Trends in European practice that relate to qualitative assessment in the evaluation of the impact of research and innovation are discussed and analyzed. To date, European evaluations have been mainly concerned with quality and direct impact with few assessments of medium- or long-term impact. (SLD)

Seven chapters present 31 propositions challenging traditional ideas about the nature and practice of program evaluation. Methods to improve evaluation models and approaches and ways to address intermediate and advanced evaluation issues are explored. The discussion also serves as an introduction to the most analytical and comprehensive of the…

To develop a perspective for assessing the effectiveness of developmental education, we must develop definitions, values, and criteria that permit consistency in analyzing students' learning needs and educational outcomes and in comparing research on developmental education. Research literature shows that a lack of consistent perspectives for…

Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts and techniques to foster self-determination, focusing on helping people help themselves. This collaborative evaluation approach requires both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. It is a multifaceted approach that can be applied to evaluation in any area. (SLD)

The process of changing was assessed in four schools at the midpoint of a five-year essential schools restructuring effort in Illinois. Cross-case analysis results in identification of factors affecting the change process by examining benchmarks of substantial agreement, observable change, all-school participation, and systemic leadership. (SLD)

A measurement and psychometric examination of cognitive tasks was carried out with 195 undergraduates, investigating stability of latencies and number correct scores over a 2-week period and relations with standardized test and ability measure scores. Results are discussed in terms of the need for evaluating cognitive task measurement properties.…

Examines programs of research on teaching for their consideration of teacher intentionality. Neither process-product, cognitive processing, nor reflective teaching research offers a complete account of intentionality. A fully intentional account will allow individual and societal analysis of teaching to help educators understand how their own…

A detailed investigation is provided of Stout's statistical procedure (the computer program DIMTEST) for testing the hypothesis that an essentially unidimensional latent trait model fits observed binary item response data from a psychological test. Three refinements achieve greater power. The revised approach is validated using real data sets.…

With respect to the design of cooperative systems, issues related to the fundamental communication channels, sociotechnical factors, and task characteristics associated with collaborative work situations are reviewed. Research strategies incorporating theory-motivated design, ethnographic methods, and controlled testing methods are discussed as a…

Describes techniques for promoting conversation in teaching action-research to preservice and inservice teachers, discussing the theory framing the study and examining how conversation was promoted in one action-research class. Data from observations, student work, and student evaluations indicated that students found the techniques for promoting…

Discusses the presence of children's voices within three types of writing on childhood, and outlines the ethics, roles, and tools employed to discover these voices. Suggests that researchers can discover a variety of children's voices by employing reflexive techniques to ensure that interpretations are not influenced by personal prejudice or the…

A study piloted a new approach to assessing the effects of changes in funding for state grant programs on college assistance. Analysis of Washington's state grant program indicates that an increase in state funds for need-based grants in 1993-1994 resulted in improved within-year persistence in public four-year universities. It is concluded that…

A discussion of the use of performance indicators and performance-based funding in state colleges and universities looks at the types of mechanisms used for measuring institutional performance, state experiences with performance indicators, their pitfalls and limitations, the current status of performance-based funding applications, difficulties…

Explains ways to find government information on the Internet and from other sources such as online catalogs and CD-ROMs. Highlights include determining the appropriate agency involved, sources of information, finding statistics, researching legislation, the relationship between laws and regulations, and ambiguous citations. (LRW)

Adopts a genealogical approach to a small-scale study of Black supplementary schools, extra schooling organized by the African-Caribbean community in the United Kingdom. Finds evidence of a new female-centered social movement in the organization of the schools and of the effectiveness of parental involvement among the Black working class. (DSK)