Initial returns on mail questionnaires: A literature review and research note

The effects of method of reproduction, status of researcher, and personalization of signature on the initial rate of return of mail questionnaires were investigated, using a one-page combination cover letter and questionnaire mailed to 600 professors at the University of Maryland, College Park. The levels of each experimental variable were: Status — professor, graduate student; signature — hand signed in ink, mimeographed facsimile; reproduction — typed, photocopied, mimeographed.A response rate of 69% was obtained without using any follow-up procedures. Chi square analyses indicated no significant differences in the rate of returns for the levels of any of the experimental variables.It appears that initial return rate will not be significantly affected by using the most efficient, least expensive method available.     

Approaches to Studying and Perceptions of the Academic Environment in Students Following Problem-Based and Subject-Based Curricula

To investigate the effects of different kinds of curriculum, the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and a short form of the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI) were administered to 225 2nd-year students at six different schools of occupational therapy. Their curricula were classified as problem-based, subject-based or hybrid. Their scores on the scales of the CEQ and ASI were closely related, insofar as they shared more than half of their respective variance. Problem-based curricula were associated with higher scores on the scales of the CEQ concerned with appropriate assessment and emphasis on independence. With the ASI, problem-based curricula were associated with lower scores on all of the scales concerned with a reproducing orientation, and with higher scores on the scale concerned with a deep approach. These findings suggest that the implementation of a problem-based curriculum has desirable effects on the quality of learning, and these are at least in part mediated by students' perceptions of their academic environment.     

A Comparison of the Counselor Rating Form and the Counselor Effectiveness Rating Scale

The purpose of this study was to compare two measures of perceived counselor expertness, trustworthiness, and attractiveness: the Counselor Rating Form (CRF) and the Counselor Effectiveness Rating Scale (CERS).     

Field research methodology for the study of Latin American ministries of education

In Third World countries a key to the course of nation-building is the modernization of the organizational and administrative infrastructures which drive the development process. Increasing the operational capabilities, effectiveness, and efficiency of the ministry of education, and hence the quality and quantity of school outcomes, is typically a high priority item in the development plans of a nation. In order to promote the modernization of management activities in ministries, however, it is first essential to understand their existing patterns of operation. Toward this objective, the paper presents a methodological framework for a field study approach to the examination of the working of a ministry of education in Latin America. Several issues are introduced which influence the process of inquiry, such as: (1) examining the impact of historical traditions on contemporary management procedures; (2) exploring concerns for ethics and academic colonialism; (3) distinguishing between anthropological and sociological participant-observation field methods; (4) gathering and analyzing data on complex ministries; and (5) exploring the task of Third World theory building.

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Zusammenfassung Einen Schlüssel zum Verlauf des nationalen Aufbaus in der dritten Welt liefert die Modernisierung der organisatorischen und administrativen Infrastrukturen, die den Entwicklungsprozess vorantreiben. Im allgemeinen wird der Verbesserung der Handels-Fähigkeiten, der Wirksamkeit und Effizienz des Bildungsministeriums eine hohe Priorität in den Entwicklungsplänen eines Landes beigemessen. Um jedoch die Modernisierung der Führungsarbeit von Ministerien beschleunigen zu können, müssen zunächst ihre jetzigen Operationsweisen untersucht werden. Zu diesem Zweck wird in diesem Artikel ein methodologischer Rahmen für einen Feldstudienansatz zur Prüfung der Arbeit eines Bildungsministeriums in einem lateinamerikanischen Staat vorgelegt. Verschiedene Fragen, die den Untersuchungsprozeß beeinflussen, werden erörtert, zum Beispiel; (1) die Auswirkung historischer Traditionen auf derzeitige Leitungsverfahren; (2) Grad der Beachtung von Ethik und akademischem Kolonialismus; (3) Unterschied zwischen anthropologischen und soziologischen Methoden zur Beobachtung von Beteiligten in der Praxis; (4) Sammlung und Analyse von Daten über komplexe Ministerien; und (5) die Aufgabe, in der dritten Welt eine Theorie aufzubauen.

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Résumé L'un des éléments essentiels de la course à l'intégration nationale, dans les pays du Tiers Monde, est la modernisation des infrastructures administratives et organiques qui guident le processus du développement. L'une des premières priorités à respecter est typiquement le développement des moyens d'action, de la compétence et de l'efficacité du ministère de l'éducation, et par voie de conséquence, la qualité et l'importance des résultats scolaires. Toutefois, afin de moderniser judicieusement les activités du management dans les ministères de l'éducation, il est primordial de comprendre leur mode actuel de travail. Ayant cet objectif en vue, l'auteur de cet article propose un cadre méthodologique permettant d'aborder sur le terrain l'examen du fonctionnement d'un ministère de l'éducation en Amérique Latine. Il expose plusieurs démarches qui influent sur le processus de l'enquête: (1) examiner l'impact des traditions historiques sur les procédés contemporains du management; (2) déterminer les préoccupations relatives à l'éthique et au colonialisme académique; (3) faire la distinction entre les méthodes anthropologiques et sociologiques de l'observation participante sur le terrain; (4) rassembler et analyser les données concernant les ministères complexes; et (5) explorer la tâche de l'élaboration de théories relatives au Tiers Monde.