In this essay David Labaree explores the historical and sociological elements that have made educational researchers dependent on statistics. He shows that educational research as a domain, with its focus on a radically soft and thoroughly applied form of knowledge and with its low academic standing, fits the pattern in which weak professions have…

This report presents data from the 2006 Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR). The SDR is a panel survey that collects longitudinal data, biennially, on demographic and general employment characteristics of individuals who have received a doctorate in a science, engineering, or health field from a U.S. academic institution. Sampled individuals are…

This essay describes my progress bringing the core ideas of economics into conversations with noneconomists about important public policy issues within my faith community, through local politics, and through interdisciplinary conversations in academia. Thinking like an economist is essential to conducting research and performing careful analysis…

This report provides a detailed description and evaluation of the SYSTAT 2.1 microcomputer statistics system for professional statisticians. Information provided includes the producer, versions available and compatibility, and a description of each of the 11 modules that make up the SYSTAT package. Discussion of the usability of the software…

The practice and profession of institutional research and the Association for Institutional Research, which emerged in the 1950s and grew and consolidated in the 1970s in response to the changing concerns of higher education, face fragmentation and uncertainty in the 1980s. (Author/MLW)

This book is designed to provide current and historical statistics about the professional segment of the population and particularly the participation and availability of women and minorities. Over 200 data sources were used to prepare the statistical tables and charts. The first five chapters focus on general enrollments, general degrees, general…

The implications of the new environmental realities of postsecondary education governance/management and telematics for institutional research as a practice and profession challenge the Association for Institutional Research to take a more proactive leadership strategy. (Author/MLW)

Drawing on a research project which focused on the role reflective learning tools have in bringing about change to practice, this paper describes how nine practitioners from four different professions enhanced their professional practice by contributing to a collaborative journal. An analysis of the journal revealed four key themes:…

That the quest for a general theory of educational administration has been a misdirection of effort and that the advancement of professionalism within this field would represent a more sensible endeavor for the production of useful knowledge is the focus of this essay. The advancement of professionalism would entail a reorientation of research…

This survey report provides information on senior administrators in four types of arts organizations: resident theaters, art museums, symphony orchestras, and community arts agencies. It examines: (1) their backgrounds and careers; (2) the rewards they receive from their work; (3) their expectations about future employment; (4) their training and…

Cites the need for scholarly activity in instructional technology and argues that it should be shifted from education, with its focus on teacher preparation, to technology, where there would be more freedom to explore the consequences of techniques, methods, instruments, and processes inherent in the field. Thirty-two references are cited. (MBR)

Forty-four judges evaluated the speech and intelligence of six African American preschoolers on a videotape. Judges who were Head Start teaching staff and pediatricians were likely to perceive that speech and intelligence were related. The judges who were speech-language pathologists tended to perceive speech as being relatively independent of…

Survey of 185 Washington rural mental health center professionals reveals moderately high levels of job/lifestyle satisfaction and higher levels of readiness for rural life/work among those taking rural courses/practicum during their educational experience. Study supports concept of anticipatory socialization correlating with higher levels of…

Reviews the social impact of Burton J. Bledstein's 1976 book, "The Culture of Professionalism," on public attitudes about the social role of universities. Asserts that Bledstein's major contribution was to raise critical questions about the functions of the modern university and the relationship between knowledge and power. (CFR)

Previous research on the personality traits and needs of professional women has found that women in nontraditional roles possess traits that are more characteristic of the male sex role, and that in many instances they are higher on those traits. To determine sex and occupational differences in the self-perceptions of male and female psychologists…