Motivation to read is a central consideration for teachers and researchers because it is strongly associated with reading performance and is generally accepted as a positive state. The study of reading motivation is plagued by inconsistent terminology and measurement, which impedes a comprehensive knowledge base for teachers and researchers. One…

The concept of culture closely refers to a wide scope of effects on how individuals act in a group, an institution, or a public place. Chiefly, it covers a range of universal ideas, beliefs, values, behaviors, criterion, and measures which may be both explicit and implicit. The study on organizational culture has gained much attention among…

Critically examining common statistical approaches and their strengths and weaknesses is an important step in advancing recreation and leisure sciences. To continue this critical examination and to inform methodological decision making, this study compared three approaches to determine how alternative approaches may result in contradictory…

The 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education was designed to provide up-to-date information and to identify trends in the areas of teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources. A total of 7,752 science and mathematics teachers in schools across the United…

This report deals with cognitive research conducted on the Teacher Listing Form (TLF) of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. The SASS is a set of 10 self-administered questionnaires designed to provide information on all aspects of the school system. The TLF is the first of the 10 surveys, and is…

A properly conducted evaluation can help a school find the strengths and weaknesses of a sexuality education program. The basic ground rules are presented. (Author/MLF)

The purposes of evaluation design are stated. A description of experimental, quasi-experimental, survey, and naturalistic designs is presented. Emphasis is placed upon the identification of sources of invalidity in these designs that may compromise the accuracy of inferences regarding program effectiveness. (Author/JAZ)

The purpose of the project described in this report was to develop an instrument that would measure the zones of indifference of teachers to typical directives issued by administrators. Zones of indifference describe the extent to which people will respond to orders or directives issued by authority figures. The following procedures were followed…

The objective of this paper is to discuss the survey as a research method based on three questionnaire surveys developed and administered in educational settings: (1) a survey exploring the status aspiration and gender awareness of undergraduate women completed by 62 respondents; (2) a survey of computer-assisted instruction completed by 111…

This report contains the results of an evaluation of coverage issues regarding the 1994 Federal Libraries and Information Centers Survey. The objectives of this evaluation were to determine the accuracy and completeness of the final survey frame and to analyze the criteria used to classify federal library facilities as in-scope and out-of-scope.…

This paper presents a mixed-method evaluation design which utilizes concept mapping along with questionnaire and interviews. Recent developments in mixed-method evaluation have helped identify five purposes which mixed-method evaluation designs tend to serve. These are triangulation, complementarity, development, initiation, and expansion. The…

A description is presented of the mathematics curricula in four different school types in the Netherlands, based on empirical data from the Second International Mathematics Study. It was shown that there were big differences within and between school types. (LMO)

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) have been administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1987-88, 1990-92, and 1993-95. The SASS is a large-scale survey of educational institutions in the United States. The TFS is conducted the year following the SASS to obtain more information…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics that concentrates on aspects of education that can best be addressed through contacts with households rather than institutions. The NHES is a telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized civilian population of the United…

This paper provides a progress report on an investigation to validate and extend the autocatalytic model for the adoption of educational innovations. Three topics are dealt with: (1) a brief description is provided of the autocatalytic model and its current application, (2) the design of a survey to collect data for further tests of the model is…