Problems with conducting randomized field experiments in education are explored. Focus is on problems encountered while evaluating a group of dropout prevention projects. Project planners were asked to manipulate the subject eligibility criteria until they identified as eligible three to four times as many students as they could serve. They were…

The implementation of research design in studies on substance abuse education is discussed in this meta-analysis. Findings indicate that the quality of research design is constrained by negative feedback from evaluation stakeholders. This finding is applied to an evaluation of the Here's Looking at You, 2000 drug education program currently…

The role of survey data in assessing teacher supply, demand, and shortage is illustrated through a description of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. This survey exemplifies a method that involves: (1) a sample survey; (2) representative surveys; (3) cross-sectional surveys; and (4) comprehensive…

Recommendations of the Study Group on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are summarized in this report. The report is then reviewed by the National Academy of Education. The recommendations are to: (1) maintain NAEP's continuity; (2) assess the core curriculum; (3) focus on transitional grades (4, 8, and 12) and sample…

This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of cloze procedures as norm-referenced instruments by comparing the differential responses of four groups of college students of English as a second language on two identical cloze passages. The responses were scored using both exact-answer and acceptable-word methods. The results indicate that…

This manual includes strategies for conducting wave 4 of a longitudinal follow-up study. Part 1, Procedures for Researchers, outlines steps to be used in guiding the research process to achieve indepth, qualitative interviews with a group of the original sample members who were studied over a 15-year period. It includes guidelines and procedures…

Public opinion about public education in Minnesota was investigated through a survey of a representative sample of adults. The questions asked dealt broadly with the following areas: educational quality; teacher employment conditions; State financial support; State educational guidelines; and educational vouchers. Major findings, for the sample as…

In this middle school mathematics unit two imaginary characters, Horatio and Portia, decide to make their fortune in Quincy Market (Boston, Massachusetts) running a Bull Market cart. In order to solve the problems that they encounter, they need to learn ratio and proportion, map reading, estimation, area and perimeter, population sampling, problem…

Two studies are reviewed to determine their relevance to proposed legislation (H.R. 2620) concerning athletic scholarships. The review was conducted at the request of U.S. Representative James J. Howard who proposed the bill. H.R. 2620 would require colleges to graduate at least 75% of their scholarship athletes within 5 years in order for…

A manual on sampling is presented to assist audit and program reviewers, project officers, managers, and program specialists of the U.S. Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). For each of the following types of samples, definitions and examples are provided, along with information on advantages and disadvantages: simple random sampling,…

The methodologies, instruments, and procedures that were used by Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in conducting its part of the Safe School Study are described in detail. The report focuses on methods, the rationale for their selection, and their implementation. It also addresses various practical problems encountered. The sample design is…

This document examines the work of Daniel Starch, emphasizing his work in educational psychology and advertising. After earning his doctorate in psychology (1906), Starch attempted to apply the findings of the new science to education and to advertising. This application met with much success. In advertising, he devised new sampling techniques and…

The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 obtained data for 23,451 students, of whom 16,683 completed the base-year questionnaire; 21,350 completed the first follow-up; and 20,872 completed the second follow-up. This report describes the methodology for minimizing bias in the data which might be caused by nonresponse to such…

A major purpose of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) was to provide a data base for studies concerned with the relationship between high school experience and experience in the years immediately following graduation. This methodological report is designed to facilitate use of the data base. The sample was…

Studies of emergent, previously unstudied groups in the context of a complex urban society (such as the Project on Working Women, a three-year study of women in nontraditional blue collar and working class jobs) present methodological problems related to sampling, interviewing, and methods of analysis. Crucial to a successful methodology are…