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Due to the continued growth of qualitative research methodology, the demand for large-scale quasi-experimental studies, and a renewed interest in mixed methodologies, there is concern regarding methods courses taught in schools or colleges of education in the United States. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of current methods course requirements in doctoral programs and explore the balance among qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods course requirements and dissertation policies and procedures. A purposeful sample (n = 100) of schools of education was collected from across the nation. The findings indicate that, overall, there is large variability in the number of students accepted into education doctoral programs as well as the number who graduate from the programs. (Contains 5 tables.)

The recent increased suicide rate in the U.S. military has received widespread academic and media attention (Nock et al., 2013). "Big data" has been defined as large, complex, and linkable information (Khoury & Ioannidis, 2014) that can be used to investigate such changes in incidence at a population level. "Big health data" can revolutionize the future of epidemiological research, and this commentary discusses a specific example of how it can be used to progress suicide research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the relationship between the Angoff ratings and the observed item difficulty levels for borderline examinees in the United States. Tendency for the judges to be influenced by the factors influencing item difficulty; Inclination of the judges to overestimate performance of borderline groups; Use of the Angoff method in setting examination standards.

Discusses mentoring among faculty in higher education and Department of Education in the United States. Methodology; Participants in the study; Results of the study.

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of microcomputer use on preschoolers' knowledge of pre-reading concepts, and on their attitudes toward the microcomputer. After stratification by age and sex, 77 preschoolers were randomly assigned to three treatment conditions: (a) adult-assisted microcomputer instruction; (b) adult-unassisted microcomputer use; and (c) no microcomputer use (control condition). Children in the first two groups were given three 20-min, individual sessions on the micro-computer. The software programs used were designed to teach reading readiness concepts and were typical commercial programs available for this age group. A cognitive test was administered as a pretest and posttest, and an attitudinal interview was administered post-study only. The cognitive data were analyzed with a multi variate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). There were no significant treatment effects. The attitudinal data analysis revealed significantly greater interest in the microcomputer among the control-group children; however, that group's interest declined significantly after they were given post-study, 20-min orientations to the microcomputer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]