This symposium report contains various statements of the theory of change and societal growth and maintenance viewed from the perspectives of major social disciplines. Comparative theories in these areas can provide guidelines for predicting, planning, and carrying out social development programs. The theme of the symposium was the problem of…

This paper focuses on the use of the variable race in educational research. Researchers are clearly considered to have the right to choose their variables. But, the use of race in a nonscholarly fashion is held to be professionally inadequate and often detrimental to black Americans. For years, researchers using race to make comparison s between…

In a pilot study based on a technique to assess the dimensions of self concept held by young children, 38 lower socioeconomic status Negro and 36 upper-middle socioeconomic status white four-year-old children were given the Brown-IDS Self Concept Referents Test, and retested after three weeks; there was a relatively high level of reliability in…

The purpose of this research project was to develop clearer definitions of the categories of the Nonverbal Category System, an instrument developed in conjunction with an earlier study of nonverbal behavior of young children as it relates to decision making. A second purpose was to establish whether the instrument could be employed in studying…

While inquiry teaching has been a popular term in the social studies literature over the last decade, the empirical research appears to have paid little attention to specific inquiry models. All published papers and dissertations purporting to measure inquiry teaching for the five year period, January, 1967 through November, 1972 are reviewed and…

This handbook is a compilation and evaluation of 106 attitude scales for survey research. An introductory chapter outlines the ten chapters and discusses the rationale and background of the project. Chapter 2 reviews survey evidence on the correlates of life satisfaction and happiness in the general public. Chapters 3 through 9 review and…

The first of this document's three major sections describes the history and rationale behind legislative and executive action that led to the creation of NIE. The second section outlines the tentative status of the four major program planning efforts at NIE. These programs are (1) the visiting scholars program; (2) the basic studies program, which…

There should be little doubt in the mind of the educational researcher that many of the past research efforts in the black community have resulted in an enormous disservice to the children residing there. However, the future for educational research in the black community has the potential to be infinitely better and ultimately more beneficial. To…

The concept of "instructional leadership" springs from a desire to relate school administration to instruction, but it does little to suggest what the specific links between the two might be. It obscures the uncertainty and tension that is bound to arise from serious efforts to restructure the schools. (BJV)

British and U.S. preschool intervention projects are now reporting dramatic long-term follow-up findings that appear to vindicate the claim that preschool can serve as an "innoculation against failure," especially with disadvantaged children. However, important questions remain about the generalizability of these effects in other…

This article examines statistical issues raised when standard methods are used to analyze educable placement data to determine possible racial discrimination. An alternate approach is offered that detects disparities while avoiding the pitfalls of present methodologies. (BS)

While a great deal has been written on the advantage and benefits of online teaching, little is known on how assessment is implemented in online classrooms to monitor and inform performance and progress. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamics of WebCT classroom assessment by analyzing the perceptions and experience of the…

Early Childhood Research and Practice (ECRP), a peer-reviewed Internet-only journal sponsored by the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, covers topics related to the development, care, and education of children from birth to approximately age 8. The journal emphasizes articles…

Noting national survey data from the past three decades showing consistently that more than 60 percent of American high school seniors agree that religion is important to them, and in light of increased interest in faith-based initiatives, this research brief summarizes findings from recent studies that examine linkages between adolescents beliefs…

Noting that the disappointing findings of the first-year evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program were offered as a rationale for a requested decrease in funding in President Bush's fiscal year 2004 education budget, this report compiles expert commentary on methodological issues in that evaluation…