This study analyzes the status and job functions of the 546 elementary school assistant principals in Texas during the 1985-1986 school year. It is concerned with the status of the position and the degree of responsibility assigned to the assistant principal for forty-eight specific job functions in the actual and ideal practice. A sample of 125 assistant principals, 125 supervising principals and a population of 135 superintendents whose districts employ assistant principals were included in the study. All three groups completed the role survey instrument. The results were analyzed by using the one-sample chi-square test to determine whether significant differences existed among the perceptions of the superintendents, principals, and assistant principals at the .01 level. The return rate was 60.8 percent for the assistant principals and principals and 84.6 percent for the superintendents.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Texas House Bill 72 on equalization of finances in the public school districts of Texas. House Bill 72 is a finance reform bill which was passed by the Texas Legislature during the Summer of 1984. This study involves basically three steps. First, current criteria for equity as defined by school finance "experts" and recent definitive court decisions were determined. Second, financial data from the Texas Education Agency were statistically analyzed for the 1984-1985 school year. Third, the statistical analysis was used to determine if the current Texas school finance plan meets the current criteria for equity. The population used in the study was 1,068 school districts. Based on the findings of this study the following conclusions were drawn. 1. The use of a per capita flat grant by the Texas Public School Finance System contributes to the unequalizing of financial resources available to school districts. 2. School districts with greater property index values are required to exercise very little effort toward the support of their public schools. 3. School districts with high property index values tend to have lower effective tax rates and high per-pupil expenditures. 4. School …

This study examines the effect of class discussion as a pre-writing activity on actual writing performance. The experiment was conducted with all the Level 3 and Level 4 students enrolled in the Intensive English Language Institute of North Texas State University in the Spring, 1986 semester. Cochrans C test was performed to test significant differences between groups at the beginning of this test. Multivariate analysis of variance tests were used to determine the treatment effect between and within groups, and a matched t-test was also utilized to analyze the difference within tests. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship between the discussion activity score and the actual writing score. Analysis of covariance tests were used to determine which variance of discussion activities had greater effect on the actual writing score.

This study is designed to determine the degree to which female principals and vice-principals in Texas derive job satisfaction from their work and to identify those factors, both negative and positive, which affect the job satisfaction of these principals and vice-principals. A single questionnaire was used to collect the data for this study. Usable questionnaires were returned by 331 vice-principals and 504 principals. These represented 336 school districts throughout the state. Respondents were compared as to their view of their overall job satisfaction, the importance assigned to intrinsic and extrinsic job facets, their satisfaction with intrinsic and extrinsic job facets, and the differences in facet satisfaction connected with various personal characteristics.

Because international students are an increasingly significant aspect in American colleges and universities and on the North Texas State University campus in particular, this study was undertaken to explore the intercultural clash which Thai students at North Texas State University experience. Twenty-two Thai students were interviewed in depth using the oral history method. Ten faculty and administrators who work with international students were interviewed concerning their observations of Thai students. The information gleaned from these thirty-two interviews and from an examination of the basic socio-cultural differences between Thailand and the United States resulted in the isolation of the following basic difficulties. 1. Thais do not have command of written and oral English. 2. Americans do not have an appreciation of foreigners and lack tolerance in everyday exchanges with them. 3. Thais avoid becoming involved in American society. 4. Thais are not efficiently prepared for the American classroom. 5. American instructors do not appear prepared to handle the problems of Thai students. The study also developed a number of suggested solutions: 1. Raise the consciousness of Americans concerning Thai students; 2. Provide more effective ways of improving oral and listening skills in the English proficiency of Thai students beginning with American-directed …

The dual role of classroom teacher and athletic coach is commonly combined in public school systems, often resulting in job related conflicts. The purpose of this study was to examine the job attitudes of teacher-coaches as perceived by teacher-football coaches (n=283) and high school principals (n=43) and identify areas where role preference occurred. The teacher-coaches and principals responded to a job attitude instrument designed to measure attitudes concerning job related tension, participation in decision making, job involvement and job satisfaction during the roles of teaching and coaching.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of high school assistant principals as perceived by principals, assistant principals, and teachers. The population in this study consisted of the principals, assistant principals, and teachers in Class 5A high schools in Texas during the 1985- 86 school year. One hundred and twenty of the Class 5A high schools were randomly selected to participate in the study. One principal, one assistant principal, and one teacher from each school were asked to respond to the survey. A questionnaire was designed to measure the perception of the three groups under study and contained seventy-seven job responsibilities which were divided into six major areas. The six areas were school management, staff personnel, community relations, student activities, curriculum and instruction, and pupil personnel. Eighteen items were eliminated through clarity, appropriateness, and reliability studies. Each respondent was asked to rate the degree of involvement of assistant principals for each job responsibility listed in two columns labeled current and ideal. Five hypotheses were developed for the study. Three hypotheses were tested by a multivariate one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures, and two were tested using a univariate one-way analysis of variance. The .05 level of …

This study examined changes in funding and expenditures for the forty-seven public community college districts in Texas from 1974 through 1983. Expenditures data were subdivided into three parts: state reimbursable operating costs, nonreimbursable operating costs, and the cost of bonded indebtedness. Data on income for operations were aggregated in four parts: state appropriations, tuition and fees, local property taxes, and miscellaneous funds. For the purpose of determining differences in expenditure and income trends by institutional size, each of the forty-seven public community college districts was categorized as small, medium, or large in size. The findings indicate that for the period of the study some changes occurred in both expenditures and funding. In the area of expenditures, nonreimbursable operating costs increased as a proportion of total expenditures while the proportionate cost of bonded indebtedness declined. Small colleges experienced the largest increase in nonreimbursable costs, diminishing the dollars available for instructional costs.

This study examines nursing students' adoption of inferential sets in a clinical situation. The investigation determines (1) the particular inferential set(s) nursing students adopt toward a patient in a clinical situation; (2) the particular inferential set(s) adopted by sophomore and senior nursing students in a clinical situation; and (3) whether or not inferential sets adopted by the sophomore and senior nursing students differ. Sophomore and senior nursing students at a woman's university in Texas were asked to complete a research tool designed to determine inferential set adoption.

The purpose of this study was four-fold: the identification of behaviors perceived as academically honest by faculty and six levels of nursing students, to determine differences between faculty and students, to determine differences between graduate and undergraduate students, and to determine differences in consequences proposed by faculty and students.

The purposes of this study were to identify the procedures and criteria used for conducting teacher performance evaluation in Texas public schools, to determine the degree to which teacher performance evaluation procedures and instruments reflect the stated evaluation policies of Texas public schools, and to determine the degree to which teacher performance evaluation instruments used in Texas public schools reflect presage criteria (teacher characteristics) as opposed to process criteria (teacher behavior) as opposed to product criteria (student change or gain) as opposed to general job performance requirements (job expectations). The main findings include the following. (1) Teacher performance evaluation is required in all Texas public school districts and is often performed several times a year by more than one observer. The building principal is the key person involved in this process. (2) Although all school districts stated the supervisory function of the improvement of instruction as the major purpose of their teacher performance evaluation policy, a large number of school districts utilize teacher performance evaluation for the administration functions of serving as a basis for retention or dismissal. (3) If in reality teacher performance evaluation were construed as the improvement of instruction or teaching performance, it should be predictable that …

This study analyzed a random sample of thirty-six collective bargaining contracts between teachers and their respective boards of education in Wisconsin, New York, Tennessee, and California. The contracts were studied to assess the effect that collective bargaining has had upon the powers of principals over time. This was done by comparing each contract to a comprehensive list of traditional powers that were available to principals prior to collective bargaining (Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile of Principals). This analysis of contracts was a two-phase process. The first step was to identify whether or not the profile statements in the Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile were referred to in each contract. The second step was to describe how the presence of references to these statements affected the Power Profile of Principals. The principal's power was reported as being affected in three ways: deleted, constrained, or authorized. The general conclusion of this study was that the effect of teacher collective bargaining upon the powers of principals has been marginal. The data from the analysis of the contracts revealed that the majority (66 percent) of the statements in the Pre-Collective Bargaining Power Profile were not referred to in the collective bargaining contracts. The effects of the …

This study describes perceptions of the president's role in organizational change in each of ten colleges in two metropolitan community college districts. The purposes included (1) tracing major administrative reorganizations from the fall of 1975 to the spring of 1985, (2) ascertaining perceptions of the reasons for those reorganizations, and (3) obtaining perceptions of the role of the president in those reorganizations.

The problem of this study was to determine the extent of agreement or disagreement by public school principals in the State of Texas with fifty selected court decisions. The population of the study consisted of all the public school principals in the State of Texas. From this population, a subject of 600 potential respondents was chosen for participation in the study upon the recommendation of the doctoral advisory committee using a random sampling technique. The instrument used in this study was a law questionnaire that was developed in conjunction with Dr. Roosevelt Washington of North Texas State University. The first part of the law questionnaire requested background information from the respondents which was used for the independent variables of the study. The second part of the law questionnaire contained fifty summarized court decisions to which principals were asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement.

The purpose of this study was to determine faculty participation in and approval of professional growth and renewal activities in the Dallas County Community College District. The population consisted of 526 full-time faculty employed by the district. The DCCCD Survey instrument, which was used in the study, included activities grouped into seven categories: career development, leaves, international activities, instructional renewal, grants, reward, and a miscellaneous category. Faculty members identified participation in activities; they also identified their approval or disapproval of all activities on a five point Likert-type scale. The population was grouped by teaching field, age, years-of-experience and campus for statistical analyses. A Chi-square test of goodness of fit was conducted to determine if significant differences existed between expected and observed participation among groups in each of the seven categories. An analysis of variance was completed to determine significant differences of opinion. The findings of the study indicated significant differences between expected and observed participation in the following categories: international and instructional activities when faculty were grouped by teaching fields; reward activities among years-of-experience groups. Significant differences of opinion were reported in all but the miscellaneous category when faculty were grouped by teaching field. Other significant differences were reported in …

The purposes of this study were to determine the predominant career paths of superintendents within the State of Texas and to determine the most important professional positions and areas of professional development as perceived by superintendents and educational experts. The study also compares actual experience and professional development of superintendents with those perceived as most important.

The problem with which this study was concerned was that of measuring and examining the level of job satisfaction among Texas high school band directors. The specific methodology included a quantitative comparison through confirmatory factor analysis of the factor structures of the sample of 109 Texas high school band directors and the norming population of 1460 industrial workers. There were two purposes for conducting the study. First, the relationships between an assortment of demographic variables and measured job satisfaction were examined. The second purpose was to measure the degree of fit of the Frederick Herzberg Dual-Factor Theory to the factor structure of the sample. Correlation, t ratio, and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare the demographic variables with measured job satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analysis through LISREL was used to examine and compare factor structures. Job satisfaction was measured with the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire which was developed and tested through the Work Adjustment Project, Industrial Relations Center at the University of Minnesota. The twenty-item short-form retained the general reliability and validity measures of the 100-item long form. The Demographic Data Sheet is a researcher-constructed document used to gather data for use in classifying respondents by educational background, school classification, …

This dissertation studies the outcomes that higher education courses and seminars in stress management have on the stress levels of pastors. It identifies stress level differences between a sample of pastors who have and who have not been trained in stress management. The instrument that was used to assess the levels of stress was the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The Inventory is a twenty-two item dual-rating instrument that measures the frequency and intensity of three aspects of the burnout syndrome: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of personal accomplishment. Demographic questions were used to determine the respondents' sex, age, education, and experience in the clergy. These questions were asked for descriptive purposes only. In addition, questions were asked that would determine whether or not the pastors had had stress management training.

The problem of this study was the roles of the general assembly agencies of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., and the United Presbyterian Church of North America in the development of Barber- Scotia College, Knoxville College, Johnson C. Smith University, Stillman College, and Mary Holmes College. The historical records of these three churches for the period from 1866 to 1983 were examined to analyze the factors surrounding the establishment of the five colleges, the differences and similarities in the administrative practices of the general assembly agencies charged with operating the colleges, the relationships of the colleges to the churches in the transition from dependent mission schools to independent colleges, and to identify way in which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may improve its support of Black higher education. The Presbyterian Churches established the mission schools to meet the religious, educational, and economical needs of the emancipated Black slaves. Though the three 2 churches had differences over the issues of slavery and doctrine, the administrative systems developed for the operations of the schools were very similar. All treated the missions schools as remedial temporary measures necessitated by the refusal of Southern and border states to …

This study examines the main research hypothesis that there is significant interaction between the effects of computer use/non-use and level of computer training among community college educators in the state of Texas regarding attitudes toward the implementation of administrative and instructional computing. A statewide survey was conducted with deans of instruction and full-time faculty members who represented the three academic transfer departments of natural/physical sciences, social science, and humanities/fine arts. Fifty-five deans of instruction and three hundred fifty-six faculty members participated in the study. A factor analysis of data from the questionnaires revealed four factors which were identified and labeled: Factor One: Computer Applications: Advantages and Disadvantages; Factor Two: Administrative Computer Applications: Advantages and Disadvantages; Factor Three: Apprehensions About Educational Computing; Factor Four: Situational Factors Associated With Computer Applications in Education. A 4x3x2 (professional position x level of computer training x level of computer experience) multivariate analysis of variance of both main and interaction effects was then performed within and across these factors.

The problem of this study was an analysis of the funding procedures in states which provide funding for local community education projects. The purpose of the study was to identify states which appropriate funds for community education and to provide an analysis of the guidelines for operation and use of state funds for community education at the local level. Twenty-five states were initially identified as having some type of state funding for community education, Eleven of the twenty-one states responding do provide funding for use at the local level. The guidelines and applications for obtaining these funds were compared in the areas of purpose of state legislation, minimum elements required of community education projects, eligibility requirements, use of state funds, grant periods, and annual reporting requirements.

Using a case study approach, this investigation focused on the deliberations and decision-making processes involved in the development of a physical science curriculum to be delivered by interactive videodiscs. The mediating factors that influenced the developmental processes included the participants and their perceptions, their decisions and factors influencing their decisions. The Curriculum and Instruction Advisory Committee of the Texas Learning Technology Group was selected as the subject of this study which used qualitative data collection methods. Data collection included participant observation of curriculum meetings followed by structured interviews of the participants. Document analyses were triangulated with the observations and interviews to ascertain influences on decision-making processes. Developmental processes indicated the emergence of staff and committee procedures. Procedures were influenced by school district and personal philosophies, teacher and student needs, and constraining factors such as state Developmental processes indicated the emergence of staff and committee procedures. Procedures were influenced by school district and personal philosophies, teacher and student needs, and constraining factors such as state mandates. Other influencing factors included research, tradition, and politics. Core curriculum was to be delivered by interactive videodiscs and include remediation and enrichment loops along with laboratory simulations. Participants stressed that students perform traditional laboratory experiments …

The purpose of this study was to compare the legal costs of Texas public school districts during the school years 1980-81, 1981-82, and 1982-83 with the preventive law practices utilized by those districts. A survey was made of Texas superintendents' knowledge of school law. The data were contrasted with legal costs and the preventive law practices of the district. Two survey instruments were developed, and the case study approach was utilized. A survey was sent to the 1,101 Texas public school superintendents. The twenty-five item instrument was designed to solicit information regarding the amount of money spent by districts and the types of preventive law practices that school districts use to reduce legal costs. A legal awareness questionnaire was developed and administered to 72 of the 542 superintendents who responded to the first survey instrument. Three school districts were selected to be case study sites. The data from the instruments were analyzed to determine if a relationship existed between a district's legal costs and its preventive law practices, a district's legal costs and the superintendent's knowledge of school law, and a superintendent's knowledge of school law and the district's preventive law practices. The major conclusions of the study were as …