Introduces this special volume whose purpose it is to encourage the further development of qualitative study as a way of increasing the diversity of the field, thus increasing the sources of insight and discovery. (Author/IRT)

Addresses the issues and problems in analysis of qualitative data through a review of experiences in a four-year project that relied centrally on such data. Asserts that the attractive aspects of qualitative research are real and that the nuisances can be reduced by thoughtful methodological inquiry. (Author/IRT)

Describes a systematic approach for determining how much energy teachers will use in record keeping tasks associated with individualized instruction systems. Evaluates the information benefits that are important enough to warrant investment of teacher record keeping time. (Author/RK)

Licensure and certification decisions are usually based on a chain of inference from results of a practice analysis to test specifications, the test, examinee performance, and a pass-fail decision. This article focuses on the design of practice analyses and translation of practice analyses results into test specifications. (SLD)

Outlines recent organizational and programmatic changes within the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative, including a data feedback system of institutional indicators; a persistence/completion methodologies dictionary; state information data initiatives; briefing papers; and the maintenance and enhancement of ANSWERS, a Web-based tool that…

Reports on a study funded by the National Archives and Records Administration to collect information on federal employees' views and perceptions on 20 information collection topics pertaining to records creation, maintenance, use, and disposition. Discusses situational factors and the development of records management policies and guidelines.…

Explores factors in the history of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) that have contributed to the positive response of the digital library and information community toward version 2 of the OAI Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. Factors include focus on a defined problem statement, an operational model in which strong leadership is balanced with…

The MetaScholar Initiative is a collaborative endeavor to explore the feasibility and utility of scholarly portal services developed in conjunction with Open Archives Initiative metadata harvesting technologies. This article describes two projects that the MetaScholar Initiative comprises, as well as accomplishments and findings to date. (AEF)

Describes the use of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Protocol for Metadata Harvesting in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Science Digital Library (NSDL). Describes the implementation experience and early practical tests. The overall conclusion is optimism that the OAI will be a successful part of the NSDL. (Author/AEF)

Observation of 12 outstanding service-sector leaders showed how they use theories of employee learning to guide collection of information that they use to achieve the intellectual transformation of the work force. Notes that their success also depends on their ability to motivate and raise employee self-confidence. (SK)

Presents a selective review of research based on the Internet, using bibliometric and informetric methods and tools. Highlights include data collection methods on the Internet, including surveys, logging, and search engines; and informetric analysis, including citation analysis and content analysis. (Contains 78 references.) (Author/LRW)

Reports on Counting on Results, a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that developed and tested tools to standardize and simplify the collection of outcome data from public library patrons. Discusses results of questionnaires that addressed "Planning for Results" service responses. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the need to reconceptualize early childhood education assessment in terms of the sociocultural theories that inform teaching and learning. Examines sociocultural approaches to assessment, considering assessment tools and the type of data they would gather. (JPB)

Describes the development of a pilot uniform data set (UDS) intended to serve as the primary data collection mechanism for all grants and standard cooperative agreements funded by the U.S. Office of Minority Health. The UDS is the product of a formative research project with implications for other program evaluations. (SLD)

Examines the effectiveness of the use of monetary incentives in mail survey data collection. Monetary incentives produces higher rates of return compared to mailings in which nonmonetary or no incentives are provided. The use of monetary incentives is more cost effective than other types of incentives and may be particularly valuable when…