One of the important roles of the community psychologist is that of researcher. To determine how well that role is being fulfilled, and to what extent community psychology research conforms to accepted standards of social scientific endeavor, 621 articles published in the American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP) and the Journal of Community…

The purpose of this study is to show that the psychological climate of the classroom has an effect on the learning of students. (Editor)

Article focused on a report of a 10-year evaluation study of the experimental introduction of French into the primary school curriculum. (Author/RK)

Evaluation of school counseling programs has been characterized by an emphasis on experimental, descriptive, and case study approaches. These studies are important in providing output information, but are limited in developing feedback needed while a program is in progress. Recommends counselors use formative approaches to evaluation to generate…

Basic evaluation research of interim programs (concentrated curricular periods separated from the traditional semester) has employed three conceptual models. The three are identified, significant studies using them are outlined, and a fourth model is presented and recommended for use. (Editor/JT)

A survey experiment of a national sample of social workers revealed that although respondents distinguished between studies with good and bad research designs, their judgements of research quality and implications for their own practice were significantly influenced by whether the findings were positive or negative. (Editor/JT)

In the two groups of teachers studied, there is clear agreement that characteristics perceived as important for the ideal child and the successful student are the same. (Author)

This study compared the influence of two play environments on young children's make-believe object transformation behaviors. One environment contained traditional realistic play props; the other contained nonrealistic objects. Subjects were 32 Caucasian children, 17 boys and 15 girls, between 40 and 73 months of age, from working- or middle-class…

This paper discusses the nature of research and identifies some of the questions which it is important to address at the planning stage and to return to throughout the life of any research study. In a discussion of the nature of research, it is noted that research findings must be potentially generalizable. The criteria for identifying research…

Parametric analysis of covariance was compared to analysis of covariance with data transformed using ranks. Using a computer simulation approach the two strategies were compared in terms of the proportion of Type I errors made and statistical power when the conditional distribution of errors were: (1) normal and homoscedastic, (2) normal and…

The Vocational Interest Survey (VIS) is a measure of six vocational interests--practical, scientific, artistic, social, business and clerical--based on the model of interests proposed by Holland. Five broad design criteria for the development of the six interest scales are outlined, e.g., minimum reliability of 0.80. Each scale is organized into…

Recent research efforts have attempted to address the contradictory conclusions being drawn about the relative contribution of television and newspapers to citizen awareness of public affairs. The traditional view of newspapers' superiority has been challenged by those investigators who hold that the determinant factors rest with…

The present study was designed to examine the effectiveness of post-experimental debriefing in reducing both self-reported anxiety and physiological arousal among participants who differed in their characteristic responses to threat. One hundred five female undergraduates were classified according to their Repression-Sensitization type and were…

Dissemination of educational knowledge to practitioners can best be improved by creating contexts in which practitioners are able to participate in the research and in the interpretation of the knowledge gained through the research. It is noted that the distinctions between researchers and practitioners are beginning to break down, largely as a…