The Canadian Public Service Commission conducted an experimental course using the communication technology satellite for the experimental group and a conventional classroom for the control group. Both groups of forty managers had the same subject matter and used the same student-directed learning methodology. The article contains observations on…

It is difficult to conduct randomized field experiments. In the past decade, the use of alternative randomization plans and incentives has contributed to their operational feasibility; legal, ethical, and professional arguments for experimentation have matured; and expectations have become better aligned with practical constraints that are likely…

The estimation and evaluation of the effects of alternative educational or social policies is a major purpose of decision oriented, comparative evaluation studies. This paper reviews the rationale underlying the definition and interpretation of various measures of effect magnitude and examines their relevance to evalution research. (Author)

This article discusses the circumstances under which unequal sample size in the two-group study can arise and result in an attenuated point-biserial correlation. Formulas are provided for correcting the coefficient either directly or through the mediation of relevant statistics found in studies where the coefficient itself is not reported.…

This paper is concerned with the construction of effect size standard errors in situations where the effect sizes are independent but the data have likely been sampled from non-normal distributions, and possibly for different studies, from different families of non-normal distributions. Asymptotic distribution-free estimators are provided for two…

Compares academic results of teaching an experimental class of sophomores using a methodology of dyadic mode learning with a control class of sophomores and examines the potential uses and characteristics of the group relationships in dyadic mode learning for university level work in a full semester's courses. (Author/RK)

There is currently a great deal of controversy about a critical issue in educational research: What constitutes valid evidence for determining whether educational innovations are effective? One side of the controversy is reflected in the U.S. Department of Education's current policies and funding programs. This side emphasizes methodological…

Within-class experimental designs (with experimental and control groups in the same classroom) are subject to diffusion effects whereby both experimental and control students benefit from the intervention, thereby contaminating the control group and biasing evaluations of intervention effects. In support of diffusion effects, this study shows that…

The experimental treatment was more effective in increasing vocational development than either the individual counseling or control treatments, and individual counseling was more effective than the control treatment. No differences were found among groups in regard to individual counselors, sex of students, or in student counseling assessments.…

This research was aimed at adapting the Utah State University Classroom Management Program for use in elementary mainstreaming classrooms and evaluating the program's effectiveness in changing teacher and pupil behavior. The program appears to be powerful in changing teacher behavior and an effective classroom management training tool. (Author/AL)

Groups of adolescent, math-anxious girls were either tutored in mathematics, tutored with self-instruction to reduce anxiety, or received no treatment. Tutoring and self-instruction resulted in increased ranked preferences for math, while math achievement increased more for the self-instruction group. (Author/GK)

Laboratory and a field studies contrasted the egotism and expectancy-covariance approaches to attribution for achievement outcomes. Subjects' expectations and the basis of these expectations were varied and outcomes were then manipulated. Results supported egotism, suggesting that motivational factors can determine attributions to ability and task…

Methods of using simplified time series analysis (STSA) in evaluating clinical programs are discussed. STSA assists in addressing problems of attrition/augmentation of subjects in programs with changing populations. Combining individually calculated "C" statistics in a simple aggregate analysis of restraint usage by nursing home staff…

Adaptive Hypermedia Systems can be developed to accommodate a variety of individual differences, including learning style and cognitive style. This study investigates the hypothesis that adaptive hypermedia accommodating cognitive styles can be beneficial for the observed learning outcomes. A prototype system, designed to be adapted to individual…