Following a brief outline of vitamin therapy's effects on schizophrenia and learning disabilities, research is reviewed on vitamin therapy for children with Down's Syndrome, concluding with a discussion of critical responses to research endorsing vitamin therapy. It is concluded that vitamin therapy contributes nothing to the development of…

Reports on a review of empirical research reports submitted over the past several years to the "American Journal of Distance Education" that identified common analytic problems and errors often overlooked by distance education researchers. Topics discussed include significance testing; assessment issues, including reliability and…

This paper explores the reasonableness of expecting conventional experimental methodologies and research reports on behavioral interventions for persons with developmental disabilities to both support the validity of promising practices and guide the efforts of practitioners to implement those practices. New directions for research and practice…

Describes the background and activities of the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University. Maintains that the center's programs focus on topics such as ethics and the professions, medical ethics, research ethics, and religion and the morality of professions. Provides a list of center publications. (CFR)

Guidelines for the implementation of qualitative methods in special education research are offered, addressing rigor, sample selection, data collection, and data management/analysis. Five possible pitfalls are identified, including the quantitative-qualitative methods debate, premature data collection, the tendency to use a linear procedural…

Argues that feminist psychologists not only do not have a uniform position on the issue of gender differences, but that many have argued for large gender differences. The article contends that meta-analyses indicate great variability in the magnitude of gender differences across different behaviors. (GR)

Reviews problems with research in determining the effectiveness of distance education, and presents a systems model to be used as a framework upon which researchers can build. The telecommunications in instruction model incorporates learner variables, instructor variables, presentational elements, course content elements, and distance education…

Argues that there are no apparent methodological implications of feminist scholarship. Discusses feminist epistemological critiques of social science. Asserts that a feminist perspective can be incorporated into any research methodological tradition. (CFR)

Discusses an ethical dilemma that emerged in a study with bereaved college students. The instruments used to gather data clearly elicited grief-related distress, and more bereaved students in control groups left the study than did participants in social support groups. Three alternatives to a traditional control-group design are discussed for…

This paper reviews research designs and strategies found in 63 reports evaluating effectiveness of treatment of articulation or phonological disorders, published in the 1970s and 1980s. Characteristics analyzed include type of disorder, type of reliability, follow-up phase, subject selection and description, type of dependent variable, age levels,…

Argues that Jensen's article contains an inaccurate and misleading account of Spearman's work and distorts the basic concepts of factor analysis. The target article has failed in all its main objectives; its major failing is a result of the irrelevance of factor analysis to the study of group differences. (SLD)

Discusses issues involved with selecting a methodology and data analysis technique for studying divergent views of the family. Qualitative and quantitative methods, and linear and nonlinear models, are described. Statistical and theoretical issues regarding the use of discrepancy scores are examined. (BC)

Reviews studies on cross-orthographic Stroop interference tests. Critiques one of the first cross-orthographic Stroop studies to describe how such studies have been used to explore cognitive mechanisms involved in reading. Reviews conceptual and methodological flaws in the research. (PRA)

This paper examines studies of the Minnesota Institute which were interpreted as demonstrating that students with learning disabilities are not distinguishable from other low-achieving students. Results of the reexamination indicate that learning disabilities and low achievement can be clearly differentiated, even in studies indicating that little…

Asserts that much of research currently conducted in counselor education and supervision is unreliable and invalid. Presents tabulation of research designs and errors in manuscripts submitted to "Counselor Education and Supervision." Notes that over 80% of submitted studies were descriptive designs and nearly one-half had errors that invalidated…