Teacher and principal surveys are among the most common data collection techniques employed in education research. Yet there is remarkably little research on survey methods in education, or about the most cost-effective way to raise response rates among teachers and principals. In an effort to explore various methods for increasing survey response…

Experiments offer more reliable evidence on causation than observational studies, which is not to gainsay the contribution to knowledge from observation. Experiments should be analyzed as experiments, not as observational studies. A simple comparison of rates might be just the right tool, with little value added by "sophisticated" models. This…

The ethical dilemma of (a) desiring a control group for validity purposes in program evaluation strategies and (b) withholding needed services from eligible clients to achieve such control has limited the credibility of many evaluation efforts. A potential solution is suggested by the use of time-series, single-subject designs. (Author)

There is a great need to identify specific instructional methods that effectively promote positive skill development in young children with developmental disabilities. One method that has received strong empirical support with children with autism is Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT); however, the effectiveness of DTT has not been extensively…

Mixed methods research conducted across three semesters in introductory college geology classes (n=187, 190, 138) attempted to ascertain whether integrated study of petrified wood could serve as a portal to improved student geobiological understanding of fossilization, geologic time, and evolution. The Petrified Wood Survey[TM] was administered as…

The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of having fourth-grade pupils learn spelling with a series of tape recorded lessons (seven dwarfs). (Author)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE TWO TEACHING METHODS FOR DEVELOPING PRODUCTION TYPEWRITING ABILITY. THE TRADITIONAL, SPEED-EMPHASIS METHOD AND THE EXPERIMENTAL, PRODUCTION-EMPHASIS METHOD, WERE USED DURING 50-MINUTE PERIODS FOR 61 SESSIONS EACH SEMESTER WITH STUDENTS ENROLLED IN INTERMEDIATE TYPEWRITING AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY DURING…

A descriptive analysis of research practices and a meta-analysis of control group effect sizes are used to address Hawthorne effects in educational experiments. The analysis of 86 studies and 256 treatment/Hawthorne/no-treatment control group effect size comparisons indicate that artifact controls have limited utility in dealing with the Hawthorne…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of retroactive and focused self-monitoring, actualized by videotaping, on children's theater performance. In Experiment 1, 20 students in a theater performance program were randomly assigned to either a control or a self-monitoring condition, and their weekly rehearsals were videotaped. Only…

Neuropsychological tests have limited sensitivity in identifying subtle residual cognitive impairments in patients with good medical recovery from head injury and post-concussive syndrome. Detecting and characterizing residual "real life" cognitive difficulties can be problematic for treatment purposes. This study investigated the usefulness of a…

The response to intervention (RTI) of English language learners identified as at risk for reading difficulties in the fall of first grade was examined at the end of first grade and at the end of second grade. Students at risk for reading problems were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Intervention students received supplemental…

Research on computer-based writing evaluation has only recently focused on the potential for providing formative feedback rather than summative assessment. This study tests the impact of an automated essay scorer (AES) that provides formative feedback on essay drafts written as part of a series of online teacher education case studies. Seventy…

In policy research a frequent aim is to estimate treatment effects separately by subgroups. This endeavor becomes a methodological challenge when the subgroups are defined by post-treatment, rather than pre-treatment, variables because if analyses are performed in the same way as with pre-treatment variables, causal interpretations are no longer…

The relative effectiveness of two ways of structuring and presenting 24 clock hours of preservice and initial inservice vocational-industrial teacher education lessons was determined by comparing: (1) an integrated lecture-discussion course presented by qualified vocational-industrial teacher educator, with (2) a packaged course consisting of 16…

This project was composed of two major research experiments and four subsidiary experiments, designed to test alternative ways of constructing and applying occupational problem-solving materials. In Part I, Difficulty Level of Simulated Vocational Problems in Encouraging Career Exploration, it was found that the difficulty level did significantly…