A meta-analysis examines studies concerned with the effects of vocabulary instruction on the learning of word meanings and on comprehension. It is concluded that vocabulary instruction has a significant effect on the comprehension of passages containing taught words, but significant effects are not found with all teaching methods. (Author/LMO)

A microeconomic paradigm is proposed for the evaluation of special education in schools. The special education process is described in three phases: referral to special education by the classroom teacher; special classroom program; and mainstreaming. The relationship between referral by teachers, classroom resources, and students' desirable…

Reviews two models of assisting and assessing teachers, combines these models into a realistic synthesis, and suggests how this synthesis could be used to provide incentives for good teaching performance. (HOD)

Presents an activities assessment model based on Schumacher's concept of appropriate technology for assessing results of nonformal staff training activities. This model includes identifying training purposes, matching needs to capability levels, choosing source persons to judge student achievement, defining evidence and indicators, generating…

Provides a model for incorporating counseling evaluation concerns such as data on the counselor's instructional behaviors, client adherence to the counseling intervention and client change. Points out that much of the research on counselor effectiveness focuses on counselor characteristics rather than building the case that counseling services are…

Identifies six needs assessment procedures applied in educational and other organizations, provides examples of how each is used, and discusses the relationship of needs assessment to problem solving. Kaufman's Outcomes Model is described and the Organizational Elements Model is presented as a pragmatic approach to contemporary decision making and…

Research in assessment and intervention with developmentally disabled children has led to important advances in recent years. This article identifies conceptual and practical issues important to the process of behavioral assessment, and presents a framework for the behavioral assessment of the developmentally disabled, with special emphasis on…

Discusses how educational philosopher Joseph Schwab's conception of theory applies to curriculum development. Subtopics include the relationship of theory to practice; four universal components of education and their relationships; the curriculum development group, whose composition reflects the four components; and goal-directed versus…

Describes a three-step process to help teachers honor what children bring to each reading situation and to model for children the importance of accessing appropriate knowledge sources before reading. (FL)

Discusses several experiential education learning models and explores the concept of "processing" as an integral component of experiential learning. Presents a method of approaching the design of processing activities and makes suggestions for successful use of the method. (SB)

The Administrative Decision-Making Skills Project, undertaken for the New Zealand State Services Commission, is described. A philosophical model of decision making and the associated teaching/learning package for government officers is evaluated. The project, including instruments, methodology, and major findings, is evaluated. (Author/LMO)

Representative examples of task analysis procedures were examined for common components, methods, and terminology. Resulting generic components were categorized into the task analysis phases of task description and instructional analysis. The generalized model that is presented contains a consensus of procedures comprising educational and…

The political processes involved in an academic program evaluation are discussed. Data gathered from a program evaluation conducted at a small, public, liberal arts university in the Southeast were used in examining the explanatory power of the various theories and models. (Author/MLW)

This model for evaluating vendor training package programs includes assessing value of promotional literature; requesting detailed information on program content, participant materials, instructor information, and cost breakdown; comparing program specifics to actual training needs; detailed instructional design analysis; and piloting the program.…

Shows how older, largely context-free models of reading and its instruction became changed into a multidimensional, context-dependent orientation toward written language and the reading process and concludes with suggestions for using a variety of contextual strategies to increase reading comprehension. (HOD)