Dealing with data from multiple family members presents problems for researchers, as many of the techniques available for dealing with such data are problematic, and there is no way that is unique to each family. Proposes and gives an example of the use of Q factor analysis as a means of combining data from multiple family members in a unique way…

A critique of rankings of Canadian universities focuses on one popular 1993 ranking and comparative data for the previous year. Several problems in the ranking procedures and results of some correlational analyses of the ranking data are discussed. Implications, particularly in the wider context of public institution accountability and the…

Responding to criticisms from James Gallagher, Richard Jaeger, John Hattie, and Robert Slavin, the authors contend that detracking creates both winners and losers. Policymakers face a tradeoff between helping low-achieving students and hurting high-achieving ones. The decision depends on how society weighs competing notions of equity and…

Examines libraries as postmodern institutions, identifies barriers to research imposed by library collections and services, considers how CD-ROMs magnify these barriers, and offers an instructional method using active teaching and learning methods known as critical pedagogy for bibliographic instruction in academic libraries. (Author/LRW)

This article examines how psychometric models based on certain assumptions have come to be used counterproductively by many practitioners in ways that limit the kinds of conclusions that can be made. The general problem of the context's influence on performance is discussed, and some implications are drawn. (SLD)

Reviews the problems of benevolent misdiagnosis in the mental health professions. Misrepresentation of research or diagnosis now has the potential to affect the health care services delivered to large segments of the population. Data that will be the basis of new delivery systems must be accurate and responsible. (SLD)

Addresses persistent tensions among centralized school governance structures. Examines the literature's claims for devolution's positive benefits and shortcomings and proposes more realistic expectations. Discusses the relationship between devolution and improved teaching and learning. Reconceptualizes devolution and proposes a preliminary…

Disagrees with research showing that socioeconomic status has little impact on parental involvement in children's education. From the author's own experience, working-class parents are as concerned as affluent ones about children's progress, but have less energy/time for participation. In other research, a new assessment instrument may help…

Examines the research of Morgan, Bonamo, and Travis (1995) to detect the effects of recasted error correction on children's emerging grammar. Notes that regression procedures used by Morgan and others could not discriminate between the data generated by models in which recasts totally determined grammatical learning, supplemented other learning,…

The failure of Bohannon, Padgett, Nelson, and Mark's (1996) time-series analysis to distinguish among varying models of recast function is shown to be attributable to confounding of parameters and idiosyncratic assumptions adopted in generating simulated data from these models. (MDM)

From perspective of a psycholinguist, discusses three leading questions that have arisen from foundational, descriptive second-language-acquisiton studies: Why are certain L2 constructions learnable and others not?; In considering input requirements, is it fair to say that adult learners can take advantage of metalinguistic information about the…

Research on intergenerational continuities should consider: (1) both sides of the family; (2) the effect of change on continuities; (3) discontinuities; (4) societal and family influences; (5) variations in the meaning of traits; (6) misleading differences; (7) risks derived from personal characteristics and experiences; (8) identification of…

Two researchers who re-examined a North Carolina district's exemplary SAT performance discovered that this district's gains paralleled those in the rest of the state. The dropout rate also remained high. Most investigations of music, art, and academic learning show positive correlations, but no causal effects. (MLH)

Reviews 1980-95 research exploring the relationship between principal leadership and student achievement. Principals exercise a measurable, but indirect, influence on school effectiveness and student achievement via vision, mission, and goals. Previously described discrepancies may be attributable to researchers' conceptual and methodological…

This article comments on results of a study (EC 629 869) on the reliability of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), a early detection screening test. It discusses concerns relating to clinic vs. population samples, data analysis, use of a parent questionnaire only to identify autism, and the age of screening. (Contains…