A pilot study of the use of an investigative journalism document-tracking procedure in the evaluation of library operations is discussed. The technique provides a straightforward but powerful method of evaluation that is equally applicable in simple studies and complex investigations. (Author/AL)

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system was used to identify 1,734 documents on program evaluation methodology. Attempts to further characterize these documents by subject were only partially successful because of the lack of sufficient depth of indexing and design constraints of the computer system. Attempts to characterize…

Occasionally novice evaluators of educational products do not recognize the full scope of their jobs and may feel that there isn't much to do because a product prototype won't be ready for some time. This brief dialogue attempts to illustrate that there are many things an evaluator can do before he or she sees a product--perhaps even too much.…

Evaluation as a discipline requires knowledge based on: empirical evidence; public verification; and usefulness in various settings and contexts. Activities which aid in accumulating this knowledge include: compliance with federal requirements; critiques and secondary data analyses; impact and use studies; comparative field studies; and…

With the theory that social and personal values influence the conduct of evaluation studies in education, the author discusses the impact of two major sources of such values--contextual factors, including political, social and organizational influences; and the terminology, models, and personal values of evaluators. Alternative purposes for an…

Heads of evaluation units in 21 state education agencies responded to a structured telephone interview about their unit's workload, evaluation methods, and associated problems and needs. Time committed to evaluation ranged from 10% to 100% and did not relate to staff size which ranged from 1-72. Eleven states contracted some of their evaluations.…

This report provides an illustrative discussion of the nature of a cost-effectiveness study in a higher education setting. It focuses on the cost-effectiveness of two field-based teacher preparation courses taught in a college of education. It is not a comprehensive cost analysis study, but an exploratory review of the dimensions and problems of…

Path analysis, a technique related to multiple regression analysis is used for ascribing causal relationships among variables. Path analysis involves the construction of explicitly formulated causal models and makes the reasoning explicit in the form of path diagrams and structural equations. Regression analysis is then used to construct path…

This article discusses four basic types of cost analysis methods in educational evaluation. The results of a national survey of all evaluation units in state departments of education are reported. Evidence on the amount and types of cost analysis activities done for evaluation purposes in state education agencies is provided. (DWH)

This report provides evidence on the amount and types of cost analysis activities currently done in educational evaluation. The results of three studies undertaken to document the actual use of cost methods are discussed. The first study is a review of cost studies conducted in health evaluation. The second study examines all cost studies…

Two alternative programs for students seeking secondary school teacher certification were compared for cost effectiveness. The most pronounced difference between individuals majoring in education and non-majors seeking teacher certification while completing degree requirements in their chosen field is the number of required semester hours of…

Over 30 professional evaluators in five state departments of education and 5 large school districts were interviewed periodically over a 10-month period in 1982 to find out how the Education Consolidation Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA) was affecting program evaluation activities. Preliminary findings on the impact of ECIA Chapter 1 (compensatory…