Participant observation, one of the fieldwork techniques of ethnography, requires a definition of and delicate balance between the roles of participant and observer and a clear understanding of the involvement of the researcher in these two roles. Ethnography is the study of the geographical distribution of people and their relation to their…

In the introduction to this monograph on the workshop as an effective educational function for inservice teachers, the need for inservice education is discussed as well as the particular value of workshops in meeting that need. The historical background of workshops is outlined in the second chapter, including selected definitions of workshops and…

This paper is a reaction to the "Standards for Evaluations of Educational Programs, Projects and Materials," focusing on the applicability of these standards. The evaluation of programs almost without exception deals with the evaluation of change of programs, taking the form of comparative studies, and being valued according to how the…

Data on the intrinsic characteristics of an educational program are essential in pilot testing new programs in order to determine how successfully design components have achieved their intended purpose. At the outset of an evaluation of such data, it is necessary to define the evaluator's role and determine what intrinsic information will be…

Designed for use by Michigan community colleges wishing to conduct a self-study of their occupational programs, this manual provides step-by-step instructions and instrumentation for implementing the Program Review in Occupational Education (PROE) model. PROE is a component of the Michigan Community College Occupational Education Evaluation System…

The purpose of this paper is to critique Stallings' 1975 evaluation of Project Follow Through (PFT) in order to examine methodological issues inherent in evaluation research. Following a summary of the objectives, methods, and conclusions of Stallings' study, the critique focuses on four elements of research evaluation: internal validity, external…

Intended for geography students, professors, and researchers, this publication deals with the process of political redistricting and shows how geographers can help devise plans that are responsible to office-holders, to voters, to legitimate community interests, and to a sense of territorial integrity. There are eight chapters. Chapter 1 examines…

The purposes of this paper are (1) to describe background and current content of the Agenda for the United States Department of Education's assessment of the Chapter 2 block grant; (2) to stimulate discussion of the structure and approaches proposed; and (3) to solicit ideas and comments from state, local and university researchers. To meet these…

Educational item banking presents observers with a considerable paradox. The development of test items from scratch is viewed as wasteful, a luxury in times of declining resources. On the other hand, item banking has failed to become a mature technology despite large amounts of money and the efforts of talented professionals. The question of which…

This paper reports on a study designed to assess the impact of problems in the system for the evaluation of student performance on student disengagement from high school. The study is guided by the theory of evaluation and authority developed by Dornbusch and Scott. Surveys administered to a 5 percent sample of students (N=293) in four suburban…

Results indicate that both programmed instruction and conventional text instruction could be effective in contributing significantly to the geography achievement of pupils, with programmed instruction being more effective in producing greater achievement in and more favorable attitudes towards map reading. (Author/AM)

Results showed that students high on internal locus of control performed better under low discipline classroom conditions, while high external control students performed better under high discipline classroom conditions. Data indicated that students assigned to a preferred discipline condition showed greater satisfaction than those who were not.…

Early research indicates that a new supervisory program, interaction modeling, is effective; a learning process, rather than a theory being taught, interaction modeling is adaptable. Described are the program itself and several evaluation studies which have been conducted. Illustrations include tables of data and a typical interaction modeling…

Investigated the learning of young and old adults as related to two variables, stimulus concreteness (low vs. high) and presentation method (recall vs. multiple choice vs. associate matching). Main findings were: (a) the elderly did not perform as well as young adults, (b) for both groups, performance was better for the pairs with concrete…

Describes a peer method of teaching writing at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York. (RB)