Finds dissatisfaction among professionals in social psychology with the style, focus, and caliber of research. Suggests that understanding knowledge production among academics should include influences on research, such as political ideologies of professors, student selection and socialization, and system survival demands. Provides a four-page…

Examines the possibility that specification errors contributed to the Schuman et al. (1985) findings of a weak relationship between study time and college grades. Analyzes main and interactive effects, measures of quantity and quality of study, and various context-specific models of college grades. Results challenge previous findings. (Author/SV)

Peer review practices of scholarly journals were examined through a survey of 215 members of a professional society in the field of mass communication. Both researchers and referees had mixed feelings about peer review and specific journals and dissatisfaction with the direction and content of research published. (SLD)

Introduces the topic of feminist psychology. Reviews relevant literature regarding bias against women in past research, and discusses each article in the issue. Identifies the common issue of all articles as epistemology: what we can know, how we know, and how the knowledge we have relates to who we are. (JS)

Reviews attrition rates in bereavement research and demonstrates prevalence of low acceptance rates and lack of knowledge about bias due to self-selection. Reports results of empirical study which showed effect of depression on willingness to participate: widowers who were less depressed agreed to participate; widows who were more depressed were…

Per pupil spending on teacher salaries is the product of four factors: teacher/pupil ratio, starting salary level, steepness of salary schedule above minimum, and incumbent teachers' placement on the scale. Using California per pupil expenditures on teachers' salaries (for grades three and six) to predict student achievement gives very different…

Few educators pay attention to educational research results because the research is removed from the realities of the classroom, relies almost exclusively on tests of statistical significance, and is usually the result of the publication requirements of universities. Cites 10 more reasons for poor research and advises typical research pitfalls to…

Describes the author's experience of teaching bilingual educators. Identifies the bureaucratic structure of the school and the Mexican American culture as the two problem areas focused upon during the course. Concludes that her major areas of research interest in sociology are a direct product of her ethnicity, work experience, and this…

Argues for a new approach to empirical work which focuses on classroom thoughtfulness. Proposes a conception of higher-order thinking that synthesizes theoretical literature with the views of practitioners. Offers a conceptual basis for empirical study of classrooms, teachers, students, and institutional leaders. (GG)

Six quantitative reviews of the research on student ratings of instructional effectiveness are examined. The disparate conclusions of the reviews are explained by comparing the syntheses at each of five steps in a meta-analysis: specifying inclusion criteria; locating studies; coding study features; calculating study outcomes; and data analysis.…

The focus of school finance expertise and inquiry has shifted away from litigation and equity concerns to microeconomic and productivity research, and the utilization and outcome of educational inputs. Efficiency, productivity, and incentives are topics of current school finance research. Issues of the appropriateness of the research agenda and…

Calls for further research evaluating corporate adventure training (CAT) programs. Reviews activities and benefits associated with CAT, summarizes studies conducted on the efficacy of CAT programs, describes appropriate research designs for investigating how and why CAT programs work, and addresses barriers to producing meaningful research. (LP)

Presents results from the first part of a two-part study of the characteristics of research conducted in the area of developmental education. Identifies the areas investigated, types of research being conducted, and the effectiveness of the research. Indicates that serious flaws were found in 63% of the studies reviewed. Discusses four factors…

Suggests that social scientists need to move out of the laboratory and study human development in the full complexity of real-world problems, which includes the perspectives of practitioners. Suggests that the social science field needs to accept a problem-focused orientation rather than a discipline-focused one for studying human development to…

Describes specific problems related to the issues of confidentiality and subjectivity in a qualitative research project concerning social dynamics in a music education classroom. Argues that the nature of the observer/participant relationship creates complex problems involving confidentiality and subjectivity. (MJP)