The framework and results of a study exploring the effects of alternative assessment on mathematics teaching are reported. The instrument for the observation of alternative assessment in the classroom, based on the processes defined by P. L. Peterson (1988), is described along with a discussion of the methodology and the data implications.…

Nineteen papers concerning various aspects of distance education and distance education research are presented in this document. The papers are: (1) "Introduction, Celebrating Difference in Research in Distance Education" (Terry Evans); (2) "Discourse or Discord? A Dilemma of Distance Education" (Philip Juler); (3)…

While national trends in liberal arts course offerings in community colleges have been charted for many years, trends in non-liberal courses have not been similarly mapped. In an effort to gain a better understanding of the entire community college curriculum, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC), in Los Angeles, California,…

Actual and projected enrollments from 1960-61 through 2002-03 and projected enrollments from 1993-94 through 2002-03 are given for public and non-public schools in New York State. Eight tables present the following enrollment information: (1) trends and projections of public and non-public school enrollment in kindergarten through grade 12 for…

Some of the major research in the area of assessment, concentrating on distance learning, is reviewed, and a strategy that can be used as a guideline for assessment of distance learning, and particularly World Wide Web-based courses, is introduced. A review of assessment strategies confirms that a balance between knowledge acquisition and…

This report describes options for study designs to evaluate the effect of early intervention on infants and toddlers, birth to three, with disabilities or developmental delays and their families in Washington state. Information was gathered from extensive literature reviews, a survey of local assessment efforts in Washington, a technical data…

Prior research on learning has been linked to instruction by the derivation of general principles of instructional design from learning theories. However, such design principles are often difficult to apply to particular instructional issues. A new method for relating research on learning to instructional design is proposed: Different ways of…

This paper reports on a study of the sources and characteristics of facilitation of internal change in schools successful in the implementation of the League of Professional School's core premises of shared governance, schoolwide educational/instructional focus, and action research. First, an assessment is presented of an analysis of all League…

A study investigated results of the 1982 Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation initiative to expand teaching of Chinese in high schools. The approach taken was to examine the entire range of elements in the Dodge initiative at 55 schools where projects were funded, drawing from questionnaires, site visits, and interviews. Additional, different…

This paper discusses the development of a Cultural Anxiety Scale (CAS) for Chinese students studying in the United States. One hundred items were developed using the anxiety research literature, a survey of research on stress and anxiety among college students, and Chinese cross-cultural studies. Face, construct, and content validity analysis were…

A study was done of ways to use data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Programs (CIRP) to provide information on policy questions related to international education. The CIRP survey is an annual project that provides participating institutions with the opportunity to use the database to explore questions concerning an institution's…

This paper discusses the use of a semantic differential research tool to investigate the image of Tufts University in Massachusetts. Specifically explored are the following questions: (1) What are the differences between the institution's desired image and current image? (2) Do various constituencies view the institution differently, and if so,…

Four papers describe a study of the use of holistic writing assessment procedures in a pretest and posttest manner to determine improvement of 10th graders' writing skills. "Problem and Context" (James E. McLean) briefly describes the project and introduces the other three papers. "Holistic Scoring Procedures for Scoring Writing…

This paper presents results of a study which examined factors related to job satisfaction and the decline in the number of African-American faculty (AAF) in higher education. Twenty-eight, 4-year, state-assisted institutions in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation region--13 predominantly African-American (PAI) and 15…

A random sample of educators (a total of 2,238 responses from teachers of the gifted, classroom teachers, and gifted education program coordinators) were surveyed regarding their views on major research needs in gifted education. The study evaluated these views as well as differences between groups of educators, and differences among respondents…