Discussion of user satisfaction with online searches or other products of information retrieval systems focuses on three models of satisfaction, so that the false positive of unwarranted user satisfaction can be addressed. The distinction between material and emotional satisfaction is examined, and implications for research in library and…

Addresses a recurring inconsistency in the epistemic interpretation of the Family Communication Patterns scales. Reviews the traditional linkage to coorientation and proposes a more direct interpretation. Results confirm that subjects associate the scales with underlying dimensions of conformity or control and openness or supportiveness. Provides…

Limitations of the market-economy model for organizing research in certain areas of knowledge, particularly the humanities, are discussed. A perspective in which knowledge is treated as a gift to society rather than a free-market commodity is outlined, and it is concluded that humanities and other research should be organized accordingly. (MSE)

Examines the results of the 1990 competition for federal research centers and discusses the research in education agenda for the coming years. The work of these 18 centers will be the basis for improvements in teacher and administrator training as well as policy initiatives on federal, state, and local levels. (CJS)

Argues for studying technical communication in the larger context of evolving science and technology, developing trends in technical education, and the oratorical tradition of broad learning. Suggests supplementing studies of the workplace with increased attention to humanistic questions of what a person needs to be and know to cooperate…

Twenty agricultural education experts identified research topics and categories, which were then rated by 34 research experts (92 percent) and 49 department heads (79 percent). Highest ratings went to biotechnology, high technology, and agribusiness; agricultural education curriculum; and long-term impact and cost effectiveness of agricultural…

Reviews the basic assumptions of two paradigms of inquiry, the rationalist and the naturalist, to determine which one provides the best fit for one-to-one formative evaluation of instructional materials focusing on learnability issues. Conclusions suggest the naturalistic assumptions are more suitable. (13 references) (LRW)

Argues for a more interdisciplinary approach to journalism scholarship to provide a fuller account of media power. Considers briefly the notions of performance, narrative, ritual, and interpretive community as alternative frames through which to consider journalism. (SR)

Argues for the importance of the classical tradition (broad, speculative, and historically informed writing and research) in public opinion research. Argues that asking large, normative questions about public opinion processes, trying to build grand theory, and taking history seriously will enrich the field and command the attention of scholars in…

Describes a content analysis study that used Kohlberg's theory of moral development to determine the stage of moral development represented by protagonists in Young Adult Choices (i.e., lists of titles preferred by adolescent readers) fiction and the relationship to the level of moral reasoning of real-life young adults. (Contains 20 references.)…

Traces the development of research on the middle schools from its contemporary beginnings to the early 1990s. Points out some of the reasons why little research was done initially. Describes events that reflect an increased interest in middle school research. (RS)

Discusses research needs of London local education authorities and difficulties they currently face in meeting them. According to a survey of 33 London boroughs, research needs (especially regarding performance indicators and dissemination of research results) were pressing, but research activities were contracting because of staff shortages and…

Considers, in a special issue on the topic, criteria for the admissibility of evidence and how methodology affects what is considered to be evidence. Argues that accessibility and accountability are more important than admissibility and that researchers should implicate their subjectivities in their research practices as well as explicate the…

Examines past research into integrated or interdisciplinary studies and explores future directions for research. Discusses reasons for integrating curricula, characteristics of integrated studies, benefits of curriculum integration, and pedagogical changes accompanying integrated studies. Predicts an unstable future for integrated studies.…

Describes a research study of literacy use in low-income homes and the ways in which the research team addresses issues of culture, class, and social dynamics of family and communities. Shares some tentative findings to raise further issues. Suggests that researchers and practitioners maintain a reflective stance on the subject of family literacy.…