Describes the uses of focus groups (i.e., a form of qualitative research involving a small group of respondents and moderator in an unstructured group discussion) in community college research. Discusses what can be learned from focus groups, focus group projects conducted in several community colleges, and problems researchers may encounter.…

Reviews recent research that suggests that changes in family environments because of parental depression increase children's risk for psychopathology. Argues that some aspects of family and child functioning may not be adversely affected by parental depression. Considers conceptual models to explain the effects of parental depression, and areas…

Responds to an article in this issue regarding the challenge of interdisciplinary research. Suggests that the primary motivation for avoiding interdisciplinary research is political, not epistemological. (SR)

This article presents a synopsis of each of seven presentations given at a conference on design and analysis in community trial studies. Papers identify problems with community trials and discuss strengths and weaknesses associated with design and analysis strategies. Areas of consensus are summarized. (SLD)

A study analyzed the content of 200 instruments used in student evaluation of college classroom teaching performance. Three specific kinds of flaws were examined: ambiguous, unclear, or subjective evaluation items; ambiguous, skewed, or unclear responses to evaluation items; and items that did not characterize classroom teaching performance. (MSE)

Discusses the issue that women of color are dealt with as anomalies in psychological research, noting that research paradigms are actually focused on White, middle-class populations. It examines the methodological and theoretical transformations that have occurred in the literature and evaluates the extent to which researchers have successfully…

This commentary on a paper by Douglas Detterman and others (EC 604 995), which tested a model assessing basic cognitive abilities in young adults with and without mental retardation, criticizes the paper for drawing conclusions not justified by the empirical results. (JDD)

This study, involving three toddlers with language impairments, evaluated effectiveness of a lexical facilitation strategy designed to increase the salience or informativeness of target objects relative to other objects and actions in the context. Complications in employing the experimental task in intervention settings are discussed, along with…

Reviews studies of Native American dropout rates conducted in the past three decades, highlighting the difficulties in obtaining accurate statistics resulting from small sample size of the group. Emphasizes structural disadvantages, rather than "cultural discontinuity," as the major influence to drop out. Studies of the transfer rate…

This review of research on the social integration of children with disabilities in mainstreaming programs addresses the problems of generalizing findings to other groups of children, use of simplistic measuring techniques, limited evidence supporting the use of multivariate statistical procedures, and interpretation of treatment effects.…

Asserts that research in technical communication must grow in quantity, quality, and coherence. Assesses the research reports in the proceedings of the annual conferences of the Society for Technical Communication for the last 20 years. Suggests a model for future growth. (SR)

This paper compares the results of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Carnegie surveys of postsecondary faculty and notes the differently constructed samples, the different response rates, and different weighting schemes in analysis and interpretation. Inconsistencies in the surveys' results are identified and methodological…

An unsuccessful attempt to develop a standard battery of aptitude measures to distinguish practicing dentists is reinterpreted. A sample of 116 dentists showed few differences from the norm group on 22 potential predictors, with some differences counterintuitive. It is concluded that broad conceptualization of characteristics required to complete…

Identifies the strands of critical social theory that offer a basis for emancipatory research in adult education. Considers the methodology for critical research and barriers to it in the academic mode of production. A case study of research on adult education and the antiracist/antisexist programs illustrates the dilemmas of the "hired expert" as…

Discusses research on the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) and proposes computer modeling as a tool to redirect CBI research toward more theoretically relevant and prescriptive research. Limitations of media comparison studies and media replication studies are described, and computer modeling in CBI research is reviewed. (48…