The one-page abstract summarizes "Research on the Effectiveness of Early Childhood Education," an ERIC Computer Search Reprint containing bibliographic information and abstracts of 64 studies of early intervention. The citations are discussed in five categories: research overviews, methodological studies, policies and large-scale…

The results of five studies of the relationship between debate training and critical thinking were examined to determine if in fact debate training improves critical thinking skills. All five studies compared the gains on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test (WG) for subjects who had received debate training with control groups who…

Both the career model and the decision model have been proposed to explain patterns of contraceptive use in teenagers. The career model views contraceptive use as a symbol of a woman's sexuality and implies a clear decision to be sexually active. The decision model is based on the subjective expected utility (SEU) theory which holds that people…

This study examined the relationship between test results of students in PRIMETIME first-grade classrooms in Indiana, and the Smith and Glass (1979) class size/achievement model. The class size/achievement model shows the results of a meta-analysis of research on class size which indicated that as class size decreases, achievement increases. The…

The third in a series of literature reviews, this monograph presents three articles on skill generalization among individuals with severe disabilities. Kathleen A. Liberty analyzes the results of 15 studies to determine how teaching self-control affected students' performance in training and generalization, "Behavior-Control of Stimulus…

The report integrates findings of an international state-of-the-art study of augmentative communication, focusing on the interaction between a person using a communication aid and an able-bodied, natural speaker. Chapter titles and selected subtopics are as follows: (1) "Beyond Symbols and Switches: The Study of Communication Aid Use";…

Research indicates that the relationship between class size and instructional effectiveness depends on a multitude of related variables, such as age level of students, subject matter taught, and instructional methods used. Recent statistical syntheses of this research reveal that the instructional benefits of smaller classes are most significant…

To estimate the effects of adaptive education on cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes of learning, 309 effect sizes were calculated using statistical data from 38 studies that contained a combined sample of approximately 7,200 students. The substantial mean of the study-weighted effect sizes is .45, suggesting that the average student in…

Reports a meta-analysis of studies concerned with the effects of creative drama on elementary school children's skills in four achievement areas: reading, oral and written communication, person-perception, and drama skills. Indicates that creative drama activities had a moderate, positive effect on children's performance across these achievement…

This meta-analysis investigated the effects of formative evaluation procedures on student achievement. Twenty-one controlled studies generated 96 relevant effect sizes (average weighted effect size .70). Magnitude of effect of formative evaluation was associated with publication type, data-evaluation method, data display, and use of behavior…

Examines the findings of 53 studies of sex differences in propositional logic, combinatorial reasoning, and proportional reasoning tasks. Finds sex differences for the latter two tasks to be vulnerable to Rosenthal's "file drawer" problem and effect size to be small for all tasks. Discusses possible explanations for sex differences in…

Describes methods designed to add new studies to published meta-analysis results, focusing on a procedure using Bayesian analysis and showing how new findings complement previous meta-analysis and extend its conclusions. Also considers how studies are to be weighted, which variables are to be examined, and how often meta-analyses are to be…

To facilitate meta-analysis of diverse study findings, a mixed linear model with fixed random effects is presented and illustrated with data from teacher expectancy experiments. The standardized effect size is viewed as random and the variation among effect sizes is modeled as a function of study characteristics. (Author/BS).

To estimate the relative effects of three types and three combinations of feedback on children's discrimination learning, a meta-analysis was performed on the findings of 89 studies. In general, reward compared to punishment or to reward plus punishment is the least efficient method of feedback for teaching children discrimination materials.…

A meta analysis of research on children's attributions for success and failure was conducted to test the adequacy of the egotistic bias hypothesis for children in grades one to seven. Results supported the egotism hypothesis and indicated that both question wording and research context are important determinants of children's attributions.…