Describes observation research conducted by the author in a state institution for the mentally retarded. Discusses the moral and ethical dilemmas that occurred when the author witnessed routine abuse to patients by the institution's attendants. (BSR)

A plea is made for increased field studies in education. Some of the problems are outlined: time and working hours, conflicting research paradigms, interpersonal relations in institutional settings, and financial and moral support. Examples are drawn from studies in South Australia. Solutions to the problem of reciprocal…

This study of the role and value of fieldwork in education for library and information science used questionnaires, logbooks, and interviews to assess attitudes toward and learning during fieldwork programs at two South African universities. Findings related to learning are reported, and recommendations for the design of a fieldwork program are…

In socio-cultural field studies the professional investigator encounters problems which raise questions about the researcher's role and influence in the field. A study investigating how a lower and lower-middle class suburban socio-cultural society and an art teacher influence high school students' assumptions about art, also examines the…

Rural poverty causes implementation of P.L. 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, to be uniquely different from urban implementation. Rural areas may try to emulate urban policies, where it is possible to identify and group severely handicapped children for appropriate services, but in rural areas the availability of…

Discusses problems posed by television violence; how behavioral and social scientists became interested in television violence and its effects on children; how psychologists study relationships between television violence and behavior; how television violence can be counteracted by television industry, parents, and educators; and results from the…

From a preliminary study of two secondary schools, the author of this report hypothesizes that four essential types of networks determine the character of the educational process. The most important of these is the individual teacher's personal field, the egocentric network of relationships growing out of the teacher's own personal interests. The…

This field study examined learning effects attributable to instructional design characteristics when eighth-grade science students used a print encyclopedia or a videotex version of the encyclopedia to write term papers. Results suggest that specific effects of instructional design characteristics of a delivery system are of a limited nature. (MBR)

Types of articles appearing in education journals are categorized and explained, and three higher education journals' contents in 1975 and 1980 are examined for their content type, in percentages and numbers of articles of each type. Based on the results, the journals were found lacking in inquiry, theory, and humanism. (MSE)

A survey of Canadian agencies and institutions collecting materials on higher education is reported. Four problem areas are identified: definitions, collection policies, accessibility, and collection coordination. Further information exchange and the compilation of a more complete directory of collections are recommended. (MSE)

This study compared the ideas of researchers with those of practitioners in higher education regarding what is considered significant and useful literature in terms of content, methodology, and format. The findings were interpreted in terms of theories of action research and the quality movement. Data were compiled using focus groups of…