Readers Share Their Thoughts: Forum Survey Results

In April 2005, subscribers to The Educational Forum were surveyed about the mission and content of the journal. The results of that readership survey are summarized here. Though the majority of the responses were favorable, some readers offered helpful suggestions for improvement.

Nearly half of The Educational Forum subscribers who responded to the survey are professors or faculty members at a university or college. More than 56 percent of those surveyed said that they read The Forum each time they receive it, but only read select articles. Respondents said they retain their copies of The Forum for future reference, share them with colleagues, or use them in their research and personal writing. More than 98 percent of respondents said that they find the information presented in The Educational Forum to be very useful or moderately useful.

When asked whether The Educational Forum challenges ideological and theoretical boundaries on national and international issues, 69 percent of respondents agreed that it does. Eighty-three percent of respondents said that the journal is a catalyst for promoting dialogue and transforming the thinking about education, while 84 percent said that The Forum includes articles on timely, substantive topics that contribute to the advancement of education.

The majority (82 percent) of respondents gave high marks to the appearance and readability of The Forum. Eighty percent of respondents also confirmed that the article length and the total number of pages in the journal are appropriate.

Subscribers were asked about their interest in an electronic version of The Educational Forum. Nearly half, or 49 percent, of respondents prefer a printed copy and have no interest in an electronic version. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they would like to receive both an electronic and printed version of the journal.

When asked how The Forum could be more useful, respondents suggested including more research studies, more case studies, and articles addressing broader topics. Technology, holistic education, early intervention and education, curriculum integration, school law, privatization, NCLB, and leadership were proposed topics.

The survey also solicited general comments about the journal. By and large, those who responded find The Educational Forum to be a useful tool and a great source of reference information. One respondent stated, "The Forum is one of the highest quality publications I receive from three international honor societies and numerous subjectmatter publications." Another respondent shared, "The Forum is well worth the modest annual subscription price."

Offering suggestions for improving The Forum, one respondent said, "Make the journal worldly, theoretically subversive, cantankerous, and risky.... Show the educational community that you are risky in the way that, on a larger scale, a democracy should be." Other respondents suggested having more themed issues, shortening the articles and including more manuscripts in each issue, or publishing more often.

If you have comments about The Educational Forum that you would like to share, please e-mail helen@kdp.org. Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey, and thank you to all subscribers to The Educational Forum.

Copyright Kappa Delta Pi Fall 2005
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