At the Futures Conference held by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1995, discussants from inside and outside the NCES considered the commissioned papers and contributed their expertise. This volume assembles the papers and commentary and summarizes some considerations for policy, research, and practice in future operations of…

This practical guide is one of a series aimed at assisting academics in higher education in researching specific aspects of their work. Focusing on small-scale insider research in colleges and universities, the handbook covers contemporary issues, research methods, and existing practice and values in the area of teaching methods. Strategies for…

Genuine educational reform depends on developing relationships with the home, community groups, politicians, and the business community (Seeley, 1981). This report is the third of three volumes that are products of a 3.5 year study of education reform, with a focus on the role of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. The…

A teacher with a new Ph.D. recounts her experience in returning to her previous role as a full-time teacher as she attempts also to conduct a teacher research program. She recounts her previous unsatisfactory experience co-teaching on a part-time basis while doing graduate research and her realization of the need to be the real teacher to conduct…

This book was developed to provide guidance in the process of systematic inquiry in the field of adult education and training. The book contains 11 chapters. It begins with an introduction and overview of the research process, followed by two chapters on how to shape a research problem and conduct a review of the literature that will help to…

To provide practice in making design decisions, collecting and analyzing data, and writing and documenting results, a professor of statistics has his graduate students in statistics and research methodology classes design and perform an experiment on the effects of fertilizers on the growth of radishes. This project has been required of students…

Student participation during and subsequent to an ethnographic study of peer collaboration in a primary classroom is explored through a long-term investigation. The original study was designed to study patterns of collaboration using a variety of techniques including interviews with the children, first seen in a split grade one and grade two…

This is the third periodic report on the programs and plans of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The challenge facing the NCES is to collect and analyze data that track the growth and change in educational experience in the United States. Current programs toward this goal, future plans, and major publications of the NCES are…

In November 1992, the Ford Foundation published a study entitled "State Higher Education Systems and College Completion," which argued that states that relied heavily on community colleges in their postsecondary educational system, such as California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, were not efficient in producing bachelor degree (BA)…

Between 1986 and 1990, a longitudinal study called Teacher Education and Learning to Teach (TELT) was conducted by the National Center for Research on Teacher Education (NCRTE). The purposes of the study were: to investigate how formal teacher education bears on teacher learning; the impact that a variety of approaches or alternatives have on…

This paper examines a research paradigm that is particularly suited to experimentation-related computer-based instruction and integrated learning systems. The main assumption of the model is that one of the most powerful capabilities of computer-based instruction, and specifically of integrated learning systems, is the capacity to adapt…

This pamphlet describes ways in which parents and others interested in education can effectively evaluate the usefulness of educational research. Almost everything that happens in the schools is related to educational research. Parents and concerned others should appreciate its benefits, but should be aware that: not all research is done well or…

This monograph examines educational research and some of the myths surrounding it. The results of educational research strongly influence education. Much research, past and present, is biased. It is necessary to understand that race and sex bias can affect research, to understand how to determine whether bias is present, and to know how to…

Based on studies of student attrition at Mid-Florida Technical Institute (MFTI) and Valencia Community College (VCC), this handbook presents an action plan model for the identification of reasons students fail to complete postsecondary vocational programs. Introductory material reviews the purpose of the handbook (i.e., to assist program…

This guide is intended to assist states and service delivery areas (SDAs) in addressing the new oversight responsibilities and opportunities stipulated by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with respect to planning and conducting a gross impact evaluation. The following topics are covered in the individual chapters: introduction and overview…