Selectivity problems are discussed in terms of a general model that is estimated by the maximum likelihood method. Both single-group and multiple-group analyses are considered. An extension of the general model to latent variable models is discussed. (Author/PN)

Factors impeding communication during the performance of futures research include lack of a common body of theory, lack of common terminology, organizational barriers, inadequate access to data, and spatial separation of data. Computer communication systems can help overcome some of these problems and facilitate techniques as Delphi polling.…

Case study research (1) is an intervention, and often an uncontrolled intervention, in the lives of others; (2) provides a biased view, a distorted picture of the way things are; and (3) is essentially conservative. (RM)

In the form of a play, a brief discussion is presented of program evaluation problems at the elementary/secondary education level. (PN)

To replicate the Kuehl et al. (1975) study, 151 graduate students completed the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire, Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) Questionnaire, FIRO-B (Functional Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior), and F-Scale. Data failed to replicate earlier significant correlations between interpersonal needs as measured by the LPC…

The author feels that the stakeholder approach unavoidably pushes the evaluation toward technical compromises and accommodations that diminish the long-term gains in knowledge. (PN)

Despite a growing literature on evaluation methods suitable for applied settings, few investigators address the separation of service and research. This article recognizes obstacles to field studies. The authors specify practical strategies for entering service environments and for designing, implementing, and measuring an experimental…

Discusses the limitations of Youniss's identification of morality with humanism and pluralism (universal developmental endpoints or socially constructed rational ideals), suggesting an alternative approach. (MP)

Tests the hypothesis that the presence of attentional deficits in autistic children interferes with their performance on tests of intellectual development and status. Twelve autistic, 12 normal, and 12 trainable mentally retarded children ages four through nine were administered six "Piagetian" tasks assessing performance at…

Economics education research focuses on college classrooms, overlooks the need for replication and generalization of results, and is limited in scope and methodology. Future research should address precollege and graduate level issues, new college level issues, replication and generalization, cost-benefit analysis, and alternative measures of the…

Outlines problems encountered and strategies evolved to deal with them in four studies of the elderly in Manitoba, Canada. Ethical concerns include consent, obligations of the researcher to the respondent, and demands of the respondent. Emphasizes the heterogeneity of the elderly population and its effect on research process. (Author)

Reviews some problems which have risen from the neglect of actual language behavior data in favor of data comprised solely of intuitions as to sentences' grammaticality. Discusses a study of syntactic variation across sex in Japanese as an example of research using socially situated real speech. (EKN)

Examines these questions: What are life histories? What problems and people are best suited for them? What motivates people to write them? Does the collection procedure affect the content? and How should the material be analyzed? (Author/SK)

Meta-analysis techniques were used to examine almost 200 studies that considered the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Results indicated that as SES is typically defined and used, it is only weakly correlated with academic achievement. (Author/RH)

Discusses a survey undertaken to determine how much attention natural and social scientists pay to the works of philosophers of science. A citation analysis revealed that social scientists are more than 25 times as likely as natural scientists to cite the works of prominent philosophers of science. Implications and explanations are presented. (DB)