Rapid assessments are useful methods for engaging stakeholders, standardizing monitoring activities and supporting later planning stages. This article proposes to extend rapid assessment methods into 'rapid environmental planning' and to use it for the education of planning professionals. For the assessment stage, the pressure-state-response model…

Existing methods for collecting and analyzing nasality data are problematic for linguistic fieldworkers: aerodynamic equipment can be expensive and difficult to transport, and acoustic analyses require large amounts of optimally-recorded data. In this paper, a highly mobile and low-cost method is proposed. By connecting low impedance earbuds into…

Despite recent emphasis on the use of randomized control trials (RCTs) for evaluating education interventions, in most areas of education research, observational methods remain the dominant approach for assessing program effects. Over the last three decades, the within-study comparison (WSC) design has emerged as a method for evaluating the…

This perspective paper describes the strategic development of evaluation and organizational learning programs focused on building core knowledge and skills at a university with high research activity. New program development allows academic leaders to introduce relevant and cutting-edge knowledge to students. Nevertheless, the program development…

We report on the implementation experience of carrying out data collection and other activities for a public health evaluation study on whether U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) investment improved utilization of health services and health system strengthening in Uganda. The retrospective study period focused on the PEPFAR…

Conducting field-based research with teacher participants can be difficult, particularly in the area of recruiting teacher participants and retaining them in the study. This case study will give readers an example the Trials One research team experienced when attempting to recruit a large number of in-service special education teachers to assist…

Library and Information Studies (LIS) faculty members responded to a survey of their opinions on the use, advantages, and disadvantages of a variety of end of program assessments (EPAs) in LIS master's programs. Portfolio was the most widely preferred top choice for EPAs, but opinions ranged from preference for no EPA to preference for a…

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the 2009 food package changes for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on the availability of healthful food. Design: Survey of all food stores in the study area before and after the changes were implemented. Setting: Two low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia, 1…

In 2 quasi-experimental field studies in a real-life physical education (PE) setting, the authors investigated whether the interest-enjoyment and vitality of Greek pupils (age range, 10-12 years) varied from class to class as a function of the class-to-class variation in the manipulated motivational environment (Studies 1 and 2) and pupils'…

A case study is presented of embedding research in a final year undergraduate, field-based, physical geography module. The approach is holistic, whereby research-based learning activities simulate the full life cycle of research from inception through to peer review and publication. The learning, teaching and assessment strategy emphasizes the…

Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) have been widely used in field experiments treating a cluster of individuals as the unit of randomization. This study focused particularly on situations where CRTs are accompanied by a common complication, namely, treatment noncompliance or, more generally, intervention nonadherence. In CRTs, compliance may be…

Fifty managers and leaders of business and industry participated in a 2-year qualitative study to identify the elements of organizational culture (OC) that were most salient and potent in their judgment. These discussions provided the foundation for developing a multi-scale, self-administered survey of organizational culture (SOC). The SOC was…

A field study of a naturally functioning group (N=125) was conducted to identify common group problems. Trained observers attended group meetings and described the problems encountered. Difficulties of cohesion, leadership, sub-group formation, and personality conflict were identified. (RC)

The use of computers as an aid to instruction is increasing along with the amounts of time, effort, and resources needed to implement computer-based education (CBE) in higher education. The proliferation of instructional computer applications in the classroom necessitates the development of a system for evaluating CBE as it is used in the…

Investigated use of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) as an informational input mechanism into the formulation of a Solar Energy Plan. Data collected from a questionnaire indicated that the NGT was rated as being a highly effective mechanism providing input into the solar energy planning process. (Author/RC)