Focus-on-form English teaching methods are designed to facilitate second-language learners' noticing of target language input, where "noticing" is an acquisitional prerequisite for the comprehension, processing, and eventual integration of new grammatical knowledge. While primarily designed for teaching hearing second-language learners, many…

It is argued that conclusions drawn from Kirkegaard-Sorensen and Mednick's recent study on criminality are weakened by inadequate selection of controls. (Editor)

This study examines the randomization process in twelve different social reform projects in the fields of health, education, and law. The implementation of the evaluation plan is discussed for each project. Recommendations are made for consideration by program administrators and researchers before planning and implementing true experimental…

This study dealt with the nature of experimental control and the types and consequences of its errors or compromises in executing an experimental design for research on counseling or therapy. (Author)

Reports a study designed to measure the usefulness of directed reading in which questions to be answered are presented to the children before the reading selections. Value of directed reading is questioned. (DR)

Twenty-three journal articles on program evaluations were surveyed for incidence of four unethical practices: withholding purpose or mere existence of an evaluation from participants; exposure to stress; invasion of privacy; and denial of program benefits to control groups. Few violations were apparent. (CP)

Identifies and discusses three myths that pervade experimental counseling and psychotherapy: (1) that experimental subjects receive treatments appropriate to their clinical problems; (2) that the treatments are deployed as purported; and (3) that control groups customarily used by researchers allow them to determine the existence of a treatment…

Comments on S. Pogrow's suggestion that educational programs should be judged by the degree to which schools using them achieve "surprising scores." Emphasizes the importance of the use of control groups in program evaluation. (SLD)

Makes the case that faith in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine "what works" in education may be misplaced. Identifies eight possible problems with relying on RCTs and notes that the rigor required for RCTs may not be practicable. (SLD)

This research investigated the effects of a nutrition education program on dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge among elementary school-aged children participating in a Social Cognitive Theory-based nutrition education program. Participants included 1100 second-grade and third-grade students selected by convenience-type sampling from public…

Purpose: This study assessed the impact of a low cost, multicomponent physical activity intervention for older adults with lower extremity osteoarthritis. Design and Methods: A randomized controlled trial compared the effects of a facility-based multiple-component training program followed by home-based adherence (n = 80) to a wait list control…

This study explored the arithmetic skills of 39 children with arithmetic learning difficulties (ALD), compared to two control groups, one consisting of normally achieving children matched to the ALD sample for chronological age (n =28), and another comprising younger normally achieving children matched to the ALD sample for arithmetic level (n…

A number of states passed legislation in the 1990s requiring youths to wear helmets when riding bicycles. The effect of this legislation on bicycling fatalities is examined by subjecting data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System to a panel analysis, using a control-group methodology. A helmet law reduces fatalities by about 15 percent in…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the sequential method of teaching art skills (Brookes, 1986) could improve the success of intermediate grade school art students. Students were required to draw pictures of still life. A between groups pre-posttest crossover design was used to compare and evaluate the quality of perspective drawings…

The circadian rhythm functioning and sleep patterns of 10 adults with Asperger syndrome were investigated using actigraphy. When compared with data from neurotypical adults, both statistical and clinically significant differences were found between the two groups, with the adults with Asperger syndrome showing marked abnormalities in both the…