Some people hold an entity theory of intelligence: they think of intelligence as innate. In contrast, others hold an incremental theory, believing that intelligence can be changed. Previous research has shown that an incremental theory is associated with positive outcomes. The aim of this paper was to evaluate an intervention which promoted an…

British government-funded research into voluntary sector initiatives revealed a mismatch between statutory and voluntary sector ethos, objectives, and perceptions of practice. The danger in interpreting negative evaluations highlights the importance of the participation of the "researched" in the process. (SK)

The aims of an evaluation of the Trades Education (TRADEC) schemes were to report on the approach's distinctive features and to assess the TRADEC system's effectiveness and potential for educating and training a wide range of workers. The research design comprised three major elements. First, a developmental phase was devoted to identification and…

A British review process for policy-oriented research is described, focusing on the problems of keeping academic criteria and policy relevance distinct in the process. The use of multiple evaluative frameworks for policy-related research is advocated. (MSE)

Reports on the methodology of an evaluation of an industrial resource materials database intended for use in secondary science and mathematics courses. Due to time and budget constraints, the methodology involved the use of a postal questionnaire followed by telephone interviews. (Author/JDH)

Analysis of teachers' questions, part of the ORACLE (Observation Research and Classroom Learning Evaluation) project research, is examined in detail. Scarth and Hammersley argue that the rules ORACLE uses for identifying different types of questions involve levels of ambiguity and inference that threaten reliability and validity of the study's…

This overview traces the development of thought from the Plowden Report through Halsey's work on educational priority areas to the author's own research on the use of playgroups in a council estate, concluding that schools, by themselves, cannot compensate for the ravages of deprivation. (Author/JM)

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…

The 1968 training research register of the British Department of Employment and Productivity lists and classifies current and recently completed projects, and indicates the range of research in the training and closely related fields. It is arranged according to a classification system based on nine main schedules: National Considerations; The…

A generalized procedure for interrelating possible research activities and decisions over the life of a course is proposed. The main levels at which research can contribute to the evaluation are discussed, and data are presented in relation to one particular program: the Social Science foundation course at the Open University. (Author/LBH)

This research review examines international studies on early childhood education and care, with particular reference to outcomes or benefits related to the child's age, the length of time in early childhood education and care, program type, and scope and type of parental involvement. Research literature from North America, Scandinavia, Britain,…

This report contains, in addition to the introduction and preface, 13 papers written by individuals working in the field of evaluation who present the concepts and practices of evaluation at their own particular distance education institutions. The introduction (Schuemer) gives a short outline of the evaluation nomenclature and an overview of the…

In an attempt to determine a relatively standardized formula for evaluating children's television programs, a concept of flexible and varied means of exploring the characteristics of children's responses to particular programs and styles of programs according to the kinds of questions that each program raises was developed. The ways in which the…

Conventional approaches to program evaluation have followed the experimental and psychometric traditions dominant in educational research. Their aim (unfulfilled) of achieving fully objective methods had led to studies that are artificial and restricted in scope. Illuminative evaluation is introduced as a total re-appraisal of the rationale and…

Surveyed British academics, hypothesizing that the effect of Britain's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) on individual academics is dependent on their self-assessed level of research activity. Found that the RAE's effect does appear to be dependent on level of research activity, with moderately active researchers the most influenced to increase…