This study developed and evaluated the utility of a Windows CE-based multimedia palmtop computer program for use in supporting young adults with mental retardation to more independently complete community-based vocational skills. Use of the Visual Assistant prototype resulted in improved task accuracy and decreased use of external prompts from a…

A community food security movement has begun to address problems of hunger and food insecurity by utilizing a community-based approach. Although various models have been implemented, little empirical research has assessed how power operates within community-based food security initiatives. The purpose of this research was to determine how power…

A survey investigated the extent to which mid-level managers in community colleges used influence tactics. Survey respondents (N=208) reported on a variety of influence behaviors, categorized into nine influence dimensions (rational, consultation, inspiration, ingratiation, legitimating, exchange, coalition, personal, and pressure). Analysis of…

Since the inaugural meeting of the Southeastern Association of Community College Research in 1975, the research conducted at community colleges, as well as the issues facing researchers, have remained fairly constant. Research has been consistently understaffed and the themes of research have tended to focus on relating student progress to…

This paper examines the educational systems of Bulgaria and Romania, as compared to the educational environment in an English as a Second Language (ESL) department at Delgado Community College (Louisiana). The document interweaves vignettes of personal experiences gained while in those two countries with those as an instructor in the United…

This directory is a compendium of over 600 scholars and educators in a range of disciplines throughout the United States who are actively involved in research or teaching of rural issues. It is intended as a resource for those individuals and for other professionals, providing access to one another and aiding a multi-disciplinary approach to rural…

This paper discusses the role that the Office of Institutional Research and Strategic Planning played in providing data support, planning, and cohesiveness as Utah Valley Community College worked to become Utah Valley State College. The two tier model adopted at Utah Valley State College aspires to describe a cost-effective four-year college with…

The reluctance of the Southeast to increase educational spending is closely linked to the region's lagging behind the rest of the nation in quality of education and hence in overall standard of living. Six "myths" about educational spending, widely held in the Southeast, are here addressed: (1) That educational expenditures, worthwhile…

Despite widespread indifference or resistence to the idea, communication scientists need to discuss the ethical implications of their research. Fortunate in being able to conduct research, scientists are responsible to and for the larger population in whose names they do their work. They need to realize that such traditional research areas and…

Community-based educational programs for older adults are difficult to evaluate due to randomization and control factors. In order to investigate, under a quasi-experimental research design, the contribution of an educational program on retirement issues to participants' quality of life, and to study the program enrollment patterns, 21 people…

Designed to help institutional researchers transform data into useful information, this paper discusses principles for presenting research results to administrators in the top levels of management. The first section describes ten fundamental principles of data presentation: knowing what information is needed; knowing when the information is…

A report of research conducted in Tianjin, People's Republic of China (September 1981-January 1982) describes and analyses changes in family structure, marriage, post-marital residence, and fertility in a neighborhood of factory workers over a 50-year period. Social and economic changes such as delayed marriage, increased access to education, and…

Middle school curriculum development in the Netherlands is following two divergent paths, and the central government should bring about unification. This paper describes change in administrative dominance of curriculum and management of curriculum programs since 1975, analyzes outcomes, and recommends unification. After program initiation,…

Key concepts for building a needs assessment information system are discussed (i.e., need, needs assessment, management, and information system). For the areas of basic or general education, recreation/leisure, and work, a chart illustrates kinds of needs (i.e., normative, felt, expressed, comparative, and anticipated). Three aspects of needs…

The Research, Planning and Development Office of Milwaukee Area Technical College has developed a program evaluation procedure that quantitatively assesses 13 variables considered to be important indicators of program viability. These variables are used in three separate stages of the program evaluation: program monitoring, in-depth program…