The use of formal written standards as a way to improve a product or service is discussed and illustrated by an analysis of the planned development of standards for educational data reporting. The Cooperative Educational Data Collection and Reporting Standards (CEDCARS) project is intended to apply to a wide range of educational data collection…

This study assessed the contribution of training in research methods and post-bachelor's education to explaining teachers' self-reported use of research in their classrooms and their opinions about research. Subjects were 441 teachers from 2 Midwestern states. Significant differences in use of research were found for degree held (bachelor's,…

The purpose of this study was to discern whether the mental picture a journal creates in its feature articles matches its mission statement. A content analysis was conducted on the feature articles in the seven most recent volumes of "Educational Leadership" (EL) and "Phi Delta Kappan" (PDK). Over 2,200 articles were analyzed…

This paper identifies the general shifts in curriculum research from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Information is drawn from periodic reviews or summaries of the research literature. A comparatively larger number and variety of individual studies have been reported, but places to publish state-of-the-art curriculum reviews have become more…

A description is given of a client-based approach to staff development that emphasizes ongoing professional growth and learning for teachers. The underlying assumptions of the program are that teachers possess important clinical expertise, and that professional learning is an adaptive, heuristic process that is long-term and nonlinear. The program…

Research on teacher thinking has established a place for itself within the international educational research enterprise. What is not so clear is how studies of teacher thinking may be of use in improving the quality of teacher preparation programs. This paper promotes a consultant role for researchers on teacher thinking in relation to teacher…

To add a foundation to the growing excitement among educators about the central role they play in helping learners become strategic readers, the articles in this thematic journal provide insight into current reading theory and practice. Richard Telfer's article reviews research on strategic reading and clarifies what is meant by the phrase…

The role of information research centers in institutional research activities was explored, based on 1,040 requests for student data at an information center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, during 1980-1985. Three distinct information center markets were identified and mechanisms for serving each market were recommended. The first was…

Findings are reported from a six-year study of seven expert mathematics teachers who taught in elementary schools in very poor neighborhoods with "difficult" students or in economically depressed areas with high unemployment. Compared with novice teachers, the expert teachers used time more wisely, organized lessons better, and knew their content…

Cognitive science is briefly reviewed, and its implications for instructional design are discussed. The application of cognitive science to instruction requires knowledge of cognitive science, the subject content taught, and the system in which the instruction is imbedded. The central concept of cognitive science is mental representation--the…

Within the field of linguistics there are several very different approaches to discourse analysis. Sociolinguists look at the structure of social interaction as manifested in conversation. Psycholinguists are concerned with aspects related to language comprehension. Philosophical and formal linguists are interested in the semantic relationships…

In this brief review, research on varying types of instructional materials is summarized. The evidence indicates that the textbook is the most widely used instructional material, and few teachers appear to use any other materials more than five times a year. Research findings on the value of the use of manipulative materials seems clear: they have…

This paper sought to identify some of the dimensions, correlates, and effective treatments of mathematics anxiety. The introductory section provides a statement of the problem, defines the purpose, organization, and limitation of the study, and includes a glossary of terms. In the second section, an annotated bibliography is presented, organized…

The overall goal of the Master of Arts-Classroom Teaching (MA-CT) degree program at Michigan State University is to enable classroom teachers to demonstrate the knowledge, commitment, and ability to improve teaching effectiveness through self-sustained professional growth throughout their careers. An individualized plan of study is developed for…

To have any impact on policy, educational research in Singapore must often be conducted and reported in ways compatible with the preconceptions of the national government's educational policy-makers. Still, the situation facing researchers currently is preferable to that existing before 1979, when the Goh Report recommended major reforms in…