In studies involving matrix sampling on items, it is often the case that there are too few responses per individual to use latent trait item response models. A model is formulated wherein individual level variability appears as independent error within the cells of a cross classification of demographic variables. (JKS)

A sample of 5,162 undergraduates at 74 institutions was surveyed to identify the effect of the college environment on students' educational aspirations. Several environmental factors had modest but significant effects on aspirations; however, the magnitude of the effects differed somewhat by gender and institutional selectivity. (Author/MLW)

The study of career aspirations of freshmen entering a women's college in the fall of 1979 is described. The degree of ideological consistency among career salience, perception of psychological sex differences, attitudes towards sex roles, ideals of femininity and masculinity, etc., are reported. (Author/MLW)

This report is Volume 2 of the methodology report that provides information about the development, design, and conduct of the 9-month data collection of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). This volume begins with a brief overview of the ECLS-B, but focuses on the sample design, calculation of response rates, development…

A brief review of the papers presented at the Symposium on Research and Evaluation Methodology highlights some of the major issues of research in Indian Country. There is a need to translate research results into terms that are meaningful at the local level, yet the act of doing this reveals tensions between scientific objectivity and advocacy.…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the 1996 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:96). NPSAS:96, which surveyed over 830 postsecondary education institutions and over 34,000 students and parents, included important changes from previous NPSAS studies conducted in 1987, 1990, and 1993 in its sample design and data…

This report presents an investigation by the American College Testing Program (ACT) of an alternative design for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The proposed design greatly simplifies the data collection and analysis procedures needed to produce assessment results and has the potential to produce results that are more…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized civilian population of the United States that collects data on educational issues that are best explored through contact with households rather than with institutions. The NHES has been conducted in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1996. In the 1996 NHES…

This report is the outcome of the first attempt to research self-help groups (SHGs) systematically on a large enough scale to represent the whole of those in Great Britain. Chapter 1 explains and defines what SHGs are and how they relate, qualitatively and quantitatively, to the universe of all voluntary organizations of which they are a part.…

This report documents the design, administration, and data analysis procedure of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) for 1996. It indicates the technical decisions that were made and the rationale behind them. Detailed substantive findings are not presented in this report. These chapters provide technical information about the…

This investigation involving 98 participants within 11 departmental science libraries at the University of Illinois reports on use of random alarm mechanism sampling to analyze staff activities. Percent of time spent on various activities is identified and correlated to acquisition budget, staff size, collection size, and job classification.…

The experience of four University of California campuses (Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz) buying into a national survey is reported. Participation was cost-effective, enabled local results to be highlighted and reported in locally determined ways, and provided perspective on differences between local and nationwide conditions.…

Discusses the evaluation of second and foreign language programs, focusing on whether such evaluations should be summative or formative; use outside experts or program staff; emphasize qualitative or quantitative data; and concentrate on the process or the product. An annotated bibliography discusses six important works in the field. (78…

Features of the design of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed, with emphasis on the design of the 1992 assessment. Student sample designs for the NAEP and the Trial State Assessment are described, and the focused-balanced incomplete block spiraling method of item sampling is discussed. (SLD)

This study provides empirical evidence about the sampling variability and generalizability (reliability) of a statewide performance assessment for grade six. Results for 600 students at individual and school levels indicate that task-sampling variability was the major source of measurement error. Rater-sampling variability was negligible. (SLD)