Discusses formulation of value function based on research from modelling, value assessment, human information seeking behavior, and human decision making. The proposed function is incorporated into computer-based fiction retrieval system and evaluated based on ability of individual's value function to discriminate among novels selected, rejected,…

In an experiment, students doing preclinical work in the clinic did not perform significantly better on practical examinations than students working in a typical laboratory environment. Other factors such as enthusiasm, motivation, satisfaction, operator comfort, and long-term productivity should be examined. (Author/MSE)

Reviews the responses from a survey of all former Lehigh University (Pennsylvania) English department majors for the period 1962-1982. Data on graduates' current occupations indicate that a major in English is more often a preprofessional degree than a professional one. (RBW)

Provides data on what residents of eight rural intermountain communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming perceive to be their informational and educational needs. Community interest inventories, profile of respondents, use of community informational sources, ability to obtain information from external sources, and evaluation of…

Conclusions of surveys (63 libraries, OCLC database, University of Rhode Island users) assessing handling of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference publications indicate that most libraries fully catalog these publications using LC cataloging, and library patrons frequently require series access to publications. Eight…

Describes research strategy and methods of comparative evaluation conducted by the National Library of Medicine to assess user acceptance and technical performance of two prototype patron accessible online catalog systems within same operational environment. User acceptance studies included sample search experiment, comparison search experiment,…

Briefly surveys the background of interpersonal communication to consider the nature of the communication dyad represented by information seeker and librarian and explores the phenomenon of users' needs and their expression, specific question clarification principles, and research methodologies that have been used to study this area. Fifty-six…

Presents literature that describes the online negotiation process in general terms and summarizes views of authors who have dealt with the interview in the reference process. Specific aspects of the online negotiation interview and the measurement of user satisfaction are highlighted. Ninety-one references are cited. (EJS)

Reviews the state of the art in research synthesis, and presents a conventional literary review, a meta-analysis, and a replicated secondary data analysis on the health and well being relationship in four articles. The two concluding commentaries elaborate and extend these issues and discuss problems and potential involved in research synthesis.…

Examination was made of whether students' orientations regarding educational "purpose and process" and "relative fit" with faculty orientations were associated with students' satisfaction with their academic program. The findings suggested that dissatisfied students had educational orientation profiles noticeably divergent from peers moderately…

Opportunities for school choice in the United States have expanded since the 1990s. This report uses data from the National Household Surveys Program (NHES) to present trends that focus on the use of and users of public schools (assigned and chosen), private schools (church-and nonchurch-related), and homeschoolers between 1993 and 2003. The…

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the differences in demographic characteristics, motivational orientation, self-efficacy, and attitudes about technology between students who enrolled in a course offered in the traditional setting and those enrolled in the same course online. The two groups, each comprised of 27 students, were…

This study presents the findings of the 2001-2002 Student Occupational Follow-Up Survey of graduates of Parkland College, Illinois. A total of 595 graduates of occupational programs were contacted approximately five weeks after graduation. Of those, 352 returned surveys, for a response rate of 59.2%. Females outnumbered males by more than two to…

This survey attempted to study factors important to making faculty decide to continue or terminate employment at South Texas Community College (STCC). Surveys were e-mailed to 276 full time, regular faculty and 170 adjunct faculty with valid STCC e-mail addresses. Although 54% (150) of the full time faculty responded to the survey, it remains a…

The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), California, conducted a student satisfaction survey at three colleges during fall 2002. The survey instrument includes the following three parts: (1) Service Areas: students were asked to rate the levels of importance and satisfaction for 22 services; (2) Survey Themes: seventy-six statements were…