A meta-analysis of 11 studies examined findings regarding adaptive behavior gains of deinstitutionlized adults with mental retardation when placed in community-based programs. Results found studies involving persons with severe mental retardation exhibited larger gains, and the adaptive behaviors most influenced by community placement are those…

Conducted a meta-analysis of 21 studies to determine the impact of parental involvement on minority students' academic achievement. The impact of parental involvement was significant for all minority groups studied. Also for all groups, parental involvement affected all academic variables by at least two tenths of a standard deviation unit.…

This meta-analysis looked at outcomes of school-based interventions aimed at enhancing the self-concept of students with learning disabilities, specifically effect sizes in relation to students' self-concepts prior to the intervention. Results indicated that only students with documented low self-concept benefited significantly from intervention.…

Used meta analysis to synthesize research on the effects of interventions to improve mathematics achievement of students considered at risk for academic failure. Found that effective interventions included providing teachers and students with student performance data; using peer tutors; providing clear, specific feedback to parents on children's…

Analyses of the results of 23 reports on coaching for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) indicated that, on the average, coaching can help increase SAT scores. The considerable variability in the results of 48 studies reflected the many factors influencing coaching effectiveness and the wide variety of study designs. (SLD)

This article presents a meta-analysis of studies of the effects of special homogeneous classes versus regular heterogeneous classes on achievement and nonachievement outcomes of gifted students. The principal findings indicate that the gifted students in special classes achieved more than their gifted counterparts in regular classes. (Author/IAH)

A meta-analysis determined the importance of feedback in computer-based learning; 59 studies were collected and evaluated for inclusion in the meta-analysis in terms of design, sample size, and availability of appropriate statistics. Achievement outcomes were found to be greater for the feedback group than the control group. (AEF)

Using a "review of reviews" methodology, this literature synthesis on stimulant use with children with attention deficit disorder compared three reviews from each of three review types (traditional, meta-analytic, general audience). A consensus was found to exist about the expected benefits and the acknowledged limitations of stimulant medication.…

A meta-analysis of studies on overeducation and undereducation in the labor market reveals that of the four different definitions of overeducation distinguished in the literature, only the one based on variation in years of education within occupational groups appears to yield significantly lower-than-average rates of overeducation. (Contains 4…

Power analysis of studies in Greene's meta-analysis of bilingual education programs found that many studies of the past 30 years were statistically weak and uninterpretable. Effect size analysis of Thomas and Collier's 15-year study found that their longitudinal model best explains 30 years of bilingual education research and can serve as a…

A meta-analysis of gender differences examined statistics achievement in postsecondary level psychology, education, and business courses. Analysis of 13 articles (18 samples) found that undergraduate males had an advantage, outscoring females when the outcome was a series of examinations. Females outscored males when the outcome was total course…

Asserts that reviews like that of M. Wang, G. Haertel, and H. Walberg are stimulating and useful in thinking about educational research, but they are nearly useless in thinking about educational policy and practice. It is not clear what is meant by "knowledge base," and the finding about proximal and distal variables is simplistic. (SLD)

Describes meta-analysis, a quantitative approach to conducting literature reviews. Illustrates the power of this technique by reporting the quantitative effects of cooperative learning on chemistry achievement in high school and college classes. (Contains 32 references.) (WRM)

A meta-analysis of 10 studies on Asperger Syndrome (ASP) and autism suggests that children with ASP perform better on intelligence and cognitive measures and on adaptive behavior functioning measures. The results suggest that ASP can be viewed as a distinct diagnostic category and can be separated from children with autism. (Author/CR)

Twenty-four meta-analyses in mental retardation, learning disabilities, and emotional/behavior disorders were reviewed and analyzed across six domains of information necessary for securing face validity of published meta-analyses. Wide variations that could influence summative results were found. Additionally, temporal analysis of 44 meta-analyses…