The issue of the "research-practice gap"--the problematic relationship between research in education and educational practice--has been widely reported in the literature. This critical literature review explores some of the causes and features of the gap and suggests some possible approaches for addressing it. These solutions involve changes in…

Today's language classroom is vastly different from that of the mid- to late 20th century. The study is a meta-analysis of recent research which provided the means to identify current and emerging trends in the field. Informed by this research, some identified trends that are shaping the 21st century language classroom are outdated practices such…

Multisite research designs involving cluster randomization are becoming increasingly important in educational and behavioral research. Researchers would like to compute effect size indexes based on the standardized mean difference to compare the results of cluster-randomized studies (and corresponding quasi-experiments) with other studies and to…

Methodological reviews have been used successfully to identify research trends and improve research practice in a variety of academic fields. Although there have been three methodological reviews of the emerging field of computer science education research, they lacked reliability or generalizability. Therefore, because of the capacity for a…

Over the past 25 years, meta-analysis has assumed a significant role in the synthesis of counseling and psychotherapy research through the evaluation and interpretation of the results of multiple studies. An examination of four widely recognized rehabilitation counseling journals, however, reveals that only one meta-analysis (Bolton & Akridge,…

Using meta-analysis, randomized experiments in education that either clearly did or clearly did not experience student attrition were examined for the baseline comparability of groups. Results from 35 studies suggested that after attrition, the observed measures of baseline comparability of groups did not differ more than would be expected given…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze a new research topic, national human resource development (NHRD) for neglected but critical components of economics foundation and accumulated international development research and practices. Design/methodology/approach: Through a targeted literature review on NHRD writing, major development…

Purpose: The concept of managers assuming developmental roles such as coaches and learning facilitators has received considerable attention in recent years. Yet, despite the growing body of expert opinion that suggests that coaching is an essential core activity of everyday management and leadership, the literature base remains largely…

Federal laws mandate that students with cognitive disabilities receive instruction in academic skills and also support the importance of teaching self-determination. The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize intervention research examining effects of self-determination interventions on academic skills for students with cognitive…

For decades a substantial body of research on teacher reflection and action has been conducted. This research contains a wealth of information on teachers' thinking about their daily work in classrooms. But what do these studies tell us about the linkage between thought and action in actual teaching? How do they contribute to our understanding, or…

The paper explores the conceptual bases of the controversy over meta analysis and computes it with traditional research on four dimensions: (1) scientific rigor, (2) detecting small effects, (3) problems of oversimplification, and (4) potential policy impact. It is argued that choice of procedures should be determined by the specific purpose of a…

This monograph provides a portrait of non-tenure-track faculty, describes studies of their experiences, and proposes plans of action. Much of the research, particularly early on, tried to provide a picture and description of this faculty that have been largely invisible for years. Therefore, "Portrait of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty" focuses on the…

The article reviews the current status (1993-2007) of psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents who have been exposed to traumatic events. Twenty-one treatment studies are evaluated using criteria from Nathan and Gorman (2002) along a continuum of methodological rigor ranging from Type 1 to Type 6. All studies were, at a minimum, robust…

In this introduction to the applicaton of meta-analysis as a quantitative synthesis technique, several alternative approaches to research synthesis are described. Their advantages and disadvantages, as compared to those of the techniques of meta-analysis. Decisions that must be faced by the prospective user of meta-analysis are described.…

Correlations between centralization and effectiveness were obtained from 26 independent samples in the organization science literature. Hypotheses were developed and statistically tested. The hypotheses that were supported are reflected in a final theory of the centralization-effectiveness relationship. (75 references) (MLF)