A review of the general literature on diffusion, innovation, and social change is worthwhile as a basis for developing more effective methods for facilitating the adoption of computer-based technologies. Much of the research on diffusion has focused on (1) characteristics of the innovation which influence the diffusion process, (2) a description…

Prepared for a meeting of the Northwest Regional Exchange (NWRx) Advisory Board and its staff and consultants, this document first reviews nine reports' findings on nine hypotheses concerning the institutionalization of educational change or innovation, especially as institutionalization relates to the dissemination functions of state…

This guide to the economic analysis of media use in education reviews the evidence on the costs and benefits of educational media and provides a methodology for future decision-making. It includes chapters on establishing a framework for media choice, evaluating the effectiveness of media use, and analyzing costs. The empirical evidence from past…

How market factors affected the diffusion of four agricultural inputs (fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide) among farmers on the Central Plain of Thailand is examined. Market factors investigated were the distribution policies of the propagators and the travel behavior of the potential adopters. Data were gathered through personal…

This project report establishes a framework for viewing educational needs and change from the context of social technological change, synthesizes the research and policy implications of such a perspective, provides guidance on preparing and dealing with the new educational issues which will result from changing technology during this decade, and…

The latest important event in the history of educational testing in Japan was the establishment of the National Center for University Entrance Examination (NCUEE) in 1977. The entrance examination system consists of two stages. The first stage exam is the Joint Achievement Test (JAT) which is jointly administered by national and local public…

This paper describes one component of the Study of Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement, which focused on the role that external facilitators play in helping schools implement new educational practices. The first part describes the external facilitator sample (95 respondents) and delineates the major formal role groups of external…

This collection of essays on teacher centers reports the thinking of teachers' centers participants and leaders as they endeavor to improve, sustain, and extend their programs. While the function of teacher centers is, in a broad sense, to encourage teachers to continue to grow in their profession and remain open to new educational innovations,…

The Local Planning and Assessment Process (LPAP) was developed in response to one objective of the Rhode Island Master Plan for Evaluation. LPAP is designed to encourage systematic planning and assessment activities in the local district. It provides a means by which each local school district can identify and order its educational goals and…

A study investigated the influence of users' attitudes and sources of information on their adoption of a training research project. A two-part questionnaire was administered to 111 Army participants attending TRADOC/FORSCOM Training and Evaluation Workshops to gather attitudinal and usage information relating to the adoption of the Training…

A field experiment investigated the use of interactive cable television to deliver in-service instruction to elementary school teachers. Fifteen schools in Rockford, Illinois, were designated as controls, 12 were equipped for one-way television, and 14 were set up for two-way communication. A consultative relationship with teachers was established…

A study of the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program illuminates several policy choices for federal and state support of dissemination and school improvement projects. RDU was established in 1976 to disseminate educational materials and thereby help schools clarify and solve local problems. Seven…

To operationalize the Technical Assistance Brokerage System, the first major task called for the development of a taxonomy of training and technical assistance services specifying requisite skills and skill clusters by the dimensions of client type, stages of dissemination, and levels of experience. From a literature search approximately 400…

This paper provides a progress report on an investigation to validate and extend the autocatalytic model for the adoption of educational innovations. Three topics are dealt with: (1) a brief description is provided of the autocatalytic model and its current application, (2) the design of a survey to collect data for further tests of the model is…

What happens when an innovative project is implemented in a school is the focus of this book. An examination of the change process by a variety of authors divides the book into three main sections. Part 1 reports the results of examination of the change process in recent times. Part 2 extends the book's focus to experiences with large-scale,…