Describes study that investigated whether the use of LOGO accelerates cognitive development of five- and seven-year-old kindergarten students as measured by Piagetian-based tests of conservation of length, number, and ability to identify geometric shapes. Pretests and posttests are described and directions for future research are given.…

Areas of need in educational research are discussed: (1) assessment of student achievement; (2) necessary content area skills; (3) traits of outstanding teachers; (4) how to teach higher order thinking skills; (5) effective computer use; (6) skills to enhance worker productivity; (7) sound investments for education; (8) effective methods of…

Research is reviewed on the interaction patterns of individuals using augmentative and alternative communication systems. Major findings and limitations of interaction studies are highlighted, focusing on methodological approaches, subjects, partners, contexts and sampling procedures, and measures and data analyses. Directions for future research…

A panel discusses possible futures for second-language study, instruction, learning, and research, touching upon the need for an interdisciplinary perspective, the teacher-researcher relationship, bilingualism, research dissemination, teacher training, and the need for more information regarding linguistic minorities. (CB)

In response to H. Lee Swanson's paper, "Toward a Metatheory of Learning Disabilities," this counterpoint addresses the role of basic versus applied research, limitations of the procedure proposed by Swanson for establishing external validity and proving the metatheory, and limitations of metatheoretical research with regard to developing…

In rebuttal to H. Lee Swanson's paper, "Toward a Metatheory of Learning Disabilities," this article emphasizes that a bias toward applied research in learning disabilities is appropriate, that explanatory theories may not provide control over the phenomena explained, and that the field's orientation toward social consensus rather than…

This response to H. Lee Swanson's paper, "Toward a Metatheory of Learning Disabilities," argues that the field's development from social consensus has positive consequences and that the field is a "prenormal' science. A megatheory is suggested, incorporating metatheoretical aspects of the learning-disabled's information processing…

Discusses the limitations of laboratory research in evaluating second language instruction, arguing that field research, which fosters a concern for what works in the classroom first, is more desirable because it provides direct feedback to instructors. (Author/CB)

Research on children injured inadvertently has generally led to the notion of accident proneness. This does not lead to the creation of preventive strategies. Longitudinal research is proposed for studying the behaviors of children in conjunction with their injury history. Developmental psychological characteristics are important considerations in…

In the context of a response to other articles contained in a special issue on social interaction skills of handicapped students, trends in developing social interaction skills of behavior disordered students are discussed, including current training issues and procedures as well as suggestions for future research and program development. (JW)

Describes a document retrieval system that provides for user interaction at several search stages to acquire a detailed specification of the user's information need. The use of domain knowledge to refine the query and a browsing mechanism are described in detail, and further research questions are identified. (CLB)

Emphasizes necessity of reconsideration of adolescent development, for these reasons: the view of childhood has changed; females have not been systematically studied; theories of cognitive development favor mathematical and scientific thinking over the humanities; and because the psychology of adolescence is anchored in separation and independence…

An examination of the collaborative work structures located in and around the leading research universities of the United States offers insights for improving information processing. Collaboration is needed by the information processing society. While the academic department remains the home, the interdisciplinary research group is emerging as the…

A comparison of the effectiveness of information retrieval based on full-text documents with retrieval based on paragraphs, abstracts, or controlled vocabularies was accomplished using a subset of journal articles with nine search questions. It was found that full-text retrieval achieved significantly higher recall and lower precision than did the…

Guidelines are provided for evaluating research on the process approach to the teaching of writing to exceptional children. Focus is on the roles of the teacher and the learner. Suggestions are presented for further research, specifically in the areas of fluency, the functions of writing, and the effects of instruction. (Author/JDD)