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.…

Results from a meta-analysis of findings on the effectiveness of coaching for achievement tests from 30 controlled studies of coaching programs are presented. Coaching typically raised achievement test scores by .25 standard deviations. Effects varied with the level of training intervention. (Author/PN)

Results from a meta-analysis of 26 controlled studies on the effects of accelerated instruction on elementary and secondary school students are presented. The examination performance of accelerates surpassed the performance of equivalent age and intelligence nonaccelerates and equalled the performance of same-grade but older, talented…

A meta-analysis of research results for correlating science achievement and attitude was conducted, using 43 studies with 15 variables coded for each correlation found in each study (yielding 280 coefficients). Casual ordering results support achievement causing attitude in grades three to eight and mixed results thereafter. Additional results are…

This paper presents a meta analysis of the literature on burnout among special education administrators. Discussion of a theoretical framework reviews models of burnout especially Maslach's theoretical model, stages of burnout, and constructs of burnout. The meta analysis of 46 studies of special educator burnout with sufficient data for further…

This study surveyed three groups of teachers to investigate their perceptions of problems faced by beginning teachers. The study reexamined the usefulness of Veenman's (1984) meta-analysis of the perceived problems of beginning teachers. Participants were Wisconsin beginning teachers, experienced urban teachers, and cooperating teachers. The…