Two members and a former member of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Policy Council respond to Raimes' concerns about the TOEFL Test of Written English, particularly regarding the Educational Testing Service's research agenda and its effect on English-as-a-Second-Language instruction and graduate school admission. (17 references)…

Review of 48 studies concerning interventions designed to impact the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities suggests that strong effect sizes are more likely when researchers compare experimental treatment to nontreatment, deliver treatment themselves rather than have classroom teachers deliver it, and assess treatment…

Criticizes the state of educational economics through a review of "Economics of Education: Research and Studies" (G. Psacharopoulos, ed.) and "The Economics of Education and the Education of an Economist" (M. Blaug). Charges that educational economists have ignored external challenges and devastating technical and conceptual…

Evaluation issues pertaining to the Intelligent Vehicle Highway System are discussed. Transportation is an area that clearly illustrates how technology is outrunning social science. Those responsible for the evaluation of programs and options must assume responsibility for spelling out the destructive consequences of focusing only on technology.…

Emphasizes role of indicators of transfer effectiveness in community college accountability efforts. Discusses problems defining transfer rates, identifying potential transfer students, and collecting data. Describes Transfer Assembly project, an ongoing national study of student transfer from two- to four-year institutions, detailing outcomes for…

Analyzes effect sizes in tails of distribution of scores in Feingold's study of joint effects of gender differences in mean and variability on 28 cognitive-ability scales. Effect sizes are smaller than Feingold assumed. Evaluates joint effect of gender differences by number of males and females in extreme score ranges. (SLD)

This research-subject attrition study evaluated differences between 45 subjects who completed a 22-month longitudinal study and 34 who dropped out. Subjects were blue-collar employees. Discriminant analysis proved to be a useful tool for determining some of longitudinal data bias. Attrition was predicted by situational rather than personality…

Presents an overview of research and unanswered questions related to gender issues in technical communication. Addresses the consequences of the feminization of technical communication, research on gender differences in technical communication, and the means for encouraging a more gender-balanced view of business and industry. (SR)

Addresses issues related to the conducting of qualitative studies in early childhood settings. Four problems that can threaten the quality of interviews with young children are noted; these are the adult-child; right-answer; preoperational thought; and self-as-social-object problems. Presents strategies for improving interviews with young…

In the research paper considered, Stahl and Miller compare the effectiveness of whole language/language experience programs versus basal reader approaches. The article is criticized for its lack of longitudinal data, alternative interpretations, and information concerning the broad goals of whole language approaches. (TJH)

Responds to Martyn Hammersley's critique of the authors' research concerning classroom participation of boys and girls. Agrees generally with Hammersley's critique. Defends the small-scale approach for its ability to examine interactive mechanisms by which inequality in participation was produced. (DB)

Asserts that the scattered rural populations of Latin America and Mexico make it difficult to offer primary education to all school-age children. Describes a project in which community classes make it possible for children to attend schools without leaving their village. (CFR)

Strengths and weaknesses of three types of semiquantitative methods used by the federal government in research impact assessment are presented, and examples of their use are reviewed. These include the classic retrospective method, another retrospective approach, and accomplishments books used by selected research-sponsoring organizations. (SLD)

This article reviews the principal methods economists and cost benefit analysts use in evaluating research. Two common approaches are surplus measures (combinations of consumer and producer surpluses) and productivity measures. Technical difficulties and political and organizational constraints are discussed for these measures. (SLD)

Examines implications of IEA international educational research for educational policies in three areas: overall quality of the national educational system, including success in achieving social and economic objectives; structure of the formal system and its influence on student achievement; and influence of school resources and instructional…