Communities across the nation have become increasingly concerned about inhalant use and use of harmful legal products among youth because of increasing prevalence rates and deleterious health consequences from abusing these products. The increasing concern of communities about inhaling and ingesting legal products has been coupled with increasing…

This paper summarizes the steps that led to the development of new test purchaser qualification forms (TPQFs), with major emphasis on a form for an educational test publisher. Three separate research studies, conducted by the Test User Qualifications Working Group (TUQWG) of the Joint Committee on Testing Practices, constituted the research base…

Examines the determinants of the consumption aspirations of adolescents, with a major emphasis on the influence of the family. Finds that the ability of adolescents to purchase substantial consumer durable goods with their own earnings while being supported in the parental household may lead to unrealistic future consumption goals. (FMW)

Because a microcomputer system can be an expensive acquisition, the purchase decision needs to be made carefully. Steps to purchasing a microcomputer include: evaluating the data and word processing needs of the office, determining needs being met with existing capabilities, and making a cost-benefit comparison among systems. (MLW)

Two studies are reported that tested the effects of age with the predisposition to adopt videotex services. The first study, conducted in April 1982, consisted of 478 telephone interviews of Cox Cable subscribers in San Diego. The second study, conducted in summer 1982, consisted of face-to-face interviews with 107 respondents, selected through…

A 1982 survey requested opinions of 10% of Arkansas's K-12 school principals regarding probable student and teacher response to computers in the classroom, current level of computer literacy among their school teachers, the effect of computers in education (positive or negative), factors most important in future purchase of computer equipment, how…

To investigate the integration of new communications technology into existing patterns of leisure, a functional research model must be combined with a paradigm based on leisure time and the economical use of such time. A survey of 273 Davis, California, residents investigated the relationship between the desire to subscribe to cable television…

Describes how two methodologies for analyzing and improving performance--performance engineering and organization mapping--were used in a case study involving the purchasing department of an electric utility. Highlights include the establishment of a model of the desired results, measuring existing performance, and the designing of an improvement…

The social role of the personal computer and its implications for familial health were investigated in a study of approximately 100 families with microcomputers in their homes. Data were collected through a written questionnaire and through diskettes programmed to monitor day-to-day computer usage. Analysis emphasized both patterns in family use…

Swedish consumer use of video recording equipment and software was surveyed through interviews with 10,700 people; the interviews were conducted by the field research staff of the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation's Audience and Programme Research Department between December 1981 and April 1982. The study focused on possession (ownership, leasing,…

The importance of understanding the manner in which the desire to buy arises in buyers has been neglected in the study of consumer psychology. This report identifies those few research projects which have studied the origins of consumer motivation and describes a phenomenologically-guided investigation which studied individuals' desires to…

This report documents the first year of a 3-year evaluation which was designed to (1) determine the status of small-format (1/2" reel-to-reel, 3/4" U-Matic, 1/2" VHS, and 1/2" Beta) videotape in the schools; (2) reveal what impact such videotape has on educational television utilization; and (3) examine the distribution of…

This newsletter presents the results of a National Governors' Association (NGA) survey, conducted November 1986 through January 1987, on state responses to the recommendations of the NGA Task Force on Technology regarding new ways to acquire and use educational technology. The following topics covered by the survey are discussed: (1) hardware…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether parents were more likely to purchase home computers for sons than for daughters, and whether elementary and secondary students reflect sex differences in their attitudes toward computer use. The survey instrument was constructed to provide face validity in order to investigate whether computer…

This document reports results from an exploratory investigation into the adoption and use of microcomputers in the home, which involved interviews with 77 home computer owners, 19 individuals who were in the process of computer adoption, and a small sample of home computer manufacturers and retailers. The first two chapters provide information on…