This paper analyzes Jencks et al's (1983) and Hauser et al's (1983) reports of their research on the Wisconsin status attainment model. For example, the meaning and interpretation of "unmeasured" family background are discussed and the charge that the status attainment model ignores social structure is examined. (Author/IS)

Describes an experiment documenting the musical sounds made by children with severe and profound and multiple learning disabilities. Production of these sounds is made by synthesizers and an EMS Soundbeam device that registers sounds created by body movement. Discusses the analysis of these sounds and their use in subsequent therapy. (MJP)

Suggests a core curriculum for information access skills in automated school library media centers. Student activities are described for six main areas: designing an effective research question, understanding a database, designing a simple search strategy, more advanced search strategies, understanding a computer citation/abstract, and documenting…

Maintains that the need for gathering sensitive information frequently arises in planning and implementing organizational surveys. Describes methods of designing the instrument format and the mode of data collection. Provides a description and process summary of the Randomized Response Technique (RRT). (CFR)

Examines focus group methodology as a fundamental first step in planning a school and as a data gathering strategy for design of a community survey. The case study of the collaborative effort between two districts and the University of Hartford illustrates the value of focus groups. (SLD)

Describes a study using self-report measures of students' responses to auditory and visual stimuli to measure distractibility in task performance among 224 Canadian undergraduates. Findings show the absence of any link between self-reported distractibility and actual performance. Study shows correlations between personality type and…

Argues teachers must be able to correctly interpret and evaluate research design and results to effectively use research to improve instruction. Offers five guidelines for teachers to consider before changing teaching methods in response to research results. Favors longitudinal and cross-sectional studies for best long-term results from…

Reports on a review of 25 content analysis studies of social studies textbooks published between 1982 and 1992. Finds that many of the problems noted in other types of social studies research also are evident in these studies. Provides recommendations for improving the quality of content analysis studies. (CFR)

Critics of distance education frequently assert that completion rates are lower in distance education courses than in traditional courses. Such criticism comes despite sparse and inconclusive research on completion rates for distance and traditional education courses. This article reviews some of the existing research and then describes some of…

This article provides an introduction to the TLRP Learning How to Learn Project and a context for the articles that follow in this special issue. The origins of the research, in a concern to investigate the organizational and network conditions that support innovation in teaching and learning, and in a perceived need to align research on pedagogy…

Educational research has shown that technology can enhance student acquisition of discrete skills through drill and practice. This document describes the research design of a study that examined whether technology could provide significant support for constructivist, project-based teaching and learning approaches. The study also identified the…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) developed and administered tests and questionnaires in three student populations to document the quality of mathematics and science education in 45 participating countries. Study design, instrument development, and research procedures were achieved through a complex collaborative…

The community college mission includes such diverse goals as preparing students for job entry, teaching literacy, and satisfying students' personal interests. Measuring the colleges' transfer rates by no means tacitly elevates the transfer function above these other functions; it merely helps institutions estimate the effects of interventions on…

This report supplies details of the design and data analysis of the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to allow the reader to judge the utility of the design, data quality, reasonableness of assumptions, appropriateness of data analyses, and generalizability of inferences made from the data. After an introduction by A. E.…

In light of the transition from a labor- to a knowledge-intensive economic system, member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) seem to have little choice but to increase the efficient allocation of both the quality and flow of knowledge and literacy skills. To reduce risks and counter the factors that…