The paper focuses on the relationship between educational research and educational policy, specifically the influence that "affirmative actions" in the policy arena can have not only on the nature of educational research but also on the kinds of participants (e.g., minority persons and women) in the educational research enterprise. A…

The literature and typical approaches to reducing attrition among college students are critiqued, and a strategy for the identification of different interventions likely to have positive effects on retention rates of different student subgroups is proposed. It is claimed that a small sample approach to empirical testing of the combinations of…

This brief paper was prepared as a starting point for employers considering the adoption of a new management initiative for working parents. It is not an exhaustive outline of all considerations in the decision-making process, nor does it provide solutions to all the known pitfalls. It does, however, suggest the potential scope and complexity of…

Problems associated with combining observations taken from intact classrooms were examined. Clarification of basic entities to be studied was a critical step in research planning. Classroom observers usually study instructional arrangements and other classroom phenomena. The author used activity structure and its component activity segments as the…

Educational outcomes are affected by student level, classroom level, and school level characteristics. The fact that educational data are multilevel in nature poses serious analysis questions. Though strong arguments can be made for focusing on a single level of analysis, such studies have several basic limitations: the choice of analytic level…

Several models for enrollment projections have been developed based on past performance. One of these, a computer-assisted model developed at the California State University at Northridge, was tested for possible use at Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC). From three to five previous comparable college terms are used in the model to predict…

Research in law-related education has not led to cumulative knowledge that is of much use to curriculum developers or classroom teachers. Among the reasons for this state of affairs are that researchers concentrate on nonessential topics, educational research does not generally meet criteria for scientific research, educational research is too…

Besides identifying current problems in educational change research, this document describes the inadequate paradigm on which past research has been based and outlines a currently emerging paradigm of educational innovation. The author asserts that previous research findings have been inconsistent and not comparable. Basic to the research problems…

The papers included in this collection represent as closely as possible the content and organization of the oral presentations delivered at a March 1980 conference on the use of readability formulas. The papers discuss the following topics: (1) an introduction to the conference, with general remarks on the uses and criticism of readability…

The Dartmouth College Library has produced this slide/tape individualized instruction module to assist students in researching historical problems. The 79-slide lesson begins with methods of organizing a search and continues through collecting information and analyzing the utility of research strategy. Information sources cited include numerous…

A study was undertaken to examine the effect of parent tutoring on the reading scores of their children and on their own reading scores. The experimental group was composed of ten children who had just completed first grade and their parents. The control group was composed of ten nontutored children and their parents. All of the children were…

Five research studies dealing with spelling achievement in New Zealand schools have been conducted; these include dictated-word spelling tests, written language studies, and achievement data collections of 20,000 students. Several conclusions emerge from an examination of this research: spelling achievement studies should be based on samples of…

This paper discusses the process of culture acquisition and recommends a new methodology for investigating this process. An examination of the relationship between culture acquisition and cognitive development is followed by a discussion of the way previous research has dealt with this relationship. It is argued that recent developments in…

This report discusses considerations involved in placing the evaluation process for criminal justice agencies within an organizational and practical context. The discussion proceeds from the following perspectives: (1) program evaluation is a policy/management tool; (2) various levels of policy and management personnel have numerous and varied…

Problems of inquiry in intercultural communication are examined in this paper, and an inquiry process is presented that can be applied to the study of communication between people from different cultures. The first section of the paper outlines major, well-documented procedural problems in intercultural communication and considers additional…