The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards Briefs explain the rules the WWC uses to evaluate the quality of studies for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. This brief explains what baseline equivalence is and why it matters. As part of the WWC review process for certain types of studies, reviewers assess whether the intervention group…

Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) have the potential to provide one-on-one, just-in-time instruction, guidance or mentoring in classrooms where such individualized human interactions may be infeasible. Much current APA research focuses on a wide range of design variables tested with small samples or in laboratory settings, while overlooking…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a couple-based intervention on the quality of life (QOL) of early-stage breast cancer patients and their partners. A randomized controlled design was used to assign couples to either the hospital standard social work services (SSWS) or a couple-based intervention, the Partners in…

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of an intervention program aimed to improve reading and spelling ability through instruction in morphological awareness together with other forms of linguistic awareness, including knowledge of phonology, orthography, syntax, and semantics. Method: Sixteen children aged between 8;07 (years;months) and…

Program providers work extremely hard to offer services that they believe will enhance the lives and future prospects of children and youth. But how can they be sure that their program is having the intended impacts? How can funders and policy makers be sure that their investments in programs are paying off in substantially better outcomes for…

This study examined critical thinking instruction in a required introductory communication course (N = 324). Experimental group participants received enhanced instruction using various active learning strategies, activities, and assignments. Results indicate significant improvement in their critical thinking skills. Implications for pedagogy and…

Considers the preservice science lesson-planning effects of utilizing local area network (LAN) communication technology across various administrative schemes. Concludes that ease of contact, favorable attitude toward use of technology in communication and teacher education, types of message content, persons contacted, and frequency of…

Describes the use of concept mapping (CM) in design, instruction, and assessment related to microbiology lessons prepared for high school students in Israel. Indicates that students utilizing CM displayed an overall, higher achievement gain than students in traditional classes. Recognizes that some teachers did not thoroughly exploit the potential…

More than 1,600 middle school students, including an experimental group exposed to the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS), were administered the Modified Nature of Scientific Knowledge Scale. Results indicate that the students utilizing the traditional science curriculum possessed a significantly better understanding of the testable nature…

Discusses how clinicians and researchers can critically evaluate information from efficacy studies of language intervention programs. It argues for combining both experimental and nonexperimental approaches and suggests that the use of matching in nonrandomized studies allows for comparison of groups of children participating in an intervention…

Special educators reading research articles are urged to pay attention to how subject populations of children with disabilities are selected and described. Researchers are urged to disregard educational "categories" of children and to select subjects who demonstrate the variable under study. (DB)

A discussion of informed consent by human subjects in experimentation presents background on the consent issue, including federal requirements; lists factors that may affect a subject's ability to understand the consent document; and offers suggestions for preparing consent forms to ensure the subject's better comprehension. (Author/MSE)

Research articles published in 10 major journals during the years 1984-1987 were evaluated to determine how many satisfied the recommendations of the Council for Learning Disabilities' Research Committee on reporting subject data. Only 4 of the 277 articles included acceptable information in 7 recommended areas of subject data. (Author/JDD)

Compares the effectiveness of four different calculus instructional formats based on quantitative measures of student performance, adjusted for differences in student preparation for calculus. Student performance is shown to improve when instruction is presented in a format with faculty involvement. (nine references) (JJK)

A brief history of research involving humans is followed by discussion of the use of students in university research projects and institutional responsibility to students and the public. Institutions are encouraged to incorporate specific controls into research policies to avoid legal problems in the areas of contract theory, fiduciary…