Instead of relying on standardized test scores and interdistrict comparisons, school systems must develop a more powerful, timely, and local approach to accountability that is truly client-centered and focused on results. Accountability requires giving successful teachers the freedom and opportunity to take effective ideas beyond their own…

A survey of 37 Mexican immigrant and Chicana working women, aged 18-58, mostly married or formerly married, examined the interrelationships among acculturation, educational attainment, family life and structure, work attitudes, marital satisfaction, and psychiatric symptoms. More acculturated and more highly educated women continued to have strong…

A model of direct care human service staff turnover was proposed and tested with 236 direct care staff members in 9 private, nonprofit New Jersey agencies. Four variables were found to be related to job satisfaction: (1) agreement of the job with personal goals and values; (2) burnout; (3) satisfaction with supervision; and (4) employment history.…

Results of two studies of user design preferences for link markers--entities that signify pathways to additional information in hypermedia information systems--indicate that, in general, link markers that employ color and bound objects are the most effective in communicating the existence and extent of links and are most preferred by users.…

Explores the ways gender influences the pattern of recruitment into information technology (IT) and design courses using data from a study involving 26 design and 27 IT students. Instrumental reasons for course selection are balanced by intrinsic satisfaction, with satisfaction more evident in design-course selection, but both design and IT are…

A survey of 291 parents of children with Down syndrome found that parents of younger children, children in early intervention and general education, and mothers with higher education were more satisfied with their children's current programs. Parents of children in general education were least likely to want a program change. (Author/CR)

In a study involving 10 students (ages 12 to 21) at a residential school for children with blindness, head-mounted displays (HMDs) improved acuity and contrast sensitivity, prevented glare, and enhanced performance of near, intermediate, and distance tasks, including mobility. The study also showed that students enjoyed using the devices.…

Examines how technology has changed the library systems since the 1970s and 1980s. Asserts that information retrieval has gained a speed and immediacy that it did not have a decade ago, and that library users have expectations of convenience when using electronic information sources, which has caused reference librarians to rethink traditional…

Fifty-eight preservice teachers and 10 inservice teachers were assigned to (1) Virtual Workshop, a computer-based, interactive multimedia program, or (2) Actual Workshop, a traditional, live, presenter-directed program on inclusion. No statistically significant differences were found between the posttest scores of the two groups and satisfaction…

Finds a significant relationship between empowering behaviors of principals and teacher motivation (the higher the principal's score, the higher teachers' overall motivation score); but finds no relationship between principal empowering behaviors and either teacher job satisfaction or job stress, although teacher motivation was related to both job…

Describes a study conducted at the Utah State University library that investigated electronic database awareness and use by 856 administrators and teaching faculty. Responses to a survey revealed the need for greater publicity regarding new electronic acquisitions, training opportunities, and methods of remote access. (Author/LRW)

A study investigated the perspectives of 31 British adults with intellectual disabilities and 104 carers on their experiences, expectations, and opinions of a primary health care project designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Results found that the majority of the individuals with intellectual disabilities were satisfied with the…

Examines parenting stressors and their implications for mothers and fathers. Results, based on a national sample of 1,601 adults, indicate that parents with children younger than age 18 living in the household, reported higher levels of psychological distress than did other adults. Mothers reported the highest distress levels. (RJM)

Proposes and tests a five-factor model (demeanor, competence, resources, responsiveness, tangibles) to explain user satisfaction with academic libraries. Students using the services of three academic libraries in Erie, Pennsylvania were surveyed over a period of three semesters. Five tables show results. (AEF)

Uses a national sample of 27,811 undergraduate students who had completed the American College Testing College Outcomes Survey to evaluate the effects of the college environment on academic and intellectual development and to compare the outcomes for adult learners with those for younger students. Comparisons revealed that adults reported slightly…