There are many approaches to studying the classroom environment. This publication is a collection of papers presented at the fourth Research Seminar and Workshop at the Western Australian Institute of Technology on educational research in the classroom. The four papers contained in this document describe various approaches and perspectives to…

The National Council for the Social Studies is concerned with how the social studies teaching profession can enhance learning in history and the social sciences and develop the skills necessary for participatory citizenship. The purpose of this position statement is to demonstrate how testing and evaluating social studies students can contribute…

Descriptive statements of evaluation practices by principals were studied concerning normative expectations and J. Dewey's general logic of experience. Focus was on describing what principals think and do in terms of evaluation as a step toward bringing evaluation specialists and educational practitioners into a closer working relationship. Four…

Whatever the cause of present-day problems in American education, there is little doubt that proposals for national curricula and examinations are a response to widely-held perceptions of serious problems in the schools. Although national examinations have been proposed, there has been little consideration of their purposes and structures. The…

This report summarizes the participation and achievement information provided by state educational agencies (SEAs) on the Chapter 1 Migrant Education Program (MEP) for 1989-90. Data were obtained through State Performance Reports completed by participating SEAs. The first of four chapters provides an overview of program participation, including…

Performance assessment is reviewed as an emerging form of alternative assessment, focusing on how it has been defined in the research literature, the criteria for evaluating its authenticity, the measurement of process and product, and the link between assessment and instruction. Three important dimensions that must be considered in describing…

Literacy and economic development are inextricably linked in the literature, often with little examination. There are five rationales for this relationship: economic objectives, social objectives, political objectives, endogenous pressures, and exogenous pressures. To achieve both understanding of literacy and improved literacy programming, better…

The Napier University Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland and the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium embarked on a 3-year collaborative research project to evaluate lecturing techniques at Napier and to compare the results of the evaluation at Napier with those achieved at Leuven. Leuven had developed the EVADOC Questionnaire to monitor…

This study developed a classification scheme to critically compare performance assessment projects at higher education universities in North America and Europe. Performance indicators and assessment initiatives were compared using nine basic dimensions: (1) locus of control, (2) degree of governmental involvement, (3) focus of performance…

Classroom teachers have the best possible vantage point for constructing locally appropriate surveys and tests; the fact is, however, that teachers tend to rely on nationally mass-produced and marketed test packages. The purpose of this paper is to present a procedure for developing and refining teacher-made surveys and tests, which would be valid…

Basic issues in workplace education evaluation can be structured into five discussion questions. The first is who wants to know what information for what purpose. The "who" constitutes the program's stakeholders both at and beyond the program level. Further inquiry is then needed to determine what kind of information these stakeholders typically…

In order to increase statistical power, this study combined the data of three previous studies on the role of parent involvement in early intervention for children with disabilities. Each of the studies found a mixed pattern of positive results on child outcomes and, in two of the studies, on family outcomes. The combined subjects (n=181) had mild…

Educational assessment is discussed, describing three images of instructional design that can be used to construct classroom learning environments, and focusing on the nature and uses of portfolios and authentic assessment. The following three designs for schooling are considered: (1) discipline-centered schooling, the most familiar vision of…

This handbook contains several different sections to aid volunteers teaching English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) to refugees. Part 1, "Getting Started," discusses cultural differences and difficulties the students may encounter. Part 2, "Mechanics of Teaching," offers tips on teaching refugees and general teaching methods. Lesson planning,…

In the current environment of global economic restructuring, changes in work and employment, and large-scale immigration to the United States, adult basic education (ABE) is facing demands that it be accountable for its performance by demonstrating its success in terms of student and societal outcomes. The increasing calls for ABE to develop a…