How objective are the research methods of sociologists? Is the scientific method more or less bias-free or truthful than other methods? Even assuming that the scientific method is the best or most truthful method presently available to sociologists, how do researchers know which theory to test? This paper, an introductory essay to a college…

THIS STUDY DEALS WITH COMMUNICATION AT THREE LEVELS--DEVELOPMENT OF A GENERALIZED MODEL OF THE PROCESS WHEREBY COMMUNICATION ACHIEVES IMPACT, THE OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE MODEL, AND TESTING OF THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE MODEL PREDICTS THE RESPONSE OF MEMBERS OF THE POTENTIAL AUDIENCE TO A SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION EVENT. THIS IMPACT MODEL TAKES THE…

This volume completes the elementary teacher education model (see SP 002 428-29) with sections on Human Learning, Continued Professional Development, and management and information retrieval systems. In Human Learning, a model component embracing preservice and inservice education, five detailed course outlines in the areas of growth and…

The study consists of four main parts and was designed to: (1) ascertain the perceptions of public community college presidents regarding professional women vocational faculty; (2) ascertain the perceptions of female vocational education faculty members at such colleges; (3) compare those perceptions; and (4) determine the demographic…

The goal of this paper was to evaluate four alternative explanations to account for low feelings of political effectiveness and political trust among black school children. A discussion of research findings related to political efficacy and trust and a review of other pertinent research are followed by definitions of the basic concepts in the…

The study reported here is based on the belief that the social discontent that is frequently in evidence stems in part from individuals being trapped in dehumanizing organizational mazes which apply bureaucratic rules in an attempt to control human behavior in light of organizational needs. This investigation, therefore, set out to discover the…

Case studies showed that inequality between women and men is a very general feature of the Australian secondary school system. New approaches to the reform of sex inequalities in education are proposed. (RM)

Examines the social and economic pressures exerted on U.S. society by industrialization and a market economy and the concurrent effect on public education. Argues that market forces shaped education as a credentialing process that ensured social stratification. Discusses the present application of this process and its implications for educational…

Examines changes in the positions and concerns of South African sociologists of education as they move from an oppositional status to a more ambiguous space. These sociologists now face the prospect of choosing between criticism and reconstructive efforts. Reviews themes and issues related to this conflict. (MJP)

Identifies the three elements of the school-to-work transition as schools, employers, and the relationship between them. Suggests that this transition could be improved if schools make academic instruction vocationally relevant, employers base hiring on applicants' achievement in school, and school-employer linkages are created and designed…

Places the changing expectations and experiences of student life in a 1939 Abilene, Kansas, high school within the context of general institutional changes occurring at high schools. Maintains that schools reproduced the existing social structure through a variety of mechanisms. Notes the differences of expectations between male and female…

Presents the conclusion of the analysis of the massive educational survey done in Moscow (Russia) in 1991. This section largely focuses on students' parents' and teachers' attitudes towards the relevance and benefits of education. Participants are identified by socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. (MJP)

Discusses concepts of social agency, cultural mediation, and constitutive action for understanding inequality in schools. Describes the sociolinguistic argument about the structure of language, the interpretive school, and the demands of capitalism. Urges transcending the macro-micro or structure-agency dualism by demonstrating the situated…

Reviews claims by U.S. business leaders that poor educational performance, discipline, and motivation of non-college-bound students are evidence of defects in the public schools. Argues that structural changes in the U.S. economy have had a negative impact on student motivation and have shaped the current sense of crisis in U.S. education. (CFR)

The 1981-1982 annual abstract publication on Swedish behavioral science research reports is presented. The collection of data was completed on May 15, 1982. The reports are grouped in categories according to Psychological Abstracts and EUDISED Thesaurus (multilingual thesaurus for information processing in the field of education). The ERIC…