The study of earthquakes can help students build connections between theoretical analysis and real-world applications. However, units on earthquakes typically struggle to bridge that gap between theory and application. Traditional class activities focus on measuring earthquakes, such as triangulating epicenters by analyzing P and S wave arrival…

Skills developed through qualitative research and community partnerships can be essential for developing education students' cultural competency and understandings about diverse student populations. Toward this end, we developed a qualitative "service-research" project in a teacher education course focused on child development, whereby…

Is it actually certain that our students are changing during our social studies classes? This paper aims to reveal structural development and evaluation in social studies education which is related to national curriculum requirements and focused on particular students in order to test the effectiveness of the lesson. In order to increase students'…

Examines these questions: What are life histories? What problems and people are best suited for them? What motivates people to write them? Does the collection procedure affect the content? and How should the material be analyzed? (Author/SK)

A comprehensive, community environmental inventory is viewed in this booklet as an ongoing process of investigation and study to compile and evaluate information about the natural and man-made environmental features and characteristics of an area. It is of value to the community in planning development and resolving environmental problems and to…

Once a librarian has made the decision to conduct a study of the economic community, several interrelated questions must be addressed: What is meant by the term "economic community" and what is known about it? What will be the objectives of the survey? Which businesses, industries, and services should be included? Who will conduct the…

It is the purpose of this paper to suggest a role community assessment can play in the development of effective communication links between the public schools and the communities they serve, and to outline a process by which the public schools can develop their own community assessment activities. Community assessment, in the broader sense, can be…

The application of the four basic principles of social ecology as a framework for assessing inner city black communities is the focus of this paper. Social ecology is described as a concept that includes variables from both the social and physical environments. Its four basic principles are said to be recognition of the interdependence of roles…

This book presents hands-on information on how to plan, administer, and analyze opinion polls. Guidance is also offered on how to make this strategy accessible to public interest groups. Several examples, checklists, warnings of possible pitfalls, and lists of material and human resources occur throughout the chapters. Major sections address the…

A survey of the Adult Basic Education program in the State of Nebraska, as at the end of the calendar year 1970 is presented. The major data sources included six questionnaires--State director, local administrator, counselor, teacher and teacher aide, student, and citizen of ABE communities. The report presents, in tabulations and figures as well…

Reviews how census data are used every day to make decisions in businesses, government agencies, and community organizations. Identifies key tools used in demographic analysis, suggesting applications of demographic data at a local level. Concludes with ideas for student activities, including guidelines for creating a community profile. (LS)

Institutions of higher education can use competitive intelligence (CI) techniques to become more relevant to their communities. In Stepping Forward as Stewards of Place the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) provides a model for public engagement that emphasizes internal strategic planning, implementation, and…

This paper focuses on both conceptual and methodological issues involved in the utilization of different need assessment strategies. Among the strategies discussed are: (1) key informant; (2) community forum; (3) service utilization; (4) social indicators; and (5) citizen survey. Each of these more commonly used need assessment strategies: (1) has…

Precipitation data for Macomb (Illinois) for the period 1912-1981 were the bases for developing classroom exercises that offered college students experience in collecting such data. After students collected the data, they reduced them to manageable proportions, and then examined average long-term relations which may have emerged among yearly,…

A model procedure, implemented in 1976 at Thomas Nelson Community College (Virginia), for community based and continuous long-range planning is described in this report. The model involves extensive participation by all community segments and presents strategies for review, approval, and research in support of the plan. Planning components include…