Booklet Design Research Articles

Food instruction booklet design for the Nigeria food consumption and nutrition survey 2001-2003

In 2001-2003, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with the federal government of Nigeria, USAID and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), conducted a nationwide food consumption survey. Since the last national survey occurred in 1963, a major objective was to establish national baseline data for women and children under 5 years old. To ensure the accuracy and quality of detailed food intake data, IITA adapted the USDA Food Instruction Booklet (FIB), a compilation of foods consumed in the country, divided into food groups and subgroups. A Nigerian food composition database formed the basis of the Nigerian FIB, whereby, food groups, probes, a food index, and measurement guides with conversion tables were compiled. The Nigerian FIB included 18 major food groups and 79 subgroups compared to 16 food groups and 100 subgroups in the USDA FIB. For both countries, these food groups highlight how food is categorized and consumed. A typical example was how each country grouped grains and cereals. The Nigerian FIB included four separate groups (cereals, cereal products, confectionaries, and pasta). In the USDA FIB, breads and sweet breads were put together as one group. Cereal, pasta and rice were together as a second group. Examples of these food groups and probes are presented. While both FIBs contained measurement guides (cups, spoons, thickness sticks, rulers), the Nigerian FIB also included indigenous guides. These guides allowed for food weight conversions using local utensils, weights of foods cooked at home and purchased away from home, weights of foods with different sizes, and weights of food items with different measuring tools. Another unique element in the Nigerian FIB was the inclusion of scientific names for foods, their English names, and local names in the three Nigerian languages (Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo). The FIB highlights cultural similarities and differences in food consumption and demonstrates how one country’s survey instrument can be adapted to meet the needs of another.Key Words: food instruction booklet, survey instrument

An NCME Instructional Module on Booklet Designs in Large‐Scale Assessments of Student Achievement: Theory and Practice

In most large‐scale assessments of student achievement, several broad content domains are tested. Because more items are needed to cover the content domains than can be presented in the limited testing time to each individual student, multiple test forms or booklets are utilized to distribute the items to the students. The construction of an appropriate booklet design is a complex and challenging endeavor that has far‐reaching implications for data calibration and score reporting. This module describes the construction of booklet designs as the task of allocating items to booklets under context‐specific constraints. Several types of experimental designs are presented that can be used as booklet designs. The theoretical properties and construction principles for each type of design are discussed and illustrated with examples. Finally, the evaluation of booklet designs is described and future directions for researching, teaching, and reporting on booklet designs for large‐scale assessments of student achievement are identified.

Sampling and Data Collection Procedures for the National Science Concept Learning Study

The National Science Concept Learning Study represented one of the largest and the most extensive surveys of its kind undertaken in Taiwan in recent years. A total of 36,093 students from the sixth, eighth, ninth, and eleventh grades participated in the main study. This paper provides the background information about the sampling and booklet design behind this project. It also provides detailed information on how the survey was actually administered and how the data quality control process was undertaken. This information can facilitate an overall view of the results based on the data related to the main survey.

Development of a spiritually based breast cancer educational booklet for African American women.

Breast cancer is a significant health problem among African American women. Since the church is a viable health education venue for this population, spiritual cancer communication is a timely area of study to promote cancer education. In partnership with an African American church, we developed an educational booklet on breast cancer early detection from within a spiritual framework. Working with an advisory panel of women from the church, we facilitated the development of the booklet content and design. Panel members selected the spiritual themes and scripture used to frame the early detection messages, and they wrote messages to be included in the booklet. Meetings with focus groups were conducted to generate feedback on the booklet design and content. Overall feedback from the advisory panel and three focus groups regarding this level 4 spiritually based cancer communication intervention for African American women was generally consistent, showing strong preferences for design and content. We believe that this spiritually based approach may be one way to make cancer communication more culturally appropriate for African American women.