A conference was convened to bring together representatives of educational research planning efforts underway in federal agencies and professional and scientific organizations. This report identifies the principal emphases and tentative agreements from the sessions. The clear sense of the conference was that the educational research system has…

A study was done of the transfer of knowledge between academic and firm scientists. Beginning with theories of university and university scientist behavior and a theory of firm and firm scientist behavior, the research used a bibliometric analysis of articles prepared by firm-based scientists within the computer equipment and aircraft industries.…

This report describes methodologies developed by the LOGO Action Research Collaborative--a national network linking 90 teachers at 9 sites--to facilitate and support collaborative inquiry by teachers into their own teaching practices. The report provides background information on action research as an evolving discipline; identifies three phases…

A reflective discussion is presented on the process of becoming an ethical researcher. Interest in the question stems from personal biography. The framework of ethical concerns of L. G. Roman and M. W. Apple (1990) is used to discuss seven issues that researchers commonly face: (1) the writing of a "true" account; (2) the usefulness of…

Findings from a study that compared six methods for computing dropout rates are presented in this paper, which focuses on determining those appropriate for use at the local level of administrative decision making. Statewide data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education and from the Division of Management Information Services, Florida…

A discussion of second language instruction looks briefly at some shortcomings of traditional method-based approaches and examines what are predicted to be major influences on language teaching in the 1990s. Objections to method-based instruction include the inadequacy of the term "method," its prescriptive approach, lack of distinction between…

Adopting perspectives based on applications of artificial intelligence proven in industry, this paper discusses methodological strategies and issues that underlie the development of such software environments. The general concept of an expert system is discussed in the context of its relevance to the problem of increasing the accessibility of…

The National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS), sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, are a set of surveys each of which has gathered information at multiple points in time on the labor market experiences of five groups of men and women since the mid-1960s. Each group of at least 5,000 persons was selected to be…

In January 1989, a one-page questionnaire was mailed to 1,093 U.S. public school districts to examine the extent to which educational research and development (R&D) resources had been received and used since September 1987. Conducted by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education, the survey…

A speech by Chancellor Donna E. Shalala of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is presented; it calls for a broadening university commitment to societal issues and for the university to engage in basic research on social policy issues in a fashion similar to the fundamental science and technology research currently undertaken. The lecture…

The purpose of this paper is to indicate how the ambivalent posture of the government toward families has affected federal support of research on the family and studies of the family as educator. After an introductory section providing background information about American public policy, families, and education, the discussion centers on the…

Perhaps no facet of long-term care (LTC) research has received as much attention as the evaluation of community-based LTC demonstrations. Recent thinking has called into question the validity and policy relevance of the findings of these studies, yet their efforts will continue to receive strong financial backing. The time has come for LTC…

This yearbook contains papers, written by prominent educators, on the use of research in teaching. Also examined are the questions of how the education profession obtains its knowledge, how that knowledge is translated into practice, and how that practice becomes artistic. Chapters are written on: (1) use of research by various professions; (2)…

Three papers and two responses comprise this section comparing the degree to which research is utilized among various professions. Christine H. McGuire, in "Diffusion and Application of New Knowledge in Medicine," states that, because the medical profession must serve people with clearly perceived problems, these practitioners are under…

In order for researchers to develop principles for successful adult education, they must use both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The first step in developing principles for adult education is to describe education and practices through descriptive research that objectively quantifies and classifies aspects of practice. Through an…