The authors sought evidence of the effectiveness of the TI-Navigator classroom networking system for the second year of a two-year research study of Texas Instruments classroom technology. This randomized control trial compared Algebra I and Geometry instruction using the TI-Navigator system, which includes the TI-84 Silver Edition graphing…

Longitudinal studies conducted with children typically experience non-response problems that can make substantial inroads on sample size and introduce bias into the analysis. Three methods for limiting non-response in school-based research programs were assessed: (1) asking parents to return consent forms only if they do not want their children to…

The problem of attrition often arises in longitudinal studies when the researcher is unable to gather follow-up information for a sizeable percentage of the study participants at one or more of the planned follow-up stages. Since non-respondents frequently differ in important ways from respondents, the findings based solely on the respondents are…

This interim report of a pilot year impact study on evaluation methodology is part of a series of documents on the evaluation of Project Developmental Continuity, a Head Start demonstration program aimed at promoting educational and developmental continuity between children's Head Start and primary school experiences. This report deals with…

Some findings about attrition from two- and four-year colleges and universities are presented based on NCES's National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Attrition is generally defined as withdrawal from college without completing a degree; in this report, students who had attended courses in the first two years after high school…

Berkeley undergraduates were surveyed in 1970 and again in 1973 to identify determinants of the decision to leave college among four types of leavers: failing transfers, failing dropouts, transfers in good standing, and dropouts in good standing. The following student characteristics are analyzed: family background, academic preparation, family…

Monitoring and subsequently simulating student transfer patterns from one academic major (or level) to another typically enables an institution to estimate future student enrollment distributions across academic areas. At the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC), a student flow model not only simulates the patterns of student transfer but also…

The Americam College Test (ACT) assessment results for 441 freshmen who entered Grand Valley State Colleges (GVSC) in fall 1973, and who were still enrolled in fall 1974 were compared to the results for 324 freshmen who entered GVSC in fall 1973 and who were not enrolled in fall 1974. Comparisons were made of ACT test scores, self-reported high…

This paper describes a study of the development of professional identity among employees in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) participating in large-scale company-wide training programs. Managers and employees in 175 SMEs in Finland participated. These two research questions were posed: (1) are there differences in the perceptions of…

Recent investigations of the extent to which students with disabilities are allowed to participate in major national data collections used in measurement-driven education reform suggest that 40 to 50 percent of students with disabilities are typically excluded from major assessments, although they are included to a greater degree in assessments…

The impact of non-response (NR) in baseline data collection on the ability to analyze treatment effects in Project ALERT (Adolescent Experiences in Resistance Training) was studied. Project ALERT is a multisite, multiyear test of a smoking and drug prevention program for seventh and eighth graders. Questionnaires about drug use and related topics…

An evaluation of the Nuclear Skill Related Training Program at Memphis State University was conducted to identify possible motivational and attitudinal variables that may contribute to the retention-attrition rates of Job Corps students (40 percent) admitted to the program compared to non-Job Corps students who are migrant workers (2 percent). The…

Student retention and attrition patterns of entering freshmen at North Carolina State University and a description of transfer student retention and attrition are presented. The status of freshmen entering the college from 1971-1976 is given in terms of: total freshmen, black freshmen, white freshmen, freshmen females, freshmen males, graduation…

The findings of the Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes (CQO) study in Child Care Centers, the largest and most visible child care research conducted in the 1990s, were widely publicized and used to promote increased spending on initiatives to improve child care quality, the redesign of subsidy systems to provide quality incentives, more stringent…

The 2003 British Columbia (BC) College and Institute Short Stay Pilot Survey was designed to collect data on the outcomes of former students who leave public colleges, university colleges, and institutes after completing a relatively small number of courses. It is important to understand why these students are leaving their institutions early,…