In 1981 and 1982, a group of 5 organizations conducted a coordinated study of public online catalog users and nonusers in 31 research, academic, community college, public, and governmental libraries with 17 different online catalogs. It was found that: (1) the most important user characteristic linked with success and satisfaction in using online…

Theoretically preferred item response theory (IRT) bias detection procedures were applied to both a mathematics achievement and vocabulary test. The data were from black seniors and white seniors on the High School and Beyond data files. We wished to account for statistical artifacts by conducting cross-validation or replication studies.…

In this article, the author describes a new instructional design model and how it was applied to an educational planning and evaluation graduate class. The model is known as the "Isman model" and is described a five-step systematic planning process: (1) input; (2) process; (3) output; (4) feedback; and (5) learning. This process can be…

The aim of this study was to incorporate a web-assisted program to normal traditional classroom instruction and study about students' misconceptions in force and motion concepts in physics. The Web-based physics program was incorporated with the traditional lecture. Specifically, 30% of class time was allocated for using this tutorial program, and…

This paper evaluates Interactive Television (ITV) Engineering courses, Statics and Dynamics, from the perspective of host-site students. The study took place at the University of Kentucky during the Spring 2004 semester utilizing survey methods to identify factors that are influential in determining students' satisfaction with a particular course.…

Quality improvement in the workplace via scientific techniques of research and training is discussed. Topics addressed include time factors, salient problems and assignable causes, informed observation, experimental design, study location, and training. Requirements for change in the workplace include: change in management attitudes and structure…

The study reported in this paper used path analysis statistical methodology and an attrition model to examine the separate and combined relationships of several different types of background, personal, and college experience variables with the attained college grade-point average (GPA) and graduation rate for 3,125 Ball State (Indiana) University…

Recent second language acquisition research has shown that language learners must interact with more competent speakers in order to learn to manage conversation. Such interaction is rare in second language classrooms, but dialogue journal writing, written interaction that shares some of the features of oral conversation, allows for conversational…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students (NLTS) was Congressionally mandated to provide information regarding the transition of youth with disabilities from secondary school to early adulthood. Data were collected for more than 8,000 special education students, ages 13-21. The study design involved a survey of…

This resource guide reflects, largely through statistical information, the status of health care in rural New York State. It is divided into five sections: (1) Demographics, Socioeconomics, and Technology; (2) Client Needs; (3) Provider Needs; (4) Designing an Integrated Rural Health System; and (5) Developing a Rural Health System for New York…

The traditional multiple-choice reading comprehension test of English as a second language, used in the Dutch school-leaving examinations, has been criticized for its apparent lack of construct validity. The Dutch National Institute for Educational Measurement has conducted a number of studies to determine whether there is a different skill…

A study of one grade cohort of students taught in a Chicago Mastery Learning Reading (CMLR) Program was extended to two additional cohorts, one older and one younger than the original group but who were taught using the same method. The students' reading comprehension test scores were compared with those of students in other schools, not taught by…

A workbook for financial self-assessment of small, private colleges is presented, along with information on the field testing stage. Eight small private colleges helped develop the workbook, which is intended to assist trustees, presidents, and business officers evaluate financial strengths and weaknesses of the school. Included is a checklist of…

The U.S. Department of Education presents the first edition of what will be an ongoing series of collected statistical charts and graphs providing a long-term and comprehensive perspective on the well-being of youth. The longitudinal data, which begins in 1950, when possible, is presented with a minimum of interpretation. The report is organized…

Poverty data released by the U. S. Census Bureau indicates no significant progress toward reducing the poverty rate during a period of economic recovery. The 1986 poverty rate of 13.6 percent remains significantly higher than anytime in the 1970s. Minority group children represent the largest age group of the poverty population. The sluggish…