In response to the need for data on higher education faculty and instructional staff, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) in 1987-88 and 1992-93. Both cycles of the NSOPF consisted of an institutional component and a faculty component. The earlier study surveyed only faculty…

This qualitative study investigated the following questions: (1) How quickly can first graders master basic e-mailing skills? (2) Does communicating through the Internet and e-mail provide motivation or incentive for children to read or write? (3) Will children write with specific conventions due to having an identifiable audience to whom they are…

This article reviews the literature of hypermedia research. Several perceived problems are identified, including: irrelevant assessment of outcome variables; weak methodological design in conducting experimental research; lack of theoretical foundations in designing hypertext systems; lack of specification of precise learning outcomes; and lack of…

To comfort, educate, enlighten, and even entertain are some words used to describe the role of a minister, but how to determine a minister's effectiveness is a complicated task. The literature on what constitutes an effective minister can be described by four broad categories: the minister's personality, motivations and personal preferences,…

In coming to better value teachers' knowledge and practice, there is a need to be able to articulate and document what teachers know and are able to do. This is central in coming to understand pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This paper presents a working understanding of PCK as it has emerged through a research project and describes the…

Effective schools research problems (unreliable descriptions and definitions, over-dependency on tests, research limited primarily to elementary schools) result in narrow formulas leading to increased standardization, neglect of nonacademic areas, and failure to improve in schools with high test scores. Author urges using broader, more complex…

Provides an update of a National Opinion Research Center Study comparing the functioning of public and private schools. Answers questions concerning the schools and students involved; conclusions; findings regarding enrollment patterns, discipline and course offerings, student attitudes, Catholic schools, minority students, and achievement levels;…

This study compares multitrait-multimethod analyses (MTMM) performed on items and factor scores derived from the items. Based upon this demonstration, researchers are encouraged to conduct a preliminary factor analysis before analyzing MTMM data whenever there is a doubt about the underlying trait structure. (Author/PN)

A statement of concerns and needs in the relationship between universities and industry for biomedical research addresses the issues of research agreements and their terms, patent licensing, university and faculty roles, and establishment of policy and procedures. (MSE)

This paper reviews three essays in "Philosophy and Education: Eightieth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education." The volume, as a whole, failed to consider economic, social, political, and related educational issues realistically and practically. (PP)

Examines some of the factors that determine whether and how psychological research will affect public policies regarding children. Stresses the importance of the political climate in influencing research utilization and says that researchers must know when to introduce their findings into the policy making process. (Author/MJL)

An explanation is sought for the striking apparent failure of the interactions of intelligence and memory factors with socioeconomic status predicted by Jensen's Level I/Level II theory, in a study by Stankov, Horn and Roy (EJ 239 630). It is suggested that Level I ability is a category of narrower abilities involving rote learning and primary…

Some policy initiatives can be effective with some forms of dropout in some subpopulations. Reduction, rather than elimination of attrition, and transfer as a means of meeting student needs should be considered more seriously. (Author/MSE)

Questions the results of an earlier study that found that accommodating instructional style to disadvantaged students' interaction patterns increases the students' achievement-related behavior. (AEA)

Describes a cost-benefit analysis of a proposed experimental program designed to solve Indonesia's serious dropout problem in elementary education. Discusses the data and methods used, the conclusions reached, and the unresolved questions that arise during evaluations carried out in less developed nations. (Author/RW)