Defining "effective teaching" involves a general conception of education and teaching, a conception of a curricular domain and its priorities, attention to the possible conflict in values and priorities among relevant groups, recognition of "functional equivalence," a multidimensional approach to data collection, combination and reporting, and "a…

Responds to papers in this Quarterly by Colley and Smith. (JM)

Examines the development of statistical power as a methodological concern in the communication discipline and the effects of this concern on recent empirical research conducted by communication scientists. (MH)

Four groups of preservice teachers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions to test the effectiveness of brief training in time-management techniques. Significant differences among the groups were observed on measures of promptness in completing tasks during student teaching and on self-ratings of proficiency in time management.…

Makes a distinction between developmental and remedial programs and suggests reasons for the difficulty in evaluating these programs. Identifies basic limitations in educational research, factors found in successful programs, questions to be considered in selecting and formulating the evaluation design, and five useful educational research…

Recent research examines school effectiveness and the way variations in school characteristics and structures affect achievement. Such research is limited because it is atheoretical and the findings are not uniform. Future research must study a wider range of student performance and identify how classroom and school processes combine to create an…

Discusses reliability and validity of continual response measurement (CRM), a computer-based measurement technique, and its use in social science research. Highlights include the importance of criterion-referencing the data, guidelines for designing studies using CRM, examples typifying their deductive and inductive functions, and a discussion of…

A series of ten articles describe the research process and discuss the results of the Second National Children and Youth Fitness Study (NCYFS II) undertaken in 1985 by the United States Public Health Service. (MT)

Dimensions characteristically descriptive of applied behavior analysis over the past 20 years are explored: applied, behavioral, analytic, conceptual, technological, effective, and capable of appropriately generalized outcomes. Effectiveness in the future must take into account cost-benefit ratios, social validity assessments, and the need for…

Reviews research conducted to determine if learning to program in Logo has a positive effect on other aspects of thinking, based on Seymour Papert's findings on Logo. The appropriateness of research on Logo and programming is discussed, and research studies involving elementary and secondary school children are briefly described. (LRW)

The article examines: (1) the relationship between group membership and the production of knowledge; (2) comparative versus non-comparative research; and (3) the structure of data interpretation for Afro-Americans versus Euro-Americans. At issue is the lack of blacks involved in the National Research Council's study of blacks. (PS)

The National Research Council's study on the status of black Americans risks enhancing negative policy attitudes towards the black community for the following reasons: (1) its perspective, choice of explanatory variables, and analysis will reflect a majority perspective and conservative viewpoint; (2) it lacks focus; and (3) it is concerned with…

To alter the predominance of secondary school enrollment in lower vocational education in the Rotterdam district, the Educational Social Environment Project has developed and introduced kindergarten and elementary school curriculum for socially deprived children. This article describes the project's summative evaluation design, variable…

Offers a conceptual framework for studying and analyzing potential benefits/disadvantages of homework. Also describes studies (measurement of conditions, practices, and attitudes toward homework). Findings show that students value homework, that few teachers regularly check homework, and that there are sex differences between Arab and Jewish…

Reviews and critiques research that has assessed the effect of infant temperament on caregiver behaviors and concludes that the relationship between temperament and caregiving behavior has not been adequately tested. Offers conceptual and methodological guidelines for future research. (HOD)