Argues that relativism has the potential to help music educators better understand themselves, other music educators, musical endeavors, and their profession. Defines musical relativism in detail comparing it with universalism and essentialism. Discusses musical value and focuses on the reasons for music education in the search for professional…

Reviews the research in choral music education from 1983 to 1995 in order to detect trends in the field, significant clusters of interest on specific topics, the decline of interest in previously popular topics, or the emergence of new areas of interest. Provides extensive references. (CMK)

Provides a literature review that focuses on the effects of music performance experience on subsequent music listening experiences. Results from a collaborative research effort by students and faculty of the Center for the Study of Education and Musical Experience (Northwestern). Provides a discussion of the review and findings along with…

The background of the current lack of concern with faculty attitudes when planning instructional improvement programs is reviewed. Data from a survey of faculty attitudes on one campus indicate a need to rethink the basic model of instructional development as currently used. (Author/LBH)

Faculty promotion and salary policies at the University of Texas at Austin are analyzed to determine whether male and female faculty members are rewarded equally for equal academic qualifications and performances. This regression analysis tends to support the discrimination hypothesis with respect to both promotion and salary policies. (Author/LBH)

The use of life history or biographical information to predict various college experiences of women was examined in this study of 327 women. The results indicated that life history data could be used to make longitudinal predictions and are discussed in terms of their implications for counseling students in higher education. (Author/LBH)

Data from a national survey with 3,963 respondents indicate that genuine research assistantship experience is positively related to subsequent research involvement and productivity. Variables identifying productive and nonproductive respondents are reported, and recommendations are offered for training educational researchers. (Author/LBH)

Three areas (business, psychology, and sociology/anthropology) at Kansas State University were studied. Significant differences were found in the orientations and the criteria that are being used and that should be used (according to the respondents) for performance evaluation. All agreed that teaching should be an important evaluative criterion.…

Data were collected on 799 students at the University of Florida, and relationships were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation technique. Significant relationships were not found between student ratings and student achievement. (Author/LBH)

Two procedures for validating incomes self-reported in ranges by University of Kentucky doctoral graduates indicate that the self-report data are generally accurate. Comparison of nonrespondent income with respondent income in state income tax records reveals that nonrespondents average almost $3,500 less income during the year than did…

Results of this study of eight liberal arts colleges, traditionally women's colleges, suggest that multiple-discriminant analysis provides a rigorous and practical basis for adding an important and largely unexplored between-group dimension to studies in the prediction of within-group performance. (Editor/LBH)

The importance of teacher behaviors questionnaire (ITB) was constructed to measure students' perceptions of the importance of selected teacher behaviors. Data from 105 college students indicated that there were significant differences in perceived importance and that ratings tended to vary across sex groups. (Editor/LBH)

Several benefits resulting from the relaxation of the tenure-system-freeze policy are described. A modification of the system calls for administrators to allow a certain quota of appointments into the tenure system each year, rather than making all new appointments outside the tenure system. The AAUP tenure policy is considered in this regard.…

Using a sample of 460 university students, multiple discriminant analysis indicates that of four variable sets (including perceptions of university goals, academic climate, academic environment, and academic alienation), perceptions of climate and feelings of alienation exert more influence on students' attachment to the university. (Editor/LBH)

This analysis attempts a systematic synthesis of the rather large body of research on college students' views on teaching and their assessment of the effectiveness of various attitudes, behaviors, and pedagogical practices of instructors. Characteristics of superior teachers are identified and analyzed. (Editor/LBH)