Announces and presents highlights from a new report from NSF "Proposal Review at NSF: Perceptions of Principal Investigators." This report presents the results of a 1986 NSF survey of 14,000 applicants from academic institutions whose proposals for research support had been awarded or declined during 1985. (CW)

Scientific inquiry used in special education research has limited effectiveness and applicability to practice. Three interrelated areas are discussed in the context of improving research methodology and utilization: alternative approaches to research in special education; the class distinction between teachers and researchers; and practical…

This comprehensive review of the literature on the use of academic libraries by high school students and academic library/school library cooperation, examines descriptive articles, research studies, and reports of questionnaire data. Problems associated with the literature are discussed, and implications for future research are identified.…

Examines the differences between concrete and abstract concepts and their implications for instructional design and teaching. How specific concepts are stored in and retrieved from memory is described, analogies are discussed as an instructional tool in abstract concept learning, and a possible instructional strategy for teaching abstract concepts…

Appraises current research, which is linked to the distinctive cognitive, social, and biological features of adolescence. The domain of investigation needs to be expanded to encompass ethnic groups and family structures. (NH)

A population of more than 200 participants in nine Canadian continuing education workshops is used to test assumptions as to who benefits from continuing education in librarianship and what factors determine workshop registration. Topics for future research are suggested. (1 reference) (Author/CLB)

Faculty and administrators in social work programs have greeted recently disseminated accreditation requirements by the Council on Social Work Education with varying mixtures of enthusiasm and concern. How newly promulgated accreditation policy and procedures affect this dissension will determine the usefulness of research content in the future…

Treating curriculum out of context is mostly responsible for the disappointments of curriculum theory in practice. Decontextualization has conceptually separated curriculum from its design and use; operationally, curriculum is separated from its structural and sociocultural contexts. The alternative--curriculum in context--can inform research,…

Summarizes data on developmental patterns in constructive play--play in which children use play materials to make something. Reviews knowledge about developmental correlates and effects of constructive play behavior and examines methodological and theoretical issues. (NH)

This article describes: the specific obstacles to complete accessibility of the disabled to computer technology; the role of adaptive devices in the use of computer technology; the development of these devices; types, descriptions, and classifications of adaptive devices; and recommendations for practice and future research. (Author/CB)

Six papers for the Second Delbert Oberteuffer Symposium in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1986 discuss various aspects of research and evaluation in school health programs. (DF)

Reports on a program held at the 1986 American Library Association Conference which offered a model for locating and evaluating existing research on libraries. Six guidelines for evaluating research are provided, and small group sessions which evaluated actual research and talked directly with researchers are described. (EM)

The ethical challenge to academic medical centers is to find a balance between education and research, addressing such issues as serving the unsponsored patient, the cost of new technology, and balancing acute and primary care as well as educating future physicians. (MSE)

Critical examination of reviews of the literature on computer-assisted instruction (CAI) compares and evaluates three traditional and 13 quantitative reviews. Synthesis of the findings indicates that typical effect of CAI is to raise outcome measures by 0.42 standard deviation units, placing average students at 66th percentile of control group…

Reviews the history of research designed to determine the effects of media upon the learning process and the ways that learners utilize media to perceive and process information. Research methodologies are discussed, theories developed over the past decade are presented, and directions for further research are suggested. (LRW)