The author reviews research on the origins of life, beginning with Thales (636 B.C.), synthesized by C. Darwin in "The Origin of Species," continued by H. DeVries' mutation theory, and enhanced by the discovery in 1944 of DNA. For journal availability, see SO 505 260. (AV)

Examining the validity of a theory scientifically requires careful attention to how one interprets data. Unfortunately the process is not clear-cut; the theoretical meaning of empirical data is not obvious. The experimental study by Avery et al. (1976) of empathic understanding (EU) is analyzed along with Horwitz's (1977) rejoinder. (Author)

Finds, among other things that a positive relationship exists between communication satisfaction and employees' organizational commitment and that school teachers were significantly more satisfied with communication practices and more committed to their organization than were employees of two other Guatemalan organizations (a hospital and a food…

Raises concerns about using interview data in phenomenological research, arguing such data are more related to discourse and the interviewee's perception of what is appropriate to say in the context than to "ways of experiencing," which is the object of study in phenomenography. Also argues that in important respects, discursive…

Considering how important analogies are to human thinking, it is surprising how little attention educators and educational researchers give them. Valid research results can lead to false conclusions if viewed through the mental filter of a faulty analogy. This article examines two policy problems (prison literacy/recidivism rates and vanishing…

This paper reviews research on symbolic play gaps between children with and without language impairment (LI), arguing that these gaps should not be interpreted as demonstrative of marked deficits in general representational or specific symbolic play competence of children with LI. Frequent encroachment of language into testing procedures is cited…

Reviews briefly accounting writing skill research, discusses the subject bias prevalent in that research, and relates this weakness to a potential bias toward grammar and syntax in curriculum development. Argues that the user of accounting information is an important but neglected party in the communication process, whose input should be…

Recent research indicates that participating in service-learning programs appears to benefit youngsters, but there is scant evidence demonstrating the connection between service and particular educational objectives. Except for consistent evidence supporting a reflection component, researchers have failed to identify which program elements and…

Presents a critical review of research on student conceptions of the Earth and its place in the universe with regard to epistemological, historical, and cognitive aspects. The Copernican model drives the research questioning about the position of the Earth in the universe with little correlation of the model with the empirical level of…

The expansion of the commercial Internet has encouraged the interpretation of the Internet and its uses as a potential marketing medium. Examines statistical and demographic information about the Internet including number of Internet hosts and World Wide Web servers, and estimates of Internet users; and raises questions about definitions and…

Notes that holistic approaches to learning through play may not be universally effective with all children. Reviews studies in this journal issue, noting the absence of socioeconomic status as a variable, and questions raised by their results in the context of applying them to increasingly diverse populations. (HTH)

Discusses the difficulties in conducting a case study on the attitudes and beliefs that individuals held about mainstreaming a boy with disabilities, including changes in terminology, methodological dilemmas, and discrepancies between the definitions that participants explicitly shared and observations of their interactions with the boy. (CR)

Nine types of errors occurring in the process of synthesizing research are described, with examples from a recent synthesis of research on teacher professional growth. Types of errors include excluding relevant literature, wrongly reporting details such as sample size, erroneously attributing findings to studies, and stating unwarranted…

Problems in using comparative data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study include the following: inadequate funding of the research; unique cultural factors; questionable sampling procedures; noncomparative curricula; irregularities in test administration; and student preparation for tests. Results do not identify the root…