The 11 papers in this volume were presented at the 1996 American Statistical Association (ASA) meeting in Chicago (Illinois), August 4 through 8. This is the fourth collection of ASA papers of particular interest to users of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) survey data published in the "Working Papers" series. The…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to develop a profile of students who withdrew from courses between summer 1992 and spring 1994. Between 1992 and 1994, 13.7% of the 175,000 course enrollments resulted in official withdrawals, representing a 0.4% decrease in withdrawals from the 1990-1992 cohort. An analysis of these…

This book includes: a theoretical summary of the various facets of motivation, an examination of how the theoretical insights can help classroom practitioners in their everyday teaching practice and practical recommendations on how motivation can be researched and assessed. The following chapters are included: "Main Challenges of Motivation…

The purpose of this study was to determine the current status of and need for acceptable use policies (AUPs) for students' use of the Internet in Alabama school systems. Alabama superintendents were questioned using an electronic survey that could be returned via e-mail on an anonymous Internet site. Primary questions were: (1) What is your level…

This evaluation manual is a response to requests of education and training organizations for a practical methodology with tools to evaluate information and communications technology (ICT) projects and use of information and learning technologies in teaching and learning in Great Britain. Section 1 describes evaluation methodologies, the evaluation…

This study investigated over a 3-year period the learning strategies high school students reported using for learning a second language. The learning strategies used across languages and modalities are described. The report is organized by instrument--questionnaires, small group interviews, individual think-aloud interviews--and presents the data…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a telephone interview survey that has been conducted in the spring of 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1999. The 1999 NHES was a compilation of survey items from previous years that included three interviews, resulting in three data files. The first is the Parent Interview, in which data were collected…

This paper is a pedagogically-oriented case study of a "Gaikokugo" Communication course conducted in an intensive format. After a brief introduction and consideration of the intensive course format, the pedagogical approach guiding the course (together with samples of the materials used in the course provided in the appendix) is…

This study investigates the extent to which service-learning fosters moral development and increased self-esteem. Conducted at a large Midwestern community college, the study followed students enrolled in three sections of an Introduction to Ethics course, only two of which included a service-learning component. Student outcomes from the three…

In 1998, the College of the Canyon's (California) Office of Institutional Development distributed a questionnaire to ascertain the technology training needs of campus personnel. The survey instrument included 49 forced-choice and 2 open-ended questions. Seventy-five staff members and 124 faculty returned the questionnaires. The responses are…

As the number of after-school programs has expanded, states are increasingly interested in information that helps in the design, selection, and management of such programs. With the sponsorship of Stone Soup Child Care Programs in California, the RAND Child Policy Project and the Promising Practices Network was commissioned to measure adherence of…

Because an instructor's first interaction with students on the first day of class can determine the success of those to follow, it is important to explore what happens in a classroom setting before offering prescriptions on how to best handle situations in that setting. To understand how students' responses to specific attributes related to…

This document, in both English and French, is a guide to planning and conducting mock job fairs for inmates at federal correctional institutions. The following topics are discussed: understanding the nature and purpose of job fairs; planning a job fair; establishing a time and date; gaining approval for the fair; contacting area employers;…

This report presents the results of a 1996 survey of library users at the Lupton Library at the University of Tennessee/Chattanooga that was designed to determine the needs of library clientele, identify areas of strength, and establish goals for the future. Comments of the faculty are reported related to staff, materials, computers, facilities,…

This interim report summarizes the first-year findings and activities for the Adult Outcome Component of the Texas Effectiveness Study, implemented during the 1996-97 school year. The Adult Outcome component is one of three components of the Texas Effectiveness Study that will provide information about the outcomes of special education in Texas.…