Anonymous reports (n=155) of child physical abuse in Baltimore (MD) were compared with reports made by professionals (n=588) and nonprofessionals (n=262) in terms of substantiation rate, seriousness of substantiated incidents, and severity of allegations. While anonymous reports were more likely to be unfounded, those that were substantiated were…

Reviews the research literature appearing in Public Administration Review between the years 1940 and 1984. Analyzes trends in (1) research approach, (2) research design, (3) substantive topic, (4) level of government emphasized, and (5) researcher characteristics. (CH)

The Greater Houston Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse found that parents' reactions to poor report cards can be severe--even abusive. The resulting campaign, initiated to give parents tips on responding positively to a poor report card, is described. (MT)

Clinicians, students, and administrators can save time and effort in preparing, revising, and producing reports on students with communication disorders by using word processing programs on microcomputers. The article discusses the characteristics, applications, and requirements for word processing programs as well as criteria for selection.…

This New York State school developed a program that improved student attendance. The program required no additional funding but specified that students be grouped by attendance and that special techniques be employed to supervise and monitor them. (MD)

Reports on the 1984 National Development Conference on Forensics that met to (1) continue the work begun at the 1974 Sedalia Conference; (2) reexamine issues facing forensics in the 1980s; and (3) consider future directions for forensic educators. (PD)

Variations in daily report cards and research on their effectiveness with handicapped and nonhandicapped students are reviewed. Findings indicated cost effectiveness and consumer satisfaction. The need for further study of parent training and of conditions promoting successful fading was revealed. (CL)

Findings of a study on the kinds of questions posed in the educational research literature showed that questions appeared in only half of the sample; the majority inquired about a single variable; and few entailed any kind of relation between two phenomena, least of all causal relations. No topic predominated. (CMG)

Presented is a review of the decision of the International Union of Geological Sciences to cancel the membership of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and to admit the People's Republic of China. (SL)

Some 23 journals in educational psychology and related fields, including two organizational "flagship" journals with circulations over 50,000, now "require" effect size reporting. This paper reviews some of the many effect size choices available to researchers. Effect size measures can be grouped into measures of association strength and measures…

This paper summarizes methods of estimating confidence intervals, including classical intervals and intervals for effect sizes. The recent American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Statistical Inference report suggested that confidence intervals should always be reported, and the fifth edition of the APA "Publication Manual"…

This Digest, intended as an instructional aid for beginning research students and a refresher for researchers in the field, identifies key factors that play a critical role in determining the credibility that should be given to a specific research study. The needs for empirical research, randomization and control, and significance testing are…

The appropriate use of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) necessitates thoughtful researcher judgment concerning a number of analytic decisions. This paper reviews some of the fundamental decisions necessary to conduct an EFA and examines reporting practice in published research across four journals. In general, insufficient information was given…

Appropriate use of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) requires a series of thoughtful analytical decisions. Adequate reporting of an EFA would allow external evaluation of the decisions made by the analyst. This paper briefly reviews some of the decisions necessary in an EFA. It provides an empirical review of reporting practice in three…