When new educational technology is put into actual use, new ways of using the technology and new ways of organizing instruction can emerge. A critical feature of formative research conducted in actual settings is that the organization of instruction can change as the educational environment appropriates the technology to its own goals. Thus, the…

The role of accreditation in professionalizing an emerging field is examined in a study of on-site evaluation visits. Case records for five physical therapy education programs (including new and established programs at both public and private baccalaureate and entry-level master's programs in medical and nonmedical school settings) were analyzed…

This study of the feasibility of using existing videocassettes for interactive video included field tests with Open University summer school students. The aims of the study were to discover whether video material originally made for broadcast could be used in an interactive program which involves breaking up the intended flow of the program;…

In this report, the search is continued for exemplary elementary science programs. Included is a chapter explaining the excellence in elementary science concept which touches upon: (1) goals; (2) characteristics of an ideal curriculum; (3) resources and materials; (4) administrative leadership; (5) classroom environment; and (6) program…

The combined field tests for the third follow-up survey of High School and Beyond (HSB) and the fifth follow-up survey of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72) were conducted during the spring of 1985. The overall purposes of the field tests were to evaluate questionnaires and procedures to be used for the…

The purpose of this study was to compare the relative magnitude of the variance components and generalizability coefficients derived from the Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments (TPAI) data using two different methods of data collection: (1) occasions when observers were in the classroom for simultaneous observation and (2) occasions when…

Field testing of the American Indian Archaeology Project, designed for grades 5 through 8, revealed weaknesses in the quality with which the modules were implemented. The project offers supplementary materials, a resource guide, and teacher workshops for social studies or humanities teachers. Two aspects of the materials, feasibility and…

A 1978 field test evaluated the 3-program "Collecting Information" cluster of ThinkAbout, a series of 60 15-minute instructional television programs for fifth and sixth graders designed to strengthen reasoning skills and to review and reinforce language arts, mathematics, and study skills. Conducted in 60 classrooms in Kansas City,…

The summative evaluation of a courseware program designed to assist in writing the lower-case alphabet is described to demonstrate the effectiveness of a field test for answering specific evaluation questions, collecting maximum evidence on which to base conclusions of instructional effectiveness, and being flexible enough for use in normal…

This article reports results of a study examining the attitudes of classroom faculty toward the types of materials that are appropriate for the undergraduate library. Justification, construction, and refinement of the attitude scale, and the use of interviews, judges, and pilot and field tests are noted. Thirty-seven references are cited. (EJS)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and other recent changes in federal legislation have placed greater emphasis on accountability in large-scale testing. Included in this emphasis are regulations that require assessments to be accessible. States are accountable for the success of all students, and tests should be designed in a way that…

The 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04), conducted for the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), collected comprehensive data regarding how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. The primary objective of NPSAS:04 is to produce reliable national estimates of…

Because a content analysis of 24 leading teacher education texts revealed little attention to sexism, the Non-Sexist Teacher Education Program (NSTEP) developed six units on sexism in education and field tested them at 27 schools of education. Results are discussed. (Part of a theme issue on women.) (SJL)

Cognitive flexibility theory is a constructivist learning paradigm emphasizing real-world complexity and the ill-structured nature of knowledge. This article discusses the design of a multimedia program (Perspectives on Emotional and Behavioral Disorders) based on cognitive flexibility theory and presents quantitative and qualitative results of…

Details the development and field testing of hypermedia training materials for teaching radiology residents at the Montreal General Hospital (Canada). Compares results of randomly teaching 24 residents with either hypermedia or traditional classroom methods. Results indicate that residents who learned with hypermedia generally performed as well as…