Education researchers use surveys widely. Yet, critics question respondents' ability to provide high-quality responses. As schools increasingly use student surveys to drive local policy making, respondents' (lack of) motivation to provide quality responses may threaten the wisdom of using questionnaires for data-based decision making. To better…

Described is a project studying adult education policy in Colorado which suggested that skepticism about opinion studies is unwarranted and that thoughtful judgments regarding complex matters can be solicited at low cost from members of the public and special interest groups, without heightening potential for conflict or risking unreasonable…

The first of two reports in this document details the use of a trial teletext service in residential Washington, D.C. during the second half of 1981. It is emphasized that caution must be exercised in interpreting the results since the trial was designed as a pilot with a sample of only 40 households. In addition, there were significant technical…

This survey was conducted to provide the National Science Foundation with baseline information on current computer use in the nation's major research universities, including the actual and potential use of supercomputers. Questionnaires were sent to 207 doctorate-granting institutions; after follow-ups, 167 institutions (91% of the institutions…

This research project estimated migrant and seasonal agricultural workers in four Midwestern States in 1988, using the Public Health Service's definitions of such workers. Researchers collected federal agricultural data and state reports on migrant education programs and crop patterns, and considered other potential data sources. Numerous…

Quality measures were originally developed for research aimed at describing the settings that children spend time in and identifying the characteristics of these environments that contribute to children's development. They were also developed to guide improvements in practice. Increasingly, however, measures of quality are being used for further…

This report details the design and results of a study commissioned by the California State Library to describe the everyday information needs of California citizens in the context of three societal trends that impact the operation of libraries and all other human services that define information delivery as part of their mandate: (1) emergence of…

This volume contains 11 appendices to a user's manual that provides guidance and documentation for users of the public release data for the student component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The general aim of the NELS, a continuing long-term project, is to study the educational, vocational, and personal development…

A survey was conducted to identify the patterns of academic and administrative computer services in use--or planned for the near future--in small colleges and universities as they relate to such strategic policy areas as: (1) management/governance structure; (2) personnel-staff; (3) personnel-faculty; (4) academic computing; (5) library services;…

This report presents findings of a national mail survey of school principals conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in Spring 1982 to assess recent changes in computer availability and to obtain data about instructional uses and needs from the school perspective. Results are reported for the following topics addressed by…

This study is designed to identify the computer competencies that should be required of library/information studies (LIS) graduates of the Graduate School of Library Studies (GSLS) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The long term objective of the study is to provide information for the policy and planning of GSLS. The study examines how certain…

This paper offers a survey developed as part of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's Professional Development Study. Most of the questions in this survey were tested with 100 adult education and literacy teachers in the New England area; a few changes have been made to this version to correct poorly worded questions…

One of a series of annual studies undertaken by the Library Research Center for and on behalf of the Illinois State Library, this report provides a detailed, question-by-question examination of the 143 responses (84% of the 170 Illinois academic libraries polled) to the 1981/82 Higher Education General Information Survey/Library General…

Research was conducted to determine: (1) what school districts and schools do to encourage teachers to gain proficiency and use microcomputers in their teaching; (2) how teachers' microcomputer-based teaching practices respond to the actions of districts and schools; and (3) which district and school activities have the greatest incentive value…

This 1984-85 statistical survey of libraries at four-year colleges and universities, two-year colleges, law libraries, and miscellaneous academic institutions in the Pacific Northwest provides relevant data for comparison and inventory purposes. A total of 98 institutions responded to the questionnaire, which was administered by the Pacific…