This newsletter's first article is the director's report "Double Standards in Australian Family Policy" by Don Edgar. It asks for government support for families in the form of programs and funding, not just rhetoric. The next article, "IFS Research", also by Don Edgar, details the past, current and future research of the…

Life expectancy trends are examined from a policy maker's perspective. Since the late 1960's, life expectancy among the U.S. elderly has increased at unprecedented rates, from 70.2 years in 1965 to 74.5 years in 1983. Although unforeseeable events, such as outbreaks of new diseases, are not reflected in the projections, current projections assume…

The goal of test item writing is to create measures of the true achievement dimensions desired, not extraneous abilities or related skills. To encourage university instructors to apply newer test item writing technologies to test construction for course examinations, this paper: (1) sets forth basic principles for quality item writing; (2) reviews…

A review of the major literature examining human work behavior from the perspective of developmental psychology indicates that, although many issues pertaining to the meaning of the concepts of change and development are still unresolved, a great potential exists for cross-fertilization between developmental and vocational psychology. Vocational…

In examining how one state (Illinois) approaches the development of a comprehensive state capacity for program improvement in vocational education, it is helpful to review federal legislative action. Research and development (R & D) did not become an official legislative element of vocational education until the 1963 Vocational Education Act…

The document is designed to help map readers comprehend the uses and limitations of maps. Intended predominantly for college students of geography, graphic arts, and public communication, the resource paper should also be of general interest to informed citizens and map enthusiasts. The document is presented in six chapters. Chapter I discusses…

Prepared to introduce adult education program planners to the basic concepts integral to and alternative strategies for conducting needs assessments, this instructional handbook consists of a series of six chapters or instructional booklets (also available separately--see note.) Topics covered in each chapter are as follows: introduction to needs…

Nine selected papers presented at the Texas Writing Research Group's 1981 conference are offered in this collection. The papers discuss (1) sources of linguistic interference among American minorities; (2) contributions of discourse analysis to composition; (3) emerging notions of heuristic (investigative), eristic (controversial), and protreptic…

These proceedings of a dissemination conference on occupational research in Texas contain the texts of five reports and the abstracts of twelve research projects dealing with various aspects of vocational education. In the keynote address, on free enterprise and vocational education, the role of vocational education in preserving free enterprise…

A study was conducted to determine the following: the characteristics of state-level administrative structure for vocational education within state departments of education; the current role and the expected role of state supervisors of vocational agriculture as perceived by high school teachers and state supervisors of vocational agriculture, and…

One of ten studies commissioned to investigate research needs and to stimulate planning activities, this paper addresses its recommendations to the National Institute of Education (NIE), the National Assessment, and other agencies with potential capacity to conduct or facilitate research in international education. A major part of the paper is…

The relationship between Mexican American power and federal funding being tapped for bilingual education by Texas school districts was examined through data from the 1970 Census and the Texas Education Agency's Division of Bilingual Education and information from two key Mexican American advocacy organizations. Although state legislatures, courts,…

A study was conducted (1) to analyze the Educational Participation Scale (EPS) factor patterns derived from a sample of senior citizens in order to contribute additional reliability and validity data to the instrument; and (2) to look at reasons that have influenced senior citizens to pursue educational activities, specifically the Elderhostel…

Conference reports and topics of discussion from a series of seven New Jersey Conferences on Handicapped Individuals during 1976 are summarized. Eighty-five of the most significant recommendations from the conferences are presented, arranged by the following 15 subject areas: health research and treatment; recreational and cultural development;…

The state of the art of behavioral instruction and examples of successful implementation of behaviorally-based college teaching are provided in this book. In Chapter 1, the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) is covered, including a discussion of the problems inherent in traditional teaching methods that led to the development of personalized…