Addressed to the alleged state of arrested development in current mass communication research, this paper traces contraditions in research findings to possible flaws in the basic research paradigm. The author's purpose is to stimulate and provoke discussion of the methodological implications for mass communication research in terms of two opposing…

This report contains discussions about critical problems that appear to be developing in American scientific research sectors. The views were obtained from letters of inquiry sent to more than 900 persons active in the administration or performance of research in its four main sectors: universities, industry, Federal laboratories, and independent…

To assess the effect of setting on mother-infant interaction, 24 twelve-month-old children and their middle class mothers were observed on two occasions, a week apart. Half of these dyads were seen twice at home under naturalistic conditions or twice in the lab in a free play situation. The remaining 12 pairs were observed once in each location…

This paper discusses the problem of maintaining confidentiality in data resulting from research projects. The rights and responsibilities of the parties involved in a research effort are examined. Five parties to a research project are identified as: (1) the participants, often called subjects, who have the right to privacy and the responsibility…

Three aspects of educational research have hindered a truly scientific approach--artificially simple laboratory settings, a reliance on post hoc computer analysis, and the rule of the contract office. A more scientific setting might be created if three requirements are satisfied: (1) research should be carried out in life situations; (2) focus…

Using examples from evaluations of the Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) Basic Grants Program, the ESAA Pilot Program, and the sustaining effects of compensatory education programs, school and student attrition are discussed. As in the example cases, appreciable attrition can be expected in most longitudinal studies. The possible effects of this…

The Federal Government seeks to achieve a multitude of objectives that concern the academic and scientific community. Setting aside the issue of whether the government should be regulating everything from birth control to rat control, and whether the regulations should be improved or clarified, a major question is: why piggyback the government…

This study estimated a component of within-school variance which has been overlooked in policy research studies and program evaluations performed to date: the effect on pupil performance of different teachers within a single school or program. Results indicated that teacher effects accounted for 30 to 40 percent of within-school variance. (Author/…

A critical analysis of the current knowlege concerning the development of the concept of death in childhood is the purpose of this paper. Theoretical models and methodological limitations of the literature are addressed. Many factors have been implicated as contributing to the development of the concept of death. (Author/BN)

From a priori and post hoc data collection perspectives, this paper describes the interrelations among (1) power, alpha, effect size, and sample size for hypothesis testing; and (2) precision, confidence, and sample size for interval estimation. Implications for special education researchers working with convenient samples of fixed size are…

Reactions to H. Lee Swanson's paper "Toward a Metatheory of Learning Disabilities" are outlined, and his arguments are applied to reading disabilities, focusing on the importance of the scientific attitude, the misuse of ecological validity, interpretation of Thomas Kuhn's work, modularity and reading disability, and scientific progress…

Although successful dropout assistance programs depend on effective implementation, casework, and long-term followup activities, the literature only occasionally addresses these practices. This article reviews data collection problems, major risk factors, reforms aimed at actual and potential dropouts, and alternative school programs. Second…

Three kinds of research concerning quality in higher education (reputational, objective indicators, and quantitative correlate) are described and illustrated, the merits and disadvantages of each are discussed, and the present state of research on educational quality is examined. (MSE)

Examines secular trends in research on Afro-American children appearing in CHILD DEVELOPMENT between 1936 and 1980. A statistical analysis revealed dramatic changes in the frequency and type of research on this population, and identified some of the changing social issues and perspectives that are reflected in the research. (Author/BB)

How social studies researchers can use National Assessment of Educational Progress Public Use Data File tapes to delimit the problem of generalizability of research results is described. An example using data from a trend study of a citizenship education project is used to demonstrate the procedure. (Author/RM)