With today's technology, Extension professionals have a variety of tools available for program evaluation. This article describes an innovative platform called VoiceThread that has been used in many classrooms but also is useful for conducting virtual focus group research. I explain how this tool can be used to collect qualitative participant…

This guide is designed to help researchers make sure that their research reports include enough information about study measures so that readers can assess the quality of the study's methods and results. The guide also provides examples of write-ups about measures and suggests resources for learning more about these topics. The guide assumes…

In this essay, the author tries to look forward into the 21st century to divine three things: (i) What skills will researchers in the future need to solve the most pressing problems? (ii) What are some of the most likely candidates to be those problems? and (iii) What are some current areas of research that seem mined out and should not distract…

This paper reviews the prominent concepts of the stuttering event and concerns about the reliability of stuttering event measurements, specifically interjudge agreement. Recent attempts to resolve the stuttering measurement problem are reviewed, and the implications of developing an improved measurement system are discussed. (Author/JDD)

Online data collection, through e-mail and Web-based surveys, is becoming an increasingly popular research methodology. In this article, the authors outline the benefits and limitations of this type of data collection to help researchers determine whether their data could be collected online in a way that retains the integrity of the data. A…

This study comparing momentary time sampling against the real time obtained with handheld computers confirmed laboratory findings that short-elementary time sampling estimates percentage time accurately for a wide range of behavior frequencies and durations, and suggested that observers using momentary time sampling in a natural setting are able…

Practicality is the hallmark of this physical education research manual. It focuses on applications with which investigators in this field typically are concerned; numerous examples clarify these points. All phases of research are covered, beginning with writing mechanics and style and a blueprint of the chapters that comprise the creditable…

A framework for assessing the implementation and impact of office automation (OA) technology within shore-based facilities of the U.S. Navy is provided. Following a list of the assumptions guiding the evaluation plan, a model for data collection is presented which is based on the perspective of a work group, i.e., a small number of individuals who…

A discussion of methods for measuring college faculty workload first reviews course load analysis, the traditional method used to define, measure, and report faculty workload, then suggests some data alternatives and related issues faced by institutional research offices. Suggestions are offered for locating existing workload data, compiling a…

Describes skin conductance measurement as a physiological procedure to obtain information on onset, duration, intensity, and completion of private physiological responses to parts of films or media products. The mechanics of the technique, how measurements are recorded and analyzed, and types of skin conductance research literature are discussed.…

This guide is designed to help educators plan and carry out evaluations of adult education programs. Following an introduction, Section 2 discusses how the evaluation process fits into the concept and normal cycle of program development. Section 3 describes the stages of the evaluation process, including needs assessment, program planning, process…

Error profiles for the Fall Enrollment Survey of the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) were developed as part of an assessment of the quality of survey data. Three statistics were of particular interest: the count of full-time equivalent students, the breakdown by race/ethnicity, and the count of unclassified students. Attention…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss ways in which developmental psychology suffers from the lack of an appropriate technology of measurement and statistical analysis. The paper begins by noting that developmental psychology is the study of change; that individuals develop through a succession of "stages" which are separated by…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…

This paper discusses the experiences and insight derived from the 1985-1986 Statewide Evaluation of the Early Education Program of Handicapped Children in Louisiana, the multimethod evaluation of preschool intervention projects for handicapped and at-risk children. The program served almost 5,000 handicapped preschoolers and their parents,…