Randomized experiments are commonly used to evaluate if particular interventions improve student achievement. While these experiments can establish that a treatment actually "causes" changes, typically the participants are not randomly selected from a well-defined population and therefore the results do not readily generalize. Three…

The paper shows how the methodology for a pedagogical experiment can be improved through including the pre-research stage. If the experiment has the form of a test procedure, an improvement of methodology can be achieved using for example the methods of statistical and didactic analysis of tests which are traditionally used in other areas, i.e.…

CERTAIN SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF HYPOTHESIS TESTS USED FOR ANALYSIS OF RESULTS IN RANDOMIZED EXPERIMENTS WERE STUDIED--(1) THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORETICAL FACTOR, THAT OF PROVIDING INFORMATION ON STATISTICAL TESTS FOR CERTAIN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS AND (2) THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE APPLIED ELEMENT, THAT OF SUPPLYING THE EXPERIMENTER WITH MACHINERY FOR…

The need for analysis of covariance is discussed in the context of present day education. . .new approaches to instruction including new methods, curricula, devices and patterns of classroom organization. A problem is then used as an example of a typical experiment and the reader is led step by step through the application, analysis and…

This research investigates stochastic approximation procedures of the Robbins-Monro type. Following a brief introduction to sequential experimentation, attention is focused on formal methods for selecting successive values of a single independent variable. Empirical results obtained through computer simulation are used to compare several formal…

With an emphasis on the problems of control of extraneous variables and threats to internal and external validity, the arrangement or design of experiments is discussed. The purpose of experimentation in an educational institution, and the principles governing true experimentation (randomization, replication, and control) are presented, as are…

The purpose of an 8-week summer training institute was to provide 25 competent professional school personnel the necessary methodological skills to initiate, conduct, and report experiments on school learning and instruction. All trainees held administrative posts with responsibilities for curriculum research and development and/or instruction. A…

The technique originating from the study of ecological systems for the examination of dynamic educational systems over time is utilized. The technique is based on the theory of energy exchanges in interactions between variables. Using this technique, interactions among variables can be specified and simulated over time using an analog computer.…

Reviews empirical education research trends in West Germany since 1965. Reports on the movement from normative research to empirical research in educational settings. Considers research priorities and the primacy of the University of Constance (West Germany) in developments focusing on analyzing the factual order of the educational system rather…

One of the signatures of scientific writing is its ability to present the claims of science as if they were "untouched by human hands." In the early years of experimental education, researchers achieved this by adopting a citational practice that led to the sedimentation of their cardinal method, the analysis of variance, and their standard for…

This paper reports on an experiment designed to investigate the effect of structural and linguistic variables on level of difficulty in solving arithmetic word problems. Identification of such variables is intended to assist curriculum writers in preparing exercises at a specified level of difficulty for students at various age levels. The study…

The study reported here deals with the problem of determining what testing device can best indicate a foreign student's readiness for satisfactory performance at the college level, especially in courses requiring a good command of reading and writing skills in English. The study considers several standard proficiency tests and devises a formula…

The purpose of this study was to improve the English competence of Spanish-speaking students, to increase their success in school, and to help them develop stronger self-concepts. Control and experimental groups of students were selected from kindergarten, second, and fourth grades of elementary schools with a predominantly Chicano population.…