Considers how results of systematic data collection can be used in decision making and how they are often not used properly. Examines two similar yet distinctive perspectives by which the performance technologist can assist organizational leaders in making difficult decisions based on valid and useful data. (Author/LRW)

This personal narrative describes the use of ethnographic data collection as a means for its author, a New York City resident, to take stock of local reaction and response to the events of September 11 by documenting and analyzing the writings New Yorkers posted in public spaces during the 3 weeks following the attacks on the World Trade Center.…

Discusses the history, features, and ongoing development of the Data on Vocational Education (DOVE) system, which provides detailed information on vocational education at the national level. The DOVE system differs from the typical National Center for Education Statistics data collection effort because it is a "synthetic" system that…

This article describes the establishment in fall 2002 of a School of Education Research Center designed to support faculty in increasing productivity and quality in research. Details are provided about center goals, services, staffing, space, resources, and logistics during the first year of operation. In addition, data are shared about faculty…

Library media centers need to present the data they collect in a way that attracts funding from sources that increasingly look to quantifiable measures rather than qualitative reports before parting with money. Tips on how to compile numbers through Automatic Data Generation as well as Manual Data Generation are offered.

A central issue in the use of rapid evaluation and assessment methods (REAM) is achieving a balance between speed and trustworthiness. In this article, the authors review the key differences and common features of this family of methods and present a case example that illustrates how evaluators can use rapid evaluation techniques in their own…

Superintendents and school boards should get the most accurate information they can when making policy decisions--and that means data, not anecdotes and impressions. This article discusses factors to consider in conducting a survey. A good survey starts with the basics: Ask the right questions of a good sampling of the defined population; take…

While attempting to investigate modes of musical transmission among the Yolnu People in Northeast Arnhem Land Australia, questions regarding the meaning of the word "research" led to the decisive abandonment of data collection. Specifically, the processes of observation, recording, and other typical Western means of generating data…

For the past years, the academic IT profession through various professional society curriculum committees and accreditation bodies has made considerable progress to revise and update IT curricula to meet the changing needs of the profession. In particular, learning techniques, beyond classroom teaching activities, have been recognized as essential…

This set of botany demonstrations is a continuation of the inquiry-based lecture activities that provide realistic connections to the history and nature of science and employ technology in data collection. The demonstrations also provide examples of inquiry-based teaching practices in the life sciences. (Contains 5 figures.) [For Part 1, see…

This exploratory study investigated the efficacy and feasibility of a contingency management (CM) protocol for adolescent smokers that included use of a reduction phase. Using a within-participants design, 19 adolescents completed three 7-day phases: (1) reinforcement for attendance and provision of breath samples (RA) phase, (2) a washout phase,…

The "gold standard" for evaluating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention programs is a partner-by-partner sexual behavior assessment that elicits information about each sex partner and the activities engaged in with that partner. When collection of detailed partner-by-partner data is not feasible, aggregate data (e.g., total…

The purpose of the United States Department of Education's (the Department) Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 "Agency Financial Report" (AFR) is to inform Congress, the President, and the American people on how the Department has used federal resources entrusted to it to promote achievement and preparedness of youth entering a global environment by…

Schools are complex institutions in which change occurs almost constantly. As each new piece of information is learned, the learner is changed, never to return to the same state they were prior to the act of learning, (Morrison, 2002). This study investigates the impact of interdisciplinary lesson study on teachers' instructional decisions and…

This report summarizes efforts to develop and pilot test a protocol for collecting information about parent involvement policies, practices, and programs being implemented at the middle and high school levels. The protocol can be used to expand documentation of strategies selected, adapted, and sustained in future years. The study reviewed the…