This commentary on a previous article that demonstrates three ways of analyzing qualitative interview data (content, cultural models, and narrative analyses), discusses the importance of focusing on cultural models of quality of life in assessing early intervention programs, forging partnerships between families and researchers, and linking…

Research indicates that peer interaction can have a substantial impact on the lives of adolescents with disabilities. However, social interaction among adolescents with intellectual disabilities and their general education peers typically occurs infrequently in secondary schools. This paper provides a critical analysis of twenty-six empirical…

This paper addresses issues in assessment of college students, outcome studies, and attrition research in the context of trends toward requiring greater accountability from institutions of higher education. First the paper considers how assessment, student outcomes studies, and attrition research terminology might be more clearly defined. It…

This proposed study will examine collaborative organizational interactions and the effectiveness of collaborative projects and other joint activities between institutions of higher education and external groups and organizations. The project will use B. Gray's theory delineating three key conditions for collaborative interaction: the degree to…

"3-2-1 CONTACT Extras" (Extras) are television specials produced by "3-2-1 CONTACT," a television series on science and technology for 8- to 12-year-olds. The production of each Extra is typically accompanied by an extensive program of formative research, designed to examine issues of comprehension and appeal, that helps guide…

A discussion of second language program evaluation focuses on the interpretability of test scores as a criterion in program evaluation. It looks at both test design and research design issues. First, eight method-comparison, program evaluation studies that compare acquisition-based and analysis/practice based methods are described. Acquisition…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) represents the first time the National Center for Education Statistics has integrated three of the Elementary and Secondary Education Surveys: the Teacher Demand and Shortage Surveys, Public and Private School Surveys, and Teacher Surveys. The SASS was designed to measure the critical aspects of teacher…

Following up on the first two phases (1976-82) of the "District Practices Study" of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as presented in a resource book and seven special reports, this report is devoted to the study's third and final phase. During phase III (1982-83), researchers visited 14 sites to describe their…

To establish a comprehensive national database on postsecondary student financial aid, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). Objectives were to: (1) determine the costs of postsecondary education for aided and non-aided students; (2) evaluate how students finance their…

A number of hypotheses were tested concerning elements of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) items that might affect the performance of blacks and whites differently. These elements were characteristics common to several items that otherwise measured different concepts. Seven general hypotheses were tested in the form of sixteen specific…

This professional development guide is designed for vocational education practitioners to use with a separately available handbook on time-use analysis and an optional videotape on conducting workshops on time-use analysis. Examined first is the importance of analyzing time on task. After a discussion of the importance of planning, a six-point…

Recognizing the broad range of social and economic limitations associated with residential segregation, the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations initiated a research program to define the extent of these problems and to advance strategies for dealing with them. The initial phase of the project commissioned research papers which were reviewed and…

Japan's postwar research and development (R&D) efforts have passed through several phases to bring the nation to what may be called "relative parity" with the United States. This document examines the characteristics of Japanese and U.S. R&D efforts. Topics compared include: national science resource patterns; science and…

The critical relationship between students and their programs of study that affects student retention is examined. Current views of retention are reviewed, and the nature of retention studies that have been conducted during the last decade is analyzed. It is suggested that studies of persistence be conducted with the following possibilities in…

The report describes a model, developed by the staff at Edison Community College in Fort Myers, Florida, for collecting and using follow-up information to evaluate and plan occupational programs. After a discussion of the issues to be addressed when evaluating an occupational program, a breakdown of information to be collected in a follow-up study…