The methodology of interpretation of qualitative data was explored using a grounded theory approach to the synthesis of data, examining the construction of categories in particular. The focus is on ways of organizing data and attaching meaning, as research problems embedded in cultural context are explored. A qualitative research training task…

A series of national meetings with a professional working group were held to discuss data issues, needs, and priorities in order to determine national data needs for vocational education. The study team gathered detailed information on current federal-level data collection efforts relevant to vocational education. Local and state data collection…

Studying or finding out about children is exceptionally difficult--intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Physical, social, cognitive, and political distances between adult and the child make their relationship very different from the relationships among adults. This book explains the art and science of doing qualitative research involving…

In 1989 and 1990 the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to standing committees in the U.S. Congress identified and explored issues for consideration in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and Title IV programs. Through 18 months of information gathering the Committee uncovered three problem areas. The first problem is…

This brochure highlights the role of the school counselor in using educational research, and emphasizes the relationship between bias (racism and sexism) and past and present research. The tests counselors use, the ways test results are interpreted, and counseling techniques are all based on educational research. Counselors are cautioned to…

New roles for college institutional researchers in the area of data administration and management that have resulted from developments in computer technology are reviewed. These developments include easily accessed databases, user-friendly software, and powerful and inexpensive hardware. The growing demand for data, combined with a general lack of…

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes the official unemployment rate on the first Friday of each month based on a sample survey of 59,500 households called the Current Population Survey. Unemployment data for states and local areas are published monthly by the BLS in cooperation with the state employment security agencies. The primary…

The responses of U.S. students to a questionnaire that was attached to applications for the International Student Identity Card are presented and analyzed. The data were gathered in a study of the characteristics, attitudes, financial support, prior experience abroad, and study and travel arrangements of U.S. students going abroad. After an…

Reports the rationale, design, implementation, and results of an examination of the impact of online subject catalogs on users by comparing their behaviors before and after catalog installation. Evaluation criteria included volume of use, types of searches, use of other catalogs, search time, user satisfaction, and need for assistance. (CLB)

Trends in comparative education are analyzed in terms of attempts to collect and classify data more systematically and in terms of the contribution comparative education can make to understanding educational change. The growth in comparative education literature and the work of some non-governmental agencies are also discussed. (RM)

In this fact sheet, data is reported from the IEA Civic Education Study -- a two-phased study of 14- and 17-year olds' civic knowledge, attitudes and activities conducted in 29 countries in 1999 and 2000 with nationally representative samples of students. The information from this study is used to address three main points concerning the media and…

This digest discusses the difficulty of assessing the speech and language of culturally and linguistically diverse students and recommends strategies for identifying communication disorders. It begins by reviewing what qualifies as a communication disorder, discussing the limitations of speech and language tests, and outlining test considerations.…

Using unique administrative data on Chicago public high school students and their teachers, we are able to estimate the importance of teachers on student mathematical achievement. We find that teachers are educationally and statistically important. To be sure, sampling variation and other measurement issues can strongly influence estimates of…

Targeted to mental retardation/developmental disability (MR/DD) and vocational rehabilitation agencies, developmental disabilities councils, consumer and advocate groups, and protection and advocacy programs, this manual is designed to assist in the development of state-level data systems responsive to current accountability requirements. It also…

Basic principles and methods of ethnographic research are outlined for students who may wish to undertake this form of qualitative research. Ethnographic research is defined as a form of study based on observation of human action, discourse, and self-perception, and is suggested as an appropriate form of research when experimental research is…