Apprentice and trainee data are reported by the State and Territory Training Authorities to National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on a quarterly basis, starting at the September quarter of 1994. The set of data submitted that quarter is referred to as Collection 1. The sets of data submitted in subsequent quarters are referred…

Apprentice and trainee data are reported by the state and territory training authorities to the National Centre for Vocational Education and Training (NCVER) on a quarterly basis, starting at the September quarter of 1994. The set of data submitted that quarter is referred to as collection 1. The sets of data submitted in subsequent quarters are…

Supporting efficient data access in the mobile learning environment is becoming a hot research problem in recent years, and the problem becomes tougher when the clients are using light-weight mobile devices such as cell phones whose limited storage space prevents the clients from holding a large cache. A practical solution is to store the cache…

Good quality data is paramount for applied economic research. If the data are distorted, corresponding conclusions may be incorrect. We demonstrate how Benford's law, the distribution that first digits of numbers in certain data sets should follow, can be used to test for data abnormalities. We conduct an analysis of nine commonly used data sets…

The meta-analysis of J. Cameron and W. D. Pierce (1994), which purports to demonstrate that extrinsic rewards may not undermine intrinsic motivation, is unpersuasive by virtue of its methodologies, its tendency to ignore important distinctions, and its failure to include certain evidence. (Author/SLD)

Provides a critical analysis of the meta-analysis of J. Cameron and W. D. Pierce (1994) of the experimental literature on the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Their overly simplistic conclusion has little theoretical or practical value and results from misuse of meta-analytic procedures. (SLD)

The expansion of the commercial Internet has encouraged the interpretation of the Internet and its uses as a potential marketing medium. Examines statistical and demographic information about the Internet including number of Internet hosts and World Wide Web servers, and estimates of Internet users; and raises questions about definitions and…

The results of a meta-analysis that found that rewards do not threaten intrinsic motivation have not been well accepted by those who argue rewards produce negative effects under a wide range of conditions. Nevertheless, the results and conclusions of the meta-analysis are held to be valid. (SLD)

The conclusion of J. Cameron and W. D. Pierce that rewards do not pose a threat to intrinsic motivation (1994) is a misrepresentation of the literature based on a flawed meta-analysis. Their analysis is more an attempt to defend behaviorist turf rather than meaningful consideration of relevant data and issues. (Author/SLD)

Discusses various brambles that ensnare educational researchers and their reports. Several identifiable problems include allowing methodology to drive research questions, stressing results over meaning and interpretation, disguising researchers' voice and identity, and paying too little attention to composition and style. Remedies are suggested.…

Global economic transformations have never been as dramatic as in the twentieth century. Most countries have experienced radical changes in the standards of income per capita, technology, fertility, mortality, income inequality and the extent of democracy in the course of the past century. It is the goal of many disciplines--economics, history,…

Some issues in defining dropouts and reporting information about them are explored, with reference to the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey of the National Center for Education Statistics. There has not been any uniform national count of how many students leave school, and no commonly accepted definition has been developed that allows a number to…

Examining the widespread claims that private schools have high segregation levels and vouchers will lead to greater segregation, this study finds that both assertions are empirically unsupportable. Private schools participating in Cleveland's voucher program are much less segregated than Cleveland's public schools. This means that students using…

In part stimulated by the information needed by the Private Industry Councils (PICs) under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Amendments (1978), a growing number of groups and agencies have conducted surveys of local employers to gather various types of occupational data. Such activities may be useful and productive, if the data collection…

Methodological challenges associated with structural equation modeling (SEM) and structured means modeling (SMM) in research on school violence and related topics in the social and behavioral sciences are examined. Problems associated with multiyear implementations of large-scale surveys are discussed. Complex sample designs, part of any…