Presents production plan and formative evaluation reports developed by the media production department of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) to state production specifications concisely, and then to document and report learner and product performance during field testing. (CMV)

A research study demonstrates that making revisions suggested by developmental testing of an Open University music course resulted in more effective learning, reduced study time, and fewer learning difficulties for students. (Author/STS)

Tests whether either of two antecedent variables, dogmatism and need for social approval, affect the relationship between message strategy and resistance to persuasion. (MH)

Asserts that lack of adequate training, costs in time, and the image of anthropology as a science are reasons why simulated field experiences offer promising alternatives to the risks of field work based on inadequate training in anthropology. Discusses class observation of unnarrated films, the use of classmates and visiting members of a…

The anthropologist notes that the book is flawed by awkward writing and careless recording of native terms, while the Indian observes that the book presents a colorless account of a vibrant people whose adjustment to an invading Caucasian culture still left them with a sense of humor. (Author/AM)

Lithuanian refugees are analyzed 25 years after the termination of the Displaced Persons Act in terms of their acculturation and incorporation into the larger American society. Of special importance are questions of invisible ethnicity, urban networks, the cues, symbols and feelings that are part of the maintenance of group identity, and the…

Describes the rationale and method of research in natural settings explaining the concept of systematic observation and discusses the uses of this type of research in the classroom. (MH)

Describes two teaching simulations which can be used to introduce students to problems encountered in field research. The first simulation deals with gaining access to a research setting, while the second concerns some ethical difficulties which may potentially confront a field researcher. A number of reasons for using simulations in preference to…

Critiques the Napa/Vacaville project for being exceptionally well designed yet being ineffective. The key to effective staff development is to find ways of increasing teachers' ability to accept innovations and incorporate them into their teaching repertoires. (MD)

Provides a critical overview of articles in this issue on field work in administration and policy. Focuses on three recurrent themes: field worker role; reciprocity (the repayment a fieldworker makes to his or her informants); and ethics. (KH)

Developing a prison art program involves training prison arts specialists, developing curriculum and instructional strategies, and planning for continuous program support. Through the study of art, prisoners have been able to re-examine themselves and establish new, positive goals. (Author/CS)

Problem Based Learning (PBL) has been adopted around the world as a philosophy and method for teaching and learning in professional education in particular. Advocates of the approach have made many claims for its success. Despite the apparent widespread use of this approach and the plethora of published papers on PBL, there are numerous basic…

The "CSE Program Evaluation Kit" is a series of nine books intended to assist people conducting program evaluations. This volume, the fourth in the kit, explains the basic assumptions underlying qualitative procedures, suggests evaluation situations where qualitative designs are useful, and provides guidelines for designing qualitative…

Provides many useful suggestions and cautions for planning and executing a biology field excursion. Specific procedures are outlined for investigating land communities and coastal areas, and a number of follow-up laboratory activities are described. The appendix provides an extensive bibliography with useful comments on the literature. (JR)