In the last 10 years, women's gender-equity reports have increased in number. Some theorists perceive quantitative procedures as "masculine" and qualitative procedures as "feminine." To refute this dichotomy, over 200 equity research reports produced between 1981 and 1991 were examined in a mini-meta analysis to identify the…

The Boeing Company is involved in partnerships with Washington state schools in the area of applied academics. Over the past 3 years, Boeing offered grants to 57 high schools to implement applied mathematics, applied communication, and principles of technology courses. Part 1 of this paper gives an overview of applied academics by examining what…

This document is a summary and evaluation of methodological procedures and results for the field test of the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study Second Followup, 1990-94 (BPS:90/94). The BPS study is a departure from previous studies in that it starts with a cohort of individuals as they enter their postsecondary studies regardless…

This manual familiarizes data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the second follow-up student component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), with the corollary objective of providing necessary documentation for use of the data file. Chapter 1 presents an overview and history of the…

This manual familiarizes data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the second follow-up dropout component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), a survey of the educational and personal characteristics of students. The dropout data file contains records for 2,028 sample members who…

A "collective voluntarism" framework can be used to achieve greater analytical precision and improve theoretical development of the landmark "knowledge gap hypothesis" which has stimulated considerable research and debate about the nature and existence of socially structured public affairs knowledge. The original knowledge gap…

Several goodness of fit (GOF) criteria have been developed to assist the researcher in interpreting structural equation models. However, the determination of GOF for structural equation models is not as straightforward as that for other statistical approaches in multivariate procedures. The four GOF criteria used across the commonly used…

It is argued that the debate between qualitative and quantitative research for educational researchers is actually an argument between constructivism and positivism. Positivism has been the basis for most quantitative research in education. Two different things are actually meant when constructivism is discussed (constructivism and…

Medical expertise research methods were used to explore the relationship between auditing expertise and case representation. Subjects were 8 first-year economy students, 8 fourth-year auditing students, 8 postgraduate students in auditing, and 8 experienced auditors in the Netherlands, ranging in experience from only a limited knowledge of…

This abstract and outline for a workshop explore the use of focus groups in evaluation. Cerritos College in Norwalk (California) conducted a series of focus groups to evaluate a new matriculation program. A focus group is a technique often used in marketing research to explore a specific topic. It is a group interview conducted in a casual setting…

The Barnum Effect was generated to teach students about the ethics of deception in research and the feelings of subjects who are deceived. The Barnum Effect occurs when individuals are duped into believing invalid results of psychological tests. People are most accepting when given favorable feedback about themselves. They interpret evaluations as…

Detection of differential item functioning (DIF) is most often done between two groups of examinees under item response theory. It is sometimes important, however, to determine whether DIF is present in more than two groups. A method is presented for the detection of DIF in multiple groups. The method, the Q(sub j) statistic, is closely related to…

Since 1989, the French government has been developing a program to encourage forecasting studies on skills and training needs within the framework of a dialogue between the social partners. A review of the program showed that the forecasting studies have been conducted either by public research institutions or by private consulting firms. Some…

This symposium report is designed to provide guidance about major conceptual and methodological issues in research relating to families whose children have emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. Participants in the symposium identified historical themes, dominant constructs, methodological issues, and recent developments related to family…

Intended to serve as a model for those wishing to assist librarians in conducting research, this guide describes the funding sources and computing, consulting, writing, and other resources available to University of Colorado Boulder librarians who want to engage in research. Sources of funding to support research are listed first, including the…