Intervention research is vital for social work, as it aims to develop practice/program approaches and provide evidence to understand which interventions are effective and for whom. Despite growing attention, little social work research exists that evaluates interventions. Among the reasons for the dearth of intervention research within social work…

This article discusses the use of propensity scoring in experimental program evaluations to estimate impacts for subgroups defined by program features and participants' program experiences. The authors discuss estimation issues and provide specification tests. They also discuss the use of an overlooked data collection design--obtaining predictions…

Discusses the difficulties in conducting a case study on the attitudes and beliefs that individuals held about mainstreaming a boy with disabilities, including changes in terminology, methodological dilemmas, and discrepancies between the definitions that participants explicitly shared and observations of their interactions with the boy. (CR)

A study addressed the general issue of whether or not a touring college drama production would somehow stimulate greater interest, on the part of elementary teachers and students, in the use of drama as a classroom learning medium. Specifically addressed were whether (1) educational gains would be realized; (2) data would show measurable gains in…

Critiquing the stakeholder idea, the author states: if government chooses to take account of competing views in social program evaluation, it can get a better result if it encourages the competing views to find a voice of their own, not to speak through the government's chosen instrument. (Author/PN)

This paper explores the implications of government funding for postgraduate research in English universities. Specifically, it focuses upon the funding model introduced recently by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The suggestion in the paper is that the operation of this model will seriously disadvantage certain parts of…

A study looked at ways in which two New Zealand elementary schools responded to the interests of their multicultural communities through language programs. The schools developed Maori language instruction programs in response to community interest and recently-established national policy. The study's report begins with an overview of the major…

Various dimensions of this national education and leadership program are explored by this case study that presents both successful and unsuccessful aspects of its components. The major objective of the National Program for educational Leadership (NPEL) is to establish a national consortium and national network of educational leaders who will work…

This first of the two-part proceedings of an Australian Conference on Youth schooling and unemployment contains the texts of 26 research papers. Focus of the papers is on educational practices and specific problems in educational research. Topics covered in individual reports include student perceptions of specific courses; quantification in case…

This second of the two-part proceedings of an Australian conference on youth schooling and unemployment contains 25 research reports and texts from two symposia on alienation from school to work, and youth in transition. Focus of the papers is on educational practices and specific problems in the area of educational research. Topics covered in…