This paper addresses one area of conflict in decisionmaking in computer-based instruction (CBI) research: the relationship between the researcher's definition of CBI either as a medium or as an integrated system and the design of meaningful research questions. (A medium is defined here as a device for the delivery of instruction, while an…

Microcomputers have presented instructional designers with an ideal tool with which to deliver individualized instruction. With a few exceptions, however, the results of cognitive styles research do not provide sufficient conclusions upon which to make design decisions. Critically missing in many studies is an explication of the conceptual binding…

The review of some recent studies on use of microcomputers in early childhood special education highlights methodological issues including the qualitative quantitative distinction and the interdependence of research design and interpretation. Imbedding qualitative methods into quasi- or true-experimental designs can provide more information than…

Provides an introduction to sampling, determination of sample size, and selection of the actual sample that would be useful for librarians conducting research and evaluation studies. Highlights include sampling method, sampling error, confidence level, and microcomputer software packages that help determine sample size. (Contains 26 references.)…

Describes the use of programs written in BASIC and graphics facilities of microcomputers to make students aware of the assumptions of statistical models in linear regression and the design of experiments. Two references are cited. (CHC)

This study comparing momentary time sampling against the real time obtained with handheld computers confirmed laboratory findings that short-elementary time sampling estimates percentage time accurately for a wide range of behavior frequencies and durations, and suggested that observers using momentary time sampling in a natural setting are able…

The microcomputer offers social science field researchers a valuable tool for managing qualitative research data. In addition to the flexibility and efficiency of the microcomputer, the logic governing its programming and operation imposes a framework on the research process which necessitates that research decisions and strategies be explicit and…

An evaluation plan based on the STAR (Sensible Technology Assessment/Research) model will be used to evaluate the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT). Visits to three ACOT schools and interviews with their teachers, students, and administrators were used to obtain an initial understanding of what ACOT means to the process and outcomes of…

The Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT) project is an attempt to alter the instructional premises of a selected group of seven experimental classrooms in the United States by saturating them with computer technology. A recent proposal submitted to Apple Computer described STAR (Sensible Technology Assessment/Research), which includes both…

Along with cost, and hence availability of hardware and quality educational courseware, the major barrier to full implementation of microcomputers is the lack of knowledge possessed by researchers and educational practitioners alike regarding the nature of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes a teacher must have to successfully use microcomputers…

Concludes that (a) there is a lack of congruence between the actual research findings and the numerous "pronouncements and speculations" about microcomputer effects in preschool; (b) many methodological weaknesses limit the utility of research findings; and (c) little is known, empirically, about important process and outcome variables…

The potential uses of microcomputers in evaluation research are discussed in this pamphlet. At the beginning, a matrix is provided showing the relationship between the steps in the evaluation research process and common types of computer software. Thereafter, the guide is organized sequentially around the evaluation research activities that are…

To assess the condition of American education in the next decade, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) should focus on collecting data in the following major areas: (1) the quality and quantity of time that is allocated to various activities in the classroom; (2) the concerns of teachers, including their working conditions and time…

This report describes a pilot project to develop a Cooperative System for Public Library Data Collection, which would enable the Center for Education Statistics (CES) of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement to issue national statistical reports on public libraries by using data collected by state library agencies in their annual…

Describes a study of 20 American historians that was conducted to better understand the nature of research in history. Highlights include choice of research topics, use of archives, writing habits, use of computers, the classification of historical knowledge, implications for libraries, and suggestions for future studies. (43 references) (LRW)