This report reviews the increasing numbers of case studies, technical guides, and theory-oriented reports that bear on the successful diffusion of new instructional programs and their local adoption. The author separates these reports and articles into four categories: (1) case studies of educational innovation diffusion, (2) theory-oriented…

New models of research and training combined with dissemination techniques can contribute to relevant social change. The Ecological Psychology Program at Michigan State University, a graduate training program which focuses on model building and implementation research, offers ideas on the plausability of social programming. The process would…

This study analyzes the characteristics of Adoption Resource Exchange of America (ARENA) registration in 1969 and 1972 in relation to factors associated with placement. The survey includes 615 children and 1,020 families. Geographically source of registration had little relation to location of placement, with only 13% placed in the state they…

The study analyzed the cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses of educational administrators to training materials and information documents, in order to determine whether administrators at State and local levels adopt materials differently. Findings for eight research questions are presented, and implications for dissemination activities…

Reports on an Iowa survey of school compliance with state-legislated activities (in this case, a needs assessment) and of administrator attitudes toward the worth of the mandated program. (IRT)

In this comment, the authors point to the need for editorial criteria (or censorship) in the publication of scientific research. Specifically, they refer to an article on transracial adoption and I Q, previously published in this journal, whose discussion section contained implications that could be misinterpreted by some readers. (AM)

Overcoming resistance to change theory is truncated and simplistic because it ignores important stages in organizational change and overlooks conditions internal and external to the organization that can have an important impact on the fate of innovations. Available from The American Academy of Political and Social Science, 3937 Chestnut Street,…

This study was conducted to learn why teachers continue to use a nutrition education innovation that was implemented by 21 teachers over three years. An ex post facto design was used to assess the significance of three implementation variables: the teacher, internal support, and external support. Results suggest teacher perceptions of the…

The second of two articles discusses topics relating to the development of CD-ROM technology: (1) new applications; (2) the image of what CD-ROM will become; (3) the properties of information, including timeliness, risk, and the relationship between message and medium; and (4) growth issues such as production, pricing, and user training and…

Examines factors which may affect the receptivity of librarians to the use of optical disk technologies, including hardware and software issues, the content of currently available databases, and the integration of optical technologies into existing library services. (CLB)

Proposes new model for study of microcomputer technology in agriculture in which diffusion/adoption of innovations is conceptualized as a structural process affected by "access conditions" resulting from research and development, intrinsic technology characteristics, and distributional characteristics. Examines thesis that potential adopters…

Described is a model for teaching elementary school science based on the generative view of learning: that meaning is created by the learner through mental processing that involves relating new input to existing ways of viewing the world. How curriculum researchers can help teachers implement this model is also discussed. (RM)

New media, such as electronic mail and word processing, are playing increasingly important roles in communication activities, especially in organizational settings. This article reviews the process by which new media are diffused, and describes some characteristics of new media that have implications for evaluation research. (Author/BW)

A conceptual framework that will increase understanding of the link between educational planning and implementation is presented. The framework is based on three basic components: (1) identifying the problems to be solved, (2) making decisions in choosing among alternative actions, and (3) communicating change inherent in the educational plan. (RM)

Assesses which organizational structures and climate variables were related to agency success in placing developmentally disabled children for adoption. One hundred ninety-nine public and private agencies in the United States and Canada participated in the study. Overall, decisiveness was an important agency variable in placement. Variables for…