This commentary begins by summarizing the five contributions to this special issue and briefly recapping the background to the topic of student learning in higher education. Narrative and systematic reviews are compared, and the relative value of different bibliographic databases in the context of systematic reviews is assessed. The importance of…

Newly updated and revised, this popular text provides a solid introduction to the foundations of research methods, with the goal of enabling students and professionals in the field of applied linguistics to become not just casual consumers of research who passively read bits and pieces of a research article, but "discerning" consumers able to…

This article reports on methodological approaches to evaluate the relevance and quality of educational research publications. In the first section it focuses on the ISI Social Science Citation Index and shows that this standard instrument for bibliometric measurement is insufficient for the representation of European educational research. In the…

Discussion of bibliographic databases and the structure of records focuses on the structure of education information based on publications of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. Faceted design is discussed, and mandatory and optional fields in education database design are considered. (Contains 16 references.) (LRW)

This is the second in a series of annual reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Resources and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. The report begins by presenting background information on ERIC's…

This two-volume annual report is the first in a series of reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program. The first volume reviews the work of the ERIC Clearinghouses and two other ERIC components, the ERIC Processing and Reference Facility and the ERIC Document Reproduction…

This two-volume annual report is the first in a series of reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program. The second volume discusses trends and issues in the areas of education covered by each of the clearinghouses. These discussions focus on critical research findings and…

This paper begins with an overview of ERIC that provides background on the system's decentralized structure, the bibliographic database, document availability, and ERIC publications. The historical development of ERIC from the early 1960s is described and illustrated with a chronology of selected major ERIC events from 1965 to 1991 and a table…

Presents an online multicultural database developed by the Centre for Educational Research and Educational Policy (CEREP), a part of the network of Education Policy Units in South Africa. Highlights include technology and education policy in South Africa, the history of CEREP, organizing principles of the database, and description of database…

Describes the creation and evolution of ERIC during its initial two decades of existence; discusses a recently concluded redesign study and provides some details about changes being implemented in the ERIC system; and considers the future of ERIC in terms of expansion, new technologies, and diversification of funds. (five references) (CLB)

This report, which covers fiscal years 1990 and 1991, is the fourth in a series summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. Highlights of the 2 years include a…

This is the fifth in a series of annual reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. The eight main sections cover: (1) highlights of the year in the areas…

This is the third in a series of annual reports summarizing the activities and accomplishments of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, which is funded and managed by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. One of the highlights of 1989 was the establishment of ACCESS ERIC, the…

Reviews the creation and evolution of ERIC, and describes changes being implemented in the system as a result of a recently concluded redesign study. Areas of change discussed include clearinghouse contract procedures, ACCESS ERIC, ERIC partners, and adjunct clearinghouses. Conclusions about the future of ERIC are offered. (five references) (CLB)

The Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouse on Tests, Measurement, and Evaluation (ERIC/TME) provides researchers and practitioners with bibliographic citations for journal articles, conference papers, and reports on all aspects of educational testing, evaluation, and learning theory. The ERIC system and the ERIC/TME Clearinghouse…