Scholars representing the field of organizational science, broadly defined as including many fields--organizational behavior and development, management, workplace performance, and so on--were asked to identify what they considered to be the most exciting and imaginative work currently being done in their field, as well as how that work might…

Argues for an institutional approach to theory and research on situated learning, which would allow for a different frame of reference than the concept of economic rationality as the objective of workplace learning. (SK)

The purpose of this article is to exemplify and enhance the place of modelling as a qualitative process in educational research. Modelling is widely used in quantitative research as a tool for analysis, theory building and prediction. Statistical data lend themselves to graphical representation of values, interrelationships and operational…

Ron Lippitt discusses the possibility of using community development theories and strategies as a research perspective for studying new ways to govern and manage community colleges. Contrasts community development and organizational development, identifies key reference sources, and highlights strategies that might lead to productive start-ups and…

This interview with Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) Sharon Robinson describes the new organization of OERI and its new emphasis on accessibility and information dissemination. It outlines plans for the agency and goals for educational research. (SLD)

This report argues that instructional improvement, which goes hand-in-hand with efforts at education reform, can be promoted through the strategic use of human resource management (HRM) practices at the school, district, and state levels. The authors present information from the organizational and management literatures on how firms in several…

This volume contains presentations and workshop papers from the International Congress on "The European Dimension of Vocational Training--Experiences and Tasks" that provided those with responsibility for vocational training a forum for analyzing and discussing challenges that have emerged from European cooperation in vocational…

The context for considering faculty career vitality is addressed. It is suggested that the unit of study should be individual, and that both internal and external influences should be considered. A contrasting view is that the institution should be the unit of study. A Pennsylvania State University study revealed that faculty career decisions were…

The proposed organizational and activity structure for an Educational Technology Center would provide opportunities for educational research, hardware/software/courseware services, and training programs to prepare professionals in the field. Advances in industrial, communications, and educational technologies necessitate the implementation of an…

A group of human resource development (HRD) practitioners participated in an innovative session on applying metaphor in HRD research and practice. The session objectives were as follows: (1) facilitate a dialogue between those who wrote for and those who read the Advances in Developing Human Resources (ADHR)issue on metaphor in HRD; (2) extend the…

A workshop was conducted to give participants an opportunity to explore how to apply a different paradigm for learning in organizations. The workshop agenda was as follows: presentation of the theory and supporting research; experiential activities to apply the paradigm in academic and organizational settings; small group discussion aimed at…

Describes the higher education reform discussion in Austria which led to major system reorganization in 1993. It is noted that a previous academic oligarchy played a central role because a high proportion of university faculty also served in the parliament. Research on higher education played little part in reform because few studies were…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on expanding perspectives in human resource development (HRD) research. "The Concept of Culture in International and Comparative HRD Research: Methodological Problems and Possible Solutions" (Alexander Ardichvili, K. Peter Kuchinke) discusses the following topics: (1) alternative…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on tools in human resource development (HRD). "Game Theory Methodology in HRD" (Thomas J. Chermack, Richard A. Swanson) explores the utility of game theory in helping the HRD profession address the complexity of integrating multiple theories for disciplinary understanding and…

This document contains 13 presentations/discussion summaries and 10 supporting 'thesis' papers from a symposium on selected issues in human resources development (HRD) in Europe. The following summaries are included: "Introduction" (Sabine Manning); "Developing Flexibility in Pursuit of Competitiveness" (Nick Boreham);…