The purpose of this article is to present data from an ongoing evaluation of a particular social work program to illustrate how organizing the research design to include promising variables can influence results -- in one case showing little effect, in the other, important findings. (Author)

Reviews some of the major impediments to research in counseling and counselor education and then presents a model for research particularly designed to assess developmental change in pupils. (Author)

The author argues for an epidemiology data base (which looks at cognitive, aptitude, family condition, school condition, and personal characteristic variables) as a strategy for research with learning disabled (LD) adolescents and young adults. An operational definition, advantages, and problems of this type of research strategy are outlined. A…

The development of the between-class, within-class analysis has facilitated a more refined analysis of classroom processes and influences: those which affect a class as a whole, a student within a class, or an individual student independent of context. However, a problem arises in using a between-class, within-class analysis to infer a particular…

The inclusion of an ethnographic approach within the basic framework of a quantitative one is outlined in an attempt to combine their methodologies. Examples from an ethnographic case study of kindergarten aged children in Utuado, Puerto Rico are used to illustrate the issues being discussed, especially research design. The Puerto Rican study…

Traditionally research is done via the scientific method, which is quantitative; however, qualitative research is seen by some as a better way to study rural education. Advocates of the quantitative viewpoint claim that it is the only way to develop cumulative knowledge. Advocates of the qualitative method reject the "scientific" view as…

The transcript of a teleconference on the relations among rhetorical theory, communication theory, and research as it was presented to a speech communications class at Texas Tech University in 1971 is presented in this paper. Issues discussed in the transcript include whether intent is a useful defining characteristic of the term "communicaton";…

When investigating differences between two sets of scores, the t test is appropriate. If the two sets of data are from two groups of subjects, then the independent t test is appropriate. If the two sets are from the same subjects, the dependent t test is required. In this paper, the authors describe the use of a third test when part of a data set…

The purpose of this paper is to outline a set of principles to guide research on the early education of Hawaiian children. The paper discusses what R. Tharp and R. Gallimore term a "climax program," or combination of program elements which produces a desired social outcome. How research efforts can be structured to contribute to the…

In order to obtain accurate and factual data, a survey instrument must be well constructed and a survey planned carefully and conducted under strict conditions. Of importance in planning a survey is a determination of previous and on-going research through an extensive literature review. In designing the survey, the researcher should aim at…

REPORTS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET (I.T.A.) FOR INSTRUCTION IN BEGINNING READING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WITH CAUTION. SINCE NO DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS USED IS AVAILABLE, EDUCATORS FAIL TO ASSESS RESULTS OBJECTIVELY AND ARE MISLED BY DRAMATIC GAINS WHICH REFER TO SPECIAL CONDITIONS. HAWTHORNE…

THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE IN THIS CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CURRENT LINGUISTIC THOUGHT IS TO "INVITE LINGUISTS TO FREE THEMSELVES FROM THOSE BELIEFS WHICH REST ULTIMATELY UPON CERTAIN PHILOSOPHICAL COMMITMENTS" AND WHICH HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED (IN HER OPINION) WITHOUT PROPER ASSESSMENT. SOME OF THE BELIEFS SHE QUESTIONS ARE--(1) THAT LINGUISTIC METHOD…