Pilot studies are often recommended by scholars and consultants to address a variety of issues, including preliminary scale or instrument development. Specific concerns such as item difficulty, item discrimination, internal consistency, response rates, and parameter estimation in general are all relevant. Unfortunately, there is little discussion…

It has been suggested that both internal (e.g., acceptability) and external (e.g., feasibility) factors should be taken under consideration in order to fully understand children's usage of interventions designed to improve their behavior. The purpose of this study was to initiate development of a student self-report measure (Children's Usage…

This article is the third contribution to a research methods series dedicated to getting good results from survey research. In this series, "good results" is a stenographic term used to define surveys that yield accurate and meaningful information that decision makers can use with confidence when conducting program evaluation and policy assessment…

Discusses an algorithm for developing problem solving simulations using microcomputers, and describes both the components of the simulation algorithm and the user interface. Examples of simulation and programming methods are presented. (MBR)

Discusses difficulties of producing computer assisted learning (CAL) software economically. Proposed as a solution, modular programing is illustrated by describing production of a matrix algebra package. Use of special CAL modules and facilities provided by subroutine libraries are cited, and development of a package to teach matrix theory is…

A workbook for library instruction was revised using computer-generated examples selected randomly and tailored to six general subject areas. The new version (1) increased the challenge to students; (2) improved student attitudes; (3) increased contact with reference staff; (4) reduced possibility of sharing answers; and (5) was easier to update.…

Presents an instructional development model that incorporates formative evaluation techniques, and explores the possible application of the model in developing computer-assisted instruction courseware. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are identified and implications for research on formative evaluation are discussed. (31 references)…

Suggests use of instructional theory to generate criteria for evaluating microcomputer courseware and describes one approach to its use. This approach identifies skills that the three courseware types--drill and practice, tutorial, and simulation--can teach, and then selects the instructional theory that most specifically addresses the identified…

Data on the intrinsic characteristics of an educational program are essential in pilot testing new programs in order to determine how successfully design components have achieved their intended purpose. At the outset of an evaluation of such data, it is necessary to define the evaluator's role and determine what intrinsic information will be…

Two Delphi studies were conducted by the Ethics and Equity Committee of the International Council for Computers in Education (ICCE) to obtain the opinions of experts on areas that should be covered by ethical guides for the use of computers in education and for software development, and to develop a model code of ethics for each of these areas.…

Discusses the importance of involving experts and learners in the formative evaluation of instructional materials. A case study describing the evaluation of a filmstrip/audiotape program is presented, and the importance of gathering feedback from multiple sources before making revision decisions is emphasized. (Author/LRW)

Self-formative evaluation is a unique form of formative evaluation which refers to the involvement of both the producer and the users in the evaluation of newly developed instructional materials; it does not indicate evaluation of themselves. This examination of the feasibility of employing this evaluation technique during the process of…

Describes study that investigated the communicability of the emotional connotation of various typefaces. Typographers, student instructional technologists, and naive readers (high school and college students) rated 30 typefaces using a semantic differential scale. Seven hypotheses tested are discussed and results are analyzed. (Author/LRW)

This case study describes the development of a game in Nigeria used to support the government's social reform campaign called War Against Indiscipline (WAI). The importance of designing low cost instructional materials for use in developing countries is emphasized. (LRW)

This paper discusses research on the processes by which individuals progress toward expertise in scientific domains, focusing on the activity of constructing qualitative problem representations during solution of standard mechanics problems in physics. It includes information on: (1) descriptive analyses of problem-solving performance; (2)…