This article considers the advantages and disadvantages of having evaluation users increase the specificity of evaluation requirements through a review of legislative requirements behind several congressionally mandated national-level evaluations, and an in-depth examination of one congressionally mandated evaluation in which very specific design…

Discusses how evaluation can aid both in countering the current negative perception of the foreign language profession and in returning control of the future direction of foreign language study to the hands of professional educators. (EKN)

Human relations services funded under the Emergency School Aid Act were found to have had favorable but generally weak effects on student intergroup relations. Process and impact evaluation should be combined and individual effects should be examined. (Author/CM)

Reviews four different approaches to evaluation--decision-oriented, applied research, value-oriented, and systems-oriented--and suggests how each may be applied to the evaluation of instructional programs. Nine references are listed. (Author/CHC)

Social, medical, and technological innovations are discussed, first with reference to historical examples and then with modern studies. The need for evaluating both the innovations themselves and the research processes leading to them is also discussed. Suggests needed research and explains new initiatives by AAAS in science and engineering…

The role of the chief scientist in the formulation of a policy of evaluation research by a government unit is considered, together with issues facing his office. Such issues include: accountability; meeting the expectations of decision makers; increasing evaluation utilization; and evaluation feasibility. (AEF)

Discusses the problems of evaluating the ability of public television to perform a teaching role. (JMF)

Several aspects for the evaluation of leisure programs are addressed: theoretical frameworks for evaluation; practical rationales for instituting the evaluation process; information about evaluation for persons with varying abilities and needs; and processes for the evaluation of outdoor recreation programs and public leisure sports. (CJ)

Reviews factors that determine sample size, recommended sample sizes, recommended procedures for determining the appropriate sample size, and sample sizes reported in published and unpublished evaluations. (Author)

Educational administrators are faced with increased demands for research and evaluation studies. Recommendations to counteract the negative effects of these demands include: increased knowledge about the usefulness of evaluation for decision making; a more effective intermediary role in daily activities; and increased decisiveness in interpreting…

Focusing on the definition of skill transfer, this article examines the relationship between research work on transfer and various curriculum initiatives designed to promote it. Competing theories of transfer are explored, examples from medical and scientific education are described, and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications core…

Describes a study which investigated the general patterns and level of applicability of Anglo American Cataloging Rules (AACR2). It is suggested that designers and revisers of AACR2 should reduce the number of rules of very limited applicability levels and enhance the rule contents for application domains to expand the usefulness of AACR2. (SD)

Evaluation activities in China are examined, focusing on housing reform. How evaluation functions in justifying the political initiatives of the Chinese Communist Party is explored, and the possibility that evaluation research can become an academic field in China using Western methodology is discussed. (SLD)

Suggests improvements for implementation of the "Views on Science-Technology-Society" instrument. Analyzes the scaling properties of some scoring procedures within the unique response model and discusses ways to produce "best fidelity" measurements. Presents a multiple-response model that could take advantage of all the…

Discusses the Engineering Criteria 2000 adopted by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The new criteria provide a framework by which chemical engineering faculties can develop programs to meet modern industrial needs without jeopardizing their accreditation standing. The criteria also require a change in emphasis from…