In discussing the problems of evaluating Canadian bilingual immersion programs, six related aspects are separately considered: (1) the research design, (2) the students tested, (3) the nature of the tests used, (4) the methods of analysis employed, and (5) the interpretation of findings. (Author/SJL)

The roles of summative and formative evaluation as scientific approaches to theory building in instructional television programing for children are examined through a review of research studies. The author contends that the bias toward summative evaluation has been premature in an area of inquiry, where most of the variables are yet to be…

Outlines Bernard van Leer Foundation sponsorship of action programs and research studies of child development in 25 countries. The problems and possibilities of such work are discussed from the viewpoint of evaluation and the contribution which can be made to the behavioral sciences--notably to comparative child development. (Author/RH)

An eighth grade alcohol education program and its evaluation are described. The design and methodology of this evaluation, and of program evaluation in general, are also discussed. The results are not presented. (CTM)

Scarr and Weinberg's results (Intelligence, 1977) are compared to those of similar adoption studies and found to be quite similar, despite the transracial adoption patterns in Scarr and Weinberg's sample. The author also suggests that the major contribution of behavioral genetics to psychology may be our increased understanding of the environment.…

Focuses on the utility of well-formulated theory in conducting research, and demonstrates that the problem of transfer of learning is still a tough and subtle one. (Editor/RK)

Survey research has not tried hard to benefit poor people by allowing community members to help shape the design and interpretation of research, upgrading the job skills and employability of indigenous interviewers, or providing referrals or other services to survey respondents. (Author)

Major concerns about conducting research in American Indian Communities are reviewed and discussed. Examples of three research projects conducted with Indian communities are summarized, and procedures found to be sensitive to the cultural milieu of the community are examined. (Author)

Behavioral objectives should be regarded as one of several tools available to educators. Research should be directed toward determining their advantages and limitations, as well as the conditions under which they can be used more effectively. Conditions vary depending upon student awareness of and interest in stated objectives; clarity,…

Contains a debate on research design and methodology considerations of the study. (CP)

The author presents a research-oriented approach to teacher training intended to aid teachers in being able to reason about the content, methods and goals of their teaching activities. The model research procedure is then illustrated by exploring a particular teaching unit in three-dimensional geometry. (MN)

Observer disagreement is important because it limits the reliabilities of observational measures. To avoid this limitation, observers should be trained, and criterion-related and intraobserver agreement measures should be used both before and during a study. Several agreement coefficients are examined for their applicability. (Author/BW)

Self-help groups provide help and support for members in dealing with their problems and improving their psychological function and effectiveness. This paper focuses on the multitude of technical issues surrounding the evaluation of the effectiveness or outcome of self-help groups, especially what, when, and whom to measure. (Author/JEL)

States that statutory requirements of demonstrated medical effectiveness are far from being clearly resolved. Cites some common experimental practices which can provide misleading results. (CP)

Argues that all evaluation research must necessarily rest on significant moral and political value judgments. Evaluation research may play a progressive role if one is prepared to employ research designs that capitalize on inevitable value judgments, rather than ignore them. (Author/AM)