This brief article by four directors of components of the National Institutes of Health introduces this special issue of papers emanating from a State of the Science in Autism Conference held in April 1995. Commitment is offered by the four National Institutes of Health to fulfill the specific recommendations of the Conference on needed research…

Issues and implications related to the use of microcomputers for providing practice activities are addressed, including which skills should be automatized, requirements for ensuring that a skill has attained automaticity, scheduling and amount of practice, and the type and use of data that should be collected on individual student practice…

This paper proposes the twin themes of prevention and intervention as components of a conceptual framework for determining special education research priorities and developing a coherent research program. Brief descriptions of ongoing programs of research on prevention and intervention from three different research groups are used illustratively,…

Focuses on the information aspects of the Grace Commission's (President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control) findings and recommendations contained in the report on federal research and development. Research project reporting and redundancy, database provided by National Technical Information Service, cost controls, and measuring research and…

Discusses the relationship between information science research and practice and briefly describes current research on 10 topics in information retrieval literature: vector processing retrieval strategy, probabilistic retrieval models, inverted file procedures, relevance feedback, Boolean query formulations, front-end procedures, citation…

Beginning educational researchers are advised to do the following: (1) choose a research focus with reference to events in the real world of education; (2) augment research with products and services to bring about improvements in educational practice; and (3) find an honest critic to review research work. (SLD)

This brief review of how computers are currently being used and studied in the schools stresses ways in which computers will be used to enhance learning and development, and the need for research on computer learning to consider the multi-functional uses of computers in various contexts, instead of seeing it as a medium with a single effect on…

This paper presents research on a theoretical approach to Logo as a programming language that creates a context for learning in which the process by which children learn and develop, using computers, is of greater interest than the products, or outcomes, of learning. Concerned with the cultural context of Logo learning and principles upon which it…

Discusses research into chemical information and document retrieval systems at the University of Sheffield. Highlights include the use of cluster analysis methods for document retrieval and drug design, representation and searching of files of generic chemical structures, and the application of parallel computer hardware to information retrieval.…

While the model of peer evaluation has limits in its use in research resource allocation, it is vital for the equilibrium of the science structure and the university's mission, as evidenced in the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres's pilot exercise in research evaluation. (Author/MSE)

Differences in research expectations from the perspectives of the consumer (parents and individuals with autism) and the professional academic or research scientist are highlighted. The role of parent groups in supporting and receiving support from the National Institutes of Health is noted. (DB)

Spanning the years 1932-1982, this book details the history of the National Conference on Research in English (NCRE) in terms of members' activities, research directions taken, and accomplishments. The first section of the book, "The Founding," reviews the initial efforts to establish the organization; examines its early programs;…

Discusses possibilities for joint instructional design projects between academic researchers and corporate sponsors in the private sector. Corporate training strategies are explained, research strategies are suggested that are currently in use at one corporation, Advanced Systems Inc., and guidelines are given for improving communication in joint…

The role of state government in university-industry research cooperation should be expanded. It is the states' responsibility, more than the federal government's, to foster effective and expeditious use of scientific and engineering resources in relation to the civilian economy, and the states must foster organizational arrangements to support…

A systematic research program will study the cumulative effects of selected instructional variables on learning a spatial visualization task. The goal of the research is to identify instructional variables that will improve the performance of female students on the Aircraft Instrument Comprehension (AIC) test. The AIC program is intended to teach…