An approach to statistical testing, which combines Neyman-Pearson hypothesis testing and Fisher significance testing, is recommended. The use of P-values in this approach is discussed in some detail. The author also discusses some problems which are often found in introductory statistics textbooks. The problems involve the definitions of…

This brief paper was prepared as a starting point for employers considering the adoption of a new management initiative for working parents. It is not an exhaustive outline of all considerations in the decision-making process, nor does it provide solutions to all the known pitfalls. It does, however, suggest the potential scope and complexity of…

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the television production components and to suggest the research hypotheses and designs that will yield a more systematic exploration of the importance of the use of facial closeups in television interviews. The first part of the paper discusses three potential factors that may influence a viewer's judgment…

The concept of quality is analyzed with special attention to its different senses in two contexts: qualitative evaluation and assessment of educational program quality. The view that evaluation of program quality cannot be validly expressed in quantitative terms and that qualitative evaluation methodologies have special relevance for the…

This paper describes the design of a project to evaluate the impact of computer conferencing on the productivity-related work patterns of scientists, and to determine whether they will use the network this technology makes available to them. Literature relevant to this research problem is reviewed, drawing primarily from small group research on…

The complex task of identifying the characteristics of effective teachers involves analysis of many variables: those dealing with teacher characteristics, those that are context-based, and those that are process-related. Much diversity exists in all three areas among effective teachers, a phenomenon which confounds the problem of precise…

This paper presents a review of the research in adult education recruitment and an overview of current outreach activities in adult education in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The author identifies three general trends of research in adult education: (1) studies aimed at describing participants in adult education; (2) studies aimed at…

In response to a paper by E. Culpepper Clark, Eva M. McMahan, and Michael J. Hyde that calls for the application of hermeneutic theory to the study of the oral history interview, this paper notes problems in the relationships between the proposed research design and the conceptual framework for the proposed research. While conceding that the…

This book includes papers related to reading research from the International Reading Association's 1974 preconvention institute on research held in New Orleans. The introduction by Samuel Weintraub and Roger Farr discusses such questions as: Where does reading research need to be improved? What is research? What areas of reading research demand…

This essay is an inventory of the needs that the author hopes will serve to stimulate others to reassess and revise their basic thinking and analysis about the politics of education. It points to continuing needs in basic theory, concepts, research design, data collection, and analytical methods. (Author/IRT)

The research on intercultural communication design illustrates that definitions of propaganda and agitation can be altered if there is a change from an open to a closed culture, or vice versa. Russia and East Germany serve as examples of closed cultures, and the United States is employed on a comparative basis as an open culture. To enhance open…

This paper proposes that a study be done in the area of diffusion of innovations using a recently developed communication methodological tool, metric multidimensional scaling (MDS). An argument is made for using MDS to measure cultural concepts which are shared by members of a society. A definition of homophily-heterophily is presented as the…

This paper focuses on the environmental influences of change in the communication structure of organizations and argues that structural changes in communication networks are increasingly externally induced. The unit of analysis selected for discussion in this paper is the individual organization. A communication network among organizations is…

This paper contains a discussion of the limitations of research on group processes in complex organizations and the manner in which a procedure for network analysis in on-going systems can reduce problems. The research literature on group uniformity processes and on theoretical models of these processes from an information processing perspective…

This paper is a preliminary attempt to specify what "interpersonal confirmation" is by classifying and categorizing its observable phenomena as they occur in human interaction. It considers the problems in defining operationally this highly significant, but nebulous, aspect of communication and reviews the literature which alludes to…