In the current education landscape, pressures are ever increasing on educational policy and practice to use research to guide improvement. In recent years, federal programs, such as No Child Left Behind, Reading First, and Race to the Top, have all provided strong incentives for the use of research in decision-making. Research-practice…

Policy has been a much neglected area for research in science education. In their neglect of policy studies, researchers have maintained an ongoing naivete about the politics of science education. In doing so, they often overestimate the implications of their research findings about practice and ignore the interplay between the stakeholders beyond…

The discussion of learning and teaching in this paper is based on data from a research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) programme. The research project is investigating the experiences of learning and working in further education colleges in Wales and the data used in…

The goal of this article is to frame some new directions to social comparison research in organizational settings. Four themes are developed. First, we examine the role of organizational variables in shaping the basic sub processes in social comparison, such as the selection of referents. The second theme focuses on the meaning of level of…

Research on performance appraisals has often overlooked the importance of attitudinal and organizational variables. To test a model of the influence of organizational contextual variables on the perceived utility of performance appraisals, 239 Virginia mental health workers completed a questionnaire. The 21 items were designed to measure the four…

Using a sample of 254 San Francisco Bay Area establishments, this study examines determinants of organizational hiring selectivity, including use of educational credentials, tests, and screening devices for both white and blue collar workers. Apparently, hiring standards reflect organizations' skill requirements and group preferences for these…

Applying theory from organizational and cultural perspectives to succession of principals, this study observes and records the language and culture of a small suburban elementary school. The study's procedures included analyses of shared organizational understandings as well as identification of the principal's influence on the school. Analyses of…

Discusses the definition of creativity and the broad methodological issues associated with organizational creativity. Reviews the most relevant theoretical models for studying creativity in organizations. Specific methodological requirements for studying creativity in organizations are then discussed, with emphasis on issues of validity and…

Researchers who use the concept of school climate in their research should be aware of the ways in which climate can be measured and what the different methods of measurement imply. Among the typical kinds of measures of school climate currently in use are normative approaches that focus on students' and teachers' perceptions of school norms,…

In a population of voluntary social service organizations, research findings show that external legitimacy, more than internal coordination processes, underlies the liability of newness--the higher propensity of younger organizations to die. Lack of institutional support experienced by young organizations is an important reason underlying…

Ethnographic auditing combines concepts of ethnography, evaluation, and traditional auditing to evaluate university management. It is another tool in the institutional researcher's repertoire that enables the researcher to interpret cultural aspects of the organization to facilitate its academic mission. (MSE)

College faculty live and work in four cultures: that of the academic profession, the discipline, the academy as an organization, and the institution type. Each of these influences how they function in the organization. Colleges should recognize and build on the sometimes conflicting cultures. (Author/MSE)

Without feasible integration strategies, the institutional researcher and decision maker remain isolated from each other, to the ultimate disadvantage of the higher education institution. Practical and achievable strategies for the researcher include knowledge of the institutional climate and norms, developing communication skills, and practicing…

Alternative and emergent organizational perspectives are potentially useful in studying the organization and operation of public elementary schools. In particular, the image of organizations as loosely coupled systems is applicable to educational organizations. Yet, recent research indicates that tight linkages enhance school effectiveness. This…

Behavioral and environmental factors influencing the relationship between research administrators and research scientists are explored, and myths that may shape the roles and interactions of the two groups are examined. Patterns that emerge point to opportunities to exploit the productive interactions and reduce potential for less productive ones.…