The purpose of this assessment is to update earlier surveys of Italian sociology, particularly in terms of developments within the past 10 to 15 years--and again, to offer primarily an American perspective on such an overview. The present assessment differs in that many of the data upon which it is based are derived from informal study conducted…

This paper describes an approach which can be used by the agency training specialist to assess the effectiveness of many internally developed and conducted training courses. It offers a conceptual framework for evaluation, the essential steps in developing training objectives, an in-course training evaluation process, and a description of the…

Little is known about the extent of private skill training, with regard to the number and characteristics of trainees, the programs, or their costs. Yet Federal policies need to be based on full knowledge of existing private efforts. This survey was conducted to determine the feasibility of conducting a national mail survey of employers and to…

To determine how the Subject Matter Service (SMS) of the Agricultural Education Department at Mississippi State University could more effectively meet the needs of vocational agriculture teachers, this study focused on three problems: (1) evaluation of materials developed by the SMS, (2) determination of sources and uses of teaching materials, and…

Fundamental problems in the collection and use of data, in particular the need to develop and use criteria for data, are discussed. Specific examples of the use and misuse of data related to teachers and children in the public schools are presented. Two methods of data collection--manifest techniques and formal response instruments--are evaluated…

In 1966, the Asolo Theatre Festival, a professional, Equity repertory company, set up a pilot program for introducing live theatre to the teachers and students in the high schools of Florida. This project was carried out by three tours, two by the Asolo group of players and one by another group, the Elon Players between 1967 and 1970. These tours…

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the nature, scope, and implications of the rural development in the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa. The first section of the paper deals with the forces that have caused changes in agrarian reform policies as they affected rural development in these countries. Specifically…

This monograph describes the Alberta College Commission Master Planning Project, which includes all post-secondary non-university and continuing education services in the province. The areas covered are: (1) the need for planning--system efficiency and effectiveness, coordination of post-secondary education; (2) the Alberta College Commission…

A meta-goal of organization development is that of helping participants establish appreciation for and skill in using objective data about themselves. The prominent method for soliciting and sharing such data has been survey feedback. An Organizational Development (OD) consultant should have at least three skills in order to use survey feedback…

A series of studies on observer biases revealed that simply informing observers of experimental hypotheses does not produce observational data consonant with those hypotheses. However, questionnaire responses following an experiment with different induced expectations does produce global data consonant with experimental hypotheses. In addition, if…

The purposes of the second year of the Heman Street Preschool remained the same as they had been in the previous year: to provide experiences for preschool children which would increase their chances for later success in school and to serve as a training site where graduate students might learn to work effectively with preschool children and with…

A report in both English and French of the International Experts Meeting on Comparative Adult Education, held in Nordborg, Denmark, January 15 to 23, 1972, and attended by 35 adult education leaders from 15 countries, is presented. The sections of the report are as follows: 1. Summary and Conclusions; 2. Present Situation and Future Development of…

A study designed to compare the reliabilities of multiple choice and true-false tests that were constructed to measure the same objectives was conducted. The impetus for this study came from the research reported by Ebel (1971) on the same topic. Subjects were selected from six public high schools. Three phases of testing were required for…

A survey method of research was used to collect data from correspondence and residence students at the University of Illinois concerning their present courses. Results indicate that the time required to prepare lessons for a correspondence course is approximately equal to that required for residence students. The major exception to this finding is…

This collection of papers is intended to help develop a rationale for the gathering and use of data in 2-year colleges. Problems of data as experienced by a state director, a college administrator, an institutional research office, and a national community junior college information service are discussed. Some conclusions were: (1) state agencies…