When studying mathematics, students often ask the age-old question, "When will I ever use this in my future?" The activities described in this article demonstrate for students a process that brings the power of mathematical reasoning to bear on a difficult decision involving multiple criteria that is sure to resonate with the interests of many of…

The idea of using mathematical research in the classroom to collect real data has been spoken about within education for many years. The question is, why should teachers bother with real data from their students' worlds and how do they actually put it into practice in the classroom? When using the mathematical research strategy for collecting,…

A new and unified approach to test equating is described that is based on log-linear models for smoothing score distributions and on the kernel method of nonparametric density estimation. The new method contains both linear and standard equipercentile methods as special cases and can handle several important equating data collection designs. An…

Computer task automation is part of the natural progression of encoding information. This thesis considers the automation process to be a question of whether it is possible to automatically learn the encoding based on the behavior of the system to be described. A variety of representation languages are considered, as are means for the learner to…

The Project on State-Level Child Outcomes is designed to assist states and other groups to improve the measurement of child outcomes in state welfare evaluations and in other state data systems. This report summarizes a meeting of the 12 states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont,…

This report compares three approaches to descriptive research, focusing on the kinds of descriptions developed and on the methods used to develop the descriptions. The main emphasis in all three approaches is on verbal data. In these approaches the importance of interpretation and its intuitive nature are emphasized. The three approaches, however,…

New estimates are offered for each Southwestern region for 1850, the Southwest as a whole, and the entire United States. (NQ)

The Experimental Ecological Reserves Project has begun a comprehensive attempt to inventory the Nation's environmental research sites in preparation for establishing a network. This network will provide opportunities for long-term, manipulative, ecological research and establish an ecological data base. (BT)

Article provided some recent statistics on educational levels completed by adults 25 and over in 1974 and compared them to those of 1940. (RK)

The main concern of this study was the training of classroom teachers who could promote and sustain inquiry learning with children in elementary schools. (Author)

Will a combination of lecture plus teaching demonstrations produce better learning than when equivalent information is presented through lecture alone? The present field experiment directly addressed this question. (Author)

Questionnaire and interview methods are described as reactive because when these methods are used, the participant's reactions to the research process may influene his or her responses. Nonreactive methodology refers to unobtrusive methods of collecting data in which participant reaction to the process of data collection does not interfere with…

Evaluators, by the nature of their work, must be concerned with data management activities ranging from the collection and recording of data to the analyses, summation, and presentation of those data. Though word processing has been cited as the most frequently used microcomputer package by educational evaluators, spreadsheets are among the most…

This study was a preliminary step in gathering reliable data on suicides and suicide attempts in Padua, Italy. Data were collected from the first aid department of the Padua general hospital, 67 general practitioners in the city, staff of a night-time and holiday home-call medical service, the reanimation department of the Padua general hospital,…

In response to Congressional requests, this report describes the extent of Hispanic American health and nutrition data available from federal sources. Oversampling of a minority group by a national survey is necessary for valid analysis of group characteristics. Among the four national health and nutrition surveys conducted by the Department of…