As well as read about it, vocational educators may feel the impact of the National Institute of Education (NIE) research world after the mandated study described by NIE's Director Hodgkinson gets underway. But researchers can take comfort in Lawrence Braaten's review of Sections 131-136 of the new vocational act. The two men spoke to the first…

"Describes recent trends in funding for basic and applied research in psychology. Comparisons are made with other disciplines and in relation to available manpower. Some data are presented that bear on research costs, proposals funded, research quality, and support for young versus senior psychologists." (Author/JM)

"Psychology's progress during the last quarter century is reviewed and its potential for significant scientific advances in the future assessed. Some reasons underlying the public's current mistrust are considered; one of these is the tendency for some psychologists to become advocates for particular public policies and/or to misrepresent the…

A review of the research on parent training programs for parents with intellectual disabilities found that, of 10 studies, 8 applied single-subject designs, two used quantitative methods, one examined basic child-care skills training, 2 examined decision making in child rearing, 5 were about safety, and 3 addressed the mother-child interaction.…

The lesson learned from a Singapore school-improvement program over a decade old is that collaborating partners need to sustain their efforts over a long time to reap the benefits. The program incorporates a mentor-protege relationship to bridge the twin benefits of management education and systemic change. Research should be conducted in local…

Examines whether it is possible to determine the gender of a message sender from cues in the message. Finds partial support for the hypothesis that women use more graphic accents than men do in their computer-mediated communication. Finds also that women tend to challenge and "flame" more than men. Discusses implications and poses…

Addresses practitioner reservations about research in the practice setting, and responds to ideas and recommendations presented in a special journal edition covering group research. Claims that practitioners and researchers can share resources, ideas, experience, and expertise. (RJM)

To offset the loss of explanatory power of Kelly's repertory grid when used with children, adapted the School Behaviour Game (SBG) to examine children's perceptions of school. Results show that the SBG enables children to articulate their tacit understanding of a concept. The SBG's potential for guidance and counseling are considered. (RJM)

Reviews the current state of knowledge about various (adult-volunteer) tutoring programs' effects on student achievement. Except for the Howard Street Tutoring Program and the School Volunteer Development Project (two very small programs), the programs reviewed present no unbiased evidence of effectiveness. Comparison groups are needed to…

A discussion of the need for institutional research to address student financial aid issues in higher education outlines, first, a research agenda for use within institutions, and then presents a research agenda for emerging policy issues and the role that institutional research might play in positioning institutions to participate in national…

Examines changes in disciplinary identity demonstrated in the discourse of several Internet discussion groups and suggests the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address digital storage and retrieval problems. Highlights include the culture of intellectual disciplines and the organization of knowledge; the culture of the Internet; and…

Many schools are replacing checklists with performance-based assessments (portfolios and self-evaluation instruments), supplemented by cognitive coaching, student evaluations, structured simulation tasks, and action research. Evaluation is becoming a long-term, cyclical process linked to organizational goals. Teams of assessors are replacing…

Endorses recent arguments for more study of writing that shapes and directs the production of material artifacts and for considering writing as one semiotic mode among others. Considers a case of "nonwritten" symbolic production, architectural design, for what it may suggest for the study and teaching of writing. (TB)

Educators' ability to tap the potential of available knowledge will determine the success or failure of school-improvement efforts. The average school employee is unacquainted with methods, strategies, and structures that could revolutionize the quality of education and school life. The current system is information-poor and cannot promote change…