Perspectives on educational research are presented, and articles are included that reflect research projects that were undertaken at the Institute for Educational Research (IER) of the Human Services Research Council of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Articles in this collection include: (1) "Educational Research in the RSA: Trends and Perspectives" (S. W. H. Engelbrecht); (2) "Trends in Educational Research in the RSA from the Sixties up to and Including 1986" (A. Schoeman and A. Muller); (3) "Fluctuation Analysis: A Proposed Educational Experimental Design" (A. W. Drost); (4) "The Logo Learning Environment in Research Perspective" (A. Muller); (5) "The Use of a Data Base Management System as an Exploratory Learning Opportunity with a Microcomputer" (J. G. Knoetze); (6)"Trends in Community Education and Their Relevance to the Provision of Community Education in South Africa" (G. D. Kamper); (7) "Guidelines for the Formulation of Objectives and the Selection of Learning Contents for Basic Education in the RSA" (L. Pienaar); (8) "Environmental Analysis as a Factor in Curriculation" (I. van der Stoep); (9) "Approaches to Learning to Read with a View to Designing an Initial and Remedial Reading Programme" (A. Dednam); (10) "Parental Involvement in the Education of Gifted Children" (J. B. Haasbroek); (11) "A Brief Report on South African Mathematics Olympiad Medallists from 1966 to 1983" (P. G. Le Roux); and (12) "An Empirical Investigation of Student Learning" (D. L. Hattingh). Summaries of the research activities of the IER and a list of 88 reports published in English and/or Afrikaans by the IER are included and an abstract in Afrikaans is also provided. (TJH)