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Abstracts of papers presented to the 44th Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching are arranged according to the topic of the session at which they were presented. Separate sessions were devoted to elementary, secondary, junior high school, and college and university science teaching, with papers on evaluation, teaching techniques, teacher and student behavior, curriculum, and attitudes being presented at each level. Papers were also presented on science teacher education at pre- and in-service levels, on learning and testing, and on environmental education and educational technology. Abstracts of addresses to general sessions, on educational research, the future of NARST, science education curriculum development, and guidelines for science and mathematics teacher education are also included. (AL)

The position paper on the evaluation of instructional materials by the Michigan State University Regional Instructional Materials Center for Handicapped Children and Youth (IMC HCY) examines the professional and ethical dilemmas of evaluation and presents evaluation policies of the center. Evaluated by a roster of field evaluators throughout the three state area are materials built, produced, or modified by the IMC HCY staff; products for which evaluation requests have been made through professional channels; and standard materials, replacements or augmentations, and promising innovative materials. Evaluations are published in a series of product opinion papers. (DB)

Selected papers from the Conference for the Evaluation of Instructional Materials treat the area of evaluation by describing Richard Dershimer's three-part evaluative schema, the Educational Products Information Exchange approach to evaluating instructional materials, the evaluation procedures in Montgomery county (Maryland), the Consumers Union Model, and a proposed management model for evaluation data. References accompany the first two papers, and commentary remarks regarding the middle three papers are provided. (LE)

This commentary takes no serious exception to Professor Lortie's conclusions about educational changes and issues in evaluation, but it examines certain assumptions. It questions the implications that each school district needs independent evaluation and that evaluation should be applied at the end of a given educational program, and asks what happens when evaluation finds that a given educational innovation does not seem to make any difference. The paper offers the possibility of a more sensitive evaluation which seeks to understand more immediately realizable effects. (Author)

Professor Stake feels that Professor Glaser's paper does not give adequate attention to how descriptions and judgements of the instructional process can be used to facilitate educational decisions. He also asserts that behavioral specification, as it is usually defined, is often impractical and unnecessary, and he challenges the primacy of goal specification as a first logical step in instruction or evaluation. Objectives must be reported, but attention must be given to how they change over time and the priority given by different groups to different objectives. (Author)

Current school finance problems are discussed in three papers. The first presents an analysis of the Illinois school finance reform law, providing insights into the operation of the law and an evaluation method for examining finance laws in other states. In the second paper, the relationships between selected features of Michigan school districts that can explain some interdistrict cost differences are explored. An index measures price differences among school districts, and a first attempt is made to go beyond a simple cost-of-living index to adjust for district cost differences associated with location. The third paper explores special urban aid factors in state school aid formulas for selected cities with municipal overburdens. The effects of tax exporting on local taxes, urban school aid factors, and tax burdens of various school finance reforms are analyzed. The final section describes New Mexico, Georgia, and Kentucky school finance reform laws. (Author/DW)

A condensed synthesis of research needs on educational diffucion is provided in the five papers presented at the National Conference on Diffusion of Educational Ideas at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan on March 26-28, 1968. One major paper was presented in each of the five half-days of the conference with time for discussion and exploration of its implications. The 60-70 participants invited represented university researchers, coordinators and administrators of educational research, and diffusion and organization researcher who had not been involved in educational diffusion research. The major papers presented were: (1) Summary and Critique of Educational Diffusion Research, by Richard O. Carlson, (2) Needed Research on Research Utilization, by Ronald Lippett and Ronald Havelock, (3) Needed Research on Diffusion within Educational Organizations, by Everett M. Rogers and Nemi Jain, (4) Innovative Methods for Studying Innovation in Education, by Nan Lin, and (5) Implications for Practice from Research on Educational Change, by Richard I. Miller. (DM)

PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY CONDUCTED A FIVE YEAR (1961-66) AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROJECT IN TWO PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES. THIS PAPER REPORTED THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS. USING THE CRITERION OF ADOPTION OF SELECTED AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES BY SURROUNDING FARMERS, THEY ATTEMPTED TO MEASURE THE INFLUENCE OF 17 DEMONSTRATION DAIRY FARMS. DATA ON GENERAL AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY, FARM MANAGEMENT SKILLS, FARM PRACTICE ADOPTION, PATTERNS OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL ACTIVITIES, INTERPERSONAL VISITING AND COMMUNICATION, AND ATTITUDES, GOALS, AND VALUES WERE GATHERED BY FIELD SURVEYS BEFORE AND AFTER THE ACTION PROGRAM. SOME OF THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THOSE MAKING THE MAJOR CHANGE IN RECOMMENDED PRACTICES WERE DAIRYMEN OTHER THAN THE INNOVATORS OR EARLY ADOPTERS, THAT THE GREATEST CHANGE TOOK PLACE AMONG THAT GROUP OF FARMERS WHO HAD THE GREATEST POTENTIAL. HOWEVER, WHILE THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM DID INFLUENCE CHANGES IN ADOPTION OF PRACTICES, MOST OF THE EXPLAINED VARIANCE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO SUCH EXTRANEOUS FACTORS AS INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS, RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PERSONS AND ORGANIZATIONS, LEVEL OF FARM TECHNOLOGY, AND VARYING CULTURAL CONDITIONS IN THE TWO COUNTIES. (THE DOCUMENT INCLUDES FOOTNOTES AND EIGHT TABLES.) THIS DOCUMENT WAS A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL SEMINAR ON ADULT EDUCATION, (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 11-13, 1968). (LY)

PRESENTED ARE A SELECTED GROUP OF PAPERS CHOSEN FROM THOSE GIVEN AT TWO INSTITUTES ON FOSTERING AND REINFORCING INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR IN SELECTED SCHOOL PERSONNEL. THE TOPICS PRESENTED INCLUDE--(1) THE VALUE OF RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM, (2) THE NECESSITY FOR TEACHERS TO BE INNOVATIVE, (3) THE FACTORS RELATED TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, (4) THE USE OF PROGRAMED MATERIAL IN THE CLASSROOM, (5) THE NEED FOR SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS TO HAVE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES, AND (6) THE NECESSITY FOR INNOVATION AND EVALUATION WHEN APPLYING FOR FUNDS UNDER THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT. SOME BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED WITH THE PAPERS. (ES)

THIS PUBLICATION PRESENTS SELECTED PAPERS FROM THE UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY ASSOCIATION'S 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, MARCH 13, 1965. PAPERS ARE--(1) "S IS TO TURN" BY PAUL V. CARLSON, (2) "CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF THE FETUS IN UTERO" BY FORREST H. ADAMS, (3) "ENCEPHALITIS--COMMON CAUSES AND AFTER EFFECTS" BY JOHN M. ADAMS, (4) "BRAIN RESEARCH AT THE BARROW NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE, A NON-UNIVERSITY CENTER" BY EDUARDO EIDELBERG, (5) "EDUCATION FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY" (ABSTRACT) BY EDGAR A. DOLL, (6) "AN APPROACH TO THE ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE DISORDERS IN BRAIN DAMAGE" BY OTFRIED SPREEN, (7) "THE TEACHER'S CONTRIBUTION IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND REMEDIATION OF LEARNING DISABILITIES" BY DOUGLAS E. WISEMAN, (8) "DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE DESIGNS BY HANDICAPPED CLIENTS IN COMPETITIVE RETAILING" BY SYLVIA P. HOWARD, (9) "FUTURE DIRECTION FOR RESEARCH IN VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION" BY CHARLES S. NICHOLAS, AND (10) "IMPLICATIONS OF DEVELOPING STATE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR CEREBRAL PALSIED CLIENTS" BY DONALD W. BLYTH. COMMENTS AND DISCUSSION ARE PROVIDED BY SIDNEY CARTER, BLUMA WEINER, SAMUEL ASHCROFT, MARTIN E. MC CAVITT, ISADOR W. SCHERER, CRAIG MILLS, AND DON BURTON. (MY)

This compendium contains abstracts of approximately 700 papers which are classified under administration, curriculum and objectives, instruction and learning, measurement and research methodology, counseling and human development, history and historiography, social context of education, school evaluation and program development, or special interest groups. Related documents are ED 036 899, ED 036 900, ED 036 901, ED 036 902, and ED 052 152. (RA)

Three training programs in the Pittsburgh-based project to design new approaches to training educational R & D personnel focus on the development and conduct of local change programs. Each of the training programs includes work within the training contexts of course work, laboratory exercises or projects, internship experiences, and individualized training program guidance. The content of the three programs is consistent with the theoretical and methodological bases for designing local educational change programs as described by Simonds and St. Lawrence (1972). The developed units reflect a heavy reliance on readings and lecture/discussion sessions. Individualization and relevance have been attained through the use of individual conferences, job-related projects, and practicum experiences. The weaknesses of long term university-based programs have been partially overcome by making students productive before they finish their formal instructional program and by recruiting students with some professional experience in education. The employers who were financially supporting the participants in the short term programs were assured of an immediate payoff if they allowed their "employee-trainees" to implement their program-developed proposals on the job. Related documents are EA 004 408-410. (Author)

This study contains writing samples from 9, 13, and 17 year olds and from adults (aged 26-35). The study is one of a series undertaken by the National Assessment of Educational Progress to gather information about how Americans write. The respondents, chosen by random sampling, wrote a letter or an essay in response to an exercise. Separate chapters include samples of the writings of each of the four age groups tested. The papers included are roughly at the 15th, 50th, and 85th percentiles in their respective distributions, or in the lower, middle, and upper ranges. The writings were transcribed for computer reproduction and appear as printouts in this report. Each chapter begins with a table which presents the region of the country, sex, color (non-black or other), community size and type, and highest educational attainment of the respondent's parents. (Author/DI) Primary type of information provided by report: Results (Respondent Examples).

After distinguishing between elucidatory inquiry (directed toward theory and model construction for understanding and explaining phenomena) and evaluative inquiry (determining the worth of a thing), and providing nine differentiating characteristics, the author discusses the progress of educational elucidatory inquiry. He concludes that it has not "turned up any important, reliable, replicable relationships worthy of continued study...Until we get these fundamental relationships, our pretensions to elucidatory inquiry on education will be vain boasting." He feels that we should not now be attempting to build theories of teaching because ideas and techniques of teaching are changing rapidly. Under current conditions evaluative research based on the products of master teachers using basic knowledge from the social and natural sciences is more likely to contribute to the improvement of educational practice. (AL)

Problems in the measurement of communicative competence of American Indian children are discussed in this position paper. Problems include the failure of traditional observations and measurements, and judgments by educators based on non-Indian experiences and expectations. Some trends in contemporary research concerned with these problems are noted: that reliance on standardized testing is being criticized as being inappropriate for minority children; that research combining various disciplines is in the process of development; and that a serious effort to build a theory of language pedagogy is emerging. Specific recommendations are given for (1) extensive investigations planned and directed only by Indian scholars, (2) training of tribal specialists, and (3) workshop sessions for specialists in various disciplines to work together in small-scale experiential efforts at developing curricular ideas for improving language skills. In addition, the training of Indian scholars is indicated as a step toward meaningful research. A 10-item bibliography of background articles is included along with 6 references. (PS)

This document, one part of a project to train personnel for educational development and evaluation, presents the rationale underlying the training procedure. The presentation is organized around conceptualizations of the knowledge and skills required by development and evaluation personnel. Papers treat conceptually many instructional objectives and terminal behaviors as guidelines for developers and evaluators. The objectives outlined will eventually be organized into training materials for evaluation personnel and into sequences for research, development, and diffusion. Related documents are EA 003 900, EA 003 902, and EA 003 903. (RA)

Professor Lumsdaine, while in general agreement with Professor Glaser on the importance of behavioral objectives, stresses the need for providing an explicit rationale or foundation for evaluation. Emphasis is placed upon improving the technology of evaluation and creating a better market for assessment data and the standards for the adequacy of such data. Also indicated is the need for different procedures for different purposes of evaluation. (Author)

At a national institute held August 18-29, 1969, 90 individuals met to discuss the development of programs of short-term teacher education for health specialists who were needed to instruct supportive-level health workers. This publication contains revised guidelines and presentations made at the institute and is intended to aid participants and other interested persons as they work to increase the availability of teacher education activities for health occupations education personnel. It is divided into six modular units which can be used independently of each other. The subjects of the units are Supportive Personnel in the Changing Health Industry, Defining and Describing the Educational Product, The Learner and Learning, Designing Learning Programs, Evaluation in the Educational Process, and The Educational Process. Guidelines and supportive papers are presented for each modular unit. (BC)

This is one of several papers issued in cooperation with the National Association for Research in Science Teaching to analyze and synthesize research related to the teaching and learning of science completed over a two-year period. The research reviewed is grouped according to the standard categories used by the ERIC Science and Mathematics Education Information Analysis Center: Instructional procedures, teacher education, equipment and facilities, the curriculum, status of science programs, evaluation, and learning. Altogether 120 studies were reviewed. Investigations comparing the relative merits of two or more teaching methods were the most common studies on instructional procedures. Several studies on the characteristics of children and the relationship of these characteristics to science teaching were reviewed. Some of the other studies reviewed related to: various practices in the preparation of teachers, teachers' understandings of subject matter, survey of science programs, and patterns of intellectual growth, concept formation, and cognitive styles. (BR)

The basic assumptions underlying this curriculum design are: (1) teachers and librarians in elementary and secondary schools are both concerned with the total cycle of student learning and (2) teachers and librarians guide student learning more effectively when they work together as a teaching team. The teacher's contribution is on the overall planning and coordinating of the learning engagements, and on the subject matter and concepts to be learned. The librarian's contribution concentrates on building the use of library materials into the instructional program. The curriculum design is presented under the following main headings: (1) Introduction, (2) Rationale of the Curriculum Design, (3) Curriculum Program (Chart), (4) Core Curriculum Program - Part One, (5) Core Curriculum Program - Part Two, (6) Body of the Curriculum - Joint Program with Future Teachers, (7) Internship, (8) Master's Seminar and (9) Other Aspects and Interpretation of the Curriculum Program. (Author/NH)

Reported on is a study to develop a model for computer-assisted branched testing, measurement in which items are selected on the basis of previous responses and are thus tailored to the competencies of the examinee. The model was developed, implemented and evaluated in the context of an experimental school in Individually Prescribed Instruction (IPI). The sample consisted of seventy-five students in grades one through six at the Oakleaf Elementary School. On two separate occasions each student was given the branched computer test using a teletypewriter. After completing the branched test, students were required to take a paper and pencil test on all remaining objectives not included on the branched test. Thus, a measure of proficiency of every objective in the unit was recorded. Individual test profiles resulting from the study were used to ascertain the validity of the unit's structure. The results showed that criterion-referenced branched testing can be used effectively for all students in an IPI setting. Further, the measures yielded by such a procedure can be at least as valid and reliable as those for a conventional test. (RP)

This is one of several papers issued in cooperation with the National Association for Research in Science Teaching to analyze and synthesize research related to the teaching and learning of science completed over a two-year period. The majority of studies reviewed are unpublished doctoral dissertations. The research reviewed is grouped according to the standard categories used by the ERIC Science and Mathematics Education Information Analysis Center: Instructional Procedures, Teacher Education, Equipment and Materials, Curriculum, Achievement, Teacher Resource Materials, Science and Society, Evaluation and Educational Objectives, and Teacher and Student Characteristics. The research reviewed made it clear that few research workers were carrying on continuous, basic research programs. (BR)

Factors to be considered in the planning and development of a resident outdoor education program are presented in this paper. It is noted that basic educational planning must come first and every other aspect of planning should then refer to the educational plan. Various aspects of planning are described including planning the educational program; personnel assignment, selection, and training; site selection; financing the program; interpreting the program to the community; administrative structure, insurance, and other concerns; and evaluation. A checklist of desirable facility criteria for outdoor education resident centers is included. (PS)

This position paper is designed to aid elementary school principals in the evaluation of instructional programs. Arguments are based on the premises that (1) evaluation should be unique for each teacher, (2) teachers should be actively involved in evaluation, (3) evaluation should be cooperative and supportive in nature, (4) the ultimate objective of evaluation is improved instruction and not a rating of teachers, and (5) evaluative attempts should not become preoccupied with evaluation of teachers at the expense of teaching. Goals proposed for evaluation include individual improvement of teachers and teaching, assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the staff and educational program, analysis of problem areas needing attention, and prescription of individual and group activities. Essential elements in the evaluation of teachers and the evaluation of teaching are presented in separate columns. A bibliography lists 27 selections on evaluation. (TT)

PAPERS PREPARED FOR A SUMMER INSTITUTE ON EFFECTIVE TEACHING FOR TEACHERS OF ENGINEERING SUBJECTS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS CONFERENCE REPORT. GENERAL SUBJECT AREAS DISCUSSED ARE--(1) EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, (2) LEARNING THEORY AND ITS APPLICATION TO CLASSROOM TEACHING, (3) LECTURE, DISCUSSION, AND LECTURE-DISCUSSION METHODS OF TEACHING, (4) THE USE OF AUDIOVISUAL AIDS, (5) THE ROLE OF THE LABORATORY IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, (6) STUDENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL EVALUATION, (7) THE PLANNING OF COURSES, CURRICULUMS, AND INDIVIDUAL LESSONS, (8) THE STIMULATION OF STUDENT CREATIVITY, (9) RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, AND (10) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. A COMPREHENSIVE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (AG)