Notes that even with the problems identified in this paper, consistent, positive results are appearing in preliminary reports. Equally important, the data seem to support a number of reasonable notions about the impact of distinctive curricula on students. (Author/AM)

The disappointing results of research into growth in writing skills may be due to students being tested for skills other than those they have been taught.

After delineating the differences between Competency Based Teacher Education (CBTE) and traditional teacher education, the author analyzes the problems in conducting research on effective teaching/learning processes. He concludes that CBTE provides a better base for such research than traditional teacher education programs do. (SJL)

The decisive power of an experiment, for both social evaluation research and laboratory experimentation as well, is only as strong as the clarity of the basic assumptions which underlie it. A dialectical methodology is proposed for assessing the influence of key assumptions in both settings. (Author/CTM)

Beginning with an identification and brief description of the four major types of memory structures--networks of propositions, intellectual skills, images, and episodes--this extensive review of previous studies identifies many examples of improved retention and transfer resulting from combinations of structures, as opposed to single structures. A…

Presents recent research data which strongly support the widely held intuitive feeling that beginning teachers find the first year of teaching to be one of severe disillusionment. (Author)

The concept of Levels of Use of the Innovation (LoU) permits an operational, cost-feasible description and documentation of whether or not an educational innovation or treatment is being implemented. Eight different LoU's can be reliably measured: nonuse, orientation, preparation, mechanical uses, routine, refinement, integration, and renewal.…

The relative effectiveness of two methods of instruction, orally-presented lessons and a written version of those lessons, was investigated using a post-test, an attitude scale, and time taken for instruction as criteria. (Author/RK)

Illustrates the five elements of conceptual models by developing a model of consumer behavior in choosing among alternative supermarkets. The elements are: identifying the problem, constructing a conceptual model, translating it into a symbolic model, operationalizing the model, and testing. (Author/AV)

The author presents a research methodology that addresses the problems of (1) integrating research on teacher effectiveness and research on training effectiveness; and (2) combining teacher trainer and researcher in a common effort to develop professional competence in teaching. (MJB)

This paper examines sex differences on the Franks-Marolla Semantic Differential measure of self-esteem and raises questions about the meaning of such differences for theoretical and experimental studies of self-esteem. Subjects were 442 sixth-through eighth-grade students. (BD)

Reports on a variety of topics related to experimental design and analysis in the field of medical education. (CP)

Articles taken from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1974 were reviewed for sex of subjects and type of conclusion drawn. Contrary to the Schwabacher study, the percentage of all male studies show a sharp drop of 15 percent while all female studies rose 22 percent. (Author)

This paper examines (1) the problems of program design and implementation in relation to evaluation design, the confusion between research and evaluation design, and the overemphasis on quantitative data; (2) clarifies misconceptions about these problems and the evaluation process; and (3) suggests ways of avoiding these problems in the future.…

Previous research indicates that mean patterns of mental ability show striking differences between different ethnic groups. In this paper, some salient features of information processing on which there are likely to be differences between children of Australian born parents of low SES and children of migrant parents are discussed. (Editor)