These authors have previously described how to use the "t" test to compare two groups. In this article, they describe the use of a different test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare more than two groups. ANOVA is a test of group differences: do at least two of the means differ from each other? ANOVA assumes (1) normal distribution…

Discusses the development of evaluation's collective capacity and offers an analysis of ways members of the evaluation community can work to build collective strength. These include better efforts to educate evaluation clients. (SLD)

Discusses how psychological methods can be applied to study cultural syndromes and presents examples of these approaches. It is argued that tight-simple cultures are most collectivist, and loose-complex cultures are most individualistic. Further, it suggests homogeneous cultures can have clear norms and impose them tightly, whereas heterogeneous…

Describes a specific technique that involves initiative games to assess the level of group cooperation among children ages 11 to 13 in a school setting. Describes the development of initiative tasks used in the evaluation and the observation procedure used. (SB)

The major purpose of the research reported here was to determine how teachers from middle school to high school levels acquired their understanding of cooperative learning, how they used it in the classroom, and how they kept students accountable for performance. Eleven teachers were interviewed and observed in five disciplines (language arts,…

Describes a method for helping autonomous groups work effectively on problem solving without a facilitator. Application in a British part-time course for tutors working with adult learners is described; group dynamics are discussed; evaluation methods are explained; and detailed instructions for using this method are provided in the appendixes.…

The Timed Interval Categorical Observation Recorder (TICOR), a portable, battery powered microcomputer designed to automate the collection of sequential and simultaneous behavioral observations and their associated durations, was developed to overcome problems in gathering subtle interaction analysis data characterized by sequential flow of…

Although use is a core construct in the field of evaluation, neither the change processes through which evaluation affects attitudes, beliefs, and actions, nor the interim outcomes that lie between the evaluation and its ultimate goal--social betterment--have been sufficiently developed. We draw a number of these change mechanisms, such as…