This special issue's editors invited discussion of three broad questions. Slightly rephrased, they are: How well do self-report data represent theoretical constructs? How should analyses of data be conditioned by properties of self report data? In what ways do interpretations of self-report data shape interpretations of a study's findings? To…

As pressure builds to assess students, teachers, and schools, educational practitioners and policy makers are increasingly looking toward student perception surveys as a promising means to collect high-quality, useful data. For instance, the widely cited Measures of Effective Teaching study lists student perception surveys as one of the three key…

The REL Mid-Atlantic Webinar discussed the elements in a positive school climate and shared different methods for assessing school data, including the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory. The Q&A presented in this document address the questions participants had for Dr. Cohen following the webinar. The webinar recording and PowerPoint…

Tips for designing user-friendly online surveys that can collect valuable data via the World Wide Web include the following: edit the questions, pretest, title the survey, provide an introduction, develop screening questions, determine length, offer promotional tie-ins, include the "other" option, make "no response" the default, provide a "clear…

Envisages possible enhancements in labor force data collection, analysis, and dissemination, with expansion of both household and establishment surveys and greater use of administrative data. (Author)

In designing an institutional advancement survey, it is thought that the researcher must have a clear conception of the survey's purpose. The relationship of research to theory, the nature of the survey, data collection, and analysis and interpretation are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Describes the Community Concerns Report method for identifying local strengths, problems, and ideas for improving conditions. Presents an alternative to needs assessment and community survey techniques. (JOW)

Three goals must be met in order for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to improve the quality and utility of its data collection: (1) the choice of what to collect must be driven by the questions of interest to decisionmakers and the public; (2) procedures must insure validity and reliability of the data; and (3) the data must be…

One popular method of generating large quantities of social science research data is telephone research. The interviewer's communication skill is a critical factor in determining the reliability and validity of such research. The interviewer should have a clear, pleasant, and understandable voice; be able to read through the questions fluently;…

How social science theory and insight could be applied to understanding and resolving the issues surrounding misconduct in scientific research is discussed. Understanding why scientists break the norms of acceptable conduct may come when their survey responses are interpreted in the contexts of sociology and psychology. (SLD)

Provides a rationale for Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program evaluation, and discusses the development and use of the FLES Program Evaluation Inventory (FPEI). Questionnaires are provided for duplication, and step-by-step instructions are given for the administration, tabulation, and reporting of the five different forms.…

Provides an overview of the importance of user-based evaluations of networked information services; reviews data collection techniques that provide a user perspective when assessing networked information services, including focus groups, user logs, interviews, observation, and surveys; and offers practical suggestions and guidelines for using such…

Critiques an article by Virginia LoCastro that contrasted quantitative data (using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, or SILL) and qualitative data (using group interviews) and finds the conclusions drawn from the comparison unjustified on various grounds. A reply by LoCastro is included. (Contains a combined total of 20 references.)…

This document consists of four symposium papers each providing a critical examination of a particular data collection technique in vocational education research. Texts of the following presentations are provided: "Mail Survey Research," by Betty Heath-Camp; "The Telephone Interview as a Data Collection Technique," by James P. Key; "The Personal…

This report of a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) pilot project, which was carried out during 1982-84 in Khartoum (Sudan) to develop a vehicle for providing access to information on research in progress, describes: (1) the study that led to the conclusion that a national register of research projects was…