One of the major successes of advanced quantitative methods has been its seeming ability to provide unbiased determinations of which education practices are effective for education in general and for improving the educational achievement and opportunity of the neediest students. The power of this methodology as applied in the top education…

This exploratory study gathered information about the use of action research within doctor of education programs in educational leadership and explored faculty understanding of and perspectives on action research. Survey data established that action research is used infrequently to meet dissertation requirements. Contributing factors include lack…

Using data strategically to guide decisions and actions can have a positive effect on education practices and processes. This facilitation guide shows education data teams how to move beyond simply reporting data to applying data to direct strategic action. Using guiding questions, suggested activities, and activity forms, this guide provides…

Most assessment arguments are about measurement. When is it better to use direct versus indirect measures of student learning? Is one standardized test of critical thinking better than another? Is applying rubrics to student work better than using standardized tests? How valid are self-reported measures of learning? Although these arguments are…

Research on teaching can be concerned with teaching in general or it can be conducted with a single kind of subject matter. Which kind of research is more advantageous? This issue arises in the planning of programs of research on teaching. The generic approach looks for uniformities, concepts, and principles that apply across all or many subject…

A study conducted in 1987 focused on the extent to which a graduate introductory educational research course was helpful to the students who had taken it. Responses from 340 former students indicated that they had been able to utilize in their jobs basic skills developed in the course. The purpose of the present study, which focuses on those 340…

Some ways in which research on student financial aid can be conducted and used to further institutional goals and objectives are presented. Four topics for inclusion in an institution's research agenda are suggested: recruiting, measuring the aid program's effectiveness, expanding aid resources, and analyzing family financial capacity. (Author/MSE)

Education researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike are committed to identifying interventions that teach students more effectively. Increased emphasis on evaluation and accountability has increased desire for sound evaluations of these interventions; and at the same time, school-level data have become increasingly available. This article…

This analysis reveals critical weaknesses surrounding the theoretical basis for the AIR (American Institutes for Research) evaluation design. It poses questions concerning the evaluation methodology. Specifically, it identifies major discrepancies in the identification of the target population, the selection of comparable control groups, test…

This report describes the initial planning, participant selection, and participant evaluation of 5 1970 American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) Research Training Sessions. All were designed specifically to improve the quality of research skills and competencies of trained counselor educators. The 5 sessions, each 5 days long, were…

The Evaluation of Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services (WPRS) systems was designed to provide the U.S. Department of Labor information on how states are designing, implementing, and operating their worker profiling and reemployment services systems for dislocated workers and to compare the effectiveness of different state approaches to…

THIS CRITIQUE OF RAYMOND F. KEATING'S 1963 "STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LANGUAGE LABORATORIES" CONSISTS OF FOUR ESSAYS DISCUSSING THE BIASED THINKING AND FAULTY RESEARCH PROCEDURES WHICH CHARACTERIZE THE REPORT. THESE ESSAYS EXAMINE SUCH FAULTS IN THE REPORT AS THE TOTAL LACK OF DEFINITION OF WHAT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION, THE USE OF…

The most essential element in the Research and Development (R&D) process is the provision for repeated field testing, evaluation, and revision until the product reaches its objectives. This process can be implemented to improve the instructional process in two ways: to improve the instructional skills and strategies of teachers; and to develop…

Three types of macro-level variables for program analysis--cultural, economic and demographic--provide a context for evaluation and offer alternative explanations for program success or failure. The problems of causality and availability of data, as well as the usefulness of macro variables in meta evaluation are discussed. (Author/CM)

This chapter describes how an action research framework facilitates using evaluation and assessment results to improve programs and demonstrate institutional effectiveness. (Contains 1 table.)