The focus of the session summarized in this paper was on how postsecondary educational institutions can better anticipate the future of higher education by using the "alternative futures approach to planning" model. The alternative futures model processes the best available information obtainable so that plausible alternative futures in…

Basic and practical information on how to do opinion surveys and how to apply the information gathered for use in student recruitment, public relations, and other advancement programs is presented. In addition, 12 sample questionnaires are included that have helped colleges and universities measure the opinions of alumni, students, faculty/staff,…

This guide from the Public Libraries Association (PLA) describes a planning process to be used by individual library systems to establish their own standards appropriate to local conditions and needs; design strategies to reach those needs; and inaugurate a planning cycle that involves continuous monitoring of progress and regular adjustment of…

A model of student persistence that considers the role of student finances and student financial aid was investigated in 1980, with a focus on federal campus-based aid. Linear Structural Relations (LISREL), a more versatile technique than traditional path analysis, accounted for 42 percent of the variance in the persistence of 343 new freshmen…

This report presents findings of a national mail survey of school principals conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in Spring 1982 to assess recent changes in computer availability and to obtain data about instructional uses and needs from the school perspective. Results are reported for the following topics addressed by…

Stepwise discriminant analysis coupled with logit regression analysis of freshmen data from Brandon University (Manitoba) indicated that six tested variables drawn from research on university dropouts were useful in predicting attrition: student status, residence, financial sources, distance from home town, goal fulfillment, and satisfaction with…

Step-by-step description of the community analysis and survey project undertaken by Grande Prairie Public Library (Alberta, Canada) includes discussion of use of American Library Association's "Planning Process for Public Libraries" as a guideline for designing staff, citizen, and user surveys. Statement of revenue and expenses (1982) is…

Examines results of questionnaire given to library science graduate students over three-year period to determine why they chose librarianship as a career. Personal contact by librarians and school-specific factors (geographic proximity, reputation) are discussed and implications for recruitment of diverse and qualified applicants to library…

This paper offers a survey developed as part of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's Professional Development Study. Most of the questions in this survey were tested with 100 adult education and literacy teachers in the New England area; a few changes have been made to this version to correct poorly worded questions…

Although action research in education offers researchers and practitioners a clear and philosophically appealing way of making improvements, fostering learning, and developing the individual and the organization, adherents sometimes find themselves defending this type of research because it has been practiced without appropriate rigor. This book…

This book addresses issues related to teen mothers and schooling, examining how teen mothers have become scapegoats for social anxieties, how schools respond to these stigmatized students, and what helps/hinders the success of schools attempting to form more inclusive settings for teen mothers. The book links an ethnographic study of two schools…

This paper presents principles that should be considered in planning and interpreting studies of outcomes of interventions with children receiving mental health services. Principles to consider when planning outcome studies include recognizing that "outcome" refers to multiple rather than single domains and choosing outcome domains that…

Examines the role of teacher effects in mastery-learning research. A review of the literature reveals the following: (1) failure to control for teacher effects; (2) tendency to redefine teaching as managing; and (3) tendency to reduce teaching from a professional to a technical field. (Author/BJV)

Reports on a comparative study of the undergraduate sociology curriculum in 36 U.S. and 38 English Canadian institutions. Finds that Canadian schools more closely resemble the European sociology curriculum by emphasizing sociological theory. Contends that U.S. schools emphasize research methods in the context of a liberal arts program. (CFR)

Reviews and describes different versions of feminism and postmodernism. Reviews the current debate about the challenges that the two sets of theories offer to traditional epistomologies. Concludes with suggestions about the influence of feminism and postmodernism on educational research. (CFR)