Separate meta-analyses have been completed recently on the effectiveness of computer-based education (CBE) in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and nontraditional postsecondary institutions. Several conclusions can be drawn from these meta-analyses. First, although CBA has not been uniformly successful in all its guises and at all…

A meta-analysis of 31 studies found financial aid to have a small, but significant, positive effect on student persistence, enabling lower-income students to persist at a rate roughly equal to that of middle- and upper-income students. (Author/MLW)

Using predictive validity studies of the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and the undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), this study examined the large variation in the magnitude of the validity coefficients across schools. LSAT standard deviation and correlation between LSAT and UGPA accounted for 58.5 percent of the variability. (Author/EGS)

Findings of positive effects of mastery learning on experimenter-made measures can be interpreted as supporting the view that this technique may help focus teachers on a given set of objectives. The claim that mastery learning can accelerate achievement, in general, in elementary and secondary schools is still awaiting evidence. (SLD)

A discussion of the use of meta-analysis to study the effects of student rating feedback on college teacher behavior traces the source of failure of the method and outlines the elements necessary for comprehensive meta-analysis. Researchers are cautioned to report their results more thoroughly and clearly. (Author/MSE)

Studies evaluating interventions designed to reduce rape-supportive beliefs are examined to identify effective strategies. Searches were conducted on several databases from 1980 to present. Results indicate that human-sexuality courses, workshops, video interventions, and other formats appear to be successful strategies, although these…

To help clarify the meaning of three social constructs (class, race/ethnicity, and gender) that have been persistent indicators of reading ability, a literature review examined 393 research reports published between 1985 and 1989 in four major journals that commonly present research on reading. Articles for the review were selected regardless of…

This paper focuses on a critical analysis and reanalysis of two earlier multisection validity meta-analyses of student ratings of instruction. The reanalysis is based on a sharpening of criteria for: (1) including studies in the meta-analysis; (2) defining key study characteristics that influence results; and (3) calculating the correlational…

Abstracts published during 1981-85 for special education doctoral dissertations (N=1581) were analyzed to examine the characteristics of the authors, subjects, methods, and outcomes of student research. Among the findings are identities of schools emerging as leaders for advanced special education programs and the lack of research on young…

Discusses some of the major research in science education published during the last 10 years in order to raise some of the methodological issues involved. Illustrates the progress that has been made along the path toward a science of teaching science. (CW)

Explores whether reading skills can be enhanced by visual arts instruction. Provides results from two meta-analyses on: (1) whether art instruction improves reading on its own; and (2) whether teaching reading through art is more effective than teaching reading alone. (CMK)

Synthesizes quantitatively the experimental and quasi-experimental research in reading education and science education designed to test the effects of various instructional interventions on misconceptions. Identifies specific strategies or approaches that were effective in producing conceptual change. Notes that effective procedures had a common…

This article emerges from a recent review of evidence, conducted by the authors and others, on the lifelong barriers to widening participation in higher education in England. This has led us to a consideration of the quality and relevance of the research activity in this large field of endeavour, and to the creation of a typology of the kinds of…

Arguments about trade-offs existing between teaching and research affect much of the communication discipline as scholars engage in arguments about the future directions of departments. A study summarized more than 40 quantitative studies and found a small heterogeneous positive correlation between teaching effectiveness and research productivity.…

This document is comprised of four chapters that show how to use research-abstract worksheets and personal reviews of the literature as tools for linking research and practice in the helping professions. The research tools help to condense lengthy reports, place them into a consistent format, and actively involve the information seeker. Chapter 1…