This paper describes the challenges faced, and rules devised, while dealing with bilingual interview data as part of a life history study of a female science teacher's conceptions of the nature of science while teaching in a school in Karachi. The interview data generated was both in Urdu and English, which underwent a number of processes…

This study presents persistence and attrition data from two years of data collection. Over the eight quarters studied, the persistence rate in online courses was 79 percent. The persistence rate for similar onground courses was 84 percent. The drops for both course modalities were disaggregated by the "time" of the request for withdrawal: before…

This article examines an external evaluation of the quality assurance system at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) conducted by The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NOKUT). The external audit report along with internal reports provided by the seven faculties of the university served as the major…

This paper gives a detailed description of the needs analysis (NA) stage in the development of a set of English language intensive courses at a large Japanese industrial firm. The case study highlights the NA practices of using multiple sources and multiple methods in the data gathering stage and uses triangulation in order to validate results.…

This article discusses the assumptions required by the item response theory (IRT) true-score equating method (with Stocking & Lord, 1983; scaling approach), which is commonly used in the nonequivalent groups with an anchor data-collection design. More precisely, this article investigates the assumptions made at each step by the IRT approach to…

Despite over 10 years of reform efforts, research still shows that students typically have inadequate conceptions of what science is and what scientists do. Many science students, as well as some teachers, use a single "scientific method" that, "proves a hypothesis" by systematic data collection. By following a prescribed set of steps, and writing…

It is essential that before a school or district begins a classroom visitation program, everybody is clear about what to expect and what their role is to be in the process. The purpose of this article is to establish a typology of classroom visitations that might help schools and districts to achieve that clarity. Implemented well, each of the…

All evaluators face the challenge of striving to adhere to the highest possible standards of ethical conduct. Translating the AEA's Guiding Principles and the Joint Committee's Program Evaluation Standards into everyday practice, however, can be a complex, uncertain, and frustrating endeavor. Moreover, acting in an ethical fashion can require…

Children who experience traumatic bereavement in the context of catastrophic disasters are at increased risk for developing post-disaster problems. Despite massive loss of life on September 11th, 2001, no public data were collected on those children who lost a parent in the multiple terrorist attacks. Such a registry would be an important public…

There is a general lack of information about the economic impact of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly regarding adults and those with high-functioning ASD. In this study, the societal economic consequences of ASD were investigated using a sample of young high-functioning adults in need of employment support. A methodology for the…

This article analyzes the attraction of stimulation produced by a visuotactile sensory substitution device, which was designed to provide optical information to infants who are blind via a tactile modality. The device was first tested on sighted infants, to demonstrate that this type of stimulation on the abdomen is pleasant and rewarding in…

Describes sources of data about the community with emphasis on the products of the Census Bureau. (PF)

The effects on response rate of familiarity with survey sender was investigated in a study involving the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences faculty. The study was part of a mail survey of 3,467 citrus producers in 23 counties in Florida. Half (1,790) of the producers on the agricultural agent's mailing lists were…

This is a series of papers delivered at three National Symposia for Professionals in Evaluation and Research (NSPER) sessions in 1979. The agenda was the same at all sessions. The main topic was "Planning for the Evaluation of Teaching." The sessions were conducted in Charlotte, North Carolina; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Albuguerque, New…