Selected papers from the Conference for the Evaluation of Instructional Materials treat the area of evaluation by describing Richard Dershimer's three-part evaluative schema, the Educational Products Information Exchange approach to evaluating instructional materials, the evaluation procedures in Montgomery county (Maryland), the Consumers Union…

This study reports various aspects of the analyses carried out on the longitudinal data reported in a previous study (PS 007 345) for determining the general growth patterns and growth velocity of mental and motor development. Preliminary analyses focused on the selection of the growth curve, its evaluation in the 208 individual cases, and the…

The serious problems faced in the ESAA (Emergency School Aid Act) data collection effort (magnitude of the data to be collected, many kinds of respondents, and sensitivity of much of the data) are discussed. Procedures for overcoming obstacles are described. These include limiting collection to essential data, tailoring instruments to respondents,…

This self-contained and self-instructional unit is intended for use by evaluation and development personnel and by students in introductory research and evaluation courses. The unit contains a discussion of the regression employing graphic illustrations with actual data. The user is introduced to the regression effect in the single group…

This document reviews the published empirical literature concerned with the relationship between self concept and academic achievement. The construct of self concept is discussed with regard to common uses, measurement, and experimental development. Descriptions of relevant studies are presented according to their experimental designs or methods…

Scholars of communication have theorized extensively on the concept of process, but there is a general absence of practical research on the topic. Part of the difficulty in narrowing the gap between theory and research in this area may lie in the use of the term, "the idea of process," in reference to several different, ununified…

This paper concerns the question of linguistic deficiency in the bilingual setting. The author believes that language is a uniquely human phenomenon developing mainly in response to maturation in the midst of confusing linguistic input, varying in style and language according to situation. However, there seems to be no reason to expect the…

The relative precision of four methods of estimating missing data in principal components analysis was investigated. Artificial data with known characteristics, obtained from Cattell's "Plasmode: 30-10-4-2," was used with one third of the data on half of the variables being systematically eliminated. The four methods of missing data estimation…

Several problems that an evaluator of an experimental college has to face and resolve are considered. These include: (1) the purpose of the evaluation and the role of the evaluator, (2) the utility of a research design model, (3) the specificity of program goals before the evaluation is planned, and (4) the appropriateness of standardized or local…

Addressed to the alleged state of arrested development in current mass communication research, this paper traces contraditions in research findings to possible flaws in the basic research paradigm. The author's purpose is to stimulate and provoke discussion of the methodological implications for mass communication research in terms of two opposing…

This report contains discussions about critical problems that appear to be developing in American scientific research sectors. The views were obtained from letters of inquiry sent to more than 900 persons active in the administration or performance of research in its four main sectors: universities, industry, Federal laboratories, and independent…

To assess the effect of setting on mother-infant interaction, 24 twelve-month-old children and their middle class mothers were observed on two occasions, a week apart. Half of these dyads were seen twice at home under naturalistic conditions or twice in the lab in a free play situation. The remaining 12 pairs were observed once in each location…

This paper discusses the problem of maintaining confidentiality in data resulting from research projects. The rights and responsibilities of the parties involved in a research effort are examined. Five parties to a research project are identified as: (1) the participants, often called subjects, who have the right to privacy and the responsibility…

Three aspects of educational research have hindered a truly scientific approach--artificially simple laboratory settings, a reliance on post hoc computer analysis, and the rule of the contract office. A more scientific setting might be created if three requirements are satisfied: (1) research should be carried out in life situations; (2) focus…

The Federal Government seeks to achieve a multitude of objectives that concern the academic and scientific community. Setting aside the issue of whether the government should be regulating everything from birth control to rat control, and whether the regulations should be improved or clarified, a major question is: why piggyback the government…