This is the fascinating story of the birth, growth, and development of the London Association for the Teaching of English from its earliest years through to the formation of the National Association for the Teaching of English and thereafter. The work of founder members of LATE, such as James Britton, Harold Rosen, and Nancy Martin, was critical…

Psychological burnout has a detrimental impact on workers in the human service field, and variables contributing to the burnout process need to be explored. In order to examine the relationships between burnout and four commitment dimensions (commitment to a theory, to agency philosophy, to a particular job, and to client service), 47…

British Columbia remained committed to its decision to host a world's fair (Expo 86) despite rapidly increasing deficit projections. Expo is examined as a prototypical example of the escalation of commitment. Theory is proposed that integrates determinants of escalation from several levels of analysis over time. (CJH)

Describes ways training is linked to levels of organizational efforts, results, and impact; an allocation of functions to organizational personnel; cases-in-point concerning responsibilities; tools used by organizational personnel; and a training requirements identification and development cycle. Relationship of this Organizational Elements Model…

A questionnaire was devised and disseminated at the 1983 American Camping Association (ACA) convention to ascertain from members the value placed on camping research. The questionnaire addressed the following concerns: who should be conducting research, how should research be disseminated, what are the important broad areas of needed research, and…

The goals of the Research Council for Diagnostic and Prescriptive Mathematics (RCDPM) and the extent to which they are being realized are considered. Also discussed is the role of RCDPM in the broader mathematics education community, as well as some challenges and future directions. (MNS)

Analyzes the measurement properties of the personnel audit and the relationship of audit to organizational criteria. Nine dimensions summarize 37 audit measures, including predicting executive perceptions of organizational performance and Personnel Function, employee satisfaction, and profitability per capita. Personnel budget allotment per capita…

This research based theory suggests the concept of centrality (how closely a unit's purposes match those central to the organization) affects internal resource allocations, environmental power, institutional power, and resource negotiation strategies in colleges and universities. A figure, tables, an appendix, and 30 references are provided. (DCS)

The escalation of commitment has been variously labeled the psychology of entrapment, the sunk cost effect, and the too-much-invested-to-quit syndrome. This article reviews the state of research and describes four major determinants: project; psychological; social; and organizational variables. A model is provided. (YP)

The American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) on "Creation and Utilization of Curriculum Knowledge" was formed in 1971 by researchers whose work focused upon the advancement of knowledge in curriculum. The interest area for this SIG centered on generic knowledge about: (1) curriculum definitions; (2)…

Introduces and defines strategic planning in organizational training, describes four current schools of curriculum theory--subject-centered, experience-centered, objectives-centered, and opportunity-centered--and illustrates how each theory can be modified to make training anticipate as well as react to organizational needs. (MBR)

Observes that approaching school administration research from an effectiveness standpoint assumes that school effectiveness is a major concern of school administration. Suggests conceptualizing research in terms of (1) individual category strategies; (2) relationship strategies; (3) interaction strategies; and (4) global strategies. Concludes that…

A study was conducted to examine the influence of administrative actions on levels of faculty commitment to administratively defined priorities. Previous research conducted in a large, urban, multi-campus community college district revealed four district goals: serving new clientele, strengthening developmental education, retaining students, and…

A research project was conducted to develop and implement a model for community college missions. The new model would depart from existing models, which utilize a hierarchy of decreasing levels of generality beginning with institutional missions and culminating in objectives. In contrast, this research defined institutional mission in terms of…

An address to faculty and staff considers the question of how quality can be improved at the various levels of a college. The importance of a shared sense of purpose is emphasized. Three goals of postsecondary education are discussed: to produce desirable changes in people; to do so through means that are consistent with social values; and to…