We are using stealth assessment, embedded in "Plants vs. Zombies 2," to measure middle-school students' problem solving skills. This project started by developing a problem solving competency model based on a thorough review of the literature. Next, we identified relevant in-game indicators that would provide evidence about students'…

Research into human decision making (DM) processes from outside of education paint a different picture of DM than current DM models in education. This pilot study assesses the use of critical decision method (CDM)--developed from observations of firefighters' DM -- in the context of primary mathematics teachers' in-class DM. Preliminary results…

Describes the development of a pilot uniform data set (UDS) intended to serve as the primary data collection mechanism for all grants and standard cooperative agreements funded by the U.S. Office of Minority Health. The UDS is the product of a formative research project with implications for other program evaluations. (SLD)

A pilot study to ascertain the most cost-efficient and statistically reliable way of obtaining data on drug use by means of the telephone was conducted. Typically, surveys of sensitive or stigmatizing information have been contaminated by an unknown amount of error due to evasive or incorrect responses. The randomized response technique, which…

This paper first examines different conceptions of collaborative research. It then reviews problems and benefits in collaborative research as perceived by teams of researchers and teacher center/teacher personnel in 14 projects funded by the Teachers' Center Exchange at the Far West Laboratory. Criteria for effective collaborative research are…

Continuous Attitudinal Response Technology (CART) is an alternative approach to testing students' instantaneous response to teacher behaviors in the classroom. The system uses a microcomputer and video technology device that allows researchers to measure subjects' instantaneous responses to static and continuous stimuli, graphic or verbal. A…

Implicit communication theory (which posits that certain communication behaviors evoke emotional responses in receivers) is a plausible explanation for the teacher behavior-student learning link. An integrated approach to testing the theory is available in the form of the Continuous Attitudinal Response Technology (CART), which enables subjects to…

The techniques and accompanying problems of collecting data on interventions are explored. As a result of the analyses of two previous studies (Colorado and Kentucky Ethnographic Studies, 1979; and Texas, 1981) a hybrid-method of documenting interventions was developed for use in the Principal-Teacher Interaction Study (PTI). This paper traces the…

This paper discusses the importance of pilot studies in the development and implementation of a research project, focusing on the use of a pilot study to revise conceptual and methodological issues in dissertation research on higher education leadership. It examines the hermeneutic circle, as described by M. Heidegger, that stresses the importance…

The School Crime and Misbehavior Project, conducted under the auspices of the National Alliance for Safe schools and the National Institute of Justice, was aimed at providing school districts with a system to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the schools. The Duval County (Florida) Public Schools implemented the 2-year program as a pilot…

Glasgow Caledonian University Library (Scotland) conducted a pilot study to design a set of user chosen performance measures which can be used in British academic libraries for data collection. Members of 8 stakeholder groups were identified and given an 103-question survey, with each question to be rated on a 1-5 scale of importance. Stakeholder…

The International School Effectiveness Research Programme (ISERP) is an example of the exchange of research and research results in the field of educational effectiveness. It aims to build on existing models of good practice and to avoid the variations in approach that limit the transferability of data within and between countries. A number of…

The process of adapting the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for Puerto Rico was begun with the following objectives: (1) to review the existing Spanish translation of the WISC-R; (2) to adapt the WISC-R to Puerto Rican culture and milieu; and (3) to standardize the scale with a representative sample of Puerto Rican…

This paper reports the results from an investigation of a method for systematic development of a procedure for assessing the administrator and instructional leader roles in implementation of an innovative school program. The purpose of the study was to design and field-test a feasible and useful approach to examining the degree of…

The sequential components of a model for the development of an upper-division marketing certificate program in professional sales are described in this report as they were implemented at the University of Minnesota's General College during Fall 1980. After introductory material examining the responsibilities of the professional sales…