The development in information science has enabled an explosive growth of data, which attracts more and more researchers to engage in the field of big data analytics. Noticeably, in many real-world applications, large amounts of data are imbalanced data since the events of interests occur infrequently. Classification of imbalanced data is an…

Discusses the Teaching Act Model and the very complex set of contexts that determines why each teacher does what she or he does and that makes the appropriateness and effectiveness of those decisions not completely determinable by observation alone. (HTH)

Three experiments examined what happens to reaction time to verify easy items when they are mixed with difficult items in a verification task. Subjects verification of simple arithmetic equations and sentences took longer when placed in a difficult list. Difficult sentences also slowed the verification of easy arithmetic equations. (Author/RD)

This model of consultation is a process of highly structured consensus for decision making. The consultant provides a framework for generating plans and solutions. The weakest link in consultation appears to be research and evaluation. Infusing consulting interns and university professors into internal operations will result in better evaluation…

Examines the conceptual framework of bipolar models of social knowledge use that are transactions between knowledge producers and decision makers. Topics discussed include methodological consequences of bipolar models; levels of validity in social research; social contexts of choosing models for social research; and views on the practice of…

Policy analysis, or policy study, is defined as the study of the nature, causes, and effects of alternative public policies; sometimes policy analysis refers to specific methods used. Two new developments associated with policy analysis are discussed. One is the concern for deducing the effects of alternative policies before they are adopted, as…

One problem faced by researchers is the selection of the most appropriate research method or methods, given the context of the research setting. This dilemma does not concern the choice of the best research method given the program objectives or research questions, nor the selection of the best state-of-the-art methods. The issue concerns the…

The need for competent formal evaluation programs, particularly for new federally assisted programs, is expressed. Problems in defining educational evaluation and its requirements, in designing such evaluations, and 3 possible sources of faulty conceptual bases for evaluations, are presented. An attempt is made to define evaluation in general, to…

A potential solution to a part of the philosophical and methodological problems of defining nonbureaucratic and alternative organization models is the suggestion that a clear, definitional distinction be made between nonbureaucratic models (which are developed using bureaucratic-related variables) and alternative models (which are developed using…

This paper presents and discusses a conceptual model for understanding, describing, and explaining personnel selection processes and activities. Four theoretical strands--decision theory, impression formation, inference theory, and rating theory--are briefly discussed and woven together as the basis for the proposed model. The model is then used…

Described and critiqued are studies that attempt to describe how personality factors affect foreign policy decision making. Political behavior cannot be explained in terms of personality alone. Such an attempt is a psychological reductionism that ignores the chains of causation that run from underlying personality construct to social and political…

Selected papers from the Conference for the Evaluation of Instructional Materials treat the area of evaluation by describing Richard Dershimer's three-part evaluative schema, the Educational Products Information Exchange approach to evaluating instructional materials, the evaluation procedures in Montgomery county (Maryland), the Consumers Union…

This paper presents two models, one for organizing institutional research and research data, and the other for applying research findings to the decision-making process. The model for organizing research consists of four subsystems: goal-setting, program development, cost-effectiveness, and program review. Each subsystem has a distinctive…

Presents two chain-of-choices models, one for adoptive parents and one for birth parents and adoptees, as possible frameworks within which to consider the role of individual differences, choices, and selections in understanding the process of adoption and adoption outcomes. Discusses the research and practice implications following from the…

The communication of research findings among collegiate institutional researchers is considered in relation to the contribution of qualitative language in general, and catastrophe theory in particular. The qualitative language of catastrophe theory may help reduce the arbitrariness of description, through identification of qualitative features…