After a brief introduction identifying current issues and trends in research on class size, this brochure reviews five recent studies bearing on the relationship of class size to educational effectiveness. Part 1 is a review of two interrelated and highly controversial "meta-analyses" or statistical integrations of research findings on…

Distance educators, particularly those in developing countries, are facing the implementation of massive education programs with little research to guide them. Some developing countries have used established programs from other countries as models to provide low-cost instruction for basic literacy and job training; however, in many cases, they are…

The use of meta-analysis in industrial and organizational psychology has become quite common. Unfortunately, the understanding and research necessary to ensure appropriate application of the technique have not been as widespread. As part of a larger study, a content analysis of meta-analyses from the industrial and organizational psychological…

Current thought about the effects of single-parenting on children's sex-role development has supported (1) the traditional view that being raised in a single-parent home is deleterious to the well-being of children; (2) the conditional view noting that differences exist between children in father-absent and father-present homes (but only in…

Meta-analysis of 17 studies was conducted to determine the effectiveness of retaining elementary school students in grade. Calculations with data from the 17 studies produced 217 effect size measures, most of which were measures of differences in reading and mathematics achievement. Some measures of differences in social adjustment, behavior, and…

A survey of "Journalism Quarterly,""Gazette,""Public Opinion Quarterly,""Journal of Broadcasting," and "Journal of Communication" reveals that the early research on international news flow or coverage emphasized two aspects of news: (1) how the United States was portrayed in the media of other…

Portfolios are central to the Bachelor of Science program in scientific and technical communication at one large state university in the midwestern United States. At the beginning of the program, students who want to gain admission must submit a portfolio that demonstrates both their ability to communicate in written form and an interest in the…

Addresses the implicit assumption that instructional media represent meaningful experimental variables independent of instructional content or strategy. Results of computer-based instruction (CBI) studies (both well-designed and flawed) and meta-analyses are reviewed to support the authors' position that this assumption is invalid, and new…

This article introduces a mini-series on research methods in school psychology. A conceptual overview of research methods is presented, emphasizing the degree to which each method allows the inference that treatment affects outcome. Experimental and nonexperimental, psychometric, descriptive, and meta-analysis research methods are outlined. (SLD)

Abstracts published during 1981-85 for special education doctoral dissertations (N=1581) were analyzed to examine the characteristics of the authors, subjects, methods, and outcomes of student research. Among the findings are identities of schools emerging as leaders for advanced special education programs and the lack of research on young…

Discusses some of the major research in science education published during the last 10 years in order to raise some of the methodological issues involved. Illustrates the progress that has been made along the path toward a science of teaching science. (CW)

Analyzes the results of previous studies that examined the effects of teaching test-taking skills to elementary school children. Concludes that training in test-taking skills is differentially effective for various subgroups of children, longer training programs are more effective, and training is more effective in the upper elementary grades than…

In the context of a discussion of the use of meta-analysis techniques, two articles take issue with the findings of Casto and Mastropieri concerning effects of early intervention, in particular age-at-start parent involvement, conceptual and methodological problems. The authors of the original article provide rebuttals to the critiques. (JW)

Provides an integrative review of experimental treatment studies on the teaching of composition in the past two decades. Assesses the effectiveness of different modes of instruction and different focuses of instruction. Outlines the implications of the results for policy at local, state, and national levels and for future research. (RDN)

Data from 44 studies were mathematically integrated to determine the effect of grade-level retention on elementary and/or junior high school pupils. Grand means and effect sizes of dependent variable measures, including academic achievement and personal adjustment, were calculated. Outcomes for promoted pupils were more positive than for retained…