Social programs are often based on unclearly articulated theoretical rationales. The evaluations of these programs are also often relatively theory free, and therefore make limited contributions to theory. A Program Development Evaluation (PDE) approach, intended to integrate theory testing with the development and evaluation of action programs,…

Graphics research history shows that some topics have been studied heavily while others have been almost entirely neglected. Furthermore, researchers have used many different methods of defining and measuring effects such as legibility and comprehension, and this, together with vagueness in reporting, makes it difficult to compare studies and draw…

A sourcebook for foreign students and scholars already in the United States who are seeking additional financial resources to complete their U.S. education is presented. These sources of support are mostly available from U.S. private, nonprofit organizations including professional societies, scientific and medical research organizations, scholarly…

Perceptions of college institutional research directors concerning the quality of executive decision making at their institutions were studied. Perceptions were assessed using a theoretical model of Groupthink developed by Janis, who postulates that a high amount of environmental stress should lead to a greater degree of…

The questions raised in this article have to do with how to take due care of the subjectivity of the persons involved in a research project. My main point is that a researcher's self-reflection on ethical problems is inextricably a part of doing research in early childhood settings, if we want to create knowledge which is valid and takes care of…

The paper reports results of a study of the distribution of productivity among sociologists who publish. Previous research had indicated that a large percentage of sociologists do not publish very often. In this study, a random sample of 300 Ph.D. members of the American Sociological Association were queried about their publishing activities. The…

Communication researchers should respond to the interface of theoretical views and empirical data; that is, they should "take stock" of their theoretical assumptions and ensure that the research they undertake adequately reflects those theoretical assumptions. This essay presents the rationale for stock taking in the communication discipline and…

The various needs for evaluating evaluators and their efforts are discussed in this paper. The argument is presented that evaluators should not themselves carry out summative evaluation on their own efforts. Several possible purposes of evaluation of evaluation staffs and products are pursued, and the methods and persons most appropriate to each…

Project conducted pursuant to a contract with the U.S. Office of Education under PL 89-329, Title III.

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 opinions of 51 journal editors concerning the concept of a manuscript marketing newsletter for academicians were surveyed. The proposed monthly or quarterly newsletter would inform authors and researchers of editorial needs and requirements for publications. Editors of highly regarded journals in education, psychology, and sociology were…

Intended to aid media and other technical specialists who lack training in ethnographic research to understand what ethnography is, what ethnographers do, and how they, the media specialists, can be of most assistance when working on a team conducting such research, this paper discusses the nature of ethnographic research and issues involved in…

The limited impact of educational research on actual classroom practice is considered. It is pointed out that results of research are generally published in "prestige" journals rather than in publications teachers are likely to read. Further, it is stated that research projects are almost always generated by administrators or program directors and…

This paper deals with the claims concerning the presumed language deprivation of lower-class blacks, and the findings of sociolinguists that refute these claims. The author asserts that the perceived deficiencies of non-Standard English were largely the product of middle-class intuitive assumptions concerning lower-class speech, and that recent…