A survey examining social group participation of 584 whitewater kayakers found that friends and fellow paddlers of similar skill were the most popular choices as kayaking companions. Social group choice was predicted by psychological outcomes, personal involvement in kayaking, and group size. Discusses implications for development and marketing of…

Mail surveys of 133 educational researchers were analyzed to determine practices concerning specially treated control groups. Although some consistency in practice was found, surveys revealed confusion among researchers over the definition of and relationship between both sources of artifact and placebo, Hawthorne, and attention-placebo controls.…

Investigators were surveyed on the topic of side effects coincident with baseline naturalistic observations of children. Reported side-effects usually involved exacerbation of problems already occurring. Children in clinical samples were more likely than those in naturalistic samples to display side-effects. (Author/BB)

Describes the results of a survey of 108 rural South Dakota high school principals. Reports that, although principals envision themselves as instructional leaders, a majority of the day is spent on general managerial duties and discipline, with principals more concerned about task completion than about individuals or school climate. (Author/DHP)

Surveyed 2,400 randomly selected members of American Camping Association (ACA) with 62% response rate. Results include ACA membership is largely comprised of camp full-time staff; members believe ACA delivers important benefits effectively; and member attitudes varied widely with regard to sectional offices, ACA functions, types of camp operations…

Details 10 years of experience with telephone survey methodology utilized at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) to collect data from business and industry, former students, and individuals residing in JCCC's service area. Compares results between mail survey respondents and nonrespondents who were later telephoned for an interview. (VWC)

Results of a study surveying 300 households suggest that mail survey researchers should consider using a "reasons for not responding" form because it increases responses to about the same degree as traditional followup procedures and it allows the collection of demographic information from nonrespondents. (SLD)

Two studies determined nutrition practices of informal child caregivers and assessed the feasibility of providing a public-health nutrition-education program for these caregivers. Responses quantified interest in nutrition and feeding topics and preferred formats and times for such a program. (DLH)

A controlled experiment is used in a survey of high school students to investigate the effect on response rates of prizes awarded for responding to a survey. (Contains 2 tables.)

Retail farmers' markets are seen as key institutions in a more "civic agriculture," but little is known about how they promote small business entrepreneurship. Drawing on research in economic sociology and economic geography, this paper examines the role of social learning in vendor innovation. Data from a 1999 mail survey of farmers' market…

Learning is an important aspect of aging productively. This paper describes results from 2645 respondents (aged from 50 to 74+ years) to a 165-variable postal survey in Australia. The focus is on learning and its relation to work; social, spiritual, and emotional status; health; vision; home; life events; and demographic details. Clustering…

Although neotraditional architecture largely focuses on promoting sense of community (SOC), it has the potential to influence environmentalism in residents as well. In October 2002, the authors conducted a mail survey of 1,611 middleclass homeowners in Gainesville, Florida, to determine if there were differences in SOC and environmental behaviors,…

Community learning disability nursing has been faced with considerable changes over recent years. In the early part of the 1990s, some commentators believed that it was a specialism in decline. The aim of the present study was to describe the way in which community nurses, learning disabilities (CNLDs), work within National Health Service (NHS)…

This study assessed mail survey return rates published in seven general health education journals for the 13-year period, 1990-2002: "American Journal of Health Behavior," "American Journal of Health Education," "American Journal of Health Promotion," "Health Education & Behavior," "Health Education Research," "Journal of American College Health,"…

Legislation has directed schools to convene school councils that typically address issues related to curriculum, instruction, budget, and governance as one means to improve schooling. However, the expectation for improved schools through this involvement remains a challenge. The study examined issues connected to council operation in two large…