Technological advances in microcomputer hardware and software, including size of memory and increasingly more sophisticated statistical application packages, create a new era in educational research. The alternative to costly main-frame computer data processing and statistical analysis is explored in this paper. In the first section, typical…

Although the Indian education system is probably the largest in the world, little is really known about what goes on in Indian educational institutions. The information that does exist can be grouped into four types: prescriptive, general description, widely statistical (based on government statistics), and specifically statistical (based on…

In response to the broad question of what is needed to ensure quality instruction into the next century, this paper addresses three related issues. First, it is suggested that radically different inquiry and research perspectives, based on the quasi-anthropological concept of schools as culture systems, need to be subsumed into educators'…

Because vocational researchers and practitioners have not been able to reach a consensus concerning criteria for judging excellence in vocational education and have been unable to agree on exactly which factors lead to successful programs, research in vocational education has had limited impact on improving practice. Two sets of research findings…

This paper argues that there will be greater use of independent learning and distance education in the future combined with increased use of technology due to the demand for continuing adult education and new methods of teaching. Research into new technology in education will become a priority as the use of technology will require large-scale…

Workshops on child development explored the cognitive development of children, mass media and its effects on children, parenting, the emotional and personality development of children, and educating the exceptional child, including the gifted. The discussion of cognitive development focused on the need to collect information about cognitive…

Workshops concerning adolescent development explored problems of adolescents, schooling and adolescence, preparation for adulthood, leisure and recreation, as well as values, culture, and change in relation to the development of youth. The discussion of adolescents' problems identified major problem areas, (emphasizing problems of communicating…

The study of educational administration should continue its trend toward a qualitative interpretation of reality and abandon the positivistic, scientific approach of the last 25 years. Herbert Simon's work in 1945 set the field upon the path of accepting the assumptions of positivistic thought as the limits of scientific inquiry in administration,…

To increase awareness of ideas that have potential for solving nursing problems, the papers in these proceedings review research findings, describe the application of problem-solving techniques, and underscore the joint responsibility of service and education for testing innovations in better patient care. The proceedings contain: (1) "Don't Just…

To assess the condition of American education in the next decade, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) should focus on collecting data in the following major areas: (1) the quality and quantity of time that is allocated to various activities in the classroom; (2) the concerns of teachers, including their working conditions and time…

Staff and residents of settings for the aged often hold substantially different views of their shared environment, and the literature suggests that these perceptual discrepancies transcend such factors as degree of institutional totality, quality of care, and differences in personal characteristics among staff and residents. Despite the…

This edition of the Role of Market Forces program note suggests empirical and descriptive analyses required to complement new areas of health policy emphasis and direction. Eight areas and related questions involving health economics are outlined: (1) rural health care; (2) medical malpractice and insurance; (3) supply, productivity, and…

A collection of essays on current issues in the field of second language proficiency assessment includes: "The Unassimilated History" (Pardee Lowe, Jr.), which chronicles the development of proficiency testing; "A Research Agenda" (John L. D. Clark and John Lett), a discussion of research considerations and needs in proficiency testing; "Issues…

This paper discusses findings from the first two years of a 6-year longitudinal study related to the recruitment, training, and retention of quality students into teaching. The paper highlights the importance of developing "adequate indicators" to guage our conceptions of quality and provides selected, standardized instrument data from the study's…

Provided in this annual report, the 10th of a series, are the texts of four papers presented at a preconference workshop on new directions for infancy research. The papers focus on the middle European contribution to infancy research, main themes in European research on infant perception and cognition, an innovative therapeutic approach to…