We propose a new method for analyzing and visualizing information on a large collection of personal networks to uncover the socio-centric structure of relationships among aggregated actors that we clustered into categories. The network of categories identifies the links between groups of sampled ego actors sharing a given attribute (e.g.,…

Purpose: The analysis of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data can be difficult to conceptualize due to the complexity of how the data are collected. The goal of this tutorial is to provide an overview of statistical considerations for analyzing observational data arising from EMA studies. Method: EMA data are collected in a variety of ways,…

This special issue's editors invited discussion of three broad questions. Slightly rephrased, they are: How well do self-report data represent theoretical constructs? How should analyses of data be conditioned by properties of self report data? In what ways do interpretations of self-report data shape interpretations of a study's findings? To…

This article examines two methodological issues regarding ways of obtaining and analyzing outcome data for people with intellectual disabilities: (a) self-report and proxy-report data and (b) analysis of population-based data sets. Some people with intellectual disabilities have difficulties with self-reporting due to problems of understanding and…

Although skill shortages are often portrayed as a significant problem for the Australian economy, there is surprisingly little evidence about their prevalence, causes and consequences. It is difficult to find robust evidence about where skill shortages occur, why they occur, what businesses try to do about them and whether their responses are…

This study aims to construct ranking indicators from the perspective inside of the university and shift the ranking target from overall university quality to undergraduate education quality. In dealing with the complexity of the concept of undergraduate education quality, two-stage questionnaire survey was conducted to gain comprehensive opinions…

Evaluative statements from alumni have legitimacy with both internal and external stakeholders. Thus, alumni studies can provide valuable evidence of institutional effectiveness and lend themselves to both locally designed and commercial survey instruments for data collection. Under ideal conditions, the results of alumni studies equip faculty and…

By using the Rasch model, much detailed diagnostic information is available to developers of survey and assessment instruments and to the researchers who use them. We outline an approach to the analysis of data obtained from the administration of survey instruments that can enable researchers to recognise and diagnose difficulties with those…

We explore three analytic methods that can be used to quantify and qualify changes in attitude and similar outcomes that may be encountered in the educational context. These methods can be used or adapted whenever the outcome of interest is change in a generally unmeasurable attribute, such as attitude. The analyses we describe focus on: (1)…

Investigates whether information services markets are measurable so that results are comparable between countries and over different periods of time. Topics include definitions of information services; statistical criteria for data collection; survey methodologies; guidelines for data analyses; and disseminating survey results. (LRW)

A description is given of a college course in survey research and attitudinal measurement offered by the School of Education at the University of Louisville. The graduate level course focuses on the principles of social research; survey research methods; and data analysis, interpretation, and application. National survey data are used to teach all…

The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) is a comprehensive youth health risk and resilience data collection service sponsored by the California Department of Education (CDE). This part of the guidebook will assist practitioners in understanding, interpreting, and deriving the maximum benefit from the CHKS results. It provides a basic road map…

This paper reports the results of the Special Study Survey completed by 370 member institutions of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in conjunction with the Professional Education Data System (PEDS) survey in fall 2001. The purpose of the survey was to identify and describe the approaches schools, colleges, and departments…

This paper addresses issues surrounding attempts to describe instructional practices and learning opportunities. It draws from the data and experiences of researchers associated with the Reform Up Close (RUC) Study conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) for the National Science Foundation. The paper focuses on the…

In order to assess the methodological merit of the published research in educational administration based on surveys, the authors analyzed data from a random sample of 24 survey studies published in the "Education Administration Quarterly" and the "Journal of Educational Administration." Each article was evaluated according to…