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The systematic development of horticulture curriculum for Indiana was the focus of this research project which validated a job task list for use in instructional material development. The job title catalog, A Landscape Gardener, was selected from those currently available through the Vocational-Technical Consortium of States (V-TECS) program. A purposive study as outlined in the V-TECS technical reference handbook was undertaken to validate this job title catalog for Indiana. Survey instruments were sent to job incumbent personnel in horticulture businesses and data from twenty returned surveys was tabulated and analyzed. From the selected list of 165, job incumbents selected 109 as those most commonly performed, also indicating tools commonly used and amount of time spent at various tasks. Finally the validated list of tasks contained in the job title catalog were sequenced to facilitate further work in instructional materials development. (Survey instruments and survey data are included in the appendixes.) (JH)

This study examined the differential effects of two instructional strategies on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of mathematical word problem solving by students with learning disabilities: an explicit schema-based problem solving strategy (SBI) and a traditional general heuristic instructional strategy (TI). Twenty-two middle school students with learning disabilities and problems in mathematics were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment conditions. The two instructional strategies were compared using a repeated measure with control group design. Results indicated that the SBI group significantly outperformed the TI group on the posttest, maintenance test (1 to 2 weeks later), and follow-up test (3 weeks to 3 months later). The SBI group also significantly outperformed the TI group in solving transfer (i.e., structurally similar but more complex) problems following the assigned strategy instruction. Additionally, the performance of the SBI group on the posttest, maintenance, and follow-up tests surpassed a normative sample of 6th graders. Implications for practice are discussed. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/DB)

This report describes the outcomes of a 3-year project that investigated the effectiveness of mnemonic instruction of secondary students with learning disabilities. Classroom-based mnemonic instruction was implemented in junior-high school self-contained classrooms. The report first presents theoretical and empirical support for mnemonic instructional techniques. Second, a thorough review of recent research in mnemonic instruction of special populations is provided. Third, a detailed description of the research activities undertaken in this federally funded research program is given. Last is a discussion of the knowledge gained from the research and its implications for the special education of students with learning disabilities and other mild disabilities. Results found that students when instructed mnemonically scored much higher on tests, including recall tests of up to 8 weeks of instruction, than when they were instructed traditionally. Additionally, teachers rated mnemonic instruction as significantly more appropriate for students with learning disabilities. Students also strongly favored mnemonic instruction. Findings also indicate that the students could be taught to generate their own mnemonic strategies when prompted by the teacher during the course of instruction and when trained independently by experimenters. Appendices included the published articles and manuscripts generated by this project. (Contains 78 references.) (Author/CR)

Widespread concern over the use of calculators by young children prompted a broad year-long study of the impact of calculators on elementary school mathematics learning. Two teachers from each of grades 2-6 from five midwestern states participated in the study, which was designed to approximate a "first use" level of calculators in schools. Pupils continued to study from their regular mathematics textbooks and teachers were encouraged to select calculator activities from reference materials made available by the study. The experimenters made no attempt to prescribe calculator activities or a specific frequency of calculator use. The following conclusions seem warranted: (1) there are no measurable detrimental effects for the first-year use of calculators for teaching mathematics in grades 2-6; (2) children have a high, positive attitude toward using calculators in mathematics; and (3) children learn to use calculators for computation with 30 minutes of instruction and can perform computations much more successfully than children not using calculators. Informal observations by site directors and teachers suggest that curriculum implications for calculators in the elementary school could be dramatic. The authors recommend further research on the effects of longer and more intensive calculator use. (Author/MP)

The interactive effects of leader characteristics, follower characteristics, and the task situation on leader behavior were assessed. Focuses of the investigation were the degree of leader-follower compatibility, Vertical Dyad Linkage (VDL) versus the Average Leadership Style analysis of leader behavior, and the general problem of assessing leader behavior on the basis of subordinate description. Eighty male college students were assigned roles as supervisors and workers in a bogus company and performed experimental tasks. Subjects were divided into 15 work groups in which low-moderate-high leader-follower compatibility was attained. Measures of leader behavior, follower performance, job satisfaction, and attitude similarity were obtained. Increased performance was related to increases in the degree of compatibility between the followers and leaders only when subjective estimates of performance from the leader were used. Data strongly supported the hypothesis that leader-follower compatibility is related to follower satisfaction with the work environment. Moderate statistical support was shown for the superiority of the VDL approach to understanding leader behavior effects on member responses. Individual members of the group generally did not provide valid ratings of the leader's behavior toward individual subordinates. (Appendixes, amounting to over one-half of the report, contain study materials and data.) (Author/YLB)

This compilation of models for the utilization of instructional teleconferencing begins with narrative information from the final report of the Inter-Institutional Instructional Teleconferencing for Indiana School Personnel Serving Handicapped Children Project, a collaborative venture undertaken by Purdue University and the Lafayette School Corporation to explore the application of the speaker telephone in continuing education. Descriptions of a speaker telephone-delivered graduate course and three 90-minute non-credit topical seminars on topics related to communication disabilities are included. Attached materials provide examples of instructional teleconferencing use in elementary and secondary education in the Lafayette School Corporation. These materials include newspaper articles on exemplary applications of the medium, a copy of an application for grant renewal, copies of two issues of the Educational Teleconferencing Newsletter, log sheets of speaker telephone activities, a checklist of procedures for using instructional teleconferencing, and a schedule of 1988 teleconferences for children in grades 1-5 with authors, illustrators, and others. (GL)

Research studies have shown that students in rural high schools have fewer science role models, participate less frequently in extracurricular science activities, and have less science career information than do their peers in more cosmopolitan settings. Furthermore, girls in rural schools may be particularly disadvantaged. For example, analyses of the results from the 1981 National Assessment of Education Progress indicated that girls continue to score below the national mean on all cognitive science items and to express negative attitudes toward science. The goal of Project SCORES was to develop a sustained intervention model utilizing the strategies of teachers who successfully encouraged students to continue in science, and to remediate the lack of participation in science by rural students. Therefore, Project SCORES established a cooperative relationship among a university science department, local science-related industries, and rural secondary schools. This paper describes the project, intervention strategies, project evaluation, and demographic characteristics of samples. (Author/CW)

This survey presents tabulated data of the responses of 50,000 Indiana high school seniors to a questionnaire designed to determine the characteristics and plans of those intending to become engineers after graduation. Characteristic highlights include the following: Engineering aspirants were 92% male; 65% were in college preparatory courses; 22% were A average students; and seniors from large population cities were slightly more inclined to become engineers. Plans highlighted included the following: 49% of the engineering aspirants planned to continue their education full time; 46% had no preference for employment locale; job activities and money were the predominant reasons for choosing engineering as a career; parents and other relatives were the primary help in making a career choice; and the college of choice was chosen primarily for program offerings and prestige. Tables including these data are presented. (SL)

The purposes of the study were to (1) determine the overall perception of vocational education in Indiana as held by the general public, (2) determine if there are differences in perceptions related to the various areas within vocational education, (3) identify perceptions of vocational education by junior and senior high school students, elementary secondary teachers and school personnel, parents and patrons of a school district, employers of vocational education graduates, and young adults not currently in school, and (4) identify the determinants of negative and positive perceptions of vocational education. Telephone interviews (by trained interviewers) were conducted with 399 respondents drawn from a stratified random sample based on these factors: Geographical location, population density, number of vocational education programs, junior and senior high school students, parents, school personnel, and employers. Students and school personnel were drawn from a sample of 12 schools selected from a total of 341 schools in Indiana. Results showed that (1) vocational education in Indiana is perceived more favorably than unfavorably, however, the discipline areas of vocational education are not viewed in the same manner by the general public, parents, students, school personnel, and employers, and (2) perceptions and opinions related to vocational education are influenced to a greater degree by personal and physical exposure to vocational education programs rather than through indirect more passive approaches. Recommendations are included in this report. (SH)

To examine library usage by faculty and students in the Schools of Engineering at Purdue University, data was analyzed from a sample of 12,000 loans during a three month period. User level (graduate student, undergraduate, faculty, or staff) and subject of borrowed material as indicated by Dewey Decimal Classification were examined for each major engineering discipline. Results indicated highest percentage of loans in Technology and Pure Science literature. Graduate students accounted for the highest percentage of loans among users. Data and tables for each engineering discipline are provided. Appended are summary tables and figures, including graphs of user levels for the most read subjects. (Author/KP)

The objectives of this project were to: (1) identify instruments that could be utilized to obtain followup information of vocational graduates, (2) develop a methodology that could be used to obtain followup information of vocational graduates, (3) field test the instruments and methodology for data collection on sample schools, (4) develop a method for summarizing and analyzing data that could be used by both local and state agencies, (5) provide a system for interpretation of the data to insure usage of the data at local levels in addition to usage at statewide levels, and (6) train local vocational guidance personnel to use the system developed. An advisory committee was appointed to guide the project staff in the preparation of instruments and methodologies, which were then field tested in three to five local schools. Job performance as assessed by the student and by the employer was obtained. Perception of guidance and placement assistance was also secured as well as an interview with a sample of guidance personnel at the local level. The primary outcomes of this project were the development of three elements that could be utilized in a statewide system for followup of vocational graduates: (1) A Student Followup Model, (2) a Counselor Followup Model, and (3) an Employer Followup Model. (HD)

A joint project between Indiana and Purdue Universities was conducted to develop a model to evaluate vocational teacher education programs. The model was to be functional on a statewide basis and generalizable to all vocational teacher education programs in Indiana. The project staff developed a conceptual basis for the model and cooperated throughout the project by meeting frequently and sharing materials developed. Specific procedures were (1) selection of an advisory committee representative of producer and user groups, (2) identification of the model components, (3) development of teacher education goals (functions), (4) validation of objectives by the advisory committee, (5) development of process and product criteria, (6) validation of criteria by the advisory committee, (7) development of the preliminary instruments for a single goal, (8) collection of preliminary data, (9) dissemination of the model through a statewide conference, and (10) production of a final report. The major product of the project is a model along with its conceptual basis for evaluating vocational teacher education and a suggested implementation plan. Included in the model are missions, goals, objectives, and criteria which are inclusive of vocational teacher education. Half of the final report consists of appendixes which include data collection questionnaires and dissemination conference evaluation. (Author/HD)

To explore goals for economics education and ways in which these goals might be improved, reconciled, and consolidated, a Delphi-like inquiry among more than 200 economics educators, economists, businessmen, other social scientists, and educational administrators was undertaken. Statistical data and comments as to respondents' views expressed in one questionnaire was relayed back to them with a successive questionnaire. The process was repetitive for the purpose of eventually developing a composite opinion shared by the respondents in the light of reactions of others. Key findings of the inquiry, considered important guides for more effective economics education, are that the goals of economics education differ widely, both within and among the groups surveyed and that respondents arrived at a general concentration on one or another of three possible goals. The need for the inquiry, its process, and findings are discussed. Recommended actions deal with specification of goals, explanations to business interests and educational administrators, and implications to trainers of teachers of social studies. Exhibits include four questionnaires and responses. (Author/KSM)

This document presents a collection of papers presenting an array of innovative approaches in higher education and offers papers and case studies of a variety of nontraditional activities. Some of the topics cover closed circuit TV and audio-tutorial instruction in veterinary science and medicine; televised graduate level engineering courses; the practical design approach in home furnishings; effects of various amounts and types of independent study in a nursing course, branched-program achievement testing; a program for improving instruction; a survey of Russian culture and civilization; clinician training through a self-confrontation technique; innovative instructional activity in small business management; strategic management; modular instruction in introducing biology laboratories; computer-assisted instruction for pharmacy students; counselor tutorial program; telelecture improves teaching; nontraditional instructional techniques in Horticulture; computer graphics; and systematic group training; service, and research program. A total of 54 innovative techniques are briefly described. (MJM)

The study employs stepwise regression analysis to relate work and total job satisfaction with the following measures: job characteristics as reflected by job dimension scores and work quality dimensions, both being based on the Position Analysis Questionnaire; job-related interests expressed by job incumbents, as measured by the Job Activity Preference Questionnaire; the match between incumbents' job characteristics and their expressed job interests; and general affect, measured by a response disposition scale. Data were obtained from 407 workers in 29 jobs (nine management and 20 non-management) in two telephone companies. Results showed significant correlation between the above measures and both satisfaction criteria, with consistently better predictions of work satisfaction than total satisfaction. Also, correlations were higher and predictions better for management jobs than for non-management jobs. When response disposition was partialled out from work satisfaction, predictions did not change significantly. The results support the hypothesis that work content, personal interests, and the match between worker interests and job characteristics have a significant relationship to job satisfaction. Twenty statistical tables are included, as are four appendixes, which include biographical and questionnaire data, the Job Activity Preference Questionnaire, the Job Description Index, and the Response Disposition Questionnaire. (Author/JR)

In an attempt to bridge the gap between academic understanding and practical business use, the Box-Jenkins technique of time series analysis for forecasting future events is presented with a minimum of mathematical notation. The method is presented in three stages: a discussion of traditional forecasting techniques, focusing on traditional techniques that relate to the Box-Jenkins model; a presentation of the key characteristics of the Box-Jenkins model; and a detailed demonstration of the method's steps. A discussion of the technical requirements needed to use the model, its cost versus that of other forecasting methods, and the potential areas of its application conclude the paper. The mathematical rationale is appended. (Author/DW)

Two methods for aiding workers to realize success in their job search process were investigated in the present study. These approaches involved the use of computerized systems for matching workers and employers for interviews that supposedly were mutually satisfying. The two approaches are identified as first generation and second generation computerized systems and differ in their level of sophistication for identifying "best" vs. "acceptable" interview pairings of workers and jobs, with the latter system incorporating the features of the former system plus additional inputs and outputs for evaluating interview quality. The subjects were persons seeking professional employment in the public schools. It appeared that for the procedure followed in this study, the second generation system, did not substantially improve the results obtained from the first generation system. Several issues associated with this finding are discussed. (Author)

For many persons, a satisfying group experience involves reaching a desired level of personal participation. The experimental laboratory studies of communication network groups have been the most rigorous attempts at understanding the effects of differential participation. It has been shown that centrality of a subject's position influences: (1) his sense of being a part of the group, (2) the amount of information available to him, and (3) his importance in the process of locomotion and progress toward group goals. These are aspects of member participation. The present study used decision conferences incorporating either centralized or decentralized decision structures to investigate the resulting attitudinal consequences of these conferences for the members relative to their performance, position, and participation in the group decision process. (Author)

This study was concerned with the identification of the job dimension underlying the job elements of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ), Form B. The PAQ is a structured job analysis instrument consisting of 187 worker-oriented job elements which are divided into six a priori major divisions. The statistical procedure of principal components analysis was used to identify the job dimensions of the PAQ. Forty-five job dimensions were identified through eight separate component analyses of a sample of 3,700 PAQ analyses which had been stratified roughly in proportion to the occupational composition of the American labor force. These job dimensions accounted for a substantial portion of the variance associated with the data, the percentage ranging from 51 percent to 63 percent for the several component analyses performed. The 45 job dimensions which were identified might be viewed as representing groups of job elements which tend to occur together on jobs, and, since the sample on which these analyses were performed was stratified in proportion to the occupational composition of the labor force, these job dimensions would be relatively representative of the groupings of such job characteristics of jobs in general. (Author)

The study involved the use of a structured job analysis instrument called the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) as the direct basis for the establishment of the job component validity of aptitude tests (that is, a procedure for estimating the aptitude requirements for jobs strictly on the basis of job analysis data). The sample of jobs used consisted of 658 jobs for which PAQ analyses were available that were "matched" with 141 jobs for which the United States Training and Employment Service had published test data for job incumbents for the nine tests of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). Job dimension scores were derived for the 658 jobs and were used as predictors. The criteria were developed for each of the 141 "matched" jobs based on the scores of the job incumbents on the nine tests: (1) mean test score; (2) a score one standard deviation below the mean (called a potential cutoff score); and (3) a validity coefficient. The results generally supported evidence from previous studies that data based on a structured job analysis procedure can be used for establishing the job component validity of aptitude tests, thereby eliminating the need for conventional test validation procedures in many situations. (Author)

The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1) to describe briefly the Purdue Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD) Program operating within the Department of Child Development and Family Life; (2) to review other programs with similar characteristics in other areas and at other levels of education; and (3) to discuss briefly the implications of the approach for family life education classes. The Purdue LEAD Program is characterized as a dual-approach instructional system in that it provides an undergraduate course in leadership aimed at developing skills particularly relevant to leading college discussion groups and, at the same time, furnishes qualified and supervised discussion group leaders to enhance the effectiveness of instruction in the large marriage and family relationships courses. In the appendix of this report, the authors have included a variety of materials which should be helpful in developing a similar program within most educational contexts. (Author/PC)

This study examines the impact of job-relevant information on search behavior of males and females, and compares the findings with those obtained in the Ullman and Gutteridge studies. The data were obtained from two questionnaires and by monitoring the operations of the Purdue University computerized teacher placement bureau. The subjects of the study were 85 inexperienced persons completing their bachelors or masters degrees in education, who were seeking their first teaching jobs in public or private schools. The 40 control subjects and the 45 experimental subjects received the same kinds of information regarding job vacancies from the placement bureau. But the experimental subjects also received additional information concerning the quality of the jobs offered. Job search and job choice behavior of the subjects were observed in terms of five dependent variables: (a) number of job opportunities; (b) length of job search; (c) salary for job accepted; (d) satisfaction with the job accepted; and (e) satisfaction with service provided by the placement bureau. Results indicated that male and female applicants made differential use of job-relevant information available to them, and that the impact of such information on job-search behavior and resulting outcomes was greater for males than for females. (A list of references is included.) (JS)

The Project for Facilitating Educational Achievement Through Telecommunications (Project FEATT) attempted to demonstrate the efficacy of televised instruction in a home-based early childhood education program for handicapped children. In cooperation with community and medical services, an early childhood education program screened and provided orientation for participants. After creating instructional television programing and providing outreach services for users, the project carried out extensive research on its effectiveness. It was found that television was an effective training procedure for home-based parent training and that parents can learn training strategies for specific development skills for their handicapped child. Also, the most effective means of communicating training strategies to parents of handicapped children was via a combination of televised instruction and accompanying activity guides. (HAB)

The objectives of the study were to determine the correlation between the factors of employment patterns and vocational program types for 1972-73 graduates of secondary vocational programs in Indiana. A random sample of 25 schools and graduates stratified for vocational program types (agriculture, business education, distributive education, health occupations, home economics education, and trade and industrial education) comprised the population. Findings are detailed in narrative and tabular form. A majority of the 1,000 vocational graduates sampled did seek employment and a majority worked in occupations at least somewhat related to their vocational training. The only significant differences between job relatedness and mean salary levels were found for the six months' earnings figures in the distribution education program. The relation between job relatedness and earnings was not found to be significant for one year earnings. The study did not support the premise that graduates who worked in an occupation related to their vocational training would earn more than those working in nonrelated occupations. Appended are: correspondence, the survey instrument, an analysis of nonrespondents, and other project-related information. (MF)

The study was made to determine the earnings of a sample group of Indiana high school vocational program graduates to ascertain the effect hypothesized training has on earnings of high school vocational graduates. The sample was randomly selected from 1972-73 graduates, stratified according to vocational program. Of the 18 independent variables used in the analysis, those found to have any relation to earnings were sex, marital status, year of graduation, job satisfaction, labor union membership, and length of time after graduation before taking a job. Major conclusions were: (1) variables not directly associated with vocational training tend to have a greater influence on the earnings of vocational graduates; (2) socioeconomic status of parents was not a significant influence; and (3) the type of vocational program completed by the graduate did not provide any conclusive relationship with earnings. Appended are: a list of cooperating schools, correspondence, the survey instrument, list of advisory committee and project consultant, and an analysis of nonrespondents. (MF)

To measure the effectiveness of the services provided to users of elementary school media centers, a survey instrument has been developed to poll teachers, students, or administrators. Ratings cover nine broad service categories: accessibility, awareness, professional materials, utilization, planning, acquisition, production, evaluation, and activity. Users of the guide can tailor an evaluation instrument for their own needs by selecting only those items which apply to the services they offer. Over 30 items are listed in each service category. (EMH)

To measure the effectiveness of the services provided to users of junior and senior high school media centers, a survey instrument was developed to poll teachers, students, or administrators. Ratings cover nine broad service categories: accessibility, awareness, professional reading, evaluation, utilization, planning, acquisition, production, and activity. Users of this guide can tailor an evaluation instrument by selecting only those items which apply to the services they offer. Over 30 items are listed in each service category. (EMH)

One critical aspect of costing system methodologies is examined: the effects of average costing by course level on program unit cost. The direct costing methodologies used in two costing systems are compared. One is the internally developed Purdue University Cost Study; the other, the NCHEMS Costing and Data Management System. The comparison concerns the direct instructional program unit costs produced by the two systems and does not attempt to compare the two systems generally. The specific issue addressed is the effect that different levels of direct cost aggregation have on student program direct unit costs. The summarized NCHEMS/Purdue cost ratios reflect overall similarities in program direct costs per full-time-equivalent student whether costing on an average cost-per-credit-hour basis by course level (NCHEMS System) or attaching costs to each course and flowing those costs to the programs based upon the program course enrollment (Purdue System). (LBH)

A three-stage model of instruction was used to coordinate the development of 13 areas of leadership instruction designed for use by high school vocational educators. Leadership literature was reviewed in order to identify the areas of leader and group member skills. A separate three-stage leadership unit and teachers' manual were developed for each leadership area. The field test consisted of a pretest-posttest, control-group design using a sample of 24 classrooms enrolling 550 vocational high school students. Formative evaluation results, based on statements obtained from field test teachers, were favorable and were used to guide revisions of the units. Summative evaluation results were gathered for the three stages of the units. Stage one results indicated that students who studied the leadership materials mastered more factual information than students in the control group. Stage two of each unit was judged successful in teaching students to apply and integrate knowledge about leadership skills. Stage three of each unit was successful in teaching students to use knowledge about leadership and to develop a personal attitude toward leadership. (CH)

The relative importance of factors such as student characteristics, prior contact with the other race, opportunity for contact in the present situation, and conditions of inter-racial contact are examined in order to determine how they predict the social outcomes of inter-racial contact in high schools. Multiple regression analyses are performed which relate the total set of predictor variables to each of five dependent variables: friendly contact, friednship relations, avoidance, unfriendly contact, and opinion change. Data obtained are from both black and white students in all of the Indianapolis, Indiana public schools. Findings are consistent with previous work, which indicates that interracial hostility at the individual level may be in part a manifestation of a generally aggressive personality, and that positive prior opinions do not lead to more positive opinion change. Among the findings, which are presented in a tabular summary, are: that more early positive interracial contacts contribute to more interracial contact of any kind; that family attitudes are a somewhat more potent influence than peer attitudes among black students with the reverse for whites; and, that there is little relationship between interracial behavior and attitudes and the relative status of blacks and whites. Among whites, only the personality indicator and sex made substantial contributions to predicting unfriendly interaction with blacks. (Author/AM)