Calls for further research evaluating corporate adventure training (CAT) programs. Reviews activities and benefits associated with CAT, summarizes studies conducted on the efficacy of CAT programs, describes appropriate research designs for investigating how and why CAT programs work, and addresses barriers to producing meaningful research. (LP)

Gives an overview of methodology for adolescent component of the national Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies; the sample of programs reflects treatment available to adolescents in six urban areas. Describes design, content, and quality of interview protocols. Discusses data collection procedures and completion rates for each phase of…

This paper describes a family literacy project that involved parents whose children were attending a pre-school centre in a low socio-economic suburb of Perth, Western Australia. A formative experimental design was used to examine the home literacy practices of the families as described by the parents, and to construct a series of workshops. The…

There has been a worldwide growth of interest among governments and international agencies in cross-national studies of the quality of education. However, such studies require careful planning, and have far-reaching implications for all concerned. Ministries of education should only become involved if they are prepared to actively engage in…

Background: Teacher education programs in the State of California are increasingly held accountable for the assessment of teacher candidates' competencies and performance. One salient assessment tool is the utilization of portfolios in teacher education programs (Wolf, 1989; 1991). Among the newest and most innovative templates of portfolios in…

Education research over the last few decades has focused on the debate over which classroom pedagogies best encourage learning: teacher-centred or student-centred. Although research appears to support the philosophy that student-centred teaching provides for better learning, the supporting research is frequently limited to observational studies or…

Background: This study evaluated the impact on student's writing ability of a structured writing program, called "Writing Wings," for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders developed by the Success For All Foundation (SFAF). Writing is a critical skill for success in school. Purpose: The study was intended to answer one confirmatory question,…

Purpose: Designed to reduce anxiety and boost self-concept, The Modified Feeling Great Program (MFGP) consisted of a series of mental training exercises used to improve the quality of life for 6-17 year old children (N=20) with cancer. More specifically, the children were taught how to relax, look for highlights (good things that happen to them),…

This Digest argues that management factors are central to youth program successes and failures and that these factor have been ignored in research on youth programs. Instead, the Digest notes that research and evaluation of programs have focused on the following: (1) whether the right audience is served; (2) whether to make incremental…

This discussion traces the legislative, fiscal, and programmatic history of Project Follow Through and analyzes the many problems and controversies that have surrounded it. It is argued that problems have been largely a result of the attempt to combine research and development (R & D) and social action service programs. Lessons learned as a…

The research literature on short-term instruction (STI) and intermediate-term instruction (ITI) for the Scholastic Aptitude Test-mathematical section (SAT-M) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test-verbal sections (SAT-V) was reviewed. Selected studies of STI and ITI for tests other than the SAT-M and SAT-V, and of testwiseness (TW), were included in the…

A persistent problem in aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) research has been the need for a better conceptualization of instructional treatments. The concerns are important in the analysis of instructional treatments: the importance of considering the psychological processes called upon by the instructional treatment, and the ecological validity…

The orientation of this report is that of identifying educational projects which can be considered truly exemplary. The bulk of the report consists of a 23-step procedure for validating the effectiveness of educational programs using existing evaluation data. It is not intended as a guide for conducting evaluations but rather for interpreting data…

To alter the predominance of secondary school enrollment in lower vocational education in the Rotterdam district, the Educational Social Environment Project has developed and introduced kindergarten and elementary school curriculum for socially deprived children. This article describes the project's summative evaluation design, variable…

ifferent evaluation models were applied to data from a high school career education program to investigate problems in statistical conclusion validity and program effectiveness judgments. If potential threats to internal validity are analyzed and protection strategies are developed, more confidence in unplanned ex post facto design using a…