The future of instructional research, at least in the present economic climate, is indistinct. This report considers the option of combining within a single study the needs of policy makers and the commitment to academic research. The papers in this report, through illustration of research conducted within a policy framework, identify problems…

Evaluation, as currently practiced in vocational education, may not contribute to program improvement; in fact, it may be counterproductive. Rather than asking how evaluations can be improved, it might be better to ask if a relationship does, in fact, exist between evaluation and program improvement and, if such a relationship exists, what new…

A review of the research concerning the relationship between children's reading achievement and television viewing reveals many contradictions. For example, the findings show that the amount of television viewing that affects reading achievement in one child may not affect another in the same way. What a child watches on television also seems to…

To measure the extent of racial or sexual discrimination in resource allocation programs of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the concept of difference indicators was adopted. The difference indicator is a quantitative index that expresses the relationship between actual and expected quantities of any given trait or object. In the…

An intelligent videodisc system on which comprehensive instructional development research can be conducted has been developed. This integrated learning system combines all other existing media, except objects, using a videodisc, microcomputer, printer, single monitor, hard disc storage with CPU for random access digitized audio, and headphones.…

Sixty beginning first-grade students in an urban school district in South Carolina participated in a study investigating the relationship between representational competence and the ability to perform first-grade learning tasks. Representational competence may be defined as the ability to use representations of reality (such as pictures, symbols,…

Literature is reviewed to identify findings indicating the effects of the one-parent family on the elementary school child's academic achievement and social and emotional development. While findings are contradictory in the area of academic achievement, it is concluded that disruption in home life accompanying death, separation, or divorce is…

This report examines basic research needs in forestry and renewable natural resources and determines benefits to be gained from greater investments in basic research. It was prepared by a group of 17 research scientists, each an accomplished investigator in one or more fields. Each contributor reflected on research needs within his own discipline…

The current status of research on experiential learning (primarily at the postsecondary level) is discussed, based in part on responses from a seven-member panel. Methodological considerations and proposed research agendas are also covered. Current research on experiential learning, which focuses on program design and impacts on the learner, falls…

Upton Sinclair's critique of education is examined, and what today's critics of education can learn from him is discussed. Sinclair is an example of deep or new critics of education who deal with more than surface blemishes and relate school criticism to deeper social issues like justice. In 1922 Sinclair conducted personal interviews with…

Through reflections upon the ideas and events that have shaped current views about reading comprehension and its teaching, this paper characterizes patterns of development in three related domains: theory and research about basic processes in reading comprehension, research about reading comprehension instruction, and practices in teaching reading…

Which, when, and how elements of a fashion are adopted by a particular person or group are indicators of how that person or group is viewed by others within their society. For men who have worked in business and commerce, the clothing has changed little since the rise of the commercial middle class. The business suit remains unaltered because its…

This report synthesizes findings of five conferences funded by the National Institute of Education (NIE) to plan new Follow Through research. In particular, conference discussions focused on the notion of systematic change; time-on-task as the most promising strategy for success; and encouragement of principal and teacher support for implementing…

The current style-specific theories of human communication include the public speaking style, the relationship style, and the message communication style. It now appears that intercultural communication may emerge as the fourth style-specific theory as a result of scholars' concern over the ethnocentric bias found in the study of communication.…

Educators are asking about the appropriate role of computers in the classroom, whether computers have a legitimate place in a classroom for young children or will supplant more important activities, and whether children under the age of 8 should use microcomputers. These general questions must be examined in order to discover the real, underlying…