Studied is the validity of a theoretical model of achievement behaviors of 746 eighth grade students. Hypothesized effects of value of mathematics and expectations for success were not apparent. Direct influences on achievement for male were prior achievement and value, but for females, influences of difficulty, male domain stereotyping, and…

In studies of relatives, conventional multiple regression may not be appropriate because observations are not independent. Obtaining estimates of regression coefficients and correct standard errors from these populations through a structural equation modeling framework is discussed and illustrated with data from twins. (SLD)

Presents a quantitative study of the development of a theoretical model of drop-outs from distance education courses. Data collected by the Distance Education Student Progress (DESP) questionnaire from 1,060 students in Hong Kong investigated how students were able to integrate demands of their academic course with those of families, employers,…

The history of motivational research in education is traced through the "Encyclopedia of Educational Research." Major trends are documented, including (1) the drive concept; (2) the motivation-learning distinction; (3) individual differences; and (4) the emergence of cognitive concerns and the self. Current and future trends are…

Reviews "Understanding Black Adolescent Male Violence" (Amos N. Wilson, 1991). Violence among young African-American males is explored, with a comprehensive analysis of causes of violence in the inner-city and suggested remediation and preventive methods for solving the violence problem. Theories of male development and the role of an…

Explores blame analysis, which evaluates ideas about the causes of group differences according to how these ideas make groups look, and the relationship between cause and blame. Because cause does not indicate blame, it is unnecessary to become involved in the polemic between victim blamers and victim defenders. (SLD)

This paper is the second of two (see pt. 1) that describe a six-part conceptual framework for designing and evaluating digital libraries for mathematics education in K-12 settings: information literacy, information organization, integrated learning, adoption of new educational standards, integration of pertinent changes in educational policy…

Objective: To examine family risk factors associated with dissociative symptoms among homeless and runaway youth. Method: Three hundred and twenty-eight homeless and runaway youth were interviewed using a systematic sampling strategy in metropolitan Seattle. Homeless young people were interviewed on the streets and in shelters by outreach workers…

The paper discusses the utility of constructing causal models in focus groups. This was experienced as a complement to an in-depth ethnographic research on the differing perceptions of caretakers and health professionals on child's growth and development in Peru and Bolivia. The rational, advantages, difficulties and necessary adaptations of…

The purpose of this paper focuses on mothers' beliefs about their child's personality and development (stability or change and causal attributions) and how these beliefs can be affected by mothers' experience (being a mother of a six or of a twelve-year-old child and being a mother of a normally-developing or of a mentally disabled child). The…

This paper presents a comparison of performance auditing and evaluation. It is the product of a collaboration between the senior evaluator from the Office of Research and Evaluation in the Austin Independent School District (Texas) and the senior auditor of Austin's City Auditor's Office. These officials were required to work together when the…

This book is directed toward students in organizational-theory and problem-analysis classes and their professors, as well as school administrators seeking to examine their problems and policies from new perspectives. It explains and illustrates methodology for describing, documenting, and analyzing organizational problems. Part I, "Methodology,"…

F. Schrag is preoccupied with enhancing education, but who decides what enhancement is? He has confused positivism with empiricism. Positivism is a specific philosophical movement that is associated with logical positivism. The empiricism that Schrag labels positivism preceded the philosophic traditions. (SLD)

The relationships among prior achievement, individual outcome, team outcome, and students' achievement and academic perceptions were studied for 190 students (grades 3 through 7) learning mathematics in teams. Subjects' teachers also participated. Team outcome was related to achievement and academic perceptions, but not to prior achievement and…

Reports survey findings from 930 Singapore secondary teachers on job satisfaction and work centrality and their relationships to work environment, teacher role, classroom practices, and teacher background. Compares results to those from four other countries, and presents path models for Singapore and U.S. data. (SV)