Policy has been a much neglected area for research in science education. In their neglect of policy studies, researchers have maintained an ongoing naivete about the politics of science education. In doing so, they often overestimate the implications of their research findings about practice and ignore the interplay between the stakeholders beyond…

This paper examines how educational comparisons might be used by the educational practitioners, and how the educator can contribute to the comparativists' work. Currently, it is argued, a gap exists between comparative educational study and the theory and practice of education. This leads to three areas of need. First, professional comparativists…

This article examines the relationship between research and service provision to persons with severe mental retardation, notes frequent methodological deficiencies in current research, and proposes establishment of Australian research centers to coordinate research efforts and link research to service delivery. (DB)

This paper examines the development of service policy for people with intellectual disabilities in Australia, noting the minor role of research and empirical enquiry. Research's significant role in monitoring policy during the implementation phase is, however, acknowledged. A coordinated research program contributing to both policy development and…

Reports on in-depth interviews with two Australian, secondary school, social studies teachers regarding beliefs and practices about questioning techniques. Finds that the teachers hold implicit theories regarding questioning that are unique, idiosyncratic, and incomplete. (CFR)

Two aspects of knowledge use in schools are analyzed in this report. The first considers the "reception" of knowledge that results from professional social inquiry (PSI), and the second explores some factors that affect the internal school dissemination of such knowledge. Data were collected from 207 secondary school teachers in 45…

An evaluation of the extent to which research influences decision making in vocational education and training (VET) at the policy level necessitates consideration of these three areas: (1) decision making; (2) research; and (3) linkages. First, the impact of research on decision making incorporates these two elements: (1) use; and (2) influence.…

Maintains that increasing competition for scarce public resource money combined with a redefinition of higher education as an instrument in economic recovery places a new and greater emphasis on research. Provides guidelines and suggestions for music research to operate and compete successfully within these parameters. Briefly discusses…

This paper discusses the changes in social processes and corresponding changes in education as a result of the presence of post-war, non-Anglo-Celtic immigrants in Australia. This is followed by analyses of recent reports which have influenced policy, and the paper concludes with identification of research needs in the light of recent research…

Twenty primary school teachers using the resource room model with low performing, mildly intellectually handicapped, or learning disabled children in Queensland (Australia) were surveyed on their use of teacher effectiveness research in teaching procedures and functions. Effectiveness research was found to be generalizable to special and remedial…

Nineteen articles on the status of the relationship among educational research, policy, and practice around the world are collected in the 1985 edition of the "World Yearbook of Education." Contributors address the development of national policies on educational research in countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and…

This document is intended to help practitioners and researchers in the United Kingdom find and use Internet-based research resources dealing with raising achievement. The introduction discusses the state of research into school effectiveness in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Part A, which reviews available World Wide Web sites devoted to…