Three factors influencing the adoption or rejection of educational innovations in public school systems are empirically identified: characteristics of innovations (in the case, innovation in vocational and career education); characteristics of clients or users of these innovations; and types of communication employed by advocates of innovations.…

A plan is presented for introducing instructional innovations in school districts through inservice education. (GW)

This study identified features of innovations which help decision-makers compare and select appropriate innovations for adoption, resulting in the development of guidelines for evaluating innovation characteristics. Following a comprehensive search of the literature for taxonomic dimensions of innovations, interviews were held with school…

Program evaluators and program managers should examine appropriate dimensions of innovations when deciding to support, accept, or reject an educational innovation. Survey questionnaires were used with 76 teachers and administrators and 65 state supervisors and local project directors of exemplary programs to obtain a list of 38 "essential"…

The objective of the research study was to determine if dimensions of the innovation diffusion process could be identified empirically. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 300 educational practitioners in various roles in Kansas and Ohio. The data resulting from the 82 percent response are divided into two categories. One category…

The document summarizes research on the process of diffusing innovations in vocational education. The purpose was to: (1) determine if empirical dimensions of three conceptual domains (innovation, client, and strategy) exist; (2) if they exist, to identify them; (3) to describe them with empirical information; and (4) to relate the dimensions to…

This conceptual framework was constructed by researchers with the Diffusion Program at the Center for Vocational and Technical Education for the purpose of classifying research findings on dimensions of the diffusion process consistent with the objective of the program; the formulation of rational strategies for diffusion of innovations in…

This research report describes events and decision processes which encourage or inhibit the installation of an innovation in an educational agency--specifically, the installation of a coordinated information network in the New York State Education Department. To document the installation, personnel involved in the consideration of the innovation…

Focusing on the change process, this document presents five papers given at a regional EPDA inservice education program. Papers included are (1) Underlying Dimensions of the Change Process, by William Hull, which presents guidelines for planned change; (2) Alternative Organizations for Producing Innovation, by Daniel Koble, which describes…

Research was conducted to identify criteria for successful research and development innovations in vocational education. Sixteen research and development (R&D) impact criteria were identified through a search of three data bases. The central data base consisted of impact studies of 28 selected state-developed and National Center for Research…

To identify variables accounting for variation in diffusion of cooperative agricultural occupations curriculums, data were collected by interviews with 32 teachers who were participants in one of the agricultural occupations institute workshops conducted at Oklahoma State University during the summers of 1965 or 1966 who were still teaching…

Oklahoma teachers attending workshops in the summers of 1965 and 1966 were not equally successful in initiating high school off-farm agricultural occupations programs even though the necessary competencies were attained. To determine relationships between teacher innovativeness and innovation diffusion, and to isolate variables associated with…

The paper is addressed to teaching staffs and administrative offices of local school districts and emphasizes the leadership initiatives which should be exercised by local school district personnel to implement career education. The paper is organized into three major sections: (1) a description of a conceptual framework for studying and analyzing…

Through an examination of the background and current status of programs at the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, one can identify many research problems and issues. Some of these current National Center programs include a diffusion program (combining five U.S. Office of Education-sponsored projects), research and development…