Criticizes James Coleman's study, "Public and Private Schools," and points out methodological weaknesses in sampling, testing, data reliability, and statistical methods. Questions assumptions which have led to conclusions justifying federal support, especially tuition tax credits, to private schools. Raises the issue of ethical standards…

Discusses research design errors including: (1) poor control over extraneous natural covariates of family type, particularly socioeconomic status; (2) unrepresentative samples; and (3) invalid dependent measures. Reports on conceptual blind spots, which include equation of conventional with healthy behavior and failure to anticipate either…

This paper poses a research question about how a person's work experience affects his or her earnings and shows how the Cumulative Experience Method (CEM) can provide an answer to the question using all available information in a longitudinal data set. (Author/GDC)

A Type VI error results from inconsistency between the researchers' question of interest and the statistical procedures employed to analyze the data. An example of a research problem is analyzed to show the increase in statistical power resulting from improved research design, using multiple regression instead of analysis of variance. (CTM)

Presents highlights from the Third International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect. The topic of child sexual abuse dominated the Congress; other topics included malnutrition, research problems, and concerns of Third World countries. Recommendations of the Congress are summarized.

The characteristics of needs assessment, in terms of social and health programs, are discussed, as well as misunderstandings, criticisms, and suggested changes in needs assessment activities. (MH)

This first of three articles in a symposium on the research effort of the International Association of the Evaluation of Educational Achievement is an historical portrait of the IEA studies providing insights concerning the methodological and political aspects of a large-scale, multinational research project. (Editor/SJL)

Argues that child socialization is directed toward the development of instrumental competencies related to imperatives that vary across cultures. Criticizes the use of White middle-class standards in developmental research and proposes a cultural ecological model which studies competence in the context of the cultural imperatives of a given…

A review of research on vocational rehabilitation of the mentally retarded shows that many programs have been successful in placing clients. Evaluation methods are reviewed and vocational training methods in different states are described. Research shows that relevant evaluation, training, and placement can succeed. (JAC)

Investigates the myth of the inner-city elderly as isolated. Suggests: there are severe limitations to traditional measures of determining sociability; social network analysis can overcome many of the deficiencies of other methods; and a synthesis of the anthropological and sociological approaches to network analysis can optimize data collection.…

Discusses classroom literary practices related to teacher questioning, retelling, literalism, and figurative language for children in the concrete operational stage; concludes that recent research on response to literature may say as much about what children are taught to do as what they do developmentally. Offers suggestions about teaching…

Winne and Walsh's Reanalysis (EJ 229 157) of Gauthier and Yarworth's study of self-concept and participation in high school activities (EJ 189 606) is addressed, particularly with respect to the statistical techniques used. The intentions of the original article are also clarified. (GDC)

A model of learning from instruction proposed that students perceive and cognitively respond to instructional stimuli before engaging learning processes per se. University students were trained to recognize only or to recognize and cognitively respond to teacher skills in lectures. Additional prelecture practice in recognition enhanced learning.…

In one federally funded program, the third-party evaluator was under contract with the program evaluated and not the federal funding agency. The social structure of this arrangement has implications for information utilization. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

This article presents some of the changing views influencing psychologists, physicians, and other persons interested in preventing developmental difficulties and promoting physical and mental health in children. (DB)