Reports on a study designed to identify factors that influence national use of two popular computer-assisted career guidance systems, DISCOVER and the System of Interactive Guidance and Information (SIGI). Suggests that several institutionally based factors determine DISCOVER and SIGI use, including staff competence, organizational dynamics,…

Presents findings of a user-based study of the interior of Rodger's Science and Engineering Library at the University of Alabama. Compared facility evaluations from faculty, library staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Features evaluated include: acoustics, aesthetics, book stacks, design, finishes/materials, furniture, lighting,…

Describes a study of middle school students' use of educational software that was conducted to determine whether it was being used as intended. Popular programs used by girls and by boys are described and compared, particularly "Oregon Trail," and use as entertainment instead of education is discussed. (Contains three references.) (LRW)

Discusses similarities and differences between knowledge acquisition in expert systems and requirement acquisition in others kinds of information systems (particularly decision support systems). Examines role-limiting methods for automated knowledge acquisition and their integration from the problem-solving perspective. Suggests a feasibility…

Discusses a new paradigm for choosing educational software, based on the perspectives of the teacher, student, and designer; describes a study of the use of this paradigm by a group of teachers. Results indicated the paradigm helped assessors to articulate a holistic awareness of educational issues, enabling a coherent review of pedagogical,…

Describes use studies of OCLC's FirstSearch, an online reference service for end-users, that was conducted at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are described, including use statistics, online user surveys, questionnaires, and focus groups; and strengths and weaknesses of FirstSearch are…

The SUNY University Center Libraries conducted a survey on faculty use of electronic information technologies and resources at Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook. Questionnaire topics included access to electronic technologies, and current and future expectations and preferences for library services. Findings revealed inequities in…

Describes the development of a taxonomy of the value of library services based on users' assessments from five large research libraries. Highlights include empirical and derived taxonomy, replicability of the study, reasons for using the library, how library services are related to time and money, and a theory of value. (LRW)

Discussion of information filters focuses on the results of the first phase of a user study of a filter and describes the background, experience, and computer usage habits of the subjects before they began using the filter. Topics include e-mail; listservs; and information searching tools, including library online public access catalogs.…

Discussion of user persistence in displaying postings from an online catalog focuses on a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago that compared results of an earlier study of user persistence with a recent study of users and their online catalog, LUIS. Results of questionnaires and transaction log analysis are reported. (LRW)

Research investigating the role of computers in the primary classroom is closely linked to the body of knowledge concerned with theories of learning and child development. Presents research as an attempt to provide scientifically supportable reasons why computers are effective in education and examines the educational application of cognitive…

Describes an information technology (IT) use survey of Post Graduate Certificate of Education students and staff from the University of Leeds (England). Assessments included students' initial and final IT confidence, IT activities and problems encountered, and the extent to which IT was used in teaching practice. (Author/AEF)

Presents a survey of CD-ROM use in public schools in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Highlights include library use of CD-ROMs, particular products, funding for these products, teacher and student interest, and future involvement with CD-ROM technology. (AEF)

Develops and tests hypotheses concerning the relationship of different media to psychological outcomes; postulates that print media are related to analytic cognition (reason) and electronic media to syncretic cognition (emotion). Two hundred forty magazine and television advertisements are analyzed in terms of attributes and reactions they invoke.…

This study surveyed the extent to which first-year elementary school teachers utilize 21 types of instructional media. Results indicated a preference for less complex formats, e.g., bulletin boards, posters, and pictures. Conclusions were drawn regarding the importance of instructional media utilization and media utilization courses for future…