The fourth in a series of summaries based on quarterly reports submitted by the Southern Rural Development Center's (SRDC) Functional Networks, these reports constitute a compilation of the Networks' activities from January 1976 to April 1977. The 10 Networks currently in operation are described as involving 93 professionals and representation…

New and cheaper means of acquisition and distribution are giving individuals easier access to information. This has contributed to dissatisfaction with corporate governance and business management and is encouraging the growth of new types of interest groups that are seeking a voice in the private sector. This may lead to a reversal of the trend…

This report presents an overview of the procedures used to produce the findings contained in three reports concerning vocational education coordination and planning. Following a summary of the findings of barriers and facilitators to coordination in vocational education planning, a description of the basic procedures for this research effort is…

Synthesizing previous research, statements, and special reports calling attention to the unique problems associated with rural education, this paper presents definitions, statistics, and recommendations applicable to rural education and to Montana. Among the topics presented are: a contemporary definition of rurality (nonmetropolitan is posited as…

As the first volume of a 4-volume report evaluating the University of Massachusetts Non-Formal Education Project (UMass NFEP) in rural Ecuador, this volume presents summary responses to the following evaluation questions: (1) What does UMass NFEP purport to do? (2) How does UMass NFEP go about implementing its goals? (3) To what extent is UMass…

Summarizing an Economic Research Service (ERS) publication, this guide to a balanced rural-urban growth describes the results of a computer based ERS model which examined seven strategies to improve rural economic development. Based on 1960-70 trends, the model is described as asking how much would be required of each of the following strategies…

A group of human resource development (HRD) practitioners participated in an innovative session on applying metaphor in HRD research and practice. The session objectives were as follows: (1) facilitate a dialogue between those who wrote for and those who read the Advances in Developing Human Resources (ADHR)issue on metaphor in HRD; (2) extend the…

Introduction: This article critiques the questions asked and methods used in research syntheses in continuing education (CE) in the health professions, summarizes the findings of the syntheses, and makes recommendations for future CE research and practice. Methods: We identified 1.5 research syntheses published after 1993 in which primary CE…

Criteria for relevant classroom assessments are discussed, and a biofunctional model of learning assessment is presented. In classroom assessment, the following criteria must be considered: (1) assessment approach (process-oriented and outcome-oriented); (2) assessment context (knowledge and higher-order thinking skills); (3) assessment method…

A prescriptive theory for learning which delivers prescriptions for designing prototypes of instructional materials with different knowledge structures, the Elaboration Theory of Instruction (ETI) is based on important principles and theories of learning and instruction. This paper reports three experiments which tested ETI. The first experiment…

A critical review of literature on factors affecting nurse staffing in acute care hospitals, with particular regard for the consequences of a movement from team nursing to primary nursing care, was conducted. The literature search revealed a need for more research on the philosophy of nursing and nursing goals and policy as they relate to nurse…

In order to "cut through the jargon of the multifaceted field of evaluative research", 21 evaluation models representing a range of possibilities were identified (via literature review) and compared in terms of purpose and five basic phases applicable to rural development. Evaluation was defined as "the systematic examination of a…

This article reviews experimental studies comparing bilingual and English-only reading programs for English language learners. The review method is best-evidence synthesis, which uses a systematic literature search, quantification of outcomes as effect sizes, and extensive discussion of individual studies that meet inclusion standards. A total of…

Beginning in 1972, the average Scholastic Aptitude Test Verbal (SAT-V) score for men has been higher than that for women. This study created a detailed history of the content of SAT-V sections over the last two and a half decades and examined the changes of test content and trends over time in the balance of references to and representations of…

An evaluation was conducted to examine the process by which the Yellowhead School Division in Alberta (Canada) had integrated children with disabilities into regular classrooms, and to describe the current status of that process. A list of 16 steady objectives was developed. The evaluation, which took place from January through June 1991, covered…