This paper re-evaluates traditional approaches to the study of children's drawings in the light of current process-oriented research. A tentative synthesis of accounts of developmental stages in drawing is followed by an appraisal of drawings analysis in applied psychology. Main features of the new approach are outlined. (Author)

A survey of 41 Australian doctoral students identified 6 conceptions of literature reviews: as either a list, search, survey, vehicle for learning, research facilitator, and report. It is concluded that these different conceptions represent differing relations between student and literature and that student supervisors should help students develop…

A computer-based bibliometric study tracking the growth of dissertation and book production in social work from 1959-88 is reported. Potential applications of online bibliometric analysis are discussed, including its use in evaluation of scholarly productivity, study of social work history, and management of knowledge development processes in…

Digital video and accompanying editing software are increasingly becoming more accessible for researchers in terms of ease of use and cost. The rich, visually appealing and seductive nature of video-based data can convey a strong sense of direct experience with the phenomena studied (Pea, 1999). However, the ease of selection and editing of…

Conducting research in the field of Native American studies requires the use of many different materials in the library. This guide provides a bibliography of useful tools as well as a basic strategy to follow when researching the topic. The types of documents listed include: dictionaries and encyclopedias, guides and handbooks, journal articles,…

This document discusses the creation of a new formal language for the field of counseling psychology. Constructs for such a language are applied specifically to the communication of research information (especially research concerned with the effects of counselor action on clients) for experimental replication. Grammatical concepts of a formal…

Problems confronting students of black history are discussed and skills to assist graduate students to overcome these difficulties are suggested. The importance is stressed of mastering techniques of archaeology, oral history, linguistics, anthropology, and sociology for the solution of these problems. (EH)

In this paper addressed to graduate students in reading, the nature and problems associated with graduate student research are described. It is noted that the purpose of research is seen in different ways by those engaged in it. However, regardless of how a profession defines research, it must contain and reflect scholarship; any other research is…

This guide explains what the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database is and how it can be used by parents to learn more about schooling and parenting. The guide also presents descriptions of 55 articles and documents that can be obtained through ERIC. The cited resources are particularly relevant to parents' concerns about meeting…

Rhetorical force can be used to analyze interaction in organizational communication. In such an analysis, force is conceived of as being perceptual, arising out of interaction, aiding in understanding communication patterns, and increasing one's abilities both to anticipate actions and to plan or constrain one's actions. Rhetoric is a product of…

The author examines the current state of research on teaching and argues that the technique of "grounded theory," a method for discovering theory from data, would be an effective means for improving theoretical bases of teaching. The meanings of "theory" and "theory building" are discussed, including what theory is,…

This manual is intended to help elementary and secondary teachers locate and use historical records in social studies and local history courses. There are four major sections to the manual. The first section discusses educational objectives which can be met by using historical records. How to locate and use historical records is the topic of the…

Recent research on human memory and cognition with particular emphasis on research that might have some promise for mathematics education is reviewed. The focus is on techniques for analyzing the mind in two areas: (1) the architecture of the human memory system, using the information processing model; and (2) the content and structure of…

Perhaps due to misunderstandings of the nature of the research task in visual communication, findings of empirical research in that field have been highly inconsistent. Historically, there has been little serious systematic empirical investigation of visual communication. One difficulty is that it is not always possible to measure nonverbal…

Research has identified a number of effective means of maximizing returns to mailed questionnaires. The accompanying cover letter, the first contact with the potential respondents, may be the most important aspect of the survey. Studies indicate that the most effective cover letters incorporate personalization with an altruistic and/or egoistic…