In order to make policy decisions, educators must evaluate educational research proposals and projects. Findings immediately related to practice are often inadequate, omitting the theoretical establishment of principles by which we can explain and predict the phenomena of our world. These theoretical linkages to the practical world of…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on approaches to research in human resource development (HRD). "HRD, Feminism, and Adult Education: A Foundation for Collaborative Approaches to Research and Practice" (Yvonne M. Johnson) identifies common interests among HRD professionals, feminists, and practitioners in the field of…

Current policy discourses on "equity" in VET tend to gloss over the nature of the socioeconomic disadvantage that underlies questions of the participation and achievement of the so-called "target equity groups." While indexes of socioeconomic disadvantage are widely applied in education, their application to VET participation…

Vocational education and training (VET) research in Australia has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. In a 1993 report titled "No Small Change," VET research was characterized as a fragmented activity that was underfunded and had little or no relevance to policy or practice in the VET sector. Since that time, increased funding through the…

Anthropology research should be relevant to public policy formation. If anthropologists continue to produce research which reflects a "detached observer" perspective, their studies will not enjoy widespread credibility. The use of policy-relevant anthropology (applied anthropology) will depend in large part on the efforts of anthropologists toward…

Analyzes Kenyan educational research conducted over the past 25 years. Examines choice of research topics, research methodologies, training of researchers, funding, and research utilization. Advocates more action and participatory research, greater regional cooperation and coordination, publishing findings in accessible sources, and greater…

A study examined the effectiveness of policies and procedures used for vocational job preparatory student placement and followup in Florida's public schools. During the study, researchers (1) conducted interviews with approximately 40 persons having statewide knowledge of or involvement in some phase of vocational education placement and followup…

The research methods selected for an evaluation of courses in vocational education and training (VET) teacher education at Curtin University (Western Australia) were examined. The university hired an outside research body from a different TAFE college to conduct the evaluation because Curtin University's courses in postschool teacher education,…

A student follow-up system was designed and implemented at Gadsden State Junior College (GSJC) in Alabama which revealed several administrative problems in integrating student follow-up into the institutional planning process. Development of the system involved tailoring existing pre-packaged follow-up methodologies to meet GSJC's individual needs…

The l975 Educational Testing Service (ETS) Invitational Conference provided an overview of the social indicators movement, and the relationship between schooling and quality of life. The concept of educational indicators was discussed. Educational indicators are defined as statistics used to provide information regarding the status of particular…

Australian education and training and vocational education and training (VET) research are in a state of crisis. Both the higher education and VET sectors are now squeezed and subject to contradictory objectives, multiple accountabilities, heightened expectations, and diminished resources in an environment of uncertainty and frustration. The…