To assure public access to government information, it is necessary to define just who "the public" is. Survey of formal and informal information gatekeepers in California indicates the need for further research to fully understand the use and users of government publications by individuals and information intermediaries. (18 references)…

This paper analyzes the position facing developing nations seeking a rationale for computer education in schools. It reviews six rationales--social, vocational, pedagogical, catalytic, information technology industry, and cost effectiveness--and discusses ideological reasons for adopting the technology. Economic factors are considered as well as…

Discussion of ways to effectively use computers in classrooms focuses on a national survey, the CompEd survey of the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement), that examined computer use in grades 3-12. Highlights include teacher attitudes, teacher roles, and the need for improved software and more powerful…

A survey of 977 postgraduate distance-learning students in the United Kingdom investigated student perceptions of library needs. This article examines how students felt they were treated, need for libraries, library training (previous experience and nature and extent of training), problems of distance and time, costs for texts and charges for…

Describes the use of voicemail for a large class in general chemistry at McGill University (Canada) that used the Monomedium instruction system. Discusses what information is provided, the design of the course material, use statistics, evaluation by students, and the professor's perceptions. (Author/LRW)

Investigates the computer use by student teachers during practicum: the manner and frequency of computer use, student teachers' perception of their training adequacy, their attitudes toward the role of the computer in teaching, and the factors that might be associated with higher percentage of computer use than those in previous studies.…

Reviews research on educational television (ETV), focusing on teacher and student attitudes; impact on children and teachers and in-service education in media; and utilization. Also reviews a few studies on the impact and utilization of educational radio broadcasts. Draws broad conclusions about the use, design, and learning process of ETV. (PEN)

Reviews a study conducted at the University of Plymouth (United Kingdom) to establish the psychological basis for user responses to digital videoconferencing. Discusses possible predictor variables, including left and right brain laterality and factors of age and gender; measurement of behavioral and affective responses in distance learners;…

This study of the effects of gender on computer use and telecommunications, analyzed e-mail, daily logs, newsletters, text and graphic documents, and transcripts of interviews with 30 elementary school children. Study found girls and boys used technology to confirm and defy gender stereotypes and that gender biases in classroom interactions were…

Reviews basic theoretical assumptions of research on learning with hypertext/hypermedia. Focuses on whether the results of research on hypertext/hypermedia-based learning support these assumptions. Results of empirical studies and theoretical analysis reveal that many research approaches have been misled by inappropriate theoretical assumptions on…

Argues that current approaches to computer graphing practices are ill suited to meet the complex needs of real users. Offers an overview of work in two major areas of graphing theory and research: the sociology of science and the educational research of mathematics and scientific students. Suggests what technical communicators can do to improve…

Describes quantitative and qualitative research that investigated students' perceptions of the library service at the University of Sussex (England). Highlights include results of a user survey regarding the reserve collection, user interviews and the software package used to analyze them, and types of student searching. (Author/LRW)

Examines the disproportionate use of reference desk service by users not affiliated with the university based on a survey conducted at Georgia State University. Topics include the use of these statistics to justify extra funding, and decision making regarding reference desk staffing. (Author/LRW)

Classifies a spectrum of user behavior with electronic journals based on transaction log analysis of SuperJournal and K-Means cluster analysis. Describes results of user interviews and questionnaires from 13 United Kingdom higher education institutions that showed content and ease of use were the most significant factors affecting patterns of use.…

Reviews published studies of Web searching. Proposes a framework for future studies that will facilitate comparison of results. Presents advantages of such a framework, and discusses the implications for the design of Web information retrieval systems studies. Compares/contrasts the searching characteristics of Web users with users of traditional…