Computer-based instruction (CBI) was considered the technological phenomenon to revolutionize education and training. Today, the Internet and computer technology are reported to have significantly altered the education landscape (Johnson & Aragon, 2002). The rapid advances in technology, the need for lifelong learning, and the growth of non-traditional students have encouraged the use of the computer as a method of instructional delivery. Evaluating the effectiveness of CBI as a whole technology is very difficult. The inability to measure effectiveness is attributable in part to the fact that CBI is not just one component, but a complex range of services and activities carried out for instructional and learning purposes (Gibbons & Fairweather, 2000). This study presents a theory of critical components that impact the effectiveness of computer-based instruction for adults. The theory was developed to provide a framework for research to explain or predict effective learning by adults using a desktop computer. The five conclusions drawn from this research are: (1) the characteristics of self-directedness and computer self-efficacy of adult learners play an important role in designing CBI for adults; (2) learning goal level impacts instructional design strategy and instructional control component of CBI design; (3) external support and instructional support are needed to provide a positive CBI experience; (4) CBI design is interwoven with the units of self-directedness, computer self-efficacy, learning goal level, instructional design, and external support; and (5) the theory draws together the isolated variables researchers consider important in the adult learning process and aligns them to provide effective CBI.

The National FFA Organization is an agriculturally-based youth organization in the United States which has been providing/facilitating international experiences for its members for a number of years. One of these programs is the International FFA School to School Linkage Program (SSLP), in which selected American agricultural education/FFA programs are linked with specialized secondary agricultural schools/lyceums located in one of the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU). The programs main mission is for American students and teachers to share ideas with their FSU counterparts about the initiation and maintenance of small-scale agricultural entrepreneurships based on the United States agricultural education Supervised Agricultural Experience Program (SAEP) model as well as exposing them to FFA leadership activities. During the 1997-98 school term, six agricultural education students and two adults from Prairie High School located in Prairie, Louisiana (pseudonyms), participated in the SSLP as one of six schools from the United States. The school was linked with the Zolatoya Agricultural Lyceum in Zolatoya, Platnaya Region (pseudonyms), Russia. The families of the participants were highly involved in the whole experience, from initial planning to fund-raising to hosting the FSU students to living with their own children upon their return. This qualitative study investigated How have the lives of two Prairie High School, Louisiana graduates and their immediate families been affected by their participation in the 1997-98 International FFA School to School Linkage Program? Through literature review, observation, interviews, and obtaining and analyzing pertinent archival information, the major themes identified were: A) Intellectual Development/Career Guidance Choices, B) Developing International Perspective, C) Change in Perception of Host Country/International Representatives, D) Personal/Family Development, and E) Heightened Sense of Community. Developing an International Perspective, Personal/Family Development, and Heightened Sense of Community had the highest frequencies of reference. Within the major themes, some of the most frequently referenced sub-themes were Career/Educational Choices, Awareness of Cultural Differences, Appreciation for the American Lifestyle, Openness to New Cultures, Parental Life Transitions, Development of Parenting Skills, Anxiety, Building of Family Relationships, Student Maturation, and Concern for Others/Making a Difference. Overall, all participants found this to be a worthwhile and life-changing experience.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association through its member institutions has implemented academic standards governing initial athletic eligibility and has led reform initiatives tying the ability to compete athletically to student-athlete retention and graduation. Louisiana State University (LSU), like many Division I institutions, admitted its scholarship athletes using these initial eligibility standards as a minimum qualification for admission. However, as NCAA requirements have become less stringent, the admissions requirements at LSU have increased. Concerns about the retention and graduation of student-athletes and an increasing gap between the academic credentials of the student body and student-athletes led administrators to question the wisdom of this practice. There was a need to determine which variables can best predict the retention and graduation of student-athletes at LSU and whether or not these variables differed from results found in national literature. It was hoped that the predictive models could also be used to bridge the gap between NCAA and university admission standards. This study uses hierarchical logistic regression to predict student-athlete retention and graduation using six sets of pre-college and post-enrollment variables for each dependent variable. High school performance variables, characteristics of the high school attended, achievement test scores, demographic and sport variables were used to develop a pre-college model for both retention and graduation. College performance variables that measured the student-athletes' grade point average (GPA) at three academic milestones were added to these models. Results indicated that two different sets of variables predict retention and graduation of LSU student-athletes. The significant predictors in the pre-college retention model included: High School and English GPA, number of natural science and social science courses taken, total number of academic courses taken, math test score and sport and redshirt variables. The significant predictors in the pre-college graduation model included: High School and English GPA and total number of academic courses taken. In the development of the college performance GPA models, the researcher found that as the student-athlete progressed further in his/her academic career, the less important the pre-college variables became. However, most of the predictive power was attributed to the pre-college variables.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected perceptual and demographic factors on the self-reported aggressive/violent behaviors of young adults while they were enrolled in school. Specific objectives formulated to guide the research were to: 1)determine the level of involvement in violence and violent behaviors; 2) determine the attitudes and beliefs of young adults; 3)determine the environmental conditions experienced by young adults when last in school; 4)determine if a relationship exists between the level of violence and violent behavior and selected perceptual and environmental factors among young adults, and finally 5)determine if a model exists to explain the level of violence and violent behavior. A descriptive correlational design was used to investigate the relationship between variables. Data was collected using a compendium of survey instruments that were developed to measure violence-related attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Five adult education centes were used for data collection. The target population was defined as young adults (18-25 years of age) enrolled in adult education programs. The outcome measure, "Aggressive Behavior," was correlated with each of the other perceptual, behavioral and environmental measures. Sixteen of the 18 perceptual independent variables were found to be significantly correlated with the dependent variable. The variable that was found to be most highly correlated with the aggressive behavior score was "Weapon Carrying Anywhere." Other variables found to have "very strong" associations with the dependent variable were "Weapon Carrying on School Property" and "Weapon Carrying Going To and From School." Two other variables, "Weapon Carrying-Guns" and "Attitudes toward Gangs," were found to have "substantial" associations with the dependent variable. Results of the multiple regression analysis found that the variable, "Weapon Carrying Anywhere," when considered alone explained 72.7% of the variance in the dependent variable; while two other variables "Weapon Carrying on School Property" and "Normative Beliefs about Aggression," explained an additional 6.7% of the variance in the dependent variable. Together, these three variables alone explained 79.4% of the variance in the dependent variable.

Organizations in Jordan have invested heavily in employee training. However, these training efforts may not be as effective. One area of particular interest is learning transfer, or the extent to which learning from training is applied on the job. Recent research efforts have led to the development of the Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI), the only valid and reliable measure of key transfer system factors. This study validated the constructs of the LTSI for use in Jordan. By doing so, HRD practitioners in Jordan can use such instrument to diagnose early problems with learning transfer, the key to training effectiveness and individual performance. The LTSI was translated through a rigorous cross-cultural translation process which involved forward and back translations, pilot testing, and the establishment of equivalency using objective measures of evaluation. The ALTSI was administered to 500 employees employed by 28 public and private sector organizations operating in Jordan who have attended nine different types of training. Responses were received from 450 employees with a response rate of 90%. The results showed that 18 factors were valid for use in Jordan. The reliabilities of these factors ranged from .70 to .87 with the exception of three factors. The study also investigated the perceptions of transfer system characteristics across selected individual variables (gender, age, levels of education, and years of experience) and situational variables (types of training, choice of training, sector of the organization, and task of the organization). The results suggested that the learning transfer system perceptions differed across the individual variables (except for gender and age) and the situational variables. Private organizations and the technical sector appeared to have the strongest transfer system. Moreover, employees were more prone toward voluntary training. Finally, the study established the relationship between the learning transfer system domain and the organizational learning domain, thus expanding their nomological network. The learning transfer systems explained a significant portion of the total variance in each measure of organizational learning. Results suggested that higher levels of learning transfer were associated with higher levels of organizational learning.

The research purpose was to identify the job skills needed by entry-level wildlife managers, which was accomplished by utilizing a Delphi panel of wildlife management experts from the academic, private and public employment sectors. The Delphi panel was selected from a committee nominated, pool of 81 innovative wildlife management experts. The panel for Rounds One, Two, and Three of this Delphi survey consisted of 31, 32, and 31 members, respectively. The Delphi process involved three survey rounds. Round One consisted of collecting and developing entry-level job skill items from the panel, which resulted in 382 items. Round Two developed initial consensus on the 382 items and developed two new items. Round Three finalized the consensus on the 384 entry-level job skill items. In Round Three, the panel came to consensus on all 384 items with a minimum consensus rating of 80.6%, a maximum consensus rating of 100%. All entry-level job skill items were then ranked by level of importance. Seventy-two were ranked "high importance," 175 were "substantial importance," 123 were "moderate importance," 14 were of "low importance," and zero was of "no importance." When skills were grouped by category, 108 were biological science skills, 54 were practical daily work skills, 49 were quantitative science skills, 42 were communication skills, 38 were policy administration skills, 35 were physical science skills, 31 were humanities skills, and 27 were basic statistics skills. Based on the composition of the expert Delphi panel and the research results, the Delphi technique was a valid method for collecting geographically spread, consensual expert opinion to provide guidance for developing contemporary and futuristic wildlife management curricula at the university level.

This study investigated if accounting graduates from Louisiana State University, a public institution, perceived that their accounting curriculum enhanced the development of their personal competencies of professional demeanor, problem solving/decision making, interaction, leadership, and communication. A survey mailed to accounting graduates who graduated from Fall 1999 to Spring 2002 was used to gather the data for the study. Responses from graduates with different curricular paths were compared to determine if significant differences existed in their perceptions of the development of their personal competencies. Results revealed that no significant difference exists in the perception of the development of personal competencies among graduates who completed a 150-hour curriculum and those who did not. Responses from graduates who currently work in different job positions were also compared to determine if significant differences existed in their perceptions of the development of their personal competencies. For the competencies of professional demeanor, problem solving/decision making, leadership, and communication, no significant differences exist regarding their perceptions of the development of their personal competencies. For the competency of interaction, a significant difference was found between the "industry" and "other" groups. When asked to describe the types of written and oral communication that entry-level accounting professionals perform regularly, respondents stressed the frequency of written documentation of work performed and oral and written communication with clients and co-workers. Finally, course- and activity-specific information was collected to provide feedback to the department of accounting of Louisiana State University regarding areas for potential improvements in the development of personal competencies. Recommendations for the accounting department include incorporating activities in the accounting program that develop leadership skills and professional demeanor skills.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide an examination of beliefs, context factors, and practices of exemplary teachers that lead to a technology-enriched curriculum. Three middle school teachers participated. Using both direct and participant observation the Spradley model was followed with three rounds of observations: (1) descriptive, (2) focused, and (3) selective. Interviews were conducted with open-ended questions and documents were collected from the parish website. This research provides: (1) up-to-date information on what and how educational technology is used today; and (2) information which gives other educators an understanding of what beliefs and context factors influence teachers to integrate technology into their curriculum. Findings suggest that these middle school teachers believe technology is a tool that adds value to lessons and to students' learning and motivation. Due to a personal interest in technology, these teachers are self-taught and apply for grants to acquire new hardware and software. They receive support for release time to continue with ongoing professional development, which has helped to change their teaching strategies from teacher-centered to student-centered. They are not afraid to take risk using trial and error, flexible planning, project-based lessons, varying roles, varying grouping, and providing multiple activities in their classroom practices. Students are allowed to make choices, be independent, and take responsibility for themselves and their work.

The focus of the research was the evaluation of two instructional methodologies for teaching terrorism preparedness at several universities in Louisiana. Participants were taught a curriculum for an audience who may work at a potential terrorist target. The purpose of the research was to determine if processing styles based instruction improved learning. The objectives of the study were to: 1) Describe participant demographics: a) age, b) gender, c) credit hours, d) field of study; and e) preferred Strategic Information Processing Style (SIPS); 2) Determine if changes occur in knowledge of terrorism preparedness as measured by the Terrorism Awareness test; 3) Determine if there are differences in the test scores based on instructional methodology; 4) Determine if test scores differ by preferred Information Processing Style (IPS); and 5) Determine if selected variables explain a significant portion of the variability in the Terrorism Awareness Test scores. The majority of students were female. The average age was 21 years, and the range was 17 - 52. The mean number of credit hours completed was 55.69. Students, for the most part (n = 141 or 45.8%), reported majoring in social sciences. Assessment of students Information Processing Style (IPS) revealed that two thirds (n = 210 or 68.2%) preferred the Analytical Processing Style. A Paired Samples t-test revealed that the students post-test score (M = 14.02) were higher than the pre-test score (M = 13.61). The Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the students taught using traditional lecture style scored higher on the Terrorism Awareness Test then those taught using the learning style based method. Regression analysis revealed that demographic variables did not explain a significant proportion of the variance. The model explains a moderate amount of the variance (25.5%). The instruction methodology variable by itself explains a low amount of variance. This study suggests that this particular curriculum which was intended to focus on one dimension of learning styles based instruction appears to result in a small amount of decreased learning as measured by the Terrorism Awareness Test.

This study identified the traits and behaviors of an effective developmental leader-one whose primary focus is the development of the people and the organization he or she lead. The study determined the traits and behaviors of a leader who posses an effective developmental orientation towards people. The research incorporated both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Data was collected using both open ended questions and Likert-type scaled instruments. This data was analyzed using both statistical techniques and expert panels. The results of this study yielded six identified traits and seven identified behaviors of a developmental leader. A developmental leader was found to possess the following traits: analytical, assertive, cooperative, dedicated, personable, and practical. A developmental leader would also possess the following behaviors: advisor, charismatic, competitive, delegator, developer, focused, and supportive.