In this commentary on Van Leeuwen (2015, this issue), I explore the relation between theory and practice in learning analytics. Specifically, I caution against adhering to one specific theoretical doctrine while ignoring others, suggest deeper applications of cognitive load theory to understanding teaching with analytics tools, and comment on…

The current literature is replete with instances of imprecise and conflicting usage of "qualitative" and "quantitative" evaluation. This paper presents a framework for making distinctions among several related concepts to eliminate this potential source of confusion. In the process, the terms "qualitative" and…

Argues for common understandings of the language and definitions used for recording information about libraries, and presents a method by which impressions of library behavior can be organized. (FM)

This paper provides a definition of assessment that is tailored to the unique considerations of the concept and practice of the transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life. Assessment in transition is considered to be the on-going process of obtaining and properly using both person and environment-based assessment…

This brochure argues for consistency in how disabilities are named in national data collection programs. It notes that currently many students with disabilities are excluded from national data collection programs and, when they are included, there is extreme variability in the disability classification assigned to them. Nineteen different national…

Reports on the work of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges in helping two-year colleges to define and establish their rates of transfer. Presents the outcomes of 1990 forums where study participants discussed problems and issues in data collection. (DMM)

This article documents the wide variation in terminology used by the U.S. Department of Education and the 50 states in gathering data on deaf and hard-of-hearing children and in determining eligibility for services. Recommendations for achieving uniformity in defining and applying the terms "deaf" and "hard of hearing" are…

Seven articles discuss aspects of transaction log analysis, including introduction and definitions; history and development; components of an ideal logging facility; research methodologies; applications to a variety of library functions; practical and logical limits of the methodology; and future developments needed to enhance successful use of…

Some aspects of the field of lexicology in general, and of English lexicology in particular, are examined in light of current linguistic theory. Definitions of lexicology, its role in linguistics, the concept and nature of lexical competence, the relationship of grammar and lexicon, and the process of lexicalization are reviewed. Conversion and…

Argues that the choice of method for constructing concepts such as family and household does matter but that there is no a priori link between method and construction or between method and epistemological position. The extent of overlap between constructs produced by different methods must be investigated rather than assumed. (LKS)

Proposes a definition of transfer rate based on a longitudinal cohort analysis conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges. Explains the methods by which data were collected and analyzed. (DMM)

Describes a multiyear national effort by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges to stabilize a definition of transfer rates and collect data on student transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions. Presents preliminary findings and reactions to the study/findings by college practitioners. Advises simplicity and efficiency.…

Describes difficulties in locating accurate data on child care workers: numbers, occupational categories, salaries, differences in education and experience, and data on enrollment in training programs and final job choices. Advocates the formation of a review panel to guide agencies' efforts to clarify their current data collection systems. (KS)

Maintains that introductory sociology courses rely on a preponderance of jargon that obfuscates the nature of the discipline. Advocates communicating the nature of sociology by emphasizing its three main approaches: structural, systematic, and critical. Suggests that religious affiliation and economic status influence ability to think…

Information available on rural education remains startlingly inadequate--partly because of the great diversity of rural areas, because agencies responsible for data collection disagree on the definition of small/rural schools, and because large metropolitan schools have received far more than their share of attention, research, and financial…