Evaluators have an obligation to present clearly the results of their evaluative efforts. Traditionally, such presentations showcase formal written and oral reports, with dispassionate language and graphs, tables, quotes, and vignettes. These traditional forms do not reach all audiences nor are they likely to include the most powerful presentation…

The "PISA 2009 Technical Report" describes the methodology underlying the PISA 2009 survey. It examines additional features related to the implementation of the project at a level of detail that allows researchers to understand and replicate its analyses. The reader will find a wealth of information on the test and sample design,…

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is a measure of how much students' critical thinking improves after attending college or university. This report illustrates how institutions can set their own standards on the CLA using a method that is appropriate for the CLA's unique characteristics. The authors examined evidence of reliability and…

This study reports the results of a survey of 2700 employees in business operations at a large public, research university. The analysis tests Herzberg et al.'s ("1959") well-known, duality theory of motivators and hygiene factors and the impact of personal characteristics and job characteristics on perceptions of the work environment and job…

The paper discusses the results of a research project based on the field testing of a course aimed at developing arithmetic problem solving skills in primary school pupils. The course was designed to incorporate e-learning techniques, including the use of ARI@ITALES authoring tools. These tools allowed the integration in the course of…

An external evaluation was conducted of the Picturepages television work-along program in Kentucky. The program consisted of 100 televised lessons and booklets, and was given to 237 preschool children. The lessons presented "games" which were designed to develop cognitive concepts and skills. Both process and outcome evaluations were…

This article reports on two studies that used three different samples (N = 644) to construct and validate a multidimensional measure of managerial coaching skill. The four dimensions of coaching skill measured were Open Communication, Team Approach, Value People, and Accept Ambiguity. The two studies assessed the context adequacy, dimensionality,…

Three approaches to validating competencies of vocational education programs in technical and professional schools are examined. Competencies are defined as behavior-oriented and relatively simple, observable behaviors which can be identified and measured by the frequency of occurrence. The three models, which have elements in common, are expert…

A project was conducted to validate program standards and performance standards for four postsecondary occupational areas--fashion merchandising, fashion design, apparel, and window treatment services. Returns from 117 questionnaires from postsecondary institutions in fifty states were used to develop program standards statements and to provide…

In April 2006, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to conduct an independent external review in order to develop a single "statistical neighbour" model. This single model aimed to combine the key elements of the different models currently available and be…

This first of a two-part report describes a project designed to develop instruments and procedures for evaluating and assessing the status of vocational education facilities in Indiana. Chapter 1 of this report presents the goals of an Indiana project as follow: to develop, collect, and organize acceptable facility and fixed equipment criteria for…

Education policymakers have long sought to establish teaching standards that will measure new or continuing teachers against these standards. The problem is, existing methods for certifying teachers have been criticized for being either so onerous as to deter good candidates or so lax as to keep weak teachers in the profession. To provide another…

Articles in this special issue use survey data to provide policymakers with validated indirect needs assessment models that will help them obtain information about populations requiring different levels and types of mental health services. The articles provide the basis for predictive needs assessment and explanatory models of resource allocation.…

This report to the Joint Dissemination Review Panel of the Office of Education and the National Institute of Education provides an overview of the Mother-Child Home Program of the Verbal Interaction Project: a voluntary, home-based early education program for low-income pre- preschoolers (2- and 3-year-old children), their mothers and other adults…

Knowing that many vocational facilities differing in outward appearance have equally successful results, the Indiana State Advisory Council on Vocational Education conducted a study to assess the essential elements of a vocational facility and to determine if a cost formula could be developed that would be useful for vocational administrators and…