This study evaluated a positive peer-reporting procedure on positive and negative peer interactions, peer acceptance ratings, and the daily problem behaviors of a 15-year-old boy with multiple behavior and social problems. Results suggested the procedure was effective in all three domains. Data collection and use is discussed in terms of a Level…

Research shows that learning communities are an effective way to improve student performance and persistence, but the success of any particular implementation is not guaranteed. Each program should be evaluated with regard to the likelihood that better-prepared students tend to participate. The protocol used for evaluation at Indiana…

An experiment compared group oral protocols of 37 native English-speaking subjects enrolled in a fourth-semester college French course making grammaticality judgments in English and French. Results indicate the subjects do not necessarily use the same strategies in rendering grammaticality judgments in first and second languages, casting doubt on…

Describes the source instrument, the database, and the experimental methodology that have been used in developing the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) profiles to allow the comparison of quality of life findings from a variety of cultural settings. Illustrates the precautions necessary in interpreting scores from different…

Questions current practices and points to new directions in research on student beliefs about second-language acquisition. Definitions and various studies made within the current approach are reviewed, relevant developments in the social sciences are outlined, and alternatives are suggested for the present definitions and research methodologies.…

Approaches to college student monitoring have been shaped by changing contexts and evolving technical capabilities, beginning with retention studies and developing into fully relational databases for cohort tracking. Institutional researchers should know this history and be aware of the specific demands for information that future tracking systems…

Examined feasibility of using observation, interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, checklists, essay writing, drawing, ranking, activities mapping, and participatory rural appraisal with disadvantaged children. Feedback was provided by children from a capacity-building program on child-centered research, psychologists, and program trainees.…

The seven chapters of this theme issue explore current developments in research into educational accountability. State educational performance reporting policies, resource allocation for accountability, and educational reforms in Canada, Hong Kong, and Malaysia are discussed. The final chapters consider accountability policy research. (SLD)

Focus group research methods were used to investigate the alignment of inclusive education with other reform efforts at a targeted urban school with 347 students. Results found the teachers, principals, and the parents shared a commitment to sustaining a school community and breaking down the walls of segregation. (Contains references.) (CR)

Criticizes the research design in "The Small ICF/MR program: Dimensions of Quality and Cost" (Conroy), that found small Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF) for individuals with mental retardation are inferior to other community programs. Discusses the problem in selecting a control group on the basis of pretest matching. (CR)

Presents an assessment of the Quality of Infant Education in Seville (Spain). Defines quality in terms of both structural and procedural variables; provides data describing both types of variable, interrelations between them, and differences in the day care quality in public and private sectors. Demonstrates that day care quality is generally low.…

Notes that Zaslow study marks an important advance in understanding of child-care-utilization patterns and how center-based programs in low-income communities may influence children's development and school readiness. Asserts that researchers should not become complacent after finding that simply being in a child-care program makes a difference in…

This synthesis of data based articles about co-teaching between general and special education personnel found, of 89 articles reviewed, only 6 provided sufficient quantitative information for an effect size to be calculated. Effect sizes and dependent measures varied widely. Results indicate the need for further research to substantiate the…

Introduction: The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) recognized that certification and recertification must be based on an assessment of performance in practice as well as an examination of medical knowledge. Physician self-assessment of practice performance is proposed as one method that certification boards may use to evaluate competence…

Utilizing the regression-discontinuity research design, this article explores the effectiveness of a developmental English program in a large, multicampus community college. Routinely collected data were extracted from existing records of a cohort of first-time college students followed for approximately 6 years (N = 1,473). Results are consistent…