This paper discusses different approaches to analyzing the internal control structure of organizations and describes a model interview structure that was developed for use in a longitudinal study of decision-making in 41 elementary schools. The model is designed to garner objective accounts of school decision-making through periodic interviews of…

This paper reports on initial efforts to develop and test a model which will account for the formation of communication structure in large organizations. Communication structure may be defined as those metric variables obtained from the quantitative analysis of communication network data. Communication networks may be defined as the patterns of…

A field study was conducted to determine whether a general systems model was applicable to an antipoverty agency. The primary criterion for auditing the effectiveness of such an agency was "communication adaptation." The uniqueness and universality of the methodology employed allowed for accurate auditing. Ideal and empirically-derived…

Concludes that if we do find ourselves in a situation of multiple paradigmatic perspectives on educational research, then it is not appropriate to think in the near future of there being a 'ground synthesis' of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. If the two major paradigms do exist as outlined here, and neither finds its present framework…

Argues that the loss-function analysis used to adjust the census of 1990 depends on estimating probable errors in census and adjustment and that data from field-validation projects does not provide estimates accurate enough for the purpose. The loss-function analysis is actually driven by assumptions, not data. (SLD)

This paper examines six alternative planning/implementation (P/I) models identified from a review of the literature and then discusses the empirical P/I models observed in operation at three field sites where groups are working to create new, nontraditional schools. Separate sections of the paper define and clarify the functions of P/I models,…

Reflects on the past three decades of increasing specialization and on the diverse conceptual frameworks guiding research in the field of educational administration. Describes heterogeneity among researchers, field-based research and policy studies, linkages across specialty areas, and key points of remaining articles. Fifty-three footnotes are…

Describes an empirical field study on synchronous cooperative distance learning carried out in a large software company. Topics include Web-based training that included a chat tool; analysis of group discourse that showed variations in learning processes; participant attitudes; amount of participation; and the need for effective instructional…

Laboratory simulations combine the strengths of lab experiments and field studies while avoiding many of their liabilities. They permit the emotional involvement, the time needed for development of norms and interlocked systems of interaction, and the broad range of variables typical of field settings, yet allow for experimental controls and…

With a view towards finding out whether teachers' practices were consistent with core American values, a field study investigated the interactions of four day care teachers and the children in their charge. Six months of participant observation led to the conceptualization of four features of teachers' schooling action accounting for their…

A review of the rationale and application of formative evaluation in a curriculum development context, this presentation focused on a formative evaluation model designed and field tested through recent industrial education curriculum research and development efforts. In reviewing the rationale for formative evaluation a distinction between…

This handbook, designed as a guide for new evaluators in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, provides an orientation to the "Discrepancy Evaluation Model" and a detailed outline of the administrative procedures necessary to conduct day-to-day activities in the first two stages of program evaluation. Guidelines for use during the first stage of…

The general purpose of an evaluation workshop is to orient school and state department of education personnel to the basic principles, procedures, and problems associated with evaluating educational programs and to the kinds of information an evaluation can provide for educational decision making. The workshop studied is based on the general…

Three aspects of educational research have hindered a truly scientific approach--artificially simple laboratory settings, a reliance on post hoc computer analysis, and the rule of the contract office. A more scientific setting might be created if three requirements are satisfied: (1) research should be carried out in life situations; (2) focus…

A teacher education program evaluation model incorporates six features: program modification; field-based perspective; longitudinal approach; involvement of all related program personnel; reliable and comprehensive data; and examination of importance or values as well as effectiveness. Operation of the model, reaction of participants and…