This study investigated the effect of written language experience on spelling proficiency. Students in the second grade did story writing in a supportive environment which accepted their language when they wrote rather than imposed a criteria of correctness. The students were encouraged to use "functional," or "invented,"…

This guide provides practical advice, based on research expertise, for teachers looking for reliable research results without waste of time or effort. The six sections of the guide present and discuss the decisions and actions that have to be taken to get good results: (1) the pros and cons of collecting information by questionnaire; (2) sampling;…

End-user statistical computing is one way to improve the productivity of researchers; it does so by providing them with a statistical computing environment and with guidance on its appropriate use. Critical success factors include: (1) ease of use; (2) software correctness and robustness; (3) compatibility with system resources; (4) training and…

This paper discusses the nature of research and identifies some of the questions which it is important to address at the planning stage and to return to throughout the life of any research study. In a discussion of the nature of research, it is noted that research findings must be potentially generalizable. The criteria for identifying research…

In socio-cultural field studies the professional investigator encounters problems which raise questions about the researcher's role and influence in the field. A study investigating how a lower and lower-middle class suburban socio-cultural society and an art teacher influence high school students' assumptions about art, also examines the…

Paralleling the interest among researchers in naturalistic inquiry is a resurgence in action research, and particularly in research which involves the collaboration of researchers and research subjects. This paper locates the negotiation of research outcomes between researcher and subject on a continuum, with the separation of researcher and…

That the quest for a general theory of educational administration has been a misdirection of effort and that the advancement of professionalism within this field would represent a more sensible endeavor for the production of useful knowledge is the focus of this essay. The advancement of professionalism would entail a reorientation of research…

An analysis of the rationale, concepts and procedures for designing and implementing a model of decision-making for teachers engaged in developmental research is presented. The decision-making model is conceptualized as the intersection of four sets of data sources derived from the performance of preactive/planning tasks,…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of a teacher-researcher program begun in the Fort Worth Indpendent School District to improve and assess students' writing abilities. The study sought to determine if there was a noticeable improvement in the writing skills of students studying with the teacher-researchers as opposed to students studying with…

Evaluation as a political arbitration entity is discussed in the case of a multilateral literacy development project in the fourth year of operation in a Third World country. An external evaluation team was invited to evaluate the project when conflict appeared between the funding agency (A) and the technical agency (B) over a project-related…

Dissemination of educational knowledge to practitioners can best be improved by creating contexts in which practitioners are able to participate in the research and in the interpretation of the knowledge gained through the research. It is noted that the distinctions between researchers and practitioners are beginning to break down, largely as a…

Barlow (1981) lists nine reasons why clinical psychologists do not undertake research and why traditional research does not influence clinicians. These reasons focus on: (1) lack of access to a large subject pool; (2) manpower costs of conducting research; (3) financial costs of conducting research; (4) ethics; (5) research's overreliance on…

The problems and usefulness of an evaluation plan used to evaluate the adult day care services at Parkside Human Services Corporation are examined in this report. After the initial agreed upon objectives of the evaluation are given, the basic problem of disagreement between practitioner and researcher on operation of the program during the…

An ongoing project has been established to (1) summarize and disseminate results of research on children and television to the creative community responsible for commercial and educational children's television, and (2) defuse the issues that have created a rift between this community and the academic community. The research efforts discussed in…

Guidelines issued separately by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) and the American Library Association (ALA) concerning the fair use of copyrighted materials are presented. In addition, a UW memo is presented that covers background information on the Copyright Law and multiple copy reproduction of copyrighted materials for classroom use.…