treatment and program planning is discussed. (Author)