Educational Research, Its Subsequent Growth in Importance, and Efforts Ffade in the 1960S and 1970S to Provide an Adequate Support Foriit
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 194 570 TM BOO 699 AUTHOR Connell, W.F. TITLE The Australian Council for Educational Research, 1930-80. INSTITUTION Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn. PUB DATE BO NOTE 414p. AVAILABLE FROM Lawrence Verry, Inc., River Road, CT 06355 EDRS PRICE MF01 PIus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Educational History: *Educational Research: Educational Researchers: Foreign Countries: *Research and Development Centers: Standardized Tests; Test Construction IDENTIFIERS *Australian Council for Educational Research ABSTRACT ThiS is the:history of:an important educational institution in Australia. The work loOks at the problems of establishing a new- institution in the late 1920s and traces its varying- fortunes through 50_years to 1980. It is more, however, than an institutional history. It analyses early contributions to educational research, its subsequent growth in importance, and efforts ffade_in_the 1960s and 1970s to provide an adequate support foriit. The task of critic and educational reformer has -never been a comfortable one, and the book examines the up-hill efforts by the ACER-and its overseas visitors from_the_1930s_to_the_1970s_to evaluate_Australian_education_and_stir_the' conscience_of its_ educators. Throughout the book there are a number of interesting biographical_sketches_of important Australian educators, such as Tate, Cunningham, Radford, and Dunn, who had strong connections with the ACER.(Author) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** EDUCATIOttA WELFARE- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION S H UME NT HAS BEEN REP M./CEO EKA.CTL !LAS_ RECEIVEL,__FP THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG AT kG LT POINT S -01.1 STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY _REP' SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Countil folk Edtkatiorial Ittkakth 1930-430 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY rY\ LoG1-ke TO THE EDUCATIONAL-RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC): ESo -, NM I. 71988 This is the histotv of an important educational institution in Australia. The work looks at the problems of establishing a new institution in the late t 920s and traces its varyin g.fortunes thiough0 vearsto 1080. It is more, hi?wever, than an institUtional history It arral'6es early c,-;butions tO educational research, its subsequent growth in importance. and etfortsmade in the-190os and 9705 toprovide an adeqUate support for it. The task of critic and educational reformer has never been a tiht AT;(1 the book evIrnin(:, the up-6111. cfiorrs by the ACER and its overseas visitors from the 19305 to the9705. to evaluate Australian cdtk:ition and stir-the conscience of its educators. Throughout the book there art a number of interesting bingraphic al skeiches of important Australian educators,scich as Tate, Cunningham, Raciford, and Dunn: who4-iad strong connections with the ACER. The Mackie Medal awarded to the ACER by the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science. 1964. The Australian Council for Educational Research 1930-80 W. F. Connell To Margaret Published by The Australian Council for Educational Research Limited Radford House, Frederick Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication dat: Connell, William Fraser, 1916 The Australian Council for Educational Research 1930 80. Index:_ Bibliography: ISBN o 85563 zo9 7 r: Australian Council for _Educational Research History.2. Educational research Australia History.I. Title. 370..7'8094 Copyright 0 ACER 1980 No part of this publication-may be reproduced in any form without permission from the_publisher. Typesetting direct from Wang diskette by Publication Perspect: 16 Start Street; South Melbourne, Victoria, 3 2o5 Printing and binding by Brown Prior Anderson Evans Street, Burwood; Victoria; 3 i z 5 The text and display typeface is Garamond with Old Style num Text paper is 85 gsrn MF: CONTENTS Page The Foundation Years Visit by James F. Russell 2 Preliminary Discussions 3 The First Executive_: Tate, Mackie, and Lovell 6 The Institutes and the Constitutional Committee- io Carnegie Corporation Grant 13 First Council Meeting 16 Adoption of the Constitution i7 Selection of the Executive Officer 18 Initial Research Program 21 Establishing the New Institution 24 Educational Research before 1930 24 Child Study : 26 History of Education 28 School-Achievement 29 Mental Testing 31 K.S. Cunningham, the First Executive Officer 36 The First Year 44 Establishing Administrative Procedures 44 Creating an Appropriate Image 48 Developing Policies for the ACER 54 Starting a Program 58 3 The First TenArears of Research and Service 63 Correspondence Education 63 The Standiedization of Achievement and Intelligence Tests 65 Arithmetic 05 Reading 69 Intelligence 7 1 Contents Studies of Australian Education The Primary School Secondary Education Rural Education Reviews of Australian Education The ACER and the Establishment of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research Educational Research Series 4 Early Comparative Evaluations of Australian Education ustralian Visitors to the USA American Visitors to Australia New Education Fellowship Conference, 1937 The ACER's Contribution to Library Development in AL ;tralia The ACER in the 193os 5 The ACER at War Work with the Armed Services The ACER and the Department of Labour and National Service The ACER's Other Wartime Services Effect of the ACER's Wartime Work Social Science Research Council of Australia The Future of Education- Series Financial Support from Federal and State Governments ACER Income 1938 39 to 1946 -47 The Post-war Years Relationships with the Commonwealth Office of Education The State Institutes of Educational Research Post-war Staff _ Growth of Library Work Establishment of the Test Division Research on Test Theory Curriculum Survey University Investigation The Adjustment of Youth The Work of a Research Assistant Research Assistant 1947 48 Visit by ELC. Dent Assumptions Underlying Australian Education The End of the Cunningham El-a Contents search in Education: Its Function and Organization '99 The New- Director '99 Planning the ACER's Program - 202 Early Exploration and Views on Educational Research 2o4 A Field for Many Tangs 209 Esmblishing a Basis for a National Research Policy 2 16 Establishment of the Australian Association for Research in Education 225 Research into Education in Australia t972 227 Redefining the ACER's Role 2 29 formation, Development, and Analysis in the 96os and 97 os 2 3 2 Publications 232 Emergent Needs in Australian Education 239 SRA, WARDS, and Peabody 24o Publication and Sales Policies 24 5 Conferences on Primary School Teaching 2 5o __The Individual Mathematics Programme 2 5 2 The Contribution of S.S. Dunn 2 5 5 Curriculum Materials for Science 2 5 7 Junior Secondary Science Project 2 5 7 Australian Science Education Project 2 58 The ACER and the So-cial Science Curriculum 260 History and Social Responsibility in Education 264 Service on Public Bodies by W.C. RadfOrd 266 es and Research Programs 196o 8o 271 BaSic Skills Tests 271 Tests for the Award of Scholarships 274 Co-operative Scholarship Testing Prowarn 27 5 Commonwealth Secondary Scholarship Examination 27 5 Tertiary Education Entrance Project and Australian Scholastic Aptitude Test 28 Item Banks 284 Tests for Primary and Secondary Schools 286 Psychological Tests 289 Evaluation Studies 290 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement 291 Australian Studies in School Performance 296 Other Evaluation Studies Soo Studies of Various Age and Social Groups 302 tJ Contents t o The Problems of Growth in the 197os 305 A Period of Change 305 The ACER's Income, Profit and Loss, 1953 8o 3o6 The Contribution of W.C. Radford 313 The'Changing Requirements of the ACER's Staff 315 The Functions of the Institutes and the Changing Administrative Structure 319 The Task of the Third Director,P. Keeves 323 The Crucial Problems of the ACER 325 Appendixes 333 I Members of ACER Council and Staff 335 H ACER Research and Development Activities: A Select List 342 III ACER Publications in Selected Series 351 IV Selected Bibliography 36x Cunningham, K.S. 36t Radford, W.C. 368 Keeves,J.P. 38o Index 385 Frontispiece Mackie Medal Plates (between pages t sio and 191) The Three Directors Theieriginal Executive ACER Staff Members of the 193os Frank Tate Overseas Speakers, x937 NEF Conference Graduation Ceremony, Monash University, 25 May 1971 Staff Groups Madas Peacock Calculating Machine and Wang Word Processor ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing the history of a contemporary institution is a delicate task which_ puts an author in debt to many people. I Would like in particular to_express my thanks to the large number of present and former members of the staff and Council of the ACER and to the other Australian educathrS related in various ways to the work of the ACER who generously allowed time for interviews and sometimes repeated discuSSiOnS on aspects of the ACER's development. At the Carnegie Corporation of New York, A. Pifer, the president, and Florence Anderson, the archivist and former secretary, were most helpful and ungrudging of their timeat the Scottish Council for Research in Education, W.B. Dockrell, the Director and his pre- decessor, D.A. Walker, Went out of their way to provide assistance: I would like to thank the members