Faculty replacement needs for the next 15 years are projected at a multi-institutional level within the context of a simulated attrition model. Study participants are members of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium. The first study phase consisted of summary data from 60 institutions on mean age, standard deviation, and median age of…

Presented in this report are results from a study conducted to evaluate the impact of Project Developmental Continuity on children's development and academic achievement. Following the first chapter's introductory overview of the study's objectives and organization, chapter 2 documents the data collection methods and summarizes the analysis…

An outline is presented of the design of the followup surveys of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). The NLS is an extensive study of the educational, vocational, and personal development of high school graduates, and the personal, familial, social, institutional, and cultural factors that contribute to that…

A study was conducted to determine the extent and nature on non-respondent bias in the follow-up survey in 1981 of Michigan secondary vocational education students from the class of 1980. The response rate to the annual survey has been approximately 76 percent in past years, yet there remains a significant non-response bias potential. This study,…

A report is made on a teacher preparation evaluation program that consisted of a systematic follow-up of teachers both while in the undergraduate programs and after they entered the profession. The data provided covers a period of more than seven years. Changes in teacher behavior as experience is gained are examined, and additional findings about…

Some of the problems unique to evaluation research, in particular to the evaluation of longitudinal studies of social programs, are presented. A working model found to be useful in structuring compensatory education program evaluation activities is also offered. Since the goals of social programs such as Head Start are dynamic rather than static,…

The validity of Tinto's (1975) theory of student attrition, which asserts that withdrawal relates most directly to students' integration in the social and academic systems of an institution, is examined. This study supports that theory and also suggests that informal interaction with faculty plays an important role as well. (Editor/LBH)

Reviews epidemiological studies of cardiovascular diseases especially coronary heart disease (CHD), to document their major public health importance, changes in mortality during this century, and international comparisons of trends. Finds major risk factors for CHD are determined in large part by psychosocial and behavioral mechanisms. Asserts…

This chapter describes the implementation and lessons learned from the conduct of three field experiments in education. All three evaluation designs used randomized assignment. Results showed even under very adverse and unstable conditions, randomized designs can be maintained. (LMO)

This study presents data and findings on student retention at South Texas Community College (STCC) and recommends steps to improve retention rates. STCC groups attrition into three categories: (1) positive attrition, due to graduation, completion or transfer; (2) neutral attrition, due to non-institutional conflicts; and (3) negative attrition,…

Describes a class experiment illustrating students' illusions about their own mortality (often referred to as "unique invulnerability"). The students received information, culled from actuarial tables, concerning age and mortality rates. The students consistently overestimated their own age of death even when told they would do so. (MJP)

Discusses a longitudinal study that tests undergraduate students'"hardiness" (ability to thrive under stress) and their likelihood of advancing to sophomore year. Gives a detailed definition of hardiness and its importance in retention in schools. Although the study is ongoing, authors anticipate that the results will support their hypothesis.…

Methods used to follow, for 18 months after pregnancy resolution, 241 premaritally pregnant urban adolescents in a longitudinal drug use study are described. One respondent dropped out after the first interview. Temporary attrition at each data collection wave was between 1 percent and 3 percent. Sample recruitment and retention are discussed.…

Although researchers have examined the link between job attitudes and turnover, some studies claim that civilian samples may not be generalizable to military personnel. This paper addresses two central questions: (1) To what extent does job satisfaction, job performance, and reenlistment intentions predict reenlistment behavior?; (2) To what…

In evaluation research studies, it often occurs that several program participants (experimentals) drop out of the program prior to completion. Since noncompleters generally differ substantially from completers in many respects, a control group which originally was representative of the participant group will most likely not be representative of…