The reliability of evaluators' judgments was investigated, using a discrepancy evaluation model within a program evaluation context. Two research problems were addressed: the degree of evaluator reliability in detecting and rating problems in federal educational project planning, management, and evaluation; and the relationship between inter-judge…

A case study of an educational action research oriented project in Quebec--a continuing education project at the elementary level (EPEL)--is described to show the contributions of the case study method to human development, needs assessment, curriculum development, and innovative teaching. The case study method is suggested as a means to pinpoint…

Presented is a research based method by which a state or regional professional organization may select the outstanding paper from those submitted for consideration. The procedure is conducted in three steps: submission, initial review, and final selection. During the initial review process the selection committee (four or more members) reviews all…

This presentation outlines a perspective on job analysis and comments on research reported at a symposium with reference to that perspective. The perspective discusses two questions pertaining to job analysis that are referred to as the Stage I and Stage II evaluation operations: What should be done? and How well was it done? Stage I evaluation is…

Program portrayal is one way of addressing the need for increased descriptive capability in evaluation research. Portrayal supplements traditional reporting by utilizing subjective, anecdotal, or impressionistic information, in an appropriately communicable form, to enrich the description of program transactions, settings, and outcomes. It is…

Conference papers calling for newer constructs in organizational theory to explicate problems in understanding educational organizations were content analyzed to explore paradigmatic assumptions and to demonstrate a fit between assumptions. Papers supporting the use of qualitative methodologies were also analyzed. The papers were from the 1983…

The observations gleaned from the experiences of two editors of speech communication journals served as the basis for the identification of the limitations inherent in research studies employing qualitative methods. Among their observations are the following: (1) qualitative research remains a relatively ill defined descriptor which embodies a…

The first symposium on "Test Methods for Vertebrate Pest Management" was held in March, 1976. Much of the thrust was toward explaining and defining the "state of the art." Concerns included rodents and rabbits, predators, scavengers, and large game animals, and a variety of bird species. Environments were as restricted as a…

Methods for ordering and selecting variables for discriminant analysis in multiple group comparison or group prediction studies include: univariate Fs, stepwise analysis, learning discriminant function (LDF) variable correlations, communalities, LDF standardized coefficients, and weighted standardized coefficients. Five indices based on distance,…

Students often have difficulty in evaluating the validity of a study. A conceptually and linguistically meaningful framework for evaluating research studies is proposed that is based on the discussion of internal and external validity of T. D. Cook and D. T. Campbell (1979). The proposal includes six key dimensions, three related to internal…

Graphics research history shows that some topics have been studied heavily while others have been almost entirely neglected. Furthermore, researchers have used many different methods of defining and measuring effects such as legibility and comprehension, and this, together with vagueness in reporting, makes it difficult to compare studies and draw…

The influence of student personality on the effects of the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) was examined. Three testing systems (midterm and final exams; bimonthly tests; and PSI) were examined along with three personality dimensions (internal-external locus of control, need for achievement, and need for autonomy). There were no…

The mission of the "Journal of Counseling and Development" (JCD) includes the attempt to serve as a "scholarly record of the counseling profession" and as part of the "conscience of the profession." This responsibility requires the willingness to engage in self-study. This study investigated two aspects of research…

The effects of using different data analysis methods on estimates of treatment effects of educational programs were investigated. Various regression models, such as those recommended for Title I program evaluations, were studied. The first effect studied was the amount of bias that might be expected to occur in the various settings. Results…

The experience of the research and evaluation department in the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District in pioneering the use of a policy-oriented report to communicate evaluation findings is described. The report--the chart essay--replaced a methods-oriented report. In restructuring the methods-oriented report into a policy-oriented report,…