Comparison studies conducted to determine which instructional interventions are most efficient for teaching discrete behaviors to individuals with disabilities are potentially valuable, although some threats to internal validity may be more likely in these studies. Studies included in this review typically met common internal validity standards,…

Given the importance of social integration and participation in inclusive settings for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the purpose of this systematic review was to examine instructional outcomes and participant, teacher, group, and instructional characteristics that may be pertinent to successful group instruction for young…

The studies in this special section of the "Journal of Educational Psychology" present a variety of social-psychological interventions across large numbers of classrooms and populations. They show notable benefits for many students at risk for low performance. This is the glass half-full interpretation, and we consider the strengths of…

Despite the widespread assumption that students require scaffolding support for self-regulated learning (SRL) processes in computer-based learning environments (CBLEs), there is little clarity as to which types of scaffolds are most effective. This study offers a literature review covering the various scaffolds that support SRL processes in the…

Reviews the effectiveness of animation in enhancing textual information for instructional purposes and identifies factors that determine effectiveness. Outlines methodological problems in the research and summarizes design criteria for multimedia instructional products. Contains 78 references. (PEN)

Using a recent study that examined the effectiveness of a particular approach to improving individual university teaching as a case study, this paper examines some of the challenges inherent in educational research, particularly research examining the effects of interventions to improve teaching. Aspects of the research design and methodology and…

The second of four symposium papers brings together the results of four separate statistical analyses of findings on computer-based instruction (CBI) in 199 comparative studies, of which 32 were conducted in elementary schools, 42 in high schools, 101 in universities and colleges, and 24 in adult education settings. Each was a controlled,…

Educational games have become the lightning rod for learning and preparing a future skilled workforce. Both the people, who argue against and for games agree that learning is possible, but what is learned is another issue. However, the claims about games for learning lacks substantial research and for the most part remains merely philosophical…

Since about 1962, researchers have explored the effectiveness of educational software in the schools under various conditions, and many have concluded that computer assisted instruction (CAI) is effective. Many of the studies reviewed to support this conclusion, however, had design flaws. Reviews of educational software effectiveness studies have…

Evaluates the methodological quality of 39 studies of phonological-awareness interventions in children. Finds only seven studies met two-thirds or more of all the evaluative criteria (internal and external validity), although all of these investigations demonstrated at least one fatal flaw. Suggests improvements for future intervention research.…

Constructivist literature has become increasingly prominent in the area of special education. The nature of constructivism and its relevance and limitations for students with special needs is discussed, as is the importance of appropriate research in determining the efficacy of instructional interventions. A search of the literature into the…

Constructivist literature has become increasingly prominent in the area of special education. The nature of constructivism and its relevance and limitations for students with special needs is discussed, as is the importance of appropriate research in determining the efficacy of instructional interventions. A search of the literature into the…

Reviews, analyzes, and critically assesses a sample of articles reporting research findings related to the instructional effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Problems in CAI research are described, including validity of the experimental research design, and current trends in CAI research are discussed. (31 references) (LRW)

In this discussion of quantitative research synthesis, past criticisms of meta-analysis are reviewed along with the ways they have been addressed. Objections to single-subject synthesis methods are discussed, along with the advantages of using the percentage-of- nonoverlapping-data metric. The article concludes by questioning the veracity of…

Critiques comparative research and evaluation methods used to assess effectiveness of interactive video and proposes alternative models of research design that go beyond comparative analysis into understanding and control of the effective dimensions of interactive video, i.e., controlled correlation; instructional events, cognitive psychology, and…