This study investigated the possible causes of the contradiction between the results of two projects. Indiana's Prime Time project compared the achievement of students in large (averaging 26 students) and small (averaging 19 students) classrooms in grades 1 through 3. Results indicated that 3 years in smaller classes had little effect on student…

The strengths of item-response theory (IRT) are used to examine the degree of information individual test items provide, as well as to investigate how the individual item types contribute to the overall measurement accuracy of the Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) reading test. Using the graded-response model of Samejima (1969), the amount…

This profile presents and summarizes available information about the quality of data from the five surveys that comprise the SASS, along with background material on the survey design and procedures for the following: (1) School Survey; (2) School Administrator Survey; (3) Teacher Demand and Shortage Survey; (4) Teacher Survey; and (5) Teacher…

Existing qualitative studies of school principals suffer from procedural or conceptual shortcomings that result in failure to clarify the principal's instructional role. This paper describes the methodology and procedures of a year-long, multimethod, multilevel field study of 12 school principals. First, the background for the study (the…

Within the Mathematics of Finance classes at the Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State University, lectures are developed using Asymetric's Toolbook program and are presented through a computer system. This approach was implemented because it has the potential to convey effectively concepts that are ordinarily difficult to…

The first-year report of the El Paso (Texas) Family Literacy for Parents of Preschoolers program describes the program and evaluates its progress toward stated objectives. The introductory section addresses the following topics: demographic and literacy characteristics of the community; the needs assessment; project design; and objectives for…

This volume focuses on therapeutic recreation, as a subject of inquiry and as a treatment tool. The 11 articles include original field based research, program development initiatives, issue and theory of practice papers, and original tutorials in assessment and research. The article titles are: "The Role of Leisure Education with Family…

A qualitative study explored the potential for using a male and female systems model (identified as the White Male System and the Female System by Anne Wilson Schaef) to analyze the news coverage of a woman executive mired in controversy. The female chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia was engaged in a public controversy concerning a…

This paper examines the methodological literature of cross-cultural research to establish whether the means exist to identify culturally biased preconceptions implicit in human-computer interfaces, and to develop interfaces more attuned to the cultural differences of the users. It is the premise of this paper that cultural conditioning affects…

This paper describes a quantitative method to investigate the enrollment motives of students, and reports on the application of the method at the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands). The paper discusses environmental, educational/organizational, and image factors influencing a student's choice of a particular university. A quantitative…

New and continued research is needed to advance technology education in the areas of philosophy and curriculum. The literature indicates differing philosophical camps as one of the most frequently cited conflicts in technology education. A challenge in the move to technology is the need to define technology education in a consistent, concise…

This paper presents background information about the development and functions of hypertext and predicts future changes in converting text into hypertext. The paper describes hypertext as a computer system that allows the interconnection of information in a way that is "transparent" (does not intrude on or interfere with the reader's…

The 22 papers in this proceedings were presented at the 1990 Association for Media and Technology in Education in Canada (AMTEC) conference: (1-3) "Selected Quotations" (R. Heinich, D. Beckwith, P. D. Mitchell); (4) "Responses to P. David Mitchell"; (5) "Build It and They Will Come--Creating the 3rd Wave: The Field of…

This report summarizes major findings and policy implications of a University of Pittsburgh project titled Methodological Research on Knowledge Use and School Improvement. The major emphasis has been methodological rather than substantive. The primary purpose has been to describe, evaluate, and recommend alternative concepts, methods, and…

This report presents both a methodology for educational cost index computation and empirical evidence for determining the extent to which Missouri school district expenditures are beyond the control of local decision-makers. The author demonstrates considerable stability in the teachers' salary index from 1974-75 to 1975-76. The report extends…