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Developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), this user guide consolidates information about the LSAY 2009 cohort into one document. The guide aims to address all aspects of the LSAY data including: how to access the data; data restrictions; variable naming conventions; the structure of the data; documentation; classifications and code frames used; weights; and derived variables. Updates to the Y09 data file are appended. (Contains 14 tables, 9 figures and 6 footnotes.) [For supporting documents, see "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements A--Demographics. Technical Paper 74A" (ED536979); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements B1--Education (School and School Transition). Technical Paper 74B1" (ED536973); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements B2--Education (Post-School). Technical Paper 74B2" (ED536975); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements C--Employment. Technical Paper 74C" (ED536974); and "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements D--Social. Technical Paper 74D" (ED536972).]

This project, conducted by the Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (CEET) during 2003, set out to investigate the relationship between innovation and the provision of appropriate education and training in regional Australia. The project was designed as a pilot study with two main purposes: (1) To test whether and how the issues could be investigated, with the aim of using the findings as a basis for larger and more comprehensive studies in the future; and (2) To collect and analyse information about innovation and the provision of relevant education and training in some specific regions that would advance understanding of the major concerns and issues, both within the particular area and more generally in regional Australia. The Gannawarra Shire of northern Victoria was chosen for this pilot study because contacts made in the Shire indicated considerable support for investigating the issues and offered opportunities for access to local government, enterprises and training providers. Preliminary discussions and examination of published material also indicated substantial innovation in the region. The project comprised a search for sources of information about the Gannawarra region including geography, population, industries and employment; analysis of this material to gain an understanding of the major characteristics of the region; consultations with relevant people and organisations within and outside the region; and a survey of individuals and enterprises on the Gannawarra Business Register. Opportunities for presenting the preliminary and final survey results within the Shire to local enterprises and training providers enabled the findings to be discussed and contributed to ongoing refinement of the conclusions. Key findings include: (1) Considerable innovation is occurring in the industries and enterprises of Gannawarra, contributing to changes in the types of training being sought; (2) A balance of formal and informal provision of education and training in Gannawarra, although further investigation is recommended to determine that the balance is optimal to needs; and (3) Establishment of Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs) by the Victorian Government has been successful in strengthening relationships between educational providers, communities and industry in Gannawarra. Two attachments are included: (1) Regional Development, Skill Needs and Training Questionnaire; and (2) Initiatives of the LLENs in Gannawarra Shire. (Contains 10 figures and 40 tables.)

This study tested the amount of value added to critical and communication skills by the university experience using a strategy that compared the skills of entering and graduating students at York University (Ontario). The study involved, first, identifying skills that might be improved over the course of a university education; second, developing survey questions that measured skills for entering and graduating students at four faculties; and third, performing covariance analysis of survey results for entering and graduating students. Data were generated by three questionnaires, with response rates ranging from 55 to 58 percent for two surveys in the fall of 1995 to 58 percent one conducted in the summer of 1996. Eight tables detail skill categories and topics; list characteristics of survey respondents; correlate skills and grades for entering students, for graduating students, by gender, by ethnic origin, and by home language; and provide Z-scores to assess value added for entering and graduating students. Overall, graduating students were found to have better-developed skills than entering students. The paper also focuses on the rationale for the relatively cost-effective research design. (Contains 30 references.) (CH)

This report summarizes the attitudinal portion of a nation-wide survey on the computerization of Canadian universities. Six different questionnaires, each of which contained the same questions on attitudes, were mailed to faculty, deans, admissions, officers, registrars, computer center directors, and other administrators at 63 Canadian universities. The overall return rate for the survey was 28.6%, thus restricting the conclusions that can be drawn from the results. Questions on the 30-item survey were grouped according to instruction, administration, equity, and social impact. Independent variables that were explored included the size of the university, the level of education, and the age of the respondent. Results of the survey showed that, within the university, there were few significant differences in attitudes between variable groups. Overall, there was a positive feeling about computers within the university which cut across all groups. There were differences, however, in the level of positive attitudes among the subjects, with the strongest differences in attitudes occurring between the faculty and the administrative staff. There was a strong tendency for senior administrators to be the most enthusiastic of all, while the faculty were more circumspect about the changes to teaching that the computer will supposedly bring. Data are presented in five tables and four figures as well as a narrative report. The appendices contain a copy of the attitude survey questions, and a table showing the breakdown of the attitude survey data by question. (DB)

Studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of parental involvement in children's educational lives. Few studies, however, analyse parental involvement in a cross-national perspective and few evaluate a wide array of forms of involvement. In 2009, 14 countries and economies implemented the parental questionnaire option in the PISA 2009 cycle. This working paper evaluates the levels of parental involvement across countries and sub-groups within countries, as well as the relationship of involvement with both cognitive (reading performance) and non-cognitive outcomes (enjoyment of reading and awareness of effective summarising strategies). Findings suggest that some forms of parental involvement are more strongly related to cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes than others. These include reading to children when they are young, engaging in discussions that promote critical thinking and setting a good example. Findings also show that levels of parental involvement vary across countries and economies. Inequalities in parental involvement exist in practically all countries and economies. Policy implications signal the possibility that promoting higher levels of parental involvement may increase students' both cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, and that high-quality parental involvement may help reduce performance differences across socio-economic groups. Annexed are: (1) Sampling and Analytical Limitations; and (2) The 2009 Parental Questionnaire. (Contains 63 tables, 16 figures, 1 box and 6 footnotes.)

This paper makes an in-depth comparison of the PISA (OECD) and TIMSS (IEA) mathematics assessments conducted in 2003. First, a comparison of survey methodologies is presented, followed by an examination of the mathematics frameworks in the two studies. The methodologies and the frameworks in the two studies form the basis for providing explanations for the observed differences in PISA and TIMSS results. At the country level, it appears that Western countries perform relatively better in PISA as compared to their performance in TIMSS. In contrast, Asian and Eastern European countries tend to do better in TIMSS than in PISA. This paper goes beyond making mere conjectures about the observed differences in results between PISA and TIMSS. The paper provides supporting evidence through the use of regression analyses to explain the differences. The analyses showed that performance differences at the country level can be attributed to the content balance of the two tests, as well as the sampling definitions--age-based and grade-based--in PISA and TIMSS respectively. Apart from mathematics achievement, the paper also compares results from the two studies on measures of self-confidence in mathematics. Gender differences are also examined in the light of contrasting results from the two studies. Overall, the paper provides a comprehensive comparison between PISA and TIMSS, and, in doing so, it throws some light on the interpretation of results of large-scale surveys more generally. (Contains 21 figure, 28 tables, 7 boxes and 25 footnotes.)

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of adolescent career plans reported in PISA 2006. Its main focus is on the differences in the status and area of employment expected by girls and boys in high school. In almost all countries, girls lead boys in their interest in non-manual, high status professional occupations. This can be seen as a vertical dimension of gender segregation in occupational preferences. Students also differ by gender in selecting particular fields of employment within status categories. These differences make up the horizontal segregation of students' expectations and, in PISA 2006, are prominent in the gendered choices of specific subfields of science. Both the vertical and the horizontal dimensions must be considered to appreciate the cultural and institutional factors which promote and reinforce systematic divides in career choices of adolescent boys and girls. Appended are: (1) Additional descriptive tables; (2) Occupational titles comprising science, engineering/computing and health employment; (3) Plans to enter socio-cultural professions; (4) Missing data; and (5) Additional information on methods. (Contains 8 figures, 18 tables and 2 footnotes.)

This paper presents the evaluation of the program Computers for Education. The program aims to integrate computers, donated by the private sector, into the teaching of language in public schools. The authors conduct a two-year randomized evaluation of the program using a sample of 97 schools and 5,201 children. Overall, the program seems to have had little effect on students' test scores and other outcomes. These results are consistent across grade levels, subjects, and gender. The main reason for these results seems to be the failure to incorporate the computers into the educational process. Although the program increased the number of computers in the treatment schools and provided training to the teachers on how to use the computers in their classrooms, surveys of both teachers and students suggest that teachers did not incorporate the computers into their curriculum. (Contains 13 tables and 6 footnotes.) [Funding for this report was provided by the program Computers for Education and the Ministry of Communication.]

The efficiency of schools diverges dramatically across countries in the OECD and can also vary markedly within countries. These differences in levels of efficiency can be traced to policy and institutional settings. As such, moving to best practice could boost educational attainment and reduce pressure on budgetary resources. This paper assesses empirically the relationship between institutional and policy settings and the efficiency of public spending on primary and secondary education across OECD countries. The analysis builds on two previous papers, which respectively developed OECD-area indicators of educational efficiency based on PISA score data and institutional indicators based on questionnaire responses. The results identify a number of institutional and policy settings that appear conducive to raising efficiency, as well as policies that appear to be detrimental to achieving higher levels of efficiency. (A bibliography is included. Supplementary Results are annexed. Contains 32 footnotes, 7 figures, 3 boxes and 23 tables.)

This report describes a study conducted by the Audio-Visual Media Research Group of the Open University to investigate student attitudes, over time, to the value of radio as a course component. Results of a January 1979 survey using a questionnaire are reported with tables and analyzed according to (1) whether a student had access to a VHF radio at home, (2) the way in which a student already used radio, (3) any experience a student may have had with Open University radio before beginning a foundation course, and (4) any expectations students might have of the role radio could play as a course component and how confident they were that they could use radio in this way. The appendices include the questionnaire, data on the samples used, and the percentage of responses to individual questionnaire items. (CHC)

This paper provides educators with a general perspective on computer literacy and an in-depth examination of the Computer Literacy Awareness Assessment conducted by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC). Addressing computer literacy as part of the ongoing use of computers in a classroom setting is identified as the most reasonable approach for introducing computer literacy to British Columbia. Computer literacy is then defined and discussed in terms of specific experiences or desired outcomes of literacy. The remainder of the paper discusses the development of the Minnesota Assessment, including purposes of the test and its structure. The test comprises three parts: (1) affective assessment--six scales of five items each; (2) cognitive test--53 true/false or multiple choice items; and (3) survey of background variables--37 items. The appendices include the validation of the test; administration and scoring norms; a priori cognitive sub-test; revised cognitive sub-tests; reliabilities, means and standard deviations for cognitive sub-tests; intercorrelations and percentile norms of cognitive sub-test and revised sub-test; affective scales; and Computer Literacy Questionnaire. (CHC)

Introductory material offers observations useful to British readers regarding a Canadian educational program assessment manual, which is the main component of this document. The manual was developed at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and revised based upon the experiences of the biological sciences technology and broadcast technology programs, which were assessed in 1978, and the further experiences of seven other programs in health, business, and engineering in 1979. The manual is organized in four sections. The first section explains the purpose of program assessment and lists the characteristics of the program self-evaluation. In the second section, procedures for conducting program assessments are covered. These procedures include formating evaluation committees, establishing a program assessment schedule, creating a task force, and assessing programs with two or more options. The third section focuses on collecting the information, including what basic information should be sought, and how to develop the questionnaires needed for the various groups from whom data should be collected. The final section of the manual explains how to prepare the program assessment report. Numerous examples are provided throughout the manual. (KC)

This paper on students who learn differently, primarily students with specific learning disabilities or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD), examines the topic in the context of American families living abroad based on a review of the literature and a survey of member clubs of the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas. Background information covers topics such as the nature of ADD/HD, symptoms of special learning problems, factors that might complicate recognition, why students learn differently, consequences of ignoring the fact that students learn differently, and student evaluation. Special considerations for internationally mobile families are organized into suggestions for before and after the move and anytime. Schooling suggestions cover international schools, host country or national schools, choosing a school, techniques for teachers, the computer as a teaching aid, continuing education for teachers, and tips for college-bound students. The paper also provides an extensive bibliography and list of resource materials including books, computer programs, tapes, Web sites, and useful addresses. Also included are eight attachments such as the survey questionnaire, a list of famous people with attention deficit disorders and learning disabilities, a brochure of advice for parents, organizational materials, and a report detailing the findings of a follow-up survey. (Contains approximately 50 references.) (DB)

This supplement contains all adaptations made by countries to the international version of the TEDS-M questionnaires under careful supervision of and approval by the TEDS-M International Study Center at Michigan State University. This information provides users of the TEDS-M International Database with a guide to evaluate the availability of internationally comparable data for use in secondary analyses. The adaptations to questionnaires are presented in four sections: Section 1: Institutional Program Questionnaire; Section 2: Educator Questionnaire; Section 3: Future Teacher Questionnaire (Parts A, B, and D); and Section 4: Adaptations to questions about education levels (ISCED classification). Each section contains adaptations specific to individual education systems followed by general or common cultural adaptations and variables. The listed adaptations include questions that countries were required to adapt, questions that were not administered, and questions that countries modified to suit their national context. [For the main report, "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database," see ED542383. For related reports, see "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 1: International Version of the TEDS-M Questionnaires" (ED542382), "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 3: Variables Derived from the Educator and Future Teacher Data" (ED542385), and "TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 4: TEDS-M Released Mathematics and Mathematics Pedagogy Knowledge Assessment Items" (ED542384).] [This paper was edited with Maria Teresa Tatto.]

This paper presents the development and initial validation of new measures of critical thinking and noncognitive attributes that were designed to supplement existing standardized tests used in the admissions system for higher education in Chile. The importance of various facets of this process, including the establishment of technical rigor and political support of instrument development, piloting, and implementation is also emphasized because the results from this pilot study could affect the admissions process for some of the most prestigious and competitive universities in the country. The new instruments were pilot tested on a group of high school seniors (n = 1,568) and first-year college students (n = 1,443) during 2008. The sample included students from 20 secondary schools and 4 universities. Initial results were promising and showed that the measures were effectively assessing attributes not currently considered in the Chilean higher education admissions process. In addition, performance on the new instruments was found to be less correlated with students' sociodemographic characteristics than were measures currently used for undergraduate admissions. Appended are: (1) Factor Analysis of Critical Thinking Essay; (2) Factor Analysis of the Personal Reflection Instrument; (3) Pearson Partial Correlation Coefficients Among Standardized Questionnaires Controlling for Social Desirability; (4) Factor Analysis of All Likert Scale Self-Ratings' Items Combined; and (5) Factor Analysis of Teacher Survey. (Contains 19 tables, 4 figures and 20 notes.)

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and work. This technical paper contains the frequency tables for the LSAY 2003 cohort Wave 7 (2009) data set. [For the related questionnaire, see ED512164.]

This unit of study, intended for intermediate grade students, focuses on comparing students from different cultures: Germany and the United States. The unit addresses National Social Studies Standards (NCSS) standards; presents an introduction, such as purpose/rationale; cites a recommended grade level; states objectives; provides a time allotment; lists resources needed; delineates procedures; discusses assessment; and suggests extension/enrichment activities. Appended is a student questionnaire (in English and in German), a data display of answers to the questionnaire, and notes for teachers to accompany questionnaire results. (BT)

This report assesses transfer issues from the student perspective in British Columbia. It centers on determining: where transfer students went for further studies; the nature of the transfer-related problems that were encountered; and the frequency these transfer-related problems were cited. The following five sub-cohort pairings, defined within each of the two major program type cohorts, were analyzed in order to discover significant differences in transfer-related behavior and experience: (1) comparing lower division Arts and Sciences students who continued studies with those who did not; (2) for students who continued studies, comparing students who attempted to transfer credits with those who did not; (3) for students who continued studies and attempted to transfer credits, comparing students who encountered transfer problems with those who did not; (4) for students who continued studies, attempted to transfer credits, and encountered transfer problems, comparing students who attempted to transfer the original credential (or all completed course-work) as one whole block of credits towards their new program with those who did not; and (5) for students who continued studies, attempted to transfer credits, and encountered transfer problems, comparing students who encountered transfer problems only at the old institution (sending) with those who encountered transfer problems at the new institution (receiving). It presents key findings and recommendations. The paper includes the questionnaire instrument in appendices. (Contains 14 references.) (VWC)

A number of second language class activities are presented that stimulate interpersonal interaction and develop communication skills. The exercises are also designed to accommodate learners' different learning styles, pacing needs, skill levels, and course content. They include: a questionnaire activity in which students must discover facts about classmates; descriptions of drawings; picture completion using pairs or trios of students; and "matchmaking." Using individualized lesson plans and offering students a number of activity options from which to choose are also suggested. An individualized lesson plan form is appended. (MSE)

In 1986 the United States (U.S.)-Japan Seminar on Mathematical Problem Solving convened to compare the state of problem solving in the classroom and in research in the two countries. The data and results given in this paper are the results of research conducted in the United States in response to the 1986 seminar. The U.S. and Japanese research groups decided to collect problem solving data at the 4th, 6th, 8th, and 11th grade school levels. Problems were collected from a pool of problems submitted by both the United States and Japan. U.S. subjects were from at least two 4th-, 6th-, 8th-, and 11th-grade classes from large rural, small urban, and large urban schools in areas around Carbondale and Champaign/Urbana, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Gainesville, Florida; and Athens, Georgia. In addition to the problems, student questionnaires collected data on students' attitudes towards problem solving, their comparison of the problems to textbook problems, and their reactions to the problems. A teacher questionnaire collected information about the schools, teachers' views of their classes, their reactions to the problems, and their perceptions of how students worked on problems. These questionnaires are included in the appendix. Five research reports include the results for each of five problems developed for varying grade levels, as follows: (1) the "Marble Arrangement Problem" for grade 4 (researched by E. Silver, S. Leung, and J. Cai); (2) the "Matchsticks Problem" for U.S. students in grades 4 and 6 (M. Hart and K. Travers); (3) the "Marble Pattern Problem" for U.S. students in grades 6, 8, and 11 (K. Fouche and M. Kantowski); (4) the "Arithmogons Problems" for U.S. students in grades 8 and 11 (J. Becker and A. Owens); and (5) the "Areas of Squares Problem" for U.S. students in grade 11 (J. Wilson). (Contains 39 references, as well as references with chapters.) (MDH)