Provides a descriptive overview of the design, revision, and execution of a research project undertaken at the Department of Library and Information Studies at the Manchester Polytechnic to evaluate the attitudes of library science students toward computers before and after the completion of a course in library automation. (JL)

The promise of the stakeholder approach to evaluation lies in its potential to counter criticism that evaluation is too narrow, unrealistic in its standards for success, unfair to program staff and participants, and irrelevant to decision makers. (Author)

Critiquing the stakeholder idea, the author states: if government chooses to take account of competing views in social program evaluation, it can get a better result if it encourages the competing views to find a voice of their own, not to speak through the government's chosen instrument. (Author/PN)

Reviews 26 instruments developed to assess temperament at the infant, preschool, and school-age levels, giving particular attention to instrument content, standardization samples, reliability, and validity. It is concluded that, at present, no single psychometrically adequate instrument is available. Suggestions are made for future approaches to…

Criticized the research of Young, MacKenzie, & Sherif (1980), designed to test Laws' (1975) analysis of token women in academia. The appropriateness of the study as a test of Laws' theory is questioned since no evidence is offered for the validity of the independent variables as measures of tokenism. (Author/JAC)

Distinguishes between two definitions of "token woman": i.e., (1) one of few women in a predominantly male setting; and (2) women who have made the distinctive psychological adaptation described by Laws (1975). Constantinople's critique is appropriate as an alternative to Laws' theory, but not as a criticism of the author's research. (Author/JAC)

Comments upon a 1981 article by Alexander, Pallas, and Cook. Discusses whether particular standardized tests measure achievement or ability and the implications of this issue for school effects research. (GC)

Reviews school desegregation literature to assess how well existing research provides information on school desegregating effects. Identifies disparities in methods and other characteristics among different studies and explores areas for improvement in the methodology and theory of future work. (Author/MJL)

Investigated the utility of profile analysis, using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R) to differentiate learning disabled from emotionally disturbed and nonhandicapped children. Little evidence supported the use of WISC--R subtest scatter. Research efforts focused on WISC--R subtests related to the learning process are…

Examines the trend toward "scientism" or applying a quantifiable methodology for its own sake to research on sentence combining. Argues that sentence combining is only a tool and not a suitable curriculum for composition instruction and cautions against using social scientific methodologies in essentially humanistic disciplines. (HTH)

In this response to Ronald J. Duhamel, the need is expressed for a "conceptual leap" that would allow theory and practice to be seen as equal partners in educational administration. Aspects of research that go beyond solving practical problems are discussed. Difficulties researchers face getting funds and school information are cited.…

Examined and measured effects of individual differences among the elderly in a cognitive training program emphasizing general learning skills. Memory improvement was greater for learning skill training and social support compared with a waiting list group. Individual variability obscured statistical differences in treatment effect. Examined…

Summarizes past and present television and aging research, identifies several methodological concerns or problems of this research, and considers future directions for mass communication and aging investigations. Television portrayals of the elderly, television viewing behaviors, and the role of television are among the research areas discussed.…

Outlines an alternative research method to capture the dynamics of local situations and accompanying interactions by describing sense-making in classrooms and the community and defining ethnomethodology and interpretation followed by a discussion of a case study and its usefulness to Indian education research. (ERB)

Focuses on small groups in work organizations, sources of stress, and available social support systems in five articles. Includes a methodological paper on measuring social support in work groups. Analyzes the complexity of coping strategies, and the relationship of occupational and life stressors to each other and the family. (KMF)