Problem Statement: Increasing the quality of education and educating well-qualified students is one of the most important objectives of formal education. Informal resources are as important as formal resources in improving this efficiency and productivity. In this respect, it can be said that family is the most important informal structure…

In this paper we discuss several key challenges encountered when conducting a study of the continuity of participation in the child care subsidy program. While many of these issues are familiar to those who have studied participation dynamics in other assistance programs, and to those familiar with survival analysis, we describe these challenges…

This technical report and user's guide is designed to provide researchers with an overview of the design and implementation of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), as well as with information on how to access the PISA 2009 data. This information is meant to supplement that presented in Organization for Economic Cooperation…

More than 17,000 respondents from a representative sample of the population were interviewed by the Bureau of the Census during 1982 about their participation in arts activities. Separate national samples were collected during each month of the year. Ten major areas were addressed: (1) the size of the audience for the arts; (2) the relationship…

Professionals and 16 mothers of disabled infants/toddlers completed the Evaluation and Programing System-I and the Parent Form Level I, respectively. Results indicated moderate to high correlations between professionals' assessments and mothers' assessments, though mothers tended to rate children higher. (Author/JDD)

To examine effects of ethnicity, SES, and residence on students' participation in formal clubs, activities, and sports, a survey was administered to 1,450 students at a county-wide consolidated high school in southern Appalachia. The purpose was to investigate the significance of Appalachian ethnicity as an explanation for behavior and to…

Reviews two case studies which evaluate the use of gaming/simulation as a participatory method for including users in the design of community projects. Questionnaires and interviews are used to compare visual gaming methods with verbal discussion methods in designing an activity center for handicapped residents and a community garden project. (LRW)

Combining and integrating the results of two separate research projects concerned with leisure time participation, this report compared southern and non-southern involvement in arts-related activities. Findings indicated that, while some regional differences do exist, they are not great. The desire to increase arts-related activities is not as…

Describes and compares formative evaluation approaches: expert review, developmental testing, three-stage model, learner verification and revision, and general approach to formative evaluation. Discussion of differences among approaches related to duration of try-out/revision cycle and recommendations for effective acquisition of data are…

The purpose of this paper is to describe a specific method of measuring fathers' childrearing involvement. The conceptual scheme underlying the method addresses involvement in routine child care, play with the child, and school-related interactions. Measures involved the father's share of childrearing (as compared with the mother's) and the…

Parents of 20 children with autism and 14 children with mental retardation, with comparable cognitive developmental levels, completed the Preschool Social Behavior Checklist. Results revealed that autistic children exhibited deficits in imaginative play, peer play, and imitation skills compared to the other group, and that parents are capable of…

Four different college classes at a midwestern university were surveyed in both their freshman and their senior years, with data collected from 2,069 students (a 72% response rate). A student involvement questionnaire (IQ) was used to demonstrate the merit of studying student involvement in a value-added outcomes assessment program by defining…

The purpose of this study of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chapter 1 Preschool Program was to document the program's effects and to make a start at determining whether the program prevents later school problems. It was hypothesized: (1) that former preschool program members would have significantly better language development than eligible students…

Updating the Administration for Children, Youth and Families' 1978 "Comparative Licensing Study," a study was conducted to provide a common framework for assessing state activities in critical child care licensing areas and to record the status of child care licensing as of March 1981 in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…

Updating the Administration for Children, Youth and Families' 1978 "Comparative Licensing Study," a study was conducted to provide a common framework for assessing state activities in critical child care licensing areas and to record the status of child care licensing as of March 1981 in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…