This paper reports on the development and implementation of the quality audit, a methodology designed to help school systems examine their capacity for change using the principles of total quality management as a framework for analysis. Total quality management stresses the importance of continuous improvement of organizational processes,…

Review of recent literature on action research finds that action research has certain overall characteristics. It is a scaled down version of quasi-experimental studies, and it is highly quantitative in its nature of inquiry. Of nine recognized research designs (Isaac and Michael), action research is frequently the most statistically demanding…

Social science research can make a valuable contribution to family law analysis and formation. It can help define problems, identify possible solutions, and challenge underlying normative assumptions. Recent studies related to family law reform have analyzed the use of wage-withholding and other changes to increase child support amounts and…

Written in English and French, this paper outlines current Canadian intellectual property legislation as it relates to Aboriginal people in Canada, and provides a general review of the implications and limitations of this legislation for protecting the traditional knowledge of Aboriginal people. An initial discussion of Aboriginal perspectives…

A research study conducted by a classroom teacher explored the question of to what extent increased parent involvement through increased parent-teacher communication will act as a motivating factor for students in a seventh-grade reading classroom and whether this will relate positively to student success in reading. Parents and children took…

This article discusses ways that the instruction of literature might be altered in undergraduate language and literature courses alike. It considers a broad spectrum of possibilities that may inspire different attitudes about the use of literature in foreign language classes at all levels, discussing how students can learn to analyze the ways that…

This study examines what really makes a difference in improving student learning. Teachers are constantly bombarded with ideas about how to do their work more effectively and efficiently. They must be encouraged to be knowledgeable about recent research in teaching and learning and committed to making solid research findings based on classroom…

This monograph discusses some of the difficulties that colleges and universities encounter when they seek to study themselves. It finds that despite commendable efforts to establish doctoral programs in higher education, institutes and centers for the study of higher education, and offices of institutional research, there are many discrepancies…

There is a fair amount of research on individual curricular experiments in specific high school courses, but general research on high school curriculum and what the curriculum should be is hard to find and is far out weighed by theory and policy. Most of the theory and policy literature are dominated by discussions of state and national standards.…

The American Association of University Professors' Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure reports on potential problems and concerns in government regulation of research opportunities, methods, and use of research results. Federal actions, campus responses to these actions, and the relationship of academic freedom and national security are…

A study to clarify the differences between money income and real income for scholars is discussed. A monetary value is placed on the discretionary time that accrues to faculty. The study reveals that an academic career offers more freedom, dignity, autonomy, and real income than employment outside the university. (MLW)

Considers problems and advantages of minority field researchers in the context of recent critiques. Argues that minority researchers have certain empirical and methodological advantages, but also face unique problems in simultaneously addressing ethical, methodological, and political concerns. Utilizes illustrations from field research experience…

Following a preface on the uses of art education history, the author employs historical analysis to identify the current state of art education research as a discipline. Factors working to maintain the schism between art education research and practice are also discussed, particularly stereotyped self-images influencing art educators. (SJL)

Major findings and recommendations of a report by the NRC Committee on Continuity in Academic Research Performance, "Research Excellence through the Year 2000," are presented. Two reactions by young academics are reprinted. The relationships of government support and young academics and of limited knowledge and public policy are…

Reviews the issue of outcome criteria in the light of the relevance-rigor dimension. Counseling psychologists must find a more liberalized approach to research methodology upon which to construct human understanding. Inappropriate methods of data anlaysis are often used in multivariate research. A model for such experiments is suggested. (JAC)