Describes an effort to collect information on culturally and linguistically relevant programs in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Discusses possible reasons why northern educators were reluctant to share local curriculum initiatives, and suggests four reasons for the apparent absence of critical discourse around curriculum. (Contains 52…

Reviews the historical findings of computer-based instruction research and 47 evaluations of web-based courses in higher education published 1996-2002. Tabulates results in terms of content area, educational level, sample size, use of comparison group, and course characteristics. Assesses experimental designs, effect sizes, and use of features…

Notes that the availability of statistical software packages has led to a sharp increase in use of complex research designs and complex statistical analyses in communication research. Reports a series of Monte Carlo simulations which demonstrate that this complexity may come at a heavier cost than many communication researchers realize. Warns…

Highlights ways for doctoral students to conduct an effective literature review. Discusses the problem formulation stage; conducting an effective literature review and the benefits of a literature review; an example of literature review material; and tips for writing a literature review. (AEF)

Thirteen evaluations of programs to prevent child abuse and neglect are reviewed. The evaluations were characterized by careful attention to methodologic detail but lacked definitions of abuse or neglect. Important topics are omitted, such as the consequences and costs of medical neglect. (Author/JDD)

Modern public education is rooted in capitalist interests of turn-of-the-century industrialists and their institutions. The Americanization of cheap immigrant labor and the formation of a passive industrial workforce were that era's dominant sociological concerns. More recently, residential desegregation efforts are hampered by real estate…

Research is an important activity for second-language educators because it ultimately improves teaching abilities. Unfortunately recent trends in research have resulted in narrow perspectives, increased jargon, and esoteric subject matter. The goal of second-language research should be increasing communication and knowledge throughout the…

Current policies concerning popular dissemination of research results are critiqued, and the formal induction of the press into the scientific process is discussed. Repercussions of a "New England Journal of Medicine" article on the effects of oat bran and low-fiber wheat on health are used to illustrate the issues. (TJH)

Maintains that professionalization theories for pedagogics, which center on the individual and on competence, must be complemented by a historical-functional analysis. Proposes a corresponding interpretation on the function of education in modern societies, and gives an outline of its theoretical foundations. Discusses problems of…

Describes the increased acceptance of constructivism as a research paradigm in the social sciences and its applicability for interviewing in educational research. Notes major sources of this viewpoint and highlights a validity dilemma relative to the roles of interviewer and interviewee. Proposes the strategy of hierarchical focusing as a means to…

This editorial describes the role of early intervention programs in helping children with disabilities, focusing on parents' and infants' needs, the Family Service Plan, and the role of case managers. The editorial cautions that: early intervention's effectiveness is unproven, early is not always better, and more is not always better. (JDD)

Describes the work of the Oxford Project on Diversification of First Foreign Language Teaching (OXPROD). Specifically looks at the difficulties of setting up an investigation which takes account of pupils' language aptitude and attitude in a sample of schools. Outlines future development of the project. (KO)

Studies the current epistemological values of North American feminist psychologists. Explores whether the political commitments, personal identities, and professional activities of psychologists are systematically related to different worldviews and different beliefs about the nature of human experience. Lends support to the idea of situated…

Examined existing literature on links between bereavement after suicide and the subsequent development of adolescents including increased suicide risks. Found inconsistent definitions of adolescence in literature, samples of adolescents were drawn from those in psychotherapy, and other methodological problems. (Author/ABL)

Reviews the conceptualization, methodology, productivity, interpretation, and application of teaching research which focuses on the relation between classroom processes (teaching) and products (what students learn). (DE)