Suppose an education researcher wants to test the impact of a high school drop-out prevention intervention in which at-risk students attend classes to receive intensive summer school instruction. The district will allow the researcher to randomly assign students to the treatment classes or to the control group. Half of the students (the treatment…

This paper provides practical guidance for researchers who are designing and analyzing studies that randomize schools--which comprise three levels of clustering (students in classrooms in schools)--to measure intervention effects on student academic outcomes when information on the middle level (classrooms) is missing. This situation arises…

Coefficient Kappa is generally defined in terms of procedures of computation rather than in terms of a population. Here a population definition is proposed. Factors influencing the magnitude of Kappa are identified. Strategies to improve reliability are proposed, including that of combining multiple unreliable diagnoses. (Author/CTM)

This book is a broad-spectrum guide, suitable for all courses in basic research. It guides the student from problem selection to completed research report with practical suggestions based on a solid theoretical framework and learning procedure. As a do-it-yourself guide, it is useful for students who are left to their own resources in executing…

The use of theoretical models in impact assessment can heighten the power of experimental designs and compensate for some deficiencies of quasi-experimental designs. Theoretical models of implementation processes are examined, arguing that these processes are a major obstacle to fully effective programs. (Author/CM)

Professional evaluators are often called upon to analyze data produced by a catastrophically inadequate evaluation design. A remedial strategy involving diagnosis of error, application of a corrective procedure and sensitization of program personnel of the need for a more sophisticated stance, is proposed and illustrated with a case study.…

Describes methods of designing natural resource monitoring programs to provide indications of ecosystem health, define limits of normal variation, identify abnormal conditions, and suggest potential agent of abnormal change. (MDH)

According to the stage-learning hypothesis, children's ability to learn is constrained by their pretraining stages of cognitive development. Some procedures for obtaining unconfounded tests of this hypothesis are developed in this paper, and some applications to factorial experiments are considered. (Author/BW)

This chapter discusses current methods of formative evaluation and suggests that these methods themselves need to be subjected to more critical research and evaluation in order to provide them with a more scientific base. Topics addressed include problems and methods associated with data gathering, evaluation designs, number of subjects available,…

This paper presents five designs (three one-group and two two-group) which can be effectively employed to study computer-based methods in non-laboratory settings, including actual classroom implementation, where a non-treatment control design may not be feasible. These designs are sequential analysis, value-added analysis, non-equivalent dependent…

The research model presented here is designed to be used by practitioners who either do not have substantial training in research methodology or do not have the time to design and document involved procedures. (SK)

Time series analysis is applied to an assessment of the temporary and permanent impact of the 1975 Australian Family Law Act and its effect on number of divorces. The application and construct validity of the model is examined. (Author/PN)

Reviewed efficacy of programs designed to improve academic competence. Outcomes of studies published from 1974-1978 were more favorable, based on box-score tabulation and an analysis of more than 12 well-controlled investigations. Evidence indicates that structured multicomponent interventions, incorporating study skills and self-control training,…

Thirty-three research articles based on t-tests, F-tests, or Pearson product-moment correlations selected from the "Journal of Medical Education" were examined for adequate research reporting. Nearly one-half did not report sufficient data or were found to have low power values. Guidelines for research reporting are discussed.…

Designed for community colleges and technical institutes, this manual presents a systematic approach to the process of reviewing employer and employee education and training needs. Section I presents the Business, Industry, and Labor (BIL) Needs Assessment Model, detailing the following procedures: (1) identify the BIL project coordinator; (2)…