Based on the Kellian view of constructive alternativism (that the meanings of any idea are not fixed, but vary from individual to individual), this paper describes a technique for exploring school children's conceptions of common physical phenomena to allow science educators (1) to appreciate the alternative conceptions of their students and (2)…

The need for research on academic freedom as it applies to the K-12 level is addressed. The existing literature in the area of academic freedom, while often critical, rhetorical, and prescriptive, never calls for research. Indeed, there are very few examples of research in this area. Two separate ERIC (Educational Research Information Center)…

A general frame of reference for a comprehensive model of socialization is presented. This model considers different levels of theoretical analysis and a methodological combination of investigations of the "objective" social reality with "subjective" interpretations of reality as it is in the Federal Republic of Germany. The…

This paper discusses the experiences and insight derived from the 1985-1986 Statewide Evaluation of the Early Education Program of Handicapped Children in Louisiana, the multimethod evaluation of preschool intervention projects for handicapped and at-risk children. The program served almost 5,000 handicapped preschoolers and their parents,…

This guide is intended to assist states and service delivery areas (SDAs) in addressing the new oversight responsibilities and opportunities stipulated by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with respect to planning a local evaluation. The following topics are covered in the individual chapters: the objectives and scope of JTPA evaluation…

This guide is intended to assist states and service delivery areas (SDAs) in addressing the new oversight responsibilities and opportunities stipulated by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with respect to planning a state-level evaluation. The following topics are covered in the individual chapters: the objectives and scope of JTPA…

In reviewing Herbert J. Klausmeier's academic career, this paper discusses four major areas of his contributions: (1) cognitive learning and development (CLD); (2) individual differences and related educational provisions; (3) educational research as a field of scientific inquiry; and (4) teacher education. CLD, Klausmeier' major contribution, was…

Research on sex differences in communication has produced mixed and contradictory results. An erroneous overlap exists between self reports of male-female behaviors, others' reports of perceived behaviors, and stereotyped projections based on social conditioning. The solution to this confusion in gender communication research may be triangulation,…

This report summarizes the results of research designed to study the psychometric and technological feasibility of adaptive testing to assess spatial ability. Data was collected from high school students on two types of spatial items: three-dimensional cubes and hidden figure items. The analysis of the three-dimensional cubes focused on the fit of…

Thirty-two kindergarten children, nine parents, and two teachers participated in a study of classroom learning environments. Participants included lower and middle income White and Hispanic families; the children were enrolled in three schools in the southwestern United States. Both interviews and pictures of classroom learning events were used to…

An aim of many students of human development is to penetrate behavioral variability in such a way as to reveal stable phenomena. This broad aim is challenged on numerous fronts when researchers study infant behavior, for students of infants are everywhere confronted with variability. But, in the context of research, variability of subjects'…

A collaborative approach to educational research was used by an elementary school principal and a university researcher. The principal's daily activities were studied, as was the relationship of the roles she performed to instructional leadership. Data were collected mainly from participant observation and field notes. The principal performed six…

This issue of the journal includes these papers on contrastive linguistics: "On Some Assumptions and Principles of Contrastive Grammar Illustrated from the Area of Reflexivity in Danish and English" (Torben Thrane); "Deletion in Coordinated Structures in English and Dutch" (Robert R. van Oirsouw); "Methods and Goals of Comparative Systematics"…

A brief discussion of three phases in research on instructional films--whether films can teach (approximately 1910-1950), how films teach (1940 through the late 1950s), and who learns from films (1960-1985)--introduces a review of the research literature on the third phase. The experimental studies reviewed focus on three concerns: (1) use of…

Data were extracted from the public use samples of the 1970 and 1980 United States censuses in order to (1) determine how successful the American media have been in hiring more racial minorities and women, (2) evaluate how changes in the media labor force correlate with changes in the nature of the news and information that the news media produce,…