The science curriculum is a focus of repeated reform in many countries. However, the enactment of such reforms within schools rarely reflects the intended outcomes of curriculum designers. This review considers what we know about the experiences and reflections of teachers in the enactment of externally driven school science curriculum reform.…

Reviews the available research that does not find development in group processes. Concluded that researchers should no longer try to answer the question of whether groups change but should identify significant differences and similarities in group development among various groups and types of groups. (LLL)

This demonstration of the use of a computer simulation research method based on the System Dynamics modeling technique for studying distance education reviews research methods in distance education, including the broad categories of conceptual and case studies, and presents a rationale for the application of systems research in this area. The…

The research literature is rich on innovations in R&D-specific organizations and provides useful information on support systems and other organizational features associated with such specialized organizations. An implied assumption of many studies is that R&D exists as an independent entity, without controls or influences from the other…

Chaos offers educational communications and technology new systems' tools and ideas; i.e., it provides the system with a deterministic "I don't know" state within which new activity patterns can be generated. Previous characterizations and paradigms of systems stated that simple systems behaved in simple ways, complex behaviors implied complex…

Introduces the basic concepts of chaos theory and chaos modeling. Relates chaos theory to qualitative research and factor analysis. Describes some current research in education and psychology using chaos theory. Claims that the philosophical implications of chaos theory have been misapplied in practical terms. (KS)

Although most models of connected discourse are strikingly similar in the types of relationships they describe, they are strikingly different in two areas: the unit of analysis and the dimensions on which cohesion versus coherence are described. Common systems for analyzing written text use the sentence, T-unit, clause, or proposition as the unit…

Describes British Library's work on Systems Dynamics, a set of techniques for building simulation models based on analysis of information feedback loops. Highlights include macro-simulation modelling activities of social science disciplines, systems analyses and models of information retrieval processes and library services, policy models, and…