The aim of this project was to develop effective techniques for identifying educational needs and formulating them into well-defined problems. The critical incident technique was used to identify need symptoms perceived by educators selected from a representative sample of West Coast school districts. Criteria for evaluating the adequacy of the…

This study tested the effect, on completion behavior in correspondence study, of substituting certain analog techniques for traditional correspondence procedures. Eight lessons of a psychology correspondence course were used. A pretest, posttest, personal questionnaire, and post course attitude questionnaire were administered. Experimental…

This study investigated changes among Four H Club leaders after participation in a short human relations course, as well as in club members' growth and development following application by their leaders of the training received. Participants (30 adult leaders and 200 members) were divided into experimental and control groups. Adults in the control…

The objectives of this study were to determine the extent to which private enterprise could participate in the vocational rehabilitation of the discharged psychiatric patient and to evaluate the effects of rehabilitation services on the community adjustment of such patients. A total of 202 subjects were randomly assigned to three research groups:…

The results of an evaluative study made of the 1969-70 North Carolina statewide kindergarten program for five-year-olds are presented. The subjects of the study were 317 children in eight early childhood demonstration centers (Experimental Group) and 52 children who did not attend kindergarten (Control Group). A pre-post test evaluation design was…

An instructional game is presented. The instructional goal of the game was to help the learner, one of the players, understand and use seven different prepositions with which, on the basis of a pretest, he was unfamiliar. The game was arranged so that instruction would occur simply as a result of communication to the learner from his partner who,…

Provides a comprehensive meta-analysis of gender differences in aggression; offers estimates of the magnitude of differences; provides a developmental analysis of effects for all ages for which data are available; and includes a total of 143 studies. Basic techniques of meta-analysis are presented and then applied to analyze studies of gender…

This study highlights two groups of students enrolled in a college mathematics of finance course using same textbook and instructor. Experimental group used menu-driven symbolic calculators, whereas control group used standard scientific calculators. Significant increases in favor of experimental group were found both with respect to students'…

Procedures for obtaining student samples for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and deriving survey weights for analysis of survey data are described. Sample designs are economically and operationally feasible, and weighting procedures result in increased precision of estimates as they account for the probabilities of student…

Methods used to follow, for 18 months after pregnancy resolution, 241 premaritally pregnant urban adolescents in a longitudinal drug use study are described. One respondent dropped out after the first interview. Temporary attrition at each data collection wave was between 1 percent and 3 percent. Sample recruitment and retention are discussed.…

The statistical power of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and its advantages over simple analysis of variance are examined in some experimental situations, and an algorithm is proposed for its proper application. In nonrandomized experiments, an ANCOVA is generally not a good approach. (SLD)

Difficulties experienced in implementing a randomized design in a school-based adolescent health promotion program are explained, and a solution using a randomized control group design nested within two treatment options is proposed. The Health for Life project involved 21 middle schools in Wisconsin. (SLD)

The grade improvement program "Where There's a Will There's an A" was evaluated with 36 experimental and 37 control group undergraduates. The approach and content of the evaluated materials appear inconsistent with the body of research on academic improvement, and study results do not indicate any improved achievement. (SLD)

H.H. Spitz argues that interesting results from the preschool intervention of the Abecedarian Project continue to be disregarded. C.T. Ramey reiterates his earlier objections to Spitz's conclusions, and H.H. Spitz rejoins with specific objections to Ramey. (SLD)

Suggests that ethical problems in research involving contact with children can be overcome by using a participatory approach. Describes a study conducted in England and Wales that explored what part children are playing in decisions since implementation of the Children Act 1989 and what the participants think of the process. (LPP)