Offers resources for exploring research reform issues in Indian country and following the discourse on the roles of native and nonnative researchers. Provides literature abstracts pertaining to American Indian research reform. (YKH)

Provides an overview of the current practices and controversies concerning educational research in the United Kingdom. Addresses issues including lack of adequate evidence and the hindering effects of fragmentation and isolation. Offers suggestions for improving professionalism and discusses the efforts of the British Educational Research…

This article examines the dearth of published research on effective practices for teaching gifted students in general education settings. Suggestions for defining the effects that should be measured are provided, as well as guidelines for technically adequate measures and procedures for gathering and analyzing the necessary data. (Author/PB)

Analyzes some of the mistakes made and the lessons learned doing participant-observation research on six special congressional elections. Briefly describes seven of these lessons including schedule strategically, get multiple perspectives, do not overlook details, be a pack rat, and recognizing that some goals and processes are antithetical. (MJP)

Development of school-effectiveness-research models owes little to academic progress or scholarly critique. Effectiveness is measured in terms of fashionable production expectations. In the postwar years, schools produced economic growth. In the 1970s, they produced equality and good citizens. In the 1980s, schools produced good employees. Is…

In this commentary on a previous article that revealed modest and inconsistent results of the Parents as Teachers program, program evaluation work is urged to move beyond simply measuring intervention outcomes to examining the complex interactions between family and child characteristics, intervention goals addressed, processes employed by…

In this commentary on a previous article that revealed modest and inconsistent results of the Parents as Teachers program, issues are highlighted that those involved in real-world evaluation need to consider. Study attrition, defining meaningful primary outcomes, and need to use a participatory approach to develop outcome-based interventions are…

Questions gender-related assumptions affecting the theory and practice of art education histories. Challenges the great man theory of art education history. Advocates research approaches that analyze individual backgrounds and achievements. Offers the author's research experiences as a case study, examining areas of concern, personal motivations,…

Criticizes the statistical methods used in a previously published article that compared a commercially produced computer program with traditional teaching methods. Measures of instructional effectiveness are described, the assignment of student pairs is examined, and the use of blocking variables with analysis of variance is discussed. (LRW)

Reports on a study by Henry Becker that surveyed the research comparing the achievement of students using computer to those using traditional methods of instruction. Problems with many earlier studies are described, best-evidence synthesis is explained, effect size is examined, and implications for future research are suggested. (LRW)

An evaluation of an experimental problem-based medical education curriculum used with 18 first-year students at the Bowman Gray Medical School of Wake Forest University is discussed. The study, which included a matched group of students experiencing a traditional curriculum, provides insights into design problems in such evaluations. (TJH)

Maintains that social science mistakenly has emphasized symmetry (social forces that correct disequilibrium and maintain balance) over asymmetry (antithetical forces that support and embody divergent thinking). Calls for a more open, intuitive, and creative approach to research and methodology. (MJP)

Asserts that traditional approaches to multivariate analysis, including standard linear regression techniques, ignore the special character of count data. Explicates three suitable alternatives to standard regression techniques, a simple Poisson regression, a modified Poisson regression, and a negative binomial model. (MJP)

Reports of five Canadian universities concerning gender discrimination in salaries are reviewed, compared, and evaluated. All found some discrimination, but approaches taken varied considerably. Analysis suggests the focus on single equation models is problematic, and further information gathering is needed. (Author/MSE)

This special issue summarizes parallel studies in five countries (Japan, Greece, Thailand, Republic of China, United States) investigating the causal linkages among socioeconomic status variables, family processes, and school variables on the mathematics achievement of urban elementary school children. Methodological problems in cross-cultural and…