Introduces a new methodology for studying the effects of term selection and postings overlap on retrieval, under the assumption that pooling results for several searchers or questions may obscure important relationships. Based on the findings of a case study, several tentative conclusions and hypotheses, are posited and suggestions for future…

Discussion of the field of adult education and its implications for practice and research in distance education focuses on general characteristics of adult learners. Highlights include individual change and development in adulthood; the impact of life experiences; the significance of the social context; and effective instructional practices for…

Asserts that teacher research can provide a missing dimension to the knowledge base for teaching. Discusses critical issues of institutionalization and methodological rigor that make it difficult for teachers to conduct research studies and for the university community to acknowledge the value of teacher research. (FMW)

Describes the possible improvements in the quality of automatic indexing systems gained by using complex descriptors, and reports on the effectiveness of a simple nonsyntactic phrase indexing procedure. The discussion covers shortcomings of this approach, possible methods for improvement, and areas needing further research. (43 references) (CLB)

Discussion of citation behavior as a function of research characteristics focuses on an analysis of citation patterns of political scientists in relation to variations in their research approaches. Hypothesis tested are given, citation measures are described, analytic procedures are explained, and further research needs are suggested. (40…

Discussion of applications of computer technology in the mental health field focuses on the design, implementation, and effectiveness of an interactive generic computer program for the systematic desensitization of phobias. Guidelines for developing the program are presented; Goal Attainment Scaling is discussed; and suggestions for future…

Reviewed 18 journals with behavioral psychology, clinical or counseling psychology, school psychology, and special education emphases. Results indicated that behavioral journals published most empirically based parent training articles, followed by clinical or counseling psychology, special education, and school psychology journals. Parents with…

This paper addresses the unevenness of the existing knowledge base on development and individual differences, and presents a structural model diagraming organismic and environmental influences on development. The model identifies sets of conditions which can result in gifted performance, the development of giftedness, and the maintenance of…

The article addresses what is regarded as unjustifiably pessimistic characterizations of memory strategy instructional research, and argues that solid laboratory research on strategy use is needed though much memory instructional research with direct classroom applications to learning-disabled students has been completed. (Author/DB)

The research characteristics of a database of 2,541 journal articles related to the education of hearing-impaired individuals were examined. Evaluated were the proportion of the literature which comprises empirically based research reports, types of research being reported, journals with the highest proportions of empirically based articles, and…

Comments on Falvey's article, focusing on whether and how research in mental health counseling can be enhanced. Makes a distinction between appreciation and consumption of research on the one hand, and research production on the other hand. Discusses ways of enhancing appreciation/consumption and production. (Author/ABL)

Responds to Elizabeth Falvey's article and Charles Gelso's reply to Falvey's article. Focuses on essential elements articulated by these two authors to a critical problem confronting mental health counseling profession-the split between mental health counseling practice and research. Calls for a rethinking of the discipline. (ABL)

Describes vocational education in South Carolina, stressing the Federal Government's role in enhancing the delivery of such education to students, especially to special populations such as disadvantaged and handicapped children. A comparison of four school districts offers insights into commonalities and differences among programs. Includes…

Describes a study that examined the effect of the order of document presentation on the relevance scores assigned to documents, and the effect of the rating scale used (category rating or magnitude estimation) on order effects. Areas which need further investigation are identified. (13 references) (CLB)

Discusses and defines immediate and delayed feedback as they apply to computer-assisted instruction and testing. A research classification matrix is presented to provide a framework for classifying existing feedback studies and to guide future research, and a sample bibliography classified according to the matrix is given. (31 references) (LRW)