There exists a dearth of literature on the content, research method and research design trends of dissertations in education. Within one large subfield of education (i.e. counsellor education), an online and full-text archive of dissertations has become available. This archive contains over 200 dissertations produced in Oregon State University's…

The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast two types of scholarly article designs, quantitative and qualitative, as to how two research designs can be similar and different, and how the authors conduct their research and present their results. When researching and analyzing two scholarly articles of different design types, it is…

The primary aim of the Middle School Intervention Project (MSIP) is to evaluate the impact of a multi-component intervention for struggling adolescent readers on reading outcomes. The intervention consists of: (1) targeted, Tier 2 reading and (2) school engagement interventions, and (3) data-based-decision-making (DBDM) teams to review and act on…

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education awarded eight Striving Readers grants to projects around the country. The goal of Striving Readers is to improve literacy skills and achievement for struggling readers in middle and high school and to increase the research base using randomized clinical research to address improvement in adolescent…

Communities That Care (CTC) is a prevention system designed to reduce adolescent substance use and delinquency through the selection of effective preventive interventions tailored to a community's specific profile of risk and protection. A community-randomized trial of CTC, the Community Youth Development Study, is currently being conducted in 24…

This article describes the rationale, study design, and implementation for the Step'n Out study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. Step'n Out tests the relative effectiveness of collaborative behavioral management of drug-involved parolees. Collaborative behavioral management integrates the roles of parole officers and treatment…

Rigorous research provides information that will allow other schools and districts to select interventions that have a scientifically based track record of effectiveness. All Striving Reader grants include the mandate to evaluate literacy intervention(s) targeted to adolescents who are reading significantly below grade level. Although all studies…

Based on the experience of developing and implementing a cooperative study of the economic impact of Oregon's community colleges, this guidebook describes the process of conducting the study in order to assist institutions planning to undertake similar investigations. In Part I, the purpose, focus, and scope of the Oregon study are reviewed, and…

The data and findings of a four-year study designed to organize a battery of psychological tests for assessing the vocational adjustment of adult deaf and to establish the validity of the individual tests, as well as provide some information regarding their most economic and productive potential use, are presented. The study population was all…

This group of reports constitutes the first series of observations designed to document the experiences of six state agencies (Delaware, Oregon, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi) which are developing model program evaluation/management support units that will affect the development and implementation of policy in federal/state…

Although some school districts conduct follow-up studies of their high school graduates, few have systematically used the information to improve their educational programs or to guide policymaking. Weaknesses of typical vocational education follow-up studies include the following: avoidance of comparisons with nonvocational students, failure to…

This book reveals why so many students are entering college unprepared for college level work and often unable to complete a degree. This important book presents the findings of the Bridge Project, a major national research study conducted by Stanford University and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Department of Education. The…

A study examined the effectiveness of secondary level vocational education in Oregon. Using the five project-developed survey instruments, researchers collected data from the following population: 1,609 10th and 12th grade students from 10 high schools throughout Oregon, 13 coordinators/administrators, 36 teachers, 140 parents of 12th grade…