This paper examines possible explanations for the fact that evaluation results are rarely used. Most explanatory factors for use of results in decision making mentioned in the literature have been clustered in three categories of variables. They concern: (1) the making of decisions about the practical problem; (2) the way in which evaluation is…

This protocol explains the new system for assessing research quality at research universities located in the Netherlands. It discusses the legal and historical background for establishing a new system of quality determination in research, describes the essential aspects of the research assessment process and the particular tasks of…

Dutch television producers investigated methods of redesigning thematic educational broadcasts directed at independent adult learning. Results focused on context and image, content, form, and appeal to the audience. (Author/LRW)

Reviews how carrying capacity for different environmental problems is operationalized. Discusses whether it is possible to compare threats, using the exceeding of carrying capacity as a yardstick. Points out problems in comparative threat analysis using three case studies: threats to European groundwater resources, threats to ecosystems in Europe,…

Seventy-two children (ages 23-148 months) referred to an autism center in the Netherlands were administered the Psychoeducational Profile (PEP) and the Handicaps Behaviour and Skills Schedule (HBS). The correlation between the two instruments was higher than expected, and internal consistency of the subscales of the PEP and the HBS was…

Contends that young children have little experience in answering test questions and misunderstandings easily arise when they are subjected to tests. Reports on a study of the impact of testing expectations on 110 Dutch primary school students. Finds that clear explanations about the testing situation leads to better performance. (CFR)

This paper describes a study designed to test the generalizability of Holland's hexagonal model of vocational interest structure in a Chinese culture. It was hypothesized that the results of multidimensional scaling would support Holland's hexagonal model of vocational interests. The instrument used was the Chinese Vocational Interest Inventory.…

The university as an open system is addressed in 13 papers and 12 abstracts of papers from the 1983 forum of the European Association for Institutional Research. Topics are as follows: program review, analysis of faculty outcomes and characteristics, manpower planning in Dutch universities, adult education in the United Kingdom, outside funding,…

Examination of the history of use of performance indicators in three European national higher education systems (Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) suggests that their role at the national level is declining at the same time that institutions are moving toward more broad-based quality assessment strategies. (Author/MSE)

Reports results of Dutch study of presuppositions about teachers' diagnostic skills in determining school readiness. Lists a sequence of 5 different levels of functions and behaviors of 13 cognitive functions used in the study. Concludes that teachers accurately judged the cognitive levels of children who were shown less school ready by an…

Discusses a study of students' personality judgments of adults presented as teachers. Reports that judgments were factually structured and influenced by (1) the role played by the adults, and (2) the children's ages. Finds that younger children produced more positive judgments with dominant traits being described more positively. Concludes that…

The paper gives Dutch results and possible implications of three recently completed international evaluation studies. School subjects were mathematics and science at the grade levels 8 and 9 in more than 500 schools. Effect and efficiency of teaching and textbooks in different school types, opportunity to learn, and students' classroom…

The operational preparations for the Dutch national assessment program in education started in 1986. The program's aim is to periodically describe the contents of the curriculum in use and the attainment of 8-year-old and 11-year-old students on a national basis by means of surveys. In this paper some of the guiding principles in instrument…

This report presents details from an examination of the curricula and diplomas of the Electrical Engineering departments of several major European technical universities (in the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium). The examination, a process involving department representatives of the various schools who came together to…

Virtual environments are more and more used in primary schools. One of the most interesting potentialities of these environments is to foster cross-national applications. Yet, this specific feature is not fully exploited. This paper presents a successful virtual learning environment for primary education involving two European countries and…