The objective of research in contraceptive evaluation is to improve the ability of individuals to choose contraceptive methods best suited to their needs and circumstances and to provide information that will lead to the development of safer and more effective methods. There are usually three considerations in judging the importance of a method of…

Communicative adaptability differs from both P. Backlund's and J. M. Wiemann's definitions of communicative competence by stressing the importance of the communicator's ability to perceive contextual constraints and to adapt his or her interaction goals and behavior accordingly. Communicative adaptability produces more satisfactory answers to the…

As behavioral approaches for the treatment of clinically significant fears became more accepted, the same techniques began to be applied to normal youngsters' reactions to highly stressful situations in an attempt to prevent the development of excessive fears in children. Although there is widespread acceptance of preventative approaches to help…

A quasi-random sample of 58 children ranging from 6 to 12 years of age was administered a questionnaire consisting of 38 items designed to identify persons and things that they feared, that made them uncomfortable, and that they disliked. Children in the sample were either Black or Hispanic; distribution of males and females was uniform. While…

In the past, educators reduced class size to obtain significant increases in academic achievement. However, research comparing small and large classes found very little or no significant difference in students' academic achievement. Presently, the National Center for Education projects an increase in teaching jobs and a slight improvement in the…

This paper reviews major stidues in metacognitive research relating to education and discusses their implications for educators and teacher education. Metacognition generally refers to self-awareness, or self knowledge of one's thought processes. Two types of research are discussed: (1) descriptive or correlational data on the natural development…

The nature of the changes occuring in the high school, and the factors influencing the change process in different high schools across the nation, have been the focus of research being conducted by the Research and Improvement Process (RIP) Program of the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education. The study is designed to describe the…

It is suggested that the literature on communicative competence, replete with various formulations, mirrors the diversity of language outlined by Martin Joos in his essay "The Five Clocks." Three concepts of communicative competence are reviewed, in historical perspective. The first, promoted by Norm Chomsky, distinguished linguistic…

Interpersonal behavior has been observed in a number of studies, and yet the two relational issues of control and affiliation are commonly reflected in all of them. Relational control includes such behaviors as dominance, assertiveness, retiring, and following, while relational affiliation includes involvement, acceptance, friendliness, and…

Kapes and Sievert's (1973) research on the difference between wooden and plastic peg boards for the GATB is replicated. The results indicate that individuals tested on the wooden equipment perform significantly higher than those tested on the plastic equipment. (Author/PC)

This paper presents some preliminary data on rape and older women as a means for informing the interested in gathering data in their own geographic and/or socio-economic areas. Utilizing data from the 1970 census in Los Angeles, the author attempts to paint a broad-brush picture of this situation in a large metropolitan city. In addition, he hopes…

The author criticizes a number of research designs in which he finds two recurring defects: (1) the differentiation between research and evaluation, with the belief that the two concepts are incompatible, and that if one objective is chosen as the field of action, the other must be avoided; and (2) the nature of evaluation itself. This second…

In this paper, a black psychologist shares his thoughts, biases, and educated guesses pertaining to experimental psychology as it might relate to the psychoeducational needs of Afro-American children. First, some of the assumptions embodied in the empirical research enterprise are examined. It is noted that empirical research is a tool for gaining…

James Britton's model of the uses of language is discussed as a way to focus and organize studies of response to literature. After the model has been explicated, specific studies are discussed in relation to a number of research areas: early forms of literary experience, the child's developing "sense of story," the child's awareness that…

Idiosyncratic studies illumintate the unique characteristics of a phenomenon, while generic studies create general statements based on the conformity of many phenomena. This document explicates Joseph Hayes' article, "Gayspeak," in terms of this distinction and seeks to define gay studies as a legitimate academic discipline. The way in which Hayes…