The perception that independent study distance education is inferior is one issue planners must face in higher education. Negotiation of the interests of the institution, faculty, and administrators can be facilitated by collection of data showing opportunities and interests. (SK)

This paper deals with six sets of concerns and suggestions that arise as attitudes toward urban teaching are assessed. The first set arises from the complexity of measuring attitudes. It is strongly recommended that critiques of attitude data be based on plausible rival hypotheses. The second set involves the identification of beliefs related to a…

Provides a rationale for Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program evaluation, and discusses the development and use of the FLES Program Evaluation Inventory (FPEI). Questionnaires are provided for duplication, and step-by-step instructions are given for the administration, tabulation, and reporting of the five different forms.…

Urges college educators to define their institutions' academic literacy tasks by assessing the written and oral texts students will encounter, by identifying tasks assigned by professors, by determining how professors perceive their academic domain, and by defining students' perceptions of the tasks they encounter. Suggests ways and benefits of…

The assessment of student progress ("value added") between entering and leaving a college or university is important in any evaluation of an institution's effectiveness. In assessing progress, five propositions are worth noting. First, the assessment should deal with several dimensions of student growth, not knowledge alone. Second,…

To increase the value of teacher inservice workshops, the authors of this paper suggest obtaining teacher participation in the selection of workshop topics and interviewing teachers to determine their utilization of the methods presented in the workshops. Noting that participants found fewer than half of 52 selected workshops both necessary and…

To accurately assess the circumstances and needs of its faculty members, an institution must keep track of the factors that affect their professional performance. A modest investment of staff time and energy in gathering this information can pay generous dividends in the form of enhanced faculty morale, growth, and productivity. (Author/MSE)

Reports on a study of the beliefs held by students, parents, and teachers regarding desirable schooling and teaching in grades one to eight in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Examines the combined use of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies; rationales and procedures of naturalistic and rationalistic inquiry; and implications for research in…

This paper is based on a multidimensional study employing a heuristic methodology termed "creative narrative" that combines arts-based methods with narrative inquiry. Six female teachers' narratives of identity are explored through artistic, visual images to illuminate if and how they story "unconscious". The creative narratives, illuminated…

Reflects on the findings of a survey (reported in an earlier article in this issue) of 93 teachers who left their special education teaching positions. How the data was collected is discussed as well as the factors for leaving, including lack of administrative support, significant student discipline problems, high case load, excessive paperwork,…

Discusses student tracking system development in terms of purposes, audience, organizational issues, and data utilization. Considers benefits (e.g., facilitates reporting behavioral outcomes, and illuminates the complementary/conflicting nature of college services) and costs (e.g., direct costs for computer programing, postage, printing, etc., and…

The progress of a novice ethnographic researcher is traced from problems associated with a pilot study through the production of a final draft of her dissertation--an observational case study. Focus is on the data analysis process, the development of conceptual maps leading to an emergent grounded theory, and writing the dissertation. Research…

Marketing in the business world has long used focus group interviews and survey techniques to explore the attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of their customers. In the college setting, these same techniques are now being used to improve program quality, assess the effectiveness of publications, and explore the image of the college. At Durham…