Develops generalizations for empirical evaluation of software based upon suitability of several research designs--pretest posttest control group, single-group pretest posttest, nonequivalent control group, time series, and regression discontinuity--to type of software being evaluated, and on circumstances under which evaluation is conducted. (MBR)

This experimental, statistical study investigated the effects that the testing of grammar and writing mechanics would have on the overall quality and reduction of errors in college students' essays for freshman composition. In the experimental group of 42 students, the professor assigned several exercises in grammar and mechanics as a review…

The purpose of this study is to develop a model showing the relationship of academic, socioeconomic, and motivational variables to students' attrition in a community college nursing program, in order to determine the students who pass, or not pass, first semester, generic, and associate degree nursing courses. The theoretical framework used in the…

Standard practice in educational program evaluation expends considerable resources in planning and executing elaborate research designs, but lacks description of how the programs do differ in the experimental'' and control'' situations. A serious consequence is that elaborately designed evaluation studies may end up appraising non-events, with…

The effects of perceptual pretraining on preferences and concept identification performance in five- and eight-year-old Ss were investigated.

The present study operationally defines selective attention in terms of tactile observing responses measured by percentage contact time per trial to the relevant stimulus dimension, and investigates the changes of these responses in a discrimination shift paradigm under the effect of overlearning. (Author)

An experimental project in the teaching of biology is discussed. (CK)

At an ecologically oriented campus an ordinary fly swatter and a leaf vacuum cleaner were used to battle pollution. (IR)

Shows that guilt, rather than sympathy or a desire to make restitution, is the dominant factor in bringing about compliance to a request. Bibliography and tables. (JB)

Self-reinforcement by 74 children of age five years for asking questions in a small group with one trainer, then in a large group with another person, showed that self-reinforcing children had learned to ask questions but the behavior did not transfer to the new situation. (Author)

Presents the results of a study in which reading-retarded children aged 8-to-12, whom previous research had shown to be deficient in their knowledge of pronomial reference rules, received oral presentations containing three kinds of adjective complements. The performance of the test group relative to a control is discussed. (Author/JL)

The author discusses the selection and use of control groups, particularly in studies evaluating gifted programs. Factors affecting evaluation design decisions are outlined, the control and abuse of control groups is discussed, and some useful data collection design procedures are reviewed. Also considered is the analysis of data from contrast…

Children 3 to 6 years of age learned simple Spanish vocabulary items using an adaptation of the keyword method of foreign language vocabulary learning. Children who used the keyword method remembered more vocabulary translations than children who were not instructed in keyword method usage. (Author/RD)

A two-step control procedure is demonstrated in which the experimenter first identifies the most appropriate control group for the investigation and then employs multiple covariates to adjust the dependent measure(s) for these sources of error. This procedure is demonstrated in a learning strategy experiment. (GK)