Experimental attempts at assessing the social perception skills of learning disabled (LD) children are reviewed, along with methodological concerns relative to these experiments, and possible directions for future social perception research. Ten studies that examined LD children's ability to interpret nonverbal cues indicated they performed more…

Problems with experimental research on mental retardation include: (1) difficulties with defining mental retardation; (2) neglect in demonstrating causal relationships; and (3) reliance on methodology not necessarily appropriate for defining the criteria of retardation. The author advocates abandoning definitions based on intelligence tests and…

Examined the relationship between sex role orientation and parental child rearing practices in 69 college women. Using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), results did not support the existence of such a relationship, and failed to replicate earlier findings based on analysis of variance (ANOVA). (JAC)

Suggests that current techniques for assessing school effectiveness are based on narrow concepts of effectiveness; hide inconsistencies in findings across types of students, grades, or subjects; and do not reflect curricula. Emphasizes that school improvement plans should be based on classroom/school-centered research rather than on comparisons of…

The ways in which innovative study abroad programs are responding to a variety of needs, and the reasons research in this area is increasingly important are discussed. Possible lines of inquiry are suggested, including studies of cultural, linguistic, educational, and professional impact on graduates. (MSE)

Examines Jones's and Nisbett's (1971, 1972) hypothesis that people generally attribute the actions of others to stable trait dispositions but see their own behavior as relatively more influenced by specific environmental circumstances. Discusses methodological problems in studies examining this hypothesis, suggesting ways they might be overcome.…

Discusses the need for appropriate controls in school effects research based on standardized test outcomes. (GC)

Studied competing process models of counselors' clinical judgment for their capacity to account for variance in prognostic judgments and further tested for parsimony. Patton discusses problems of logic and data analysis in the model's formulation. Provides Stromer's response to the critique. (RC)

Used responses to an anonymous questionnaire to evaluate the effects of a drug education program among high school students. Results indicated a relatively long lasting increase in knowledge but no significant effects of the program on either attitudes or self-reported past or anticipated behavior. (Author)

Educational researchers must clarify the distinction between the terms "ethnicity" and "ethnic membership." The use of broad terms based on easily observed traits, such as racial characteristics or language, has infiltrated otherwise well-executed studies and undermined their validity. (PP)

Concludes a review (begun in this journal's previous issue) of 16 studies, currently being conducted or recently completed, of secondary education in America. Outlines the types of information that these studies can be expected to generate and comments on the probable quality, usefulness, and shortcomings of the various findings. (PGD)

A model for technology transfer is presented with notes on the many, often unforseen influences on the transfer process: competence, cultural and political context (especially in a multinational company), competition, satisfying multiple expectations, and avoiding misunderstandings. (MSE)

A discussion of the state of interdisciplinary research (IDR) in academia, government, and industry in North America and Europe focuses on current issues and themes, organizational structure, researchers, input-output processes, the process of IDR, outputs, and future research needs. Descriptive research on IDR and normative research for…

Discusses a study estimating the instructional, administrative, and per-pupil costs of implementing school-based support teams in special education programs in three New York City districts. Draws on the results to describe the problems of defining and estimating special education costs in urban schools, and of interpreting cost-related…

Discusses the findings of studies of how parents' work experiences affect children, pointing out methodological problems as well as areas for further research and emphasizing the need for a shift from studies of parents' work status per se to investigations of coping strategies in a time of dual-earner families. (RH)