A control factor for studies of high school peer influence on college aspiration was used. Previous estimates of high school peer influence on college aspirations have used peer similarity as an indicator of peer influence but have neglected to control for peers' initial similarity in aspirations at the beginning of their friendships. Longitudinal…

An outline is presented of the design of the followup surveys of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). The NLS is an extensive study of the educational, vocational, and personal development of high school graduates, and the personal, familial, social, institutional, and cultural factors that contribute to that…

The National Institute of Education (NIE) had commissioned an evaluation project of certain postsecondary programs for nontraditional students that would involve decision makers in the core of the design activity. This report discusses the conflict that emerged between NIE and the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education (CRDHE) and…

Conclusions one would make from looking at average faculty salaries in a specific department were compared with those conclusions evolving from a regression analysis of the same salaries. The standard salary study does little more than report the average salary associated with each faculty rank within each department, while a regression study…

Part of a series of investigations undertaken at the University of Leiden by Dr. G. A. Kohnstamm to investigate how children process information from audiovisual media, particularly television, this literature review maps out the educational possibilities of television for children up to the age of 12. Research findings reviewed are concerned…

This document presents an attempt to evaluate the benefits of Movement Plus, a program of physical recreation for elderly persons, designed to address the social, biological, and psychological dimensions of aging. The setting for the evaluation is described as a home for the aged which housed 96 elderly women. Research problems involved in…

A study was conducted to determine the extent and nature on non-respondent bias in the follow-up survey in 1981 of Michigan secondary vocational education students from the class of 1980. The response rate to the annual survey has been approximately 76 percent in past years, yet there remains a significant non-response bias potential. This study,…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of information among research and planning professionals, this journal presents articles on institutional research studies and practices. In "The President's Forum," Mantha Mehallis focuses on the changing role of research evaluation and planning in community colleges. Next, Linda Greer, in her article,…

Among the variables contributing to the therapeutic relationship between counselor and client, empathy has received much attention in counseling process research. Most of this research has relied on brief segments as a sampling unit; seldom have these segments been compared with entire counseling sessions. Segments of sessions and entire sessions…

A review of literature relevant to equal educational opportunity is presented in order to support an argument for the use of normative models in educational research. The literature review shows that confusion over the 1966 Coleman Report was due to a mismatch between the implied reform objective of the report and its statistical approach. The…

The effectiveness of schools and the levels of investment in schooling have been in question since the 1966 Coleman report "Equality of Educational Opportunity." Based on a theory of "knowledge-ability," this study challenges the assumption that given "inputs" will yield equivalent effects or "outputs." In…

Practical information is provided, in a question and answer format, for community college officials who are planning to conduct a community needs assessment. A brief discussion of the usefulness of needs assessment surveys to the college planning process is followed by descriptions of eight steps to be followed in planning and conducting a survey:…

The research on work and retirement attitudes is discrepant; some studies report a positive relationship between work attitudes and retirement attitudes, while other investigations find a negative or no relationship. Anticipated work changes and work and retirement attitudes were examined to determine patterns of withdrawal from occupational roles…

Perspectives on interdisciplinary research are considered in terms of project planning, the choice of problem-solving approach, the research field, project organization, informal organization, and integration of knowledge. Interdisciplinary studies were investigaged through following a number of research projects by means of field trips,…

The findings and 13 recommendations of a NSF Advisory Council task force that evaluated universities as centers of basic research are presented. Listed are the major strengths of universities as centers for basic research (including continuity and tradition, freedom of research, interactions among disciplines) and such threats to their viability…