Much recent research on educational organizations, including that of Meyer and Rowan (1977, 1978), has depicted them as ritualistically legitimated, internally loosely-coupled systems. Willower, however, has argued (1982) that legitimization of schools by their communities is not merely ritualistic but is ordinarily problematic. To examine…

Although methodological integrity is not the sole determinant of the value of a program evaluation, decision-makers do have a right, at a minimum, to be able to expect competent work from evaluators. This paper explores five areas where evaluators might improve methodological practices. First, evaluation reports should reflect the limited…

A framework for understanding methodological practices from the perspectives of internal validity, external validity, statistical control validity, and construct validity is presented. One hundred doctoral dissertations completed between 1980 and 1988 at a single urban public university were analyzed for various methodological practices and types…

Evidence that elementary school children possess inadequate economic knowledge is presented, and four arguments are outlined for the importance of economics education in the public schools: (1) economic knowledge is essential to civic duty in a democracy; (2) economic knowledge is important when individuals attempt to function rationally in a…

Perspectives on educational research are presented, and articles are included that reflect research projects that were undertaken at the Institute for Educational Research (IER) of the Human Services Research Council of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Articles in this collection include: (1) "Educational Research in the RSA: Trends and…

Data indicate that although science is required of all students in elementary school, elementary teachers do not usually teach science as a high priority or in a way that enhances student achievement. A myriad of possible causes for existing voids in this teaching process have been suggested by researchers. Teacher belief systems have been…

This report addresses what the Laboratory Review Panel believes to be the most critical issues the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) must consider in the 1990 recompetition for Educational Research Laboratories. For each set of issues, recommendations are offered regarding desirable OERI policy. The following issues and panel…

This study examines the effects of recent statewide education reforms on small, rural schools in 13 Appalachian states. Education reform measures passed in the Appalachian states during 1982-1987 focused on improving schools through the following major approaches: (1) increased accountability through testing students and changing accreditation…

Alaska Natives have a high college dropout rate because of inadequate preparation for the learning and living requirements of college. This dissertation describes research used to develop Prelude, a 2-week advanced program for 11th grade rural Alaska students at Sheldon Jackson College (Alaska) that continues and expands the work begun by the…

The House Subcommittee on Select Education asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to study the condition of information on education in the United States during selected years between 1973 and 1986. The resulting report covers three areas: (1) the nature and amount of federally sponsored information on education; (2) the quality of such…

A study compared the levels of academic achievement of high school equivalency students and high school diploma students as measured by grade point averages and proportion of credit hours passed. The problem was whether students with a high school equivalency certificate could be as academically successful in a university program as high school…

A study tested a conceptual model of attrition, the Tinto (1975) model, on a group of General Educational Development (GED) examinees and on a comparison group of traditional high school graduates from a single public community college. The sample consisted of 198 GED students and 201 traditional high school graduates who entered Queensborough…

The literature on the development of college students is discussed, and recommendations are offered for developing a course on student development theory and research. The following observations about the literature are considered: (1) the literature on the college student is actually two separate literatures, one focused on outcomes and the other…

The reading skill development of anglophone kindergarten children in French immersion programs in Canada is the subject of the two papers included in this document. The first paper describes a study that examined the English reading ability of both kindergarten and first grade children in immersion programs and compared the results with those of…

In Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, foreign language tests have been used rarely in schools, because more traditional oral and written examinations are preferred. However, recent changes in socialist pedagogical theory support a trend toward increasing efficiency in the instructional process, increased use of diagnostics, development of more…