This report favors a systems-oriented evaluation for improving minority student achievement, an inclusive approach, which may require funds to be (at least temporarily) withdrawn from other research activities. When financial resources are limited, such an evaluation may focus on a relatively limited range of related evaluation issues. In…

A review is presented of the operations of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Overviews are provided of ACER activities and future planning in the following programs: (1) social context of education; (2) measurement and evaluation; (3) learning and teaching; (4) survey and psychometric services; (5) advisory services; and (6)…

Assuming that some handwriting will be necessary in the computer age, questions remain as to the instructional techniques that facilitate learning in handwriting, whether the cost and time required to teach two forms of writing can be justified, and which form is learned more easily and is better suited for use in a technological age. Effective…

Instructional leadership studies are plentiful but have many shortcomings, including lack of definition of key variables, problems of causality, overrepresentation of exemplary schools, and lack of validity and reliability in research design and implementation. Definitions of "leadership" and "instruction" are needed. There is…

The effect of training in the Cognitive Interaction Analysis System on the way teachers interact with students was studied with 15 graduate students enrolled in a college teaching course. The students represented a variety of disciplines, including agriculture, science, liberal arts, and education. Enrollees were required to teach a typical…

By placing its findings within the context of total secondary public education, a followup study of high school graduates indicated the relative effectiveness of vocational, academic, and general secondary school preparation. Data were obtained from 71% of a representative sample (N=466) of 1979 Indiana high school graduates. General program…

This paper describes how audiovisual media have influenced the way students have learned--or failed to learn--at the Open University at Walton Hall. The paper is based in part on results from a large body of research that has repeatedly demonstrated the interrelatedness of a wide range of factors in determining how or what students learn from…

Mathematics instruction in junior high schools in Tokyo and Hawaii was compared in order to gain knowledge of how mathematics teachers' effectiveness in the classroom may be improved. Because they were likely to influence teachers' behavior, these factors were considered: teachers' background and teaching load, allocation of time, views on…

These proceedings contain 58 papers. Selected brief titles are: "Teaching Reading in Advanced English to Adult Chinese Students" (Bao); "Analyzing the Training of Trainers and Adult Educators" (Boshier); "Knowledge Utilization in Social Work Practice" (Baskett); "Adult Education in the U.K." (Bright); "Developing Media Literacy in Adults"…

The effect of social studies courses on post-high school political participation was studied. Data from two studies--"The National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972" and "The High School and Beyond Study of the Class of 1980"--were analyzed. A trichotomous measure of effective participation was used: those persons who engaged in no political…

This is the second annual report of the Army Research Institute's (ARI) basic research program. It describes the current focus of the program and the individual research efforts sponsored within each of the four principal thrust areas: ability assessment; instructional technology; cognitive processing limitations; and intelligent systems. In…

The Knowledge Development and Utilization project was created to facilitate the public use of research by educators and trainers in the employability development field. The research to be disseminated emanated from the Youth Employability Research Program findings concerning employer demand and schooling effectiveness for employability. A…

A review of literature serves as the basis for a discussion of various aspects of criterion-referenced tests. The aspects discussed are: teaching and evaluation objectives, criterion- and norm-referenced measurement, stages in construction of criterion-referenced tests, construction and selection of items, test validity, and test reliability.…

Practical guidance is offered to masters and doctoral students on planning, developing, completing, and defending theses and dissertations. The objective is to meet the specific needs of students doing research in education and in the social and behavioral sciences, including psychology, social work management, health sciences, and communication.…

A project studied 30 displaced homemakers who had participated successfully in the Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools Displaced Homemakers/Non-Traditional Job Exploration Program. Personal interviews were accompanied by a statistical sheet, gathering the individual history of the interviewee. All persons interviewed felt their situations…