Preliminary guidelines are presented to provide a methodology for conducting user studies in the information field, particularly in developing countries. Topics covered include: user needs in planning a national information system; the identification of user groups; the design and organization of user studies, including background research survey…

Techniques and procedures for conducting graduate follow-up surveys are summarized. Initial considerations include: survey objectives, standardization of questions, differentiating follow-ups from alumni campaigns, those who need the information, those who have responsibility for the survey, and various populations to be surveyed. Specific issues…

This manual provides guidelines, practical suggestions, and technical information for conducting a comprehensive child development needs survey, primarily at the county or multi-county level. Included are: (1) general guidelines, (2) a 37-item needs assessment survey form and (3) appendices concerning (a) sample selection, (b) interviewer…

This manual is intended to improve both the design of longitudinal studies and analysis of the resulting data. Issues related to educational and developmental research have been emphasized in these eight chapters. Topics of particular interest to longitudinal researchers include stochastic models of developmental change, mathematical…

This paper discusses the utility of an ethnographic method that incorporates various participant observation techniques in providing information about family television viewing. It presents arguments for a naturalistic case study approach focusing on family-media interaction and suggests three methods of data collection: interviews and followups;…

In this manual, both methodological and practical guidelines for conducting field research in urban desegregated schools are discussed. Strategies for negotiating access to and studying all participants in the educational system (students, teachers, administrators, other personnel, and parents) are suggested. Fieldwork styles, philosophies, and…

As part of a continuing project of language analysis, SURC presents its final manual. This manual is an explanation of the procedures used to collect and analyze data for this project. After explaining the theory and application of the methodology, the manual discusses specific problems encountered in the design, administration, and analysis of…

Designed to assist the teacher in introducing a unit on research and experimentation into his/her industrial arts program, this manual provides information for adoption to both classroom instruction and laboratory activities, and a student workbook. The instructor's section includes (1) What is Research? (2) Importance of Research and…

Describes search strategies and vocabulary selection for researching information on Native Americans using DIALOG databases as examples. Highlights include tribal names search strategy; examples of false drops; revised search strategies for full-text databases; Internet sources, including various software systems; and CD-ROM products about Native…

Collaborative action research, conducted by teams of practitioners, is a process that enables teachers: (1) to improve student learning, (2) to improve their own practice, (3) to contribute to the development of their own profession, and (4) to overcome the isolation commonly experienced by classroom teachers. By promoting collegial relationships…

This manual is designed to aid observers in the classroom in the use of an observation form entitled "The Student-Level Observation of Beginning Reading," which focuses on the content of instructional activities in reading at the individual student level. Instructions are provided on how to identify a set of behaviors such as direct and indirect…

Project FOLLOW-UP was conducted to develop, test, and validate a statewide management information system for follow-up of Texas public junior and community college students. The results of this project was a student information system (TEX-SIS) consisting of seven subsystems: (1) Student's Educational Intent, (2) Nonreturning Student Follow-up,…

This document discusses the unique features and philosophy of the community college, and ways of maximizing community and college interpenetration. The central section of the report deals with the role of needs assessment in community education. The concept of needs assessment espoused herein stresses continuation and community participation as…

Intended to inform administrators of vocational-technical education programs, and other interested persons, what the state of the art is in producing and using employment projections for educational planning purposes, this essay focuses on labor market concepts which should be used, but are now frequently abused, in the development and operation…

The purpose of this handbook is to document a procedure for obtaining information about the interest of people for additional job training. (The procedure will result in a set of tables providing information on interest in job training for use in planning educational programs. It is designed to be flexible enough for use in areas as small as…