This article examines how the estimated impacts of crop technologies vary with alternate methods and assumptions, and also discusses the implications of these differences for the design of studies to inform research prioritization. Drawing on international potato research, we show how foresight scenarios, realized by a multi-period global…

Innovation has become an increasingly important concept for Australian businesses in enabling them to continue to compete in an international market, but where does vocational education and training (VET) sit in this? To date, VET has been largely overlooked by the National Innovation and Science Agenda as a potential contributor in this field.…

The landscape of medical education is continuously evolving, as are the needs of the learner. The appropriate use of research and evaluation is key when assessing the need for change and instituting one's innovative endeavours. This paper demonstrates how research seeks to generate new knowledge, whereas evaluation uses information acquired from…

The significance of the analytical models in traditional Islamic studies is that they contribute in sharpening the intellectual capacity of the students of Islamic studies. Research literature in Islamic studies has descriptive side predominantly; the information is gathered and compiled and rarely analyzed properly. This weakness is because of…

Explains chaos theory; compares a conventional instructional systems design (ISD) approach with chaos theory and dynamic nonlinear systems, including deterministic predictability and indeterministic unpredictability and negative and positive feedback; explores theoretical implications for developing an alternative ISD model; and recommends future…

Analyzes data from three recent studies and identifies three models of family-centered programs: crisis intervention programs; home-based programs; and family treatment programs. Discusses the models' similarities and differences and lays the groundwork for further definitive research. (NH)

Investigates political alienation among white and black adolescents, with particular regard to feelings of political inefficacy and political distrust. Recommends additional research on alienation and suggests that future alienation models be augmented with measures of psychological reactance as well as political reality perceptions. For journal…

Curriculum research is reviewed. In Part 1, a survey is reported that was designed to: (1) acquire information on action research projects in Ireland (North and South), the United Kingdom, and the United States; (2) determine the principal method of data collection; (3) identify the rank-order priority of constraints on research; (4) classify…

Compares the performance of the Target and Freestyle commercial search engines. Discusses traditional performance measures such as precision and recall, analytic models of performance, document rankings, query difficulty and correlates with other performance characteristics, and future research needs. (LRW)

Compares the perceptions of Malaysians and Australians for four Web site design characteristics--atmospherics, news stories, signs, and products and services--as part of the integrated Internet marketing model. Hypothesizes that the predominant culture is not generalized to another culture, discusses validity and reliability, and suggest further…

Although a large body of research exists regarding the construct of "socialization," scholars have no universally accepted definition of this construct. Additionally, scholars have used the term to describe several different components of both structural and communication dynamics without agreeing upon a metaphor or general acceptance of…

The effects of father absence on educational achievement and intellectual development of 6- to 11-year-old children were investigated by employing a nationally representative sample of 5,493 father-present and 616 father-absent children from the Health Examination Survey of the National Center for Health Statistics. (Author/RH)

Describes a study that was conducted to establish empirically a set of instructional design project success indicators and to determine whether stakeholder perspective influences the importance attached to those indicators. Seven project success indicators were identified, suggesting that the common evaluation models are incomplete. (Author/LRW)

Points out that the field of comparative education has lost its comparative focus, and proposes that comparative research refocus on variations among national institutional patterns of education. Examines characteristics of six core patterns developed in Prussia, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Russia. Outlines 10…

This resource examines the role of the central office in improving instruction and therefore improving student achievement. Mac Iver and Farley-Ripple provide a comprehensive review of the available research (since the 1970s) on the role of the central office in student achievement. First, they review the research chronologically, and then by…