The promise of the stakeholder approach to evaluation lies in its potential to counter criticism that evaluation is too narrow, unrealistic in its standards for success, unfair to program staff and participants, and irrelevant to decision makers. (Author)

Critiquing the stakeholder idea, the author states: if government chooses to take account of competing views in social program evaluation, it can get a better result if it encourages the competing views to find a voice of their own, not to speak through the government's chosen instrument. (Author/PN)

Time series analysis is applied to an assessment of the temporary and permanent impact of the 1975 Australian Family Law Act and its effect on number of divorces. The application and construct validity of the model is examined. (Author/PN)

Reviewed efficacy of programs designed to improve academic competence. Outcomes of studies published from 1974-1978 were more favorable, based on box-score tabulation and an analysis of more than 12 well-controlled investigations. Evidence indicates that structured multicomponent interventions, incorporating study skills and self-control training,…

Literature on computer-based instruction shows student performance improves with this method, although students spend less time studying. It is recommended that future research be designed to better detect the influence of computer-based instruction and that greater attention be given to methodological issues like test construction and research…

By analyzing the aggregated results of independent studies for possible sex biases in "influenceability" experiments, two hypotheses were tested: (1) content of influence inductions is biased in the masculine direction, and (2) sex typing of content relates to the sex difference outcomes of the experiments, with more masculine content…

Treatment outcomes are distinguished as ultimate, instrumental, and intermediate in terms of the role that they play in the treatment process. These distinctions between outcomes are proposed to facilitate a more discriminating view of the treatment process and thus contribute to the design of evaluative studies. (Author)

An idea is presented for a class project in motor learning which emphasizes stimulating student involvement in motor learning research. The project enables student to learn about experimental design, experimental control, equipment construction, subject solicitation, and data analysis and to stimulate their critical and logical thinking. (JN)

Examines why social science/social studies educational research does not generate theories. The author concludes that the subject matter of this kind of research--human beings in their sociocultural milieu--makes it difficult to make objective observations from which theoretical principles can be derived. (AM)

Identifies trends in educational achievement in the 1970s. Presents hypotheses concerning the relationship between research and gains/declines in educational achievement during that period. Discusses a project for individualized learning programs and its theoretical rationale, and describes a research project based on that educational improvement…

The shortcomings of the three main approaches to measuring teacher effectiveness (systematic observation, participant observation, and questionnaires) are discussed and problems of research design and analysis considered. The development of better measures of educational benefits to complement the emphasis on test scores is suggested. (Author/SK)

This paper represents a call for the rehabilitation and liberalization of the term learning. Preliminary steps for a revived theory of development and learning are described, including a consideration of such topics as compatibility or naturalness, accessibility and flexibility of learning, and processes of induction. Specific recommendations for…

Reviews models commonly used in psychological research, and, particularly, in organizational decision making. An alternative model of organizational decision making is suggested. The model, referred to as the garbage can model, describes a process in which members of an organization collect the problems and solutions they generate by dumping them…

A model is described which illustrates two general uses of multiple analyses to evaluate quasi-experiments: obtaining estimates of the treatment effect, and checking the validity of the experiment. (MH)

Issues related to the preceding research report (TM 504 895) are discussed: (1) necessary assumptions for assessing reciprocal causal effects; (2) validity of Felson and Bohrnstedt's findings; and (3) reconciliation of this report and the preceding experimental results. (Author/GDC)