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The paper examines between-country differences in the mechanisms through which education could promote generalised trust using data from 29 countries participating in the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). Results indicate that education is strongly associated with generalised trust and that a large part of this association is mediated by individuals' literacy skills, income and occupational prestige. However, education gradients in levels of generalised trust and in the extent to which they are due to social stratification mechanisms or cognitive skills mechanisms vary across countries. Differences across countries in birthplace diversity and income inequality are correlated with how strongly education is associated with trust in different countries, as well as in the relative magnitude of direct and indirect associations. In particular, the relationship between literacy skills and generalised trust is stronger in the presence of greater birthplace diversity but is weaker in the presence of greater income inequality.

The current study focuses on the stigmatization and psychosocial experiences of community college transfer students within the university setting. Two hundred and sixty-three students nearing the completion of their studies at UC Berkeley responded to a series of open-ended questions about their academic, social, and psychological experiences at the university. Results indicate that nearly one-fifth of the respondents concealed the fact that they were transfer students at least once in the past and approximately one-fourth reported experiences of transfer-related rejection. Furthermore, those who reported experiences of rejection were more likely to conceal that they had transferred into the university than those who did not experience such rejection. Despite these reported experiences of concealment and rejection, the overall group of surveyed transfer students in this study proved to be academically successful. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed. Three appendixes present additional tables and figures and participant responses.(Contains 4 notes, 1 figure, and 4 tables.)

The purpose of this study is to validate a test anxiety scale for Italian students. The scale is part of a questionnaire administered after the students' annual competence test by the National Institute for the Educational Evaluation of Instruction and Training (INVALSI). The aim of the scale is to explore the anxiety levels of Italian students during the administration of the standardized tests at the end of the school year. A test anxiety scale has been adapted from the Motivational and Self-Regulated Learning Competence Questionnaire. In May 2009 the tests (Reading comprehension and Grammar, Math) and questionnaire were administered to a sample of 42,929 5th graders. According to Classical Test Theory, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of reliability (0.71) evaluates internal consistency of the scale. Anxiety level estimates for students, items and item thresholds--according to the Andrich Rating Scale Model (1978)--are obtained using software ConQuest. Results show that item threshold estimates are monotonous and well separated from each other, so that the more anxiety levels increase, the more the students' agreement with each item increases. Applied across gender groups the RSM (DIF analysis) reveals that gender should be taken into account in detecting test anxiety: females are more anxious than males (the model fits better for the female sample). At the same time, two of the items seem to work differently by gender. (Contains 6 figures, 6 tables, and 3 notes.) [This publication was produced by the INVALSI - National Institute for the Educational Evaluation of Instruction and Training.]

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Education surveyed the impact of the economic recession on education for the first time in June 2009. Responses were received from seventeen OECD member countries, the Flemish Community of Belgian and two Canadian provinces. The results of the survey reflect the observations of officials in education ministries and public agencies in member countries regarding various aspects of the impact of the economic recession and fiscal crisis on education. The survey indicated that the main effects of the crisis on education were: (1) a marked increase in demand for non-compulsory education in many countries as a result of rising unemployment; (2) some budget cuts in education in some countries; (3) attempts by governments in several countries to reduce the negative consequences on schools and universities by targeted explicit or implicit stimulus measures; vocational education and training, tertiary education and upper-secondary education benefit the most from stimulus measures; and (4) a rather severe impact on private investment. A second OECD "educationtoday" Crisis Survey was carried out over the summer of 2010. Twenty-five OECD member countries completed the questionnaire. The main change between the two surveys is that the first was carried out at a time of economic recession, while the second was developed at a time of economic recovery and fiscal consolidation. Indeed, the education systems in OECD member countries are mainly confronted with the difficulties of governments to maintain the growth of public spending as in past pre-crisis years. The main outcomes of the 2010 survey are the following: (1) The survey data does not portrait an education system dramatically affected by overall budget cuts; (2) In general, governments seem to be rather successful in protecting education spending; (3) The demand for non-compulsory education continues to augment, especially in vocational education and training, although the recession reduces the capacity of enterprises to uphold their training investments; (4) The recession has not slowed down reforms in education; on the contrary, some countries have accelerated reforms; and (5) Some governments are also taking into consideration the difficult situation of private households by increasing social measures to contain education cost. Annexed are: (1) Questionnaire Respondents; (2) The Crisis and Demand for Education in the Past; (3) The Crisis and Expected Demand for Education; (4) Targeting of Stimulus Spending on Education; (5) The Crisis and Public Financing of Education in the Past; (6) The Crisis and Educational Reform; and (7) The Crisis and Expected Public Financing of Education. (Contains 3 tables, 1 box and 4 notes.)

This occasional paper updates and extends earlier papers in the Monitoring the Future project. It provides a detailed description of the project's design, including sampling design, data collection procedures, measurement content, and questionnaire format. It attempts to include sufficient information for others who wish to evaluate the results, to replicate aspects of the study, or to analyze data that is archived. Although there have been additions to the study design and procedures, the basic study design described in a 1978 paper has remained constant in its fundamental characteristics, which is considered the key condition for its ability to successfully measure change. Following an introduction and overview, this paper presents the scope, purposes, and rationale for the nationwide sampling of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students. In the measures section, an overview is presented of the conceptual framework of the study, the outline of questionnaire content, the questionnaire organization, and the consent and format of the 8th- and 10th-grade questionnaires. Sampling and data collection procedures are included in the next section, which is followed by the representativeness and validity. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 16 appendixes.)

Social desirability responding (SDR) on surveys administered on the World Wide Web and on paper was examined, with 178 graduate and undergraduate students as participants. To assess the extent to which participants would demonstrate SDR, this study used the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) (Paulhus, 1993). The BIDR consists of 40 items states as propositions. Respondents rate their agreement with each statement on a seven-point scale. Using a true experimental design, the study examined the impact of two independent variables, the participants' identifiability level (anonymous and non-anonymous) and the survey's administration mode (World Wide Web-administered and paper-administered), on one dependent variable, the participants' social desirability response levels measured by the BIDR. Findings reveal no differences in SDR between the Web and the paper-administered survey conditions, and no differences in SDR between the anonymous and non-anonymous conditions. These findings and potential explanations are examined for consideration by anyone interested in using the Web to obtain accurate information from survey participants. (Contains 35 references.) (AEF)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of Alberta's Principal Quality Practice Standard as a framework for the roles and responsibilities of school principals. Methodology: Three principals participated in the study, and each principal had more than 25 years of teaching and school administration experience. Each principal was interviewed about preparation for their role as school administrator, and asked about job-embedded supports for each of the dimensions included in the Principal Quality Practice Standard. Participants in the study self-reported in two questionnaires framed on a five-point Likert scale, and each was personally interviewed to preserve their "voice" intact toward reporting. Results: Results indicate that principals regard site-based leadership as practical for engaging leadership candidates toward administrative roles. Site-based leadership programs that offer university credit are also highly regarded to satisfy qualifications for principals to continue their professional educational growth in academics. Master's-level university courses provide a necessary understanding of leadership change, growth and development for principals to be effective instructional leaders. Conclusions: Results show that principals with classroom teaching experience present a "grassroots" approach to school leadership, that transforms their administrative role into a more active role as Instructional/Learning Leader(s). Recommendations: Educators who assume school administrator roles are responsible for developing leadership capacity in their staff members. The Alberta Principal Quality Practice Standard is a benchmark that highlights several dimensions of principalship that elucidate areas of professional responsibility in which leadership candidates must be engaged.

Alumni surveys were sent to one-year alumni from a large, public research university to determine the survey format that resulted in the best response rates and the least response bias. Surveys differed in whether they were check-box or machine-scannable (optical mark recognition, or OMR) and in whether it was possible to use a Web site to complete the survey or just the paper form. Surveys were sent to 4,952 bachelor's degree recipients in four groups: (1) OMR with a Web option; (2) OMR with no Web option; (3) check-box with a Web option; and (4) check-box with no Web option. The final sample size was 4,524. Overall, 33.9% of the alumni responded over 3 months, with the group receiving the check-box plus Web option having the highest response rate (35.7%), followed by the check-box with no Web option (35.7%), the OMR with Web option (33.0%), and finally the OMR with no Web option (32.3%). Only 2% overall actually responded over the Internet. Optically machine-readable forms tended to suppress the response rates. Nonresponse bias for subgroups did not appear to be a problem, but there was some evidence of possible negative response bias in question answers, with respondents receiving the check box tended to give more negative answers than respondents receiving an OMR survey. (Contains 1 figure, 5 tables, and 16 references.) (SLD)

In response to interest from the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (NPDC-ASD), NECTAC (National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center) queried Part C and Section 619 Coordinators regarding screening measures, diagnostic instruments and procedures, and trends in identifying young children with ASD under the age of five years. NECTAC collaborated with the NPDC-ASD to develop and refine a series of questions and then to conduct an on-line survey during a two week period in November 2008. Individual states are not identified in this report. Responses were received from a total of 33 respondents in 27 states/jurisdictions scattered throughout the United States and the Pacific. Of these respondents, 14 were Part C program coordinators, 12 were Section 619 program coordinators, and 7 indicated that they represented both programs. Twelve states had respondents from both Part C and preschool coordinators. First, respondents were asked to identify the screening measures/tools that were being used within their states to screen young children for ASD. Respondents could select all that applied from a list of measures typically used for screening young children for ASD that are shown in Table 1. Respondents in 89% (n = 24) of the states that participated noted that the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQ-SE; Squires et al., 2002) was used to screen for ASD. Respondents in 81% (n = 22) of the states that participated used the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT; Robins et al., 2001). Most respondents (n = 25, 93%) indicated that more than one screening tool is being used in their states. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

This paper describes a program to measure institutional effectiveness that involved development of an inventory checklist designed to stimulate faculty input on how student performance-related outcomes are measured and to evaluate current program effectiveness. The checklist, designed to be administered in an interview format, focused on three particular areas: (1) departmental mission, intended educational outcomes, and written methods of assessment for evaluating program effectiveness; (2) direct indicators for assessing students' knowledge and skills, including capstone courses, portfolio assessments, licensure, certification, professional exams; and indirect indicators for assessing students' and others' opinions of their learning, including student course evaluations, employer surveys, student exit interviews, and alumni surveys; and (3) using inventory results to identify needed program improvements and additional resources such as training, personnel, and technology. The paper concludes that using the inventory checklist provides a non-threatening way to assess student outcomes, and offers an excellent opportunity for initiating a systematic and continuing process for institutional effectiveness and educational improvement. The checklist is appended. (Contains 12 references.) (CH)

Human resources are recognised as being key to the creation, commercialisation and diffusion of innovation. Among them, doctorate holders are not only the most qualified in terms of educational attainment, but also those who are specifically trained to conduct research. Not much is known however about their career and mobility patterns on the labour market. This is why the OECD launched in 2004 a collaborative project with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Eurostat aimed at developing internationally comparable indicators on the careers and mobility of doctorate holders. An expert group with representatives from national statistical bodies was formed to develop the technical components of the project and start compiling data at national level. This document presents the three main technical components of the project which are: (1) the methodological guidelines; (2) a core model questionnaire and instruction manual; and (3) the output indicator tables used for reporting data at the international level. The current draft was discussed by the OECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) in June 2007 and approved for broader diffusion. Its aim is to provide guidance to countries that wish to implement the project at national level. It is planned to work on a new and improved version following the outcomes of the data collection launched in November 2007. (Contains 7 footnotes and 32 tables.)

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC), with funding from the National Institute for Literacy, created a one-day workshop to assist practitioners and administrators in adult basic education, TANF (Transitional Assistance for Needy Families) and One-Stop programs to understand evidence-based practice and develop strategies for continuously accessing, understanding, judging and using research. Four appendixes are included: (1) Workshop Agenda; (2) Evidence-Based Pre-Workshop Questionnaire; (3) Evidence-Based Post-Workshop Questionnaire: and (4) Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire Results.

In the fall of 2004, following a series of conversations with the accreditation community on the topic of providing additional information to the public, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) contracted with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) to conduct a survey of accrediting organizations on this matter. The purpose of this survey was to identify practices used by accrediting organizations to inform the public about what they do: How these organizations operate, their decision-making practices and the results of their scrutiny of higher education institutions and programs. A questionnaire was developed by NCHEMS in consultation with CHEA staff to address information to the public about five main topics: (1) the accreditation process and how it works; (2) activities undertaken by accrediting organizations (e.g. numbers of visits, types of actions, etc.); (3) characteristics of accredited institutions and programs; (4) results of individual reviews beyond accredited status; and (5) institutional and program performance and student academic achievement. At the November 2004 meeting, a sixth topic arose, and it was also included in the survey: The role that public members of decision-making commissions have in the accrediting process. In addition to asking about current practices in each of these areas, the survey also asked respondents to provide examples and to describe future plans. The target population for the survey were the 81 CHEA- or United States Department of Education (USDE)-recognized accrediting organizations. Results of the survey were compiled by NCHEMS, with statistical responses broken down by the three major types of accreditation organizations. Results are reported by main topic in the sections provided herein. Two appendices present: (1) Survey Questionnaire; and (2) Survey Participants. (Contains 5 footnotes and 3 charts.) [This report was produced by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) Institute for Research and Study of Accreditation and Quality Assurance.]

This paper describes efforts at East Carolina University (North Carolina) to develop a survey instrument and related procedures to assess distance learning courses. The survey was conducted during the 1998-99 academic year via the World Wide Web and combined the Student Opinion of Instruction Survey (SOIS) with additional questions that assessed the extent to which graduate-level distance education courses met Quality Assurance Standards for Distance Learning. This initial survey achieved a response rate of only 20 percent due to such factors as student's poor knowledge of the university's e-mail accounts, inadequate university help facilities, and time demands on respondents. However, the survey instrument itself proved successful in that all respondents answered all of the questions and none had negative comments about it. Modification of the survey and its re-administration in spring 1999 resulted in a 43 percent response rate, extensive comments, and general student satisfaction with distance education courses and the survey instrument. Findings highlight the difficulty of reaching distance education students with a Web-based survey, the complexity of developing an appropriate survey, and the need to address campus political problems in developing Web-based surveys. (DB)

This paper describes an institutional research office's use of extensive senior survey data to examine indirectly the effectiveness of a career services early intervention program over a period of four years. The study compared responses on the senior survey by participants (N=200) in the sophomore career exploration seminar with responses of non-participants (N=4234). Analysis indicated that seminar participants were more likely than other students to be female, Asian, and liberal arts majors. All career service items listed on the senior questionnaire were utilized more heavily by the career seminar participants than by non-participants. This difference was most notable for participation in the individual career counseling services, walk-in hours, job search workshops, and use of internship listings. Additionally, seminar participants showed a higher level of satisfaction with these services than did the non-participant group. Participants were far more likely to give the services of the career center an "essential" rating compared to non-participants on an importance scale. Participants were more likely to have completed an internship than non-participants and also expressed higher ratings for their overall satisfaction with their undergraduate experience. (DB)

This study describes (a) potential mathematics education leaders' professional development experiences, awareness, beliefs, and attitudes and (b) the subsequent changes in these constructs as they participated in a leadership development program. The context of the professional development was a three-week institute and a year-long follow-up. The participants were 37 K-12 teachers and administrators and post-secondary faculty from schools, colleges, and universities in the Appalachian areas of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio. To describe leaders' professional development experiences, awareness, beliefs, and attitudes, researchers developed a questionnaire that contained both Likert-scaled and open-response items. Participants completed the inventory three times over the course of the program. To determine if statistical significance could be associated to the overall means of the three data collections, researchers performed a Mauchly's test of Sphericity and a post hoc Sphericity Assumed or Greenhouse-Geisser analysis. In cases of statistical significance, researchers conducted a Pairwise Comparison analyses to determine the exact location of the significance. The analyses showed statistically significant changes in leaders' experiences, awareness, and attitudes. (Contains 10 tables.)

This paper offers recommendations to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on the development of the background questionnaire for the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). The recommendations are from the viewpoint of a researcher interested in applying sophisticated statistical models to address important issues in adult literacy. The paper focuses on five issues, each of which is the subject of a section of the paper: sampling; selection bias; measurement; policy modeling; and gauging cohort effects. Each section considers the scope of the issue and then makes recommendations to NCES. These recommendations include providing all appropriate sampling weights in NAAL data; examining contextual effects on the distribution of literacy ability in the population; considering relevant auxiliary variables that would constitute the selection equation; considering the hypothesized number of factors and including at least four variables measuring each factor in the questionnaire; obtaining retrospective data on general and job-specific literacy-related activities; and exploring the possibility of linking NAAL with existing longitudinal surveys. (Contains 21 references.) (YLB)

This report results from an evaluation of the National Research Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship program. The study sought to determine: (1) whether NSF fellows show evidence of more timely degree completion and early career success; (2) whether graduate fellows and minority graduate fellows experience similar education and career success; and (3) whether the individual award aspect of the program enhanced the educational experience and career options of fellows. A 52-item survey questionnaire measured attendance patterns, completion rates, and time to degree of 9,035 NSF fellows who received first-year awards between 1979 and 1993. The study found positive effects on all three dimensions for female fellows and for recipients of minority graduate fellowships, suggesting a "signaling" effect both for individuals and their departments. The importance of the individual award aspect of the fellowships varied by discipline and by other sources of graduate funding support available in individual departments. Appended are seven data tables and illustrative graphics. (Contains 17 references.) (CH)

This study examined college activities and environmental factors associated with the acquisition of continuous learning skills, looking at where students who report the greatest gains in continuous learning devote the most time and energy and at the student and institutional characteristics associated with above-average gains in the capacity for continuous learning. The sample for this study was composed of 17,541 college seniors attending four-year institutions who completed the College Student Experiences Questionnaire between 1994 and 1997. Four tentative conclusions were reached: (1) as a group, college seniors reported making substantial progress in areas important to continuous learning; (2) certain college activities and environmental factors appear to be important, including amount of effort students devote to classroom activities, amount of effort devoted to science and technology, and an institutional environment valuing critical, evaluative, and analytical performance; (3) gender differences suggest that men benefit most from peer engagement, while for women, involvement in athletic and recreational activities is important; and (4) some activities, such as participation in formal extracurricular activities, appear to contribute little to continuous learning competencies and skills. Nine tables summarize regression data. The questionnaire is appended. (Contains 36 references.) (CH)

This paper will review several important constructs in the area of social and emotional development of children in grades 2-5. The importance of social and emotional development has become increasingly evident in light of new research on the brain and the development of programs to prevent social and behavioral disorders in youth. This review will draw upon aspects of several different literatures--children's social and emotional development, developmental psychopathology, resilience, and children's motivation for learning. Its purpose is to place in context a recommendation for a measure of socio-emotional development to be used with 8-10 year olds. Following this brief review, the authors will describe several direct measures that address the areas identified in the review.

This paper examines the role played by an office of institutional research in developing a new student evaluation of teaching protocol. At Southeastern Louisiana University, a comprehensive 4-year public institution, the administration appointed a campus-wide committee to study the student evaluations of teaching and to make recommendations for improvement. Nine aspects of the process were examined, including the philosophy behind the evaluations; prior years' evaluations; computerized data reporting; confidentiality issues; administrative and personal use of results; whether or not evaluations were mandatory; and evaluation of nontraditional classes. In fall 1995 a new evaluation instrument was pilot-tested, refined, and administered to 43 class sections (n=l,100), following which interviews were conducted with five classes. Following distribution of pilot data, six faculty members were interviewed in depth. The final report was presented to the faculty committee charged with developing the final instrument, which was developed with the help of analyses provided by the institutional research department. In fall 1997, implementation of the student evaluations of teaching program was transferred to the institutional research office, thus ensuring continuing quality of the instrument. Appended are the pilot-test questionnaire, a response form, interview protocols, suggestions for evaluating pilot data, and copies of the current instrument. (CH)

This study examined the relationship between the type, amount, and sequencing of institutional funding for graduate students and students' perceptions of the impact of such financial assistance in their persisting to the completion of degree requirements. A total of 295 Ph.D. recipients from the University of Buffalo in New York who received their degrees between 1975 and 1993 completed a 54-item questionnaire on the type of support received, the outcomes and experiences attributed to the graduate education experience, and opinions about those outcomes and experiences. It was found that financial support with a service commitment afforded graduate students the opportunity to have a much fuller graduate school experience. Students with a service requirement graduated sooner, had more traditional academic experiences during their graduate student careers, and felt that their graduate experiences as a whole were much richer than did students who received financial support without a service requirement. Eighty percent of the respondents reported that an assistantship or fellowship provided them with specific skills that they would not have obtained otherwise. Two appendixes contain a copy of the questionnaire and accompanying letter sent to prospective participants. (MDM)

A study focused on researchers' use of the English-Language Background Questionnaire (EBQ) portion of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), the results of which were released in 1993. Data were gathered by surveying NALS data users about how they have used the EBQ data, their perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the EBQ, and their recommendations for changes to the EBQ. A content analysis was also conducted of published research papers that have involved analyses of the EBQ data to determine how the data were used in these research analyses. The study also drew upon recommendations garnered by a series of focus groups conducted by the American Institutes for Research in 1998. These sources were integrated with the study's own analysis of the NALS data. The following changes to the EBQ for future adult literacy assessments were recommended: expand the questions pertaining to educational experiences; expand the section on social and political participation or move the current items to other areas and delete this section; add an item on voter registration; acquire more detailed information regarding work history, wages, and parents' occupations; expand the section pertaining to literacy practices; and gather information on technological literacy practices. (Appendixes include 34 references; instruments; and studies examined for content review.) (YLB)

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 shifts decision-making authority for funding of local job training programs from the federal government to state and local boards, which will need local decision-making tools to inform policy. One such tool is a method proposed by S. Goetz and D. Debertin to estimate demand for educational attainment at the county level utilizing nonlocal secondary data on employment patterns. The method focuses analysis on the demand of private businesses and makes possible a simple forecast of future demand. This paper estimates local demand for educational attainment in two West Virginia counties using the Goetz-Debertin (nonsurvey) method and compares results with those from a survey of local businesses. Two assumptions of the nonsurvey method are fixed proportions of occupations per sector and fixed proportions of educational attainment per occupation. Results indicate that differences in the distribution of businesses by size and by subsector across counties might affect final demand, but the nonsurvey method does not take this into account. Indications that proportions of input might change over time suggest that the nonsurvey method should use annual data sets such as the Current Population Survey. Conflicting with the nonsurvey method's second assumption is the finding that certain occupations in different sectors differ in demand for educational attainment. The study also found that the West Virginia counties' proportion of top-level occupations was substantially below national averages, suggesting underinvestment in education, and that businesses saw a real need for more computer training. (Contains 15 references, many data tables, and the business survey questionnaire.) (SV)

Cognitive interviews were conducted with 12 teachers and 66 of their students to learn how to improve National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) questionnaire items asking about instructional practices and teacher development experiences. Items were purposively selected from those used in the 1996 and 1998 NAEP student and teacher background questionnaires in fourth grade reading, mathematics, and science, and eighth grade mathematics and science. NAEP items that were administered in analogous forms to teachers and their students were chosen, to facilitate validation, and items known or thought to be problematic were selected. Several general types of item problems were found: (1) behavioral frequency items; (2) time frame problems; (3) problems with response options; (4) comprehension problems; (5) problems with list format items (loss of content); (6) problems with check all that apply items; and (7) other problems and issues. The cognitive interviews, with validation components, enabled detection of many survey design problems and an understanding of the reasons for their occurrence so that these problems can be avoided in the development of future NAEP and other background survey items. (Contains 9 tables and 16 references.) (SLD)

This study compared results of measuring student attitudes regarding race, gender, and religious climate using pencil-and-paper administration in a group setting with computer-administrated measurement over a local area network. Approximately 2,000 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets in February 1996 and 1,400 in November 1996 were administered the Cadet Social Climate Survey. The survey instrument contained demographic questions, Likert-scaled items regarding attitudes about school climate issues, and questions about personal experiences. The instrument used in November was modified to include items from the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding. Computer administration took less time for a student to complete, could be done in the privacy of the student's room, was easier to administer, and provided a ready data set for analysis. The comparison showed a significantly higher rate of return of valid responses using the computer version and found no significant differences in the pattern of responses between the two versions. However, significant differences were found on socially desirable responding in that computer administration appeared to encourage a socially desirable response set, probably due to concerns regarding anonymity. (Contains 14 references.) (JLS)

This report discusses the possibility of expanding the resource and finance data to be collected as part of the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The proposal under consideration, which is being field tested in the fall of 1998 and winter of 1999, has two major components. The first is to collect more detailed information about staffing resources in the schools included in the SASS sample. This information would improve understanding of how schools allocate personnel resources, which account for more than 85% of expenditures at most school sites. A review of the options suggests that the data needed to conduct Resource Cost Model analyses of U.S. schools can be collected through the SASS without much increase in the burden on respondents. The second component is to gather expenditure data for individual schools in the SASS sample to permit analysis of expenditures at the school level. The analysis shows that it is possible to collect information by NCES function and object categories and to collect school-level data across a diverse array of districts. A drawback is that an instrument of the complexity needed to meet these two purposes is difficult and time consuming for the respondent. The final section of the paper discusses linking the staffing and expenditure data. Appendixes contain information about the development of the surveys and copies of the public school and private school surveys. (Contains 19 exhibits.) (SLD)

This study examined graduation and attrition patterns of undergraduates who were enrolled in the fall semester but who did not return for the spring semester at a doctoral granting, metropolitan university. A total of 504 of the 1,262 students who enrolled in the fall 1992 semester but who did not return for the spring 1993 semester completed a questionnaire on persistence and attrition. Of the 504 stopouts, 482 were tracked using institutional enrollment files through the fall 1997 semester. As of the fall 1997 semester, 166 of the 482 stopouts were enrolled or had graduated from the institution, while 316 had not returned. It was found that 50 percent of the variance in freshmen persistence and attrition behavior among the stopouts was explained using a regression model containing 13 independent variables. It was also found that 16, 6, and 5 independent variables predicted 70 percent, 32 percent, and 24 percent, respectively, of the variance in persisting and nonreturning behavior among sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Two appendixes provide a copy of the nonreturning students' survey form and survey item correlations. (Contains 20 references.) (MDM)

This report presents the results of a study of how emerging technologies can help educators deliver standards-based education to K-12 students. The first section of the report provides background on the new technology offerings and defines smart desktop systems. The second section lists critical questions for decisionmakers related to general policy, implementation issues, and vendor selection. The third section describes the components of a smart desktop system, including tools for standards, pedagogy/learning activities, resources, assessment and evaluation of student learning, professional development, classroom management, home-school connection, productivity, teacher education, local and global community, and grant writing. The fourth section describes vendor offerings in three categories: education portals/content providers; instruction/curriculum frameworks; and software manufacturers. The fifth section summarizes findings of an online survey of chief state school officers and organizations that provide smart desktop products/services related to audience, curriculum and teaching standards, instructional support, assessment of students, assessment of educators, professional development focus, professional development approach, access and reporting levels, data analysis, performance comparisons, World Wide Web-posted progress reports, Web-based delivery, implementation challenges, implementation-technical support, implementation challenges, teacher productivity tools, pricing models, hardware, and online tools. Tables of survey data, a copy of the questionnaire, a list of surveyed vendors, and scenarios of smart desktop applications are included. (MES)

The influences that home, family, and education have on Irish men's experiences of working life are explored based on interviews and questionnaire research carried out in North Dublin during 1997 and 1998. A two-stage research design was adopted. The first stage involved a short attitudinal-type questionnaire given to men at a sporting club. The questionnaire contained biographical and attitudinal questions on work, home, politics, class, and education. One hundred fifty-six questionnaires out of 250 were returned. The second stage was an in-depth interview with 10 men, which consisted of more formal questions about the respondent's present occupation and/or current educational participation. The findings suggest the following: (1) men retain notions that men should be the heads of households, that outside work is more important for men, and domestic work is more important for women; (2) the men's fathers had a significant influence on their attitudes toward work; (3) the majority of the men agreed that education was important for success, but nearly half felt that success is based on whom one knows and most felt that school and education did not prepare them for work. (Contains 45 references and four appendixes, including survey questions.) (SLR)

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) was the first large-scale attempt to describe the reading of students enrolled in adult basic education (ABE) and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) using a battery of individually administered reading and language tests. From May 1998 to June 1999 nearly 1,000 adult learners were tested at over 30 learning centers in eight states. This report recounts in practical terms how Adult Reading Components Study was carried out. Organized chronologically, it covers the initial design of the test battery and questionnaire, piloting, site selection, interviewer training, preparation of materials, interaction with participating adult education centers, scheduling, interviewing, and the procedures used for scoring incoming data and entering it in the data base. Five recommendations are presented that could help to make or break future studies. The intended audience for this report includes individuals and groups who are considering carrying out similar research, such as US DOE agencies, university-based researchers, and state and local adult education officials. [The Adult Reading Components Study was funded by the US Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) and the Office for Vocational and adult Education (OVAE).]

Institutional research has long relied on surveys to learn about student experiences. This study describes and evaluates two methods of using electronic mail to gather information from students about their experiences. Data were based on two case studies conducted during spring 1996 and fall 1997 at a 5,000-student state university. The report discusses some of the potential benefits of using e-mail to conduct survey research: faster response rates, the lack of intermediaries increases the chances that respondents will receive the survey promptly, asynchronous communication allows users to think about answers, and the medium itself may encourage users to respond more candidly. E-mail distribution lists are used to distribute questions and collect responses. Hypertext markup language (HTML) forms can be posted to an Internet web site to conduct survey research. While data from electronic surveys may not be as representative as that from a mail survey, the former is more likely to save money and time. Sample HTML form commands, a HTML form file, input types and subcommands, and HTML code used for a first-year survey are included. (Contains 10 references.) (CH)