Studies of "cost and value" in anatomical sciences education examine not only what works, but at what cost, thus evaluating the inputs and outputs of education. This research provides insights into how to use available resources (e.g., academic time, budgets, infrastructure) as a mechanism to obtaining the maximum outcomes available. The…

In his focus article, "Rethinking Traditional Methods of Survey Validation," published in this issue of "Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives," Andrew Maul introduces and discusses several foundational issues and concludes that self-report measures may be particularly difficult to validate and may fall short…

In an ominously steady progression over the past decades, education in general, higher education in particular, and even honors education have increasingly been contextualized in the realm of the marketplace. Cost/benefit analyses of colleges and universities are examined; institutions in terms of their price to consumers (students and their…

To be in honors is to be engaged in many different economic arrangements and exchanges. Honors educators work in concert with their admissions offices while recruiting high-achieving students whose decisions often hinge on how much money the institution can offer in the form of discounts to tuition and financial aid. Honors programs that tie…

Describes a method for measuring library impact by calculating the ratio of materials circulated in a time unit to those acquired in that period. A breakdown by Dewey Decimal Classification for a hypothetical library is reported, as well as how this ratio can be interpreted. (BK)

This and the next issue of "Organization Science" contain eight papers that deal with the process of organizational change. The five papers in this issue feature the theory of method and practice of researchers engaged in longitudinal field studies aimed at understanding processes of organizational change. (MLF)

This paper assesses the impact on economic growth of increased efficiency of public spending in primary and lower-secondary education. Higher efficiency in public spending in schools can bolster growth through two main channels. On the one hand, it can allow a transfer of labour from the public sector to the business sector at unchanged…

To improve educational research, this article suggests using an industrial model to analyze the educational system. Questions arising from such a model--involving inputs, outputs, prices, technology, consumer characteristics, and intra-industry structure--are related to existing educational research and to needed future research. (Author/RW)

How some of the past literature creates the impression of an inevitable method-paradigm linkage and of a forced choice between qualitative and quantitative paradigms is shown. Difficulties of making method choices are considered. It is suggested that purposefully developed strengths of different methods should not be ignored. (Author/GK)

Those with the burden of financing public education are looking toward product measurement for guidance in planning and modifying programs and in justifying expenditures to taxpayers. "Outcomes orientation" is rooted in program budgeting theory with emphasis on cost-benefit analysis and input-output relationships that can be demonstrated and…

Resource allocation within education systems is approached from the perspective of economic theory and input-output processes. It is suggested that economic concepts of efficiency and productivity focus attention on factors affecting effective use of resources and should be systematically encouraged. (Author/MSE)

Critiques of conventional models for evaluating the utility of organizational human resource policies. Questions the implicit assumption that utilities are invariant across changing labor market conditions, and concludes that omission of these considerations overstates the likely utility of the programs being evaluated. (TE)

This paper provides a conceptual framework for addressing the issue of effectiveness and efficiency in education. It considers alternative criteria for identifying efficiency and discusses constraints on improving efficiency. The first section distinguishes efficiency from effectiveness, and also distinguishes "internal" from "external" efficiency…

Identifies aspects of reference services amenable to evaluation, discusses the need for measures of service quality as well as quantity, presents modifications of current measures that meet this need, and stresses the importance of linking performance measures to library planning. (CLB)

Financial analysis uses accounting and other financial information to help administrators relate costs to benefits or effectiveness to assist with both short- and long-range decisions. (Author/SSH)