The paper provides an analysis and synthesis of studies with hearing impaired and other populations concerning the cognitive development of the principle of liquid horizontality--the idea that still water remains invariantly level regardless of the angle of the container. Three major questions focused the investigation: (1) What are the effects of…

Methodological aspects of a study are reviewed to illustrate the utility of the case study approach in researching the effectiveness of a motivational intervention in an instructor-facilitated learning context. In the study, learners were prompted via motivational messages into modifying their disposition to engage in learning tasks. The setting…

The project sought to clarify the nature and structure of adaptive functioning and to address methodological issues in its assessment, in order to improve placement, evaluation, and instructional decision-making related to adaptive functioning. Project components included: (1) exploration of the structure of adaptive behavior; (2) comparison of…

This study examined efficacy of different story collection procedures with normally developing (N=10) and language disordered (N=6) preschool children. Factor analyses probed such possible interfering factors as home vs. school environments, familiarity of the story requester, coaxing cues, stimulus structure, and presence of such props as dolls…

A technique for large-scale research in which researchers at different sites study the same problem in the same way at the same time is described. This "simultaneous replication" enhances the credibility of the replication process by eliminating variations in the use of time that can contaminate research results. A total of 144…

The cost-effectiveness and impact on response rate of variations in mailing procedures involved in a mail survey of teacher education graduates were assessed. Variables studied were use of a preliminary or advance letter, postcard versus letter reminders as the first follow-up mailing, timing of the reminder (1 versus 2 weeks after the first…

This booklet was written to help teachers plan their own research. It concentrates on how to translate an issue of general concern to a teacher or group of teachers into a worthwhile and feasible piece of research. The booklet is divided into four sections: section 1 deals with the purpose of doing research. It stresses that research questions can…

This report details the process undertaken at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) to develop a content-valid questionnaire to identify the instructional training needs of full-time college faculty. Chapter 1 discusses the background to the project, reviews the goals of the Employee Development Program at PVCC and stresses the importance of…

An assessment of the usefulness of case records in contributing practical information for improved administrator effectiveness, with a focus on the development of performance evaluation criteria, is the purpose of this study. Forty-two case records were classified according to content and outcome, and further classified as successful or…

Market research, important for professional renewal, is a critical part of continuing education program planning. It includes attention to learning needs and learner motivation to participate in continuing education. Informal market research makes use of internal sources, such as enrollment data, program evaluations, policy statements, and staff…

Recently, a number of quantitative studies have explored systematic relationships between sociocultural organization and patterns of language use, based on the assumption that speech behavior reflects the basic categories of the community's social structure. Such systematic links were arrived at by correlating average group scores for…

A study examined English grammatical characteristics used in the signing of teachers of hearing-impaired students, using a diglossic continuum between American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Scalogram analysis or implicational scaling, a traditional tool in variation theory useful for analyzing samples where there are a small number of tokens…

A study involved the creation of a 20-variable checklist for children's and young adult war literature, to be utilized as a data-recording instrument for 24 examples of literature. The checklist components were based upon a combination of cognitive and affective attributes assisting in the formulation of attitudes toward war displayed by…

One outcome of the substantial increase in studies on the history of education over the past two decades has been the founding of the International Association for the History of Education. One of its main objectives is to sponsor the development of research. Even so, the study and application of this broad discipline is not the sole preserve of…

Needs assessment is an activity undertaken for planning purposes. It is important to define the limits of the study and design it on a scale appropriate to the entire planning process. This paper suggests that a needs assessment be structured into two phases. In the pre-assessment phase, a conceptual framework and well-defined exploratory…