This guide provides an introduction to the use of microcomputers with qualitative data. It is deliberately non-specific and rudimentary in order to be of maximum benefit to the widest possible audience of beginning microcomputer users who wish to analyze their data using software that is not specifically designed for qualitative data analysis. The…

Recommendations resulting from the Council of Chief State School Officers' Education Data Improvement Project are summarized. This joint effort by the states and Federal government attempts to improve the quality and timeliness of data collected, analyzed, and reported by the United States Department of Education's Center for Statistics. The goals…

The value of variance is emphasized, and the element of design, frequently not adequately understood, is clarified to underscore the importance of variance to the researcher. Two analytic methods, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression, are discussed in terms of how each uses/applies variance. Advantages and major difficulties with…

The ongoing activities of program evaluation in the College of Education at Michigan State University are described in terms of three major phases of the evaluation: data collection; data analysis and reporting; and internal program reviews. Descriptions are included of the Graduate and Undergraduate Education Policy Committees, Office of Program…

A study was conducted to investigate the reading comprehension and educationally related characteristics and relationships that describe the Navy's recruit population. The variable of primary interest was the recruit's reading comprehension grade level score; other variables were years of education, aptitude score, high school graduation status,…

Information about the world and how it works is often hard to locate and difficult to understand. The objectives and activities in this teaching guide were developed to complement the "World Military and Social Expenditures" (WMSE) report in the study of global issues in secondary school classrooms. The report contains well-documented and…

A study was conducted to investigate the reading comprehension and educationally related characteristics and relationships that describe the Navy's recruit population. The variable of primary interest was the recruit's reading comprehension grade level score; other variables were years of education, aptitude score, high school graduation status,…

This study explores an approach to the evaluation of expert system shells using case studies. The methodology and some of the results of an evaluation of the prototype development of an expert system using the shell "M1" are detailed, including a description of the participants and the project, the data collection process and materials,…

The techniques for calculating marginal costs in higher education are examined in detail. Marginal costs, as defined in economics, is the change in total cost associated with producing one additional unit of output. In higher education, the most frequently selected unit of output is a full-time-equivalent student or, alternatively, a student…

Few methods have been tried and used to graphically represent more than two variables. This poster session showed a new method for representing three continuous variables on a single scatterplot using the THREEDE computer program. Two variables are represented as a normal bivariate distribution. The third variable is represented by a symbol, e.g.…

This data file user's manual documents the procedures used to collect and process high school transcripts for a large sample of the younger cohort (1980 sophomores) in the High School and Beyond survey. The manual provides the user with the technical assistance needed to use the computer file and also discusses the following: (1) sample design for…

The purpose of this research was to develop, test, and demonstrate a systematic methodology of triangulation. Triangulation is a technique used to establish credibility of data gathered in qualitative ways. Triangulated conclusions are more stable than any of the individual vantage points from which they were triangulated. Using a previous study…

This workbook teaches population analysis using world population statistics. To complete the four student activity sheets, the students refer to the included "1988 World Population Data Sheet" which lists nations' statistical data that includes population totals, projected population, birth and death rates, fertility levels, and the…

As educators become more interested in the use of qualitative methods, a major concern is the management of the large amounts of textual data during analysis. The efficiency and possibly the effectiveness of manual systems, i.e., color-coded index cards and wall-mounted systems, are reduced as the amount of textual data increases. An emerging…

The study reports on the incidence and prevalence of developmental disabilities in Iowa, in conjunction with estimates of the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their demand for services. An introductory section outlines the organization of the report and distinguishes among three types of demand for services: potential…