THE PURPOSES OF THIS PAPER ARE TO EXAMINE THE RESEARCH METHODS GENERALLY UTILIZED IN DIFFUSION RESEARCH AND TO SUGGEST RESEARCH METHODS WHICH MIGHT HELP PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFUSION PROCESS. TO PROMOTE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLETE DIFFUSION PROCESS OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE, RESEARCH SHOULD CONSIDER THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS,…

To indicate the effects on learning of individualized instruction and motivation, the results of two controlled experiments conducted in two Janesville, Wisconsin, elementary schools during the 1966-67 school year are reported. In an experiment comparing three approaches to spelling instruction at the sixth grade level, large gains were noted for…

Some of the specific uses, outcomes, and statistical results obtained with the Social Interaction and Creativity in Communication System (SICCS) of observation are described. Particular attention is given to the different purposes to which the SICCS has been directed, including the coding units, categories, length and frequency of observation, the…

This project is a prototype study which investigates the interaction of graduate students from different disciplinary backgrounds and different educational institutions in exploring social and public policy issues related to children. The results and evaluation of the research program are presented in this document. Divided into three teams, the…

The structure and quality of classroom interaction and the ways in which children learn how to interact appropriately was the initial focus of the research and field work described in this paper. The site was a kindergarten/first grade class in a suburban Boston Title I elementary school with many students from second and third generation…

The purpose of this study was to apply a theory of latent culture to describe the role of middle class black parents and students in effecting change in an elite educational organization and to use Schein's conceptual model of the Kurk Lewin paradigm of the change process (Unfreezing--Changing--Refreezing) to analyze this process over a three year…

The development of six Project Information Packages (PIPs) was supported by the U.S. Office of Education (USOE) in 1973. The PIPs were designed to provide "how to" information and instructions to facilitate the implementation of the selected compensatory reading and mathematics projects in school districts with a minimum amount of…

Curriculum reformers in the United Kingdom who have expressed concern with the failure of the research, development, and diffusion model to implement inquiry/discovery learning have tended to offer a problem-solving approach to foster innovation at the classroom level. This approach is illustrated in the Ford Teaching Project, sponsored by the…

The study focuses on the Special Projects Program authorized under section 309(b) of the Adult Education Act of 1966 and analyzes the 309(b) program to determine why dissemination of results to local adult basic education (ABE) programs has been less effective than desired. The document contains: (1) An examination of the policies and activities…

Eight papers from a two-day workshop to help librarians answer patrons' questions about China are summarized. Topics include women and child care in China, trends in the arts, China as seen in United States government documents, book publishing in China, building a Chinese resource collection, and teaching about China. The attached kit of…

This essay presents some of the possibilities for doing systematic quantitative research in the field of African public administration and reviews some of the methodological problems involved. The authors argue that quantitative research is especially desirable because of the gains to be achieved in precision, reliability, comparability, and new…

The methodology used in the evaluation of this unit is the same as that described in SO 000 468. Twenty-seven teachers were selected for the field trial thereby involving approximately 1,250 ninth through twelfth grade students. This unit has six integral activities and one optional scheduled as the second activity: 1) Operation Bigger Beef; 2)…

The methodology used in the evaluation of this unit is the same as that described in SO 000 468. Twenty-seven teachers were selected for the field trial thereby involving approximately 1,250 ninth through twelfth grade students. This unit has five integral activities and two optional ones: 1) Site Selection; 2) A Few American Cities; 3) Local…

The methodology used in the evaluation of this unit is the same as that described in SO 000 468. Twenty-nine teachers were selected for the field trial thereby involving approximately 950 ninth through twelfth grade students. This unit has eight integral activities as well as six optional ones: 1) City Location and Growth; 2) New Orleans; 3)…

Field testing, the last step in the developmental cycle for educational products, must ascertain whether the test product, placed in a natural environment, will actually elicit the behavioral changes it was designed to effect. A systems approach to field testing requires that certain basic areas of investigation first be established. Specific…