The opinions of 51 of 140 vocational special needs educators were gathered on the most influential or foundational literature in 4 areas: databased articles, literature reviews/position papers, books, and research themes. Little agreement was found, possibly because of the field's unique status and integrated and applied nature. (SK)

Argues that metaphorical language and metaphorical thought pervade the sciences and science writing. Asserts a useful bond between technical writing and poetry. Provides numerous poems uniting scientific themes with metaphorical language. (HB)

Examines the strategies used to read science articles written in the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRD) format. Shows how three reader roles (those of the scientist, editor, and reviewer) influence reading strategies. Discusses implications for the understanding of the function and development of the research article and for…

Analyzed 92 reports from the English Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) to identify characteristics of educational provisions for children with language and communication difficulties and to explore inclusive education for these children. Also visited three schools to interview staff about OFSTED report features that contribute to good…

The extent to which testing practices complied with professional guidelines regarding reliability and validity evidence was studied in research appearing in American Psychological Association journals. Documentation of reliability and validity was reported for 20% of the 2,157 instruments studied in these papers. About half supported one or the…

A review of 501 articles and 29 dissertations on teaching statistics found that less than 30% reported the results of empirical studies. A large part of the nonempirical literature is devoted to descriptions of statistics courses and lessons that, although untested, can be a resource for teaching. (SLD)

Discusses various brambles that ensnare educational researchers and their reports. Several identifiable problems include allowing methodology to drive research questions, stressing results over meaning and interpretation, disguising researchers' voice and identity, and paying too little attention to composition and style. Remedies are suggested.…

A trilinear chart for understanding the distribution of achievement levels of students' performance in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is described and its use illustrated with data from the 1992 state NAEP mathematics assessment. Trends for all 44 participating jurisdictions are simultaneously displayed. (SLD)

A systematic meta-analysis of research studies (N=22) published since 1980 concerning self-concept as a multidimensional phenomenon in children and adolescents was conducted. Results show a complex pattern of gender differences and similarities, some of which were consistent across grade level. Although some of the results defied stereotypes,…

Differences among states' average SAT scores are almost entirely attributable to differences in percentage of test takers, parent education and income of test takers, and the high school rank and GPA of the test takers rather than to the quality of the states' education systems. Recommends changes in interpreting and reporting SAT scores.…

Explored strengths and weaknesses of medical education reports by analyzing ratings and written comments by reviewers. Found that the main strengths noted in accepted manuscripts were importance or timeliness of problem studied, excellence of writing, and soundness of study design. Ignoring the literature, designing poor studies, choosing…

The purpose of this investigation was to surface definitions for scholarly research employed in Association of Theological Schools seminaries, identify the application of scholarly research as a criteria for rank advancement, and form a scholarly research productivity reference point. The research revealed that while definitions of scholarly…

The author presents an active-learning exercise for the introductory macroeconomics class in which students participate in a mock Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Preparation involves data gathering and writing both a research report and a policy recommendation. An FOMC meeting is simulated in which students give their policy…

This article describes an activity that can help students (a) understand how the research process influences the outcomes of that research and (b) appreciate the media's limitations of reporting research findings. Students read about research reported in an online newspaper and in a scholarly journal and responded to questions that guided their…

This article is a compilation of reports on international literacy research. The report includes 3 separate reports on Canada, France and Russia. In the first report, research correspondent Linda M. Phillips, in collaboration with Christian Beaulieu, reports on the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network (CLLRNet). The vision of CLLRNet is…