This paper attempts to define evaluation use and manipulable variables related to it. Approaches to defining evaluation use have included typologies inventorying kinds of evaluation use, threshold criteria defining accepted levels of evidence, construct or operational definitions, and dependence on the perspective of the decision maker. None of…

What it means to use research is a potentially contentious topic. With the emphasis on constructivist approaches in teacher education programs, the traditional explanations involving generalizability are inadequate in that there is no consideration of what the user brings to the use. Discussion of the various ways in which use can be framed leads…

National policy makers have put forth different life cycle planning proposals for the more satisfying integration of education, work and leisure over the life course. This speech describes a decision making scheme, the Time Paradigm, for researched-based choice among various proposals. The scheme is defined in terms of a typology of time-related…

This brief paper presents a sequential walk through a simple research setting--a two group experiment--to indicate common but avoidable design difficulties that may jeopardize the usefulness of the data obtained. The six flaws examined are the failure to select subjects from the population to which generalizations are to be made; failure to use…

The technique of causal modeling as applied to theoretical constructs in teacher education is demonstrated. The abstract principles of causality are explained, and are applied to various educational research needs. An example is made using data collected from a sample of 44 secondary level students who participated in a one semester student…

Several factors determine whether it is in the interest of educational practitioners to utilize educational research. The first factor is the amount of work that is involved in utilizing research. Anything that makes it easier to use research weakens resistance to utilization. A second factor is the incentive structure of the schools. To motivate…

A research study used the strategy of practitioner consensus to identify the common success criteria and standards that are used in the evaluation of developmental/remedial programs in New York State two-year colleges. The study also designed an evaluation model for these programs and determined its use over time. Using a survey and an interview…

A typology of time-related concepts is put forth as a step toward the building of comprehensive theory in aging. The concepts derive from statistics (age, cohort, period effects), the theoretical writings of Sorokin (life course role sequences, durations and rates), the writings of Riley (on the synchronization of life course socialization and…

Modern reading theories that are concerned with the reading process of either mature or immature readers show no clearcut concern with unit size. The various graphic units that are encountered by the reader include letters, graphemes, clusters (such as blends), syllables, phonograms, affixes and roots, words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs,…

Two education initiatives in Ohio, the Pairwise Mentoring System and the Baldrige Approach for School Improvement, show promise for raising the achievement of K-12 students. As busy educational leaders who are expected to lead change efforts in their schools, preservice and inservice administrators can benefit by seeing the connections between new…

To examine programs currently in place, an evaluation model was designed to insure inclusion of all those who have a stake in program performance. The evaluation design includes: (1) a set of researchable questions which are to be answered by the evaluation, each question referenced to one or more appropriate audiences; (2) for each question, the…

On the premise that legal research in mass communication should be scientific and grounded in theory based upon available knowledge about how the world works, it is argued in this paper that the research paradigm used by most communication-law scholars is inadequate. In the first section of the paper the current, "institution-centered"…

The paper focuses on problems science educators and researchers must face before the advantage of paradigms can be realized. Examples of the role of paradigms in physics research are presented. A critique of paradigm use in physics is presented. Future variations of paradigms for science education are discussed. (Author/RE)

A review of research on the roles played by the mass media and the political parties during the agenda-setting stage of political activity in the United States indicates that the mass media have assumed some of the informing and issue-initiating functions generally understood to be performed by political parties. It seems desirable to develop an…

The study of knowledge production and utilization deals with the problems of how to translate theoretical concepts and knowledge into practical solutions to people's problems. Many criticisms have been leveled at aspects of previous information system models, including their linearity, one-way communication paths, overdependence on scientific…