General Media and Related Subjects

Paul Wasserman and Janiece McLean's Consultants and Consulting Organizations Directory (Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1973—$45.00),

Brian Rust's The Complete Entertainment Discography from the mid-1890s to 1942 (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1973—$12.95)

Stefan Kanfer's A Journal of the Plague Years (New York: Atheneum, 1973—$7.95)

K. Aubrey Stone's I'm Sorry, the Monopoly You Have Reached is not in Service (New York: Pallantine/Grassroots, 1973—$1.50, paper)

Richard F. Hixson's Mass Media: A Casebook (New York: Crowell, 1973—price not known, paperback),

Donald I. Rogers' Since You Went Away (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1973—$8.95),     

The development of numeracy in England and Slovenia

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) placed Slovene 9 year olds significantly above the international mean in mathematics and English 9 year olds significantly below. As the project to be described here shows, however, such findings can mask finer differences in numerical abilities and problem-solving which qualitative analysis can reveal. While performance in arithmetic tasks of English 6 year olds was superior to Slovene pre-schoolers of the same age, at 7 years Slovene pupils had caught up and between 8 and 11 years forged ahead. By contrast, Slovene pupils were not quite so successful at problem-solving tasks in comparison with the English sample. Possible improvements, in the first place, might be obtained by a careful synthesis of curricula and instructional strategies but is this too simple a solution? A major goal of this paper will be to provide insight into the limitations of large-scale international studies and research methodologies as well as advocate qualitative approaches which, if not challenging such studies certainly complement and enrich them by setting out to answer another set of research questions. This paper also raises important questions about cultural differences which influence the aims and philosophy of education both directly and indirectly.     

Needs Assessment Across Disciplines

The needs assessment process, as a tool for decision making, continues to enjoy high visibility in the professional literature, especially in the area of training and human resource development. This literature review explores needs assessment in selected disciplines and provides generalizations about its application. Five needs assessment variables guided our survey of the purposes and methods of the needs assessments described in 106 articles in five general areas (applied sciences, education/technology, medicine/allied health, business/information sciences, and human/public services).