In the third volume of this 10-volume report, 3 causal models of the school improvement process are presented and are used to identify outcomes of implementation and the factors influencing success. The first model predicts individual-level outcomes as a function of the magnitude of expected changes in instructional practice and the time spent on…

The purpose of this study was to teach students a way to interpret paintings metaphorically. Twenty seven art education majors were taught the clustering strategy to write metaphoric interpretations of three types of paintings (slides): realistic, abstract, and non-objective. Subjects were then randomized into two groups. Prior to using the…

The cost-effectiveness and impact on response rate of variations in mailing procedures involved in a mail survey of teacher education graduates were assessed. Variables studied were use of a preliminary or advance letter, postcard versus letter reminders as the first follow-up mailing, timing of the reminder (1 versus 2 weeks after the first…

The report documents a study conducted in 1979 by the University of Alaska's Cross-Cultural Education Development Program (X-CED) to use video tape to study the interaction of teachers and students and to look specifically at the teaching styles of the three Athabaskan teachers at an Interior Alaska Athabaskan community school. The study would…

This paper gives a method to determine a person's hypothetical conceptualization of an object -- its breakdown into subassemblies, subsubassemblies, and so on -- from the person's sequence of requests for pieces used in constructing it. A technique is given to determine whether, given a group of conceptualizations, there is a typical one. The…

Based on Maslow's characteristics of a "peak experience," 162 students in three introductory psychology classes and one personality class were asked to write a two-page paper describing a personal "peak experience." Papers were graded based on adherence to requirements, ability to apply Maslow's construct of the peak…

A study examined the validity of using questions concerning retirement expectations in large-scale micro surveys. A simple static labor supply model that considered wages, hours worked, and health data was developed for this purpose. Next, the model was implemented using data from the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) on the Labor Market…

Utilizing three different techniques, a follow-up survey of participants in a vocational education course was conducted to determine which technique collects the most useful information efficiently. The course participants were divided into thirds and, using the same questionnaire, data was collected from each third via one of the following three…

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO METHODS OF FIRST-GRADE BEGINNING READING INSTRUCTION WERE INVESTIGATED. APPROXIMATELY 920 FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS WHICH RECEIVED 1 OF THE 2 METHODS. TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF CERTAIN VARIABLES ON READING ACHIEVEMENT, THE CHILDREN WERE MATCHED IN PAIRS. THE RESULTS WERE GATHERED FROM ONE GROUP…

THE FIRST STAGE OF A RESEARCH PROJECT INVESTIGATING REINFORCER PREFERENCES IN DEVELOPMENTAL RETARDATES IS DESCRIBED. THE SUBJECTS, 12 MALES AND THREE FEMALES (CHRONOLOGICAL AGE 10 TO 22, MENTAL AGE 2.8 TO 8.7), WERE PRESENTED WITH A TASK IN WHICH 35MM COLOR SLIDES WERE PROJECTED ONTO A CONSOLE WINDOW. RESPONSES REQUIRED SUBJECTS TO CHOOSE AMONG…

In a study focusing on intrinsic motivation as a possible approach to improving the motivation and productivity of Air Force personnel, a factors list was generated from a literature review and intuitive analysis. Performance feedback was selected for further study. Fourteen feedback dimensions were identified and defined; and a number of…

A report from the United States General Accounting Office regarding the Army's skill training program for enlisted personnel is presented. The Army develops its training program twice a year, determining training requirements for the following year through personnel inventory, analysis model, and manpower program data. These methods were found not…

Comparative analyses of educational methods have often been inconclusive; there are several possible explanations: (1) each method is optimally effective under specifically differing circumstances; (2) the studies tend to emphasize one input variable to the exclusion of the others; (3) the methods do not have widely accepted definitions; and (4)…

Improved measures of performance effectiveness are required by the Marine Corps for its combat unit training program in order to ensure the maintenance of appropriate levels of unit readiness in accordance with its assigned mission. A survey to determine the state-of-the-art of performance assessment systems and methodologies was conducted as an…

The efficiency of using games presented on the PLATO IV instructional system to provide remedial mathematics training for Basic Electricity/Electronics School trainees was tested. Two learning tasks which provide the most difficulty for students were selected and instructionally programed for the PLATO IV system. Drill and practice routines for…