The spread of educational innovations is a topic that has been investigated from a multitude of viewpoints. Some individuals have been interested in dissemination of particular practices or products; others have studied the diffusion process itself; and still others have focused on the adopters, their characteristics and motivations. This paper is in the tradition of diffusion research, but it is an outgrowth of recent developments in a quantitative approach that has emerged in the field of marketing that, in turn, has its roots in the mathematical models of epidemiologists studying the spread of diseases and chemists investigating the nature of chemical reactions. The chemical model for autocatalytic reactions is adapted to the process of adopting educational innovations, and the model is applied to six sets of historical data. The model fits very well in five cases. It is also used to project the future adoption "life cycle" of the semester system in Ontario. The initial fit is very good; a peak year was projected for 1975, and an end to the cycle of adoptions is predicted for 1979.
The purpose of this research study was to undertake a systematic investigation into the relationships among:(1) the techniques used by search analysts during preliminary interviews with users before engaging in online retrieval of bibliographic citations; (2) the amount of new informatlon gained by the user as a result of the search; and (3) the user's ultimate satisfaction with the quality of the items retrieved. A series of controlled ex. periments were conducted to explore the effects of two interview techniques: the conscious use of "open" and "closed" questions and the use of pauses of dlfferent lengths by the search analyst during the online negotiation interview. Data were collected on various aspects of the user's need for information, the value helshe placed upon new knowledge, and the consequences of inadequate information. The analytical technique used was path analysis. While search analysts displayed no difficulty in asking open and closed questions, they found considerable difficulty in controlling the lengths of pauses. Among the findings were the followlng: the ask. ing of open and closed questions had a modest effect on the amount learned by the users; the type of pause did have a significant effect on the amount clients learned; average user satisfaction was higher when open questions were asked; overall satisfaction was lower when moderate pauses were used; those learning most about their topic were, overall, more satisfied than those who learned less; those placing high importance on the information obtained tended to have lower satisfaction scores.
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