Offers an overview of trends and issues in student tracking, including methods of collecting data, determining which data should be gathered, obtaining follow-up data, and using results to inform decisions about institutional planning and improvement. (DMM)

Data on survey methodology employed in follow-up surveys of graduates was collected, via questionnaire, from 226 teacher education programs. Response rates correlated significantly with number of attempts to reach graduates. Other variables included questionnaire length, postage provisions, use of incentives, response deadline, and personalization…

Describes situations in which children developed mathematical concepts through processes of sorting and classifying, comparing, measuring, matching with one-to-one correspondence, and enumerating. Data were gathered while observing informal discourse, during sharing sessions, and in a reading session. (MKR)

Describes the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program that aims at involving K-12 students in significant data collection and analysis which are then entered into a widely accessible World Wide Web site for use by other students, teachers, and researchers. Provides an invaluable base for developing a better…

Presents mathematics activities in which students try to discover as many patterns as possible using blocks in three colors. Includes reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

Describes steps involved in developing and producing multimedia CD-ROMs. Topics discussed include planning; incorporating a variety of types of data; selecting data formats; selecting software; problems; replication issues; data preparation; and CD-ROM as an alternative to paper copies of conference proceedings. (LRW)

Provides a framework to describe the variability between negative auxiliaries in predicative constructions based on a quantitative analysis of data collected on African American vernacular English. Results indicate that, with the possible exception of the negative present variation, the alternations all belong to one underlying system. (56…

This article discusses the importance of conducting an initial needs assessment as part of gifted program development. The paper describes data collection concerning the general student body, gifted population, school district personnel, school and school district, physical setting, economic factors, community, and national and state gifted…

An empirical study of the speech act of definition in science lectures found that definitions signposted the logical/discourse structure of the lecture, helped to maintain comprehension as discourse progressed, and were often clustered together in discourse. (14 references) (Author/CB)

Notes that continuing progress in developing empirical information on different facets of long-term care service use has been possible because of improvements in design of data sets. Highlights some observations about progress in development of long-term care data and relationship between policy questions in long-term care and design of relevant…

Assessment of college teaching is viewed broadly as the gathering of information for understanding and improving teaching as well as judging its quality. It is seen to play a crucial support role at each stage of instructional development: problem clarification, instructional design/redesign, and field testing and implementation. (MSE)

Reviewed 319 doctoral theses in educational administration completed at the University of Alberta between 1958 and 1990. The proportion of descriptive studies increased whereas the proportion of relational studies declined. The proportion of studies using case study strategies, interviews, and multiple methods of data collection also increased.…

A method is presented for determining the optimal number of conditions to use in measurement designs when resource constraints are imposed. The method is illustrated using a multivariate two-facet design, and extensions to other designs are discussed. (SLD)

Discusses conceptual and methodological issues in quantitative research studies in social work where subjects come from a variety of cultural backgrounds but where ethnicity is not the main variable under study. Addresses the following aspects of multicultural research: problem definition, methodology, data collection procedure, data analysis, and…

A discussion of the use of computerized spreadsheets for recording and analyzing college students' grades looks at a variety of issues of concern in any evaluation situation (data collection and control, allocating grades, checking consistency, analyzing relationships between items of assessment and grades), and illustrate them with examples from…