Objectivity is frequently described as a model of "objectivism" or transparent observation of an unproblematically given external world conducted by a completely neutral observer. However desirable objectivism is in theory, the presuppositions it makes in favor of a disembodied and decontextualized cogito, and against the inclusion of the…

Project Follow Through involved a diverse and major set of implementation problems: (1) The initial program mandate for an action program clashed with the later switch to an experimental focus; (2) The selection of curriculum rather than structural changes as the major intervention led to greater uncertainty regarding the practices to be…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reasons for resistance to evaluation and the factors that affect adoption of new procedures, while focusing on a model for guiding the planning of evaluation implementation strategies. The process of adoption of an innovation occurs in three stages: orientation, where the user identifies benefits;…

This monograph defines and describes research in the study of adoption of electronic text services in higher education institutions. Electronic text here includes text and graphic information encoded and transmitted via broadcast, signal, or cable, under user control. It places the diffusion of electronic text in higher education within the…

Implementation of educational computing in schools is dependent upon teachers' attitudes toward computers as well as their expertise. Most inservice activities focus on increasing teacher expertise, while paying little attention to teachers' attitudes towards the technology. To investigate teachers' concerns about educational computing, two…

Proposes new model for study of microcomputer technology in agriculture in which diffusion/adoption of innovations is conceptualized as a structural process affected by "access conditions" resulting from research and development, intrinsic technology characteristics, and distributional characteristics. Examines thesis that potential adopters…

Substantial emphasis has been placed on Florida Extension faculty evaluating their educational programs for impact and the utilization of these data for program accountability, yet little is known of the extent to which the faculty have accepted this responsibility. In order to assess the stage of adoption of impact evaluation as a practice, and…

Suggests typology as initial framework for study of patterns of computer use in the home, along with four sets of independent factors--social status, technical features, sociocultural setting, and personal attributes. This approach integrates patterns of computer utilization with technological, social, and psychological factors to account for…

Uses survey data from Texas and North Dakota to examine characteristics of farmers experiencing financial stress and to assess relative utility of adoption/diffusion, structural, and ecological frameworks for explaining levels of farm financial stress. Finds theoretical frameworks inadequate to explain differences in financial conditions.…

Twelve papers were presented at a 1980 International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) workshop on the generalization of educational innovations from the local to the national level. Six of these papers are published in this report, along with a substantial bibliography and an introductory chapter summarizing the papers and describing the…

Path analysis examines an analytical model of decision making by lending officers of 211 Texas banks when recommending agricultural technology to farmer-clients. Model analyzes effects of loan officers' ascribed/achieved personal characteristics and perceptions of organizational constraints during three stages of decision process: using…