Describes the organizational culture at Shoreline Community College (Washington) and how it supports data collection and assessment throughout the institution. Traces the development of the culture and identifies key organizational practices and characteristics underlying the college's commitment to assessment theory and practice. (Contains 12…

Examined a process for unifying two teacher self-efficacy scales, providing a common metric for communicating and comparing results. Data from 118 education students indicated that items from the two scales defined a unidimensional construct. Correlations between person measures from the two scales demonstrated their strengths for measuring…

Proposes an alternative strategy for teaching basic statistics to prospective and practicing school principals. A basic statistics course should emphasize exploratory data analysis, graphics, and report writing; illustrate statistical concepts using real-world data; stress descriptive statistical methods; and require students to learn all three…

Investigates the relationship between observational and checklist measures of vocabulary composition in preschool children. Results indicate that while the two measures are correlated, there are systematic quantitative differences between them, reflecting a combination of checklist, maternal-report and observational sampling biases. (22…

Presents a concentric research design model based on need for research which transcends individuals' historic or experiential bias concerning choice of study design, tools, and data reduction strategies. Describes the following "rings": theory/knowledge orientation; theory versus applied research; quantitative versus qualitative research…

Significant information on the relative thickness of plutons, the structure of poorly exposed or concealed magnetic units, and possible evidence of mineralized ground are discussed. The techniques used to produce images that reveal the new information are described. A list of 34 references is included. (CW)

Describes activities focusing on reading, recording, and analyzing schedules. Provides objectives, directions, worksheets, extensions, and answers to each of the activities. (YP)

Explores the role of sociologists in identifying social problems in the context of teaching. Analyzes the content of 51 college-level social problems textbooks by focusing on their treatment of war. Offers empirical data concerning the role of sociologists as definers of social problems. Notes implications for the discipline. Bibliography of…

This article discusses two data analysis methods: (1) Box plot; and (2) Outlier. Described are the procedures for drawing the two diagrams, wing median, quartiles, and highest and lowest values. (YP)

Nine teachers in programs serving school-aged children or adults with severe disabilities received training on applying rules in data-based instructional decisions. After one-two years of implementation, the teachers' decision making and the effect of these decisions on student progress were evaluated. Some support was found for the benefit of…

Described is a technique for monitoring the quality of freshwater aquatic habitats. Methods, comparison of samples, equipment, and data analysis are discussed and an example is presented. (CW)

Investigates using computer spreadsheets in math classes. Describes current spreadsheets on the market. Summarizes how the spreadsheets work and provides information to build a template to find function maximums and minimums. Lists step by step instructions. (MVL)

A fairly traditional precalculus problem is modified to address some common concerns with the teaching of problem solving. Areas of problem solving which are illustrated include: posing the problem; modeling the problem; transforming the data; and examining the solution. (PK)

Comments on the ideas presented by Entwisle and Astone in this issue. Suggests that to produce sound measurements of children's socioeconomic background requires a substantial investment in coding, data collection, and management. Nevertheless, a standard set of racial-ethnic and socioeconomic variables, no matter how well measured, cannot serve…

Thirty-six libraries participated in a pilot project in which OCLC interlibrary loan (ILL) transaction data for borrowing and lending activity were reviewed. Data analysis and follow-up survey results supported the hypothesis that the Association of Southern Research Libraries directors would accept terms of ILL reciprocity that were based on…