The past three decades have witnessed a sharp reduction in the rate of growth of public research funding, and sometimes an actual decline in its level. In many countries, this decline has been accompanied by substantial changes in the ways that such funding has been allocated and monitored. In addition, the institutions governing how research is…

The research dimension of higher education programmes is usually discussed in association with doctoral studies. Against a background of scarce literature investigating research in a Master's degree, this article aims to analyse the place of research in Master's qualifications, first, as envisaged by official European and national documents acting…

National and international developments in higher education and the resultant pressure on universities to demonstrate excellence, including excellence in research, had a far-reaching effect on faculties of education who had traditionally focused more on excellence in teaching than on research. In South Africa, as part of transformation policies…

The purpose of this report is to identify the most prominent issues in U.S. higher education and to develop strategic research plans to address the issues that are most relevant to ETS's capabilities in measurement and assessment through the ETS's higher education research initiative. In the United States, issues related to higher education such…

This paper proposes the idea that dissertations may be used as data in a model for analyzing the research aspects of the graduate program. The model simply states that characteristics of dissertation research provide estimates of research patterns and training in the college of education. The data from such an analysis can show the professional…

Reflects briefly on how the author chooses what research to do. Discusses specific communication research projects that arose from near-sighted, midrange, and far-sighted planning. (RS)

Accurate knowledge of the institution's past policies and composition considered within a broader state, regional, or national historical context can be an advantage in coping with complex institutional concerns. Implications for researchers are discussed. (Author/LBH)

Two ethical concerns about the Human Genome Project, which aims to sequence all the DNA of a human cell, are discussed: (1) use of germ-line gene therapy to treat perceived hereditary defects or enhance supposed genetic attributes, and (2) personal privacy and potential discrimination arising from possession of individual genetic information. (MSE)

Essays are presented in which the authors offer four entirely separate perspectives on the issue of correspondence study's image. The authors examine the defensiveness of some of correspondence study's practitioners, the role of scholarship in correspondence study's image, the lack of such scholarship in the United States, and university-level…

One of the most difficult problems involved in funding research is that of providing for the unexpected. The Biomedical Research Support Grants program of the National Institutes of Health has provided this type of funding but the amount has dwindled to two percent. (MLW)

This report is one of a series of papers on policy alternatives commissioned by the California Legislature's Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education. Most of the papers are directed toward synthesis and analysis of existing information and perspectives on the role of research in California. Topics cover the categories of research…

Use of the results of investigator-initiated research in dental health services policy and administration, and the relationship between the researcher and decision making or implementation based on his findings, are examined. (MSE)

Because of the growing significance of R&D expenditures, the importance of some rational approach to planning and budgeting is seen as being imperative. It is proposed that more studies on the question of project cost and duration estimates be conducted. A bibliographical survey is included. (MLW)

A panel discusses the importance of mission-oriented research in a university relative to that of curiosity-based research. Discussants include Wes Cragg, John Leyerle, Gordon Slemon, David Olson, Jack Stevenson, and Bob Czerny. (CJB)

Students' views concerning research were studied with a sample of students in the arts, the natural sciences, and social sciences. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 225 graduate and undergraduate students attending four colleges. Students in the arts (music, art, and communicative arts) comprised 49 percent of the sample; 29 percent were…