The purpose of this study was to: (1) identify the sources of job-related stress which create excessive pressures for the directors and faculty of medical record administration and medical record technology programs; (2) identify the strategies that the directors and faculty of medical record administration and medical record technology programs find most helpful in coping with stress; (3) determine the relationship among demographic variables and job-related stressors as perceived by the directors and faculty of medical record administration and medical record technology programs; and (4) determine the difference among the means of five stress factors as perceived by the directors of medical record administration, faculty of medical record administration, directors of medical record technology and faculty of medical record technology programs. Questionnaires were mailed to 403 respondents. The response rate was 81.3%. Within the limitations of this study, the results revealed that "Having insufficient time to keep abreast of current developments in my field"was the highest stressor. The top stress coping strategy was "Social interaction." The relationship between demographic variables and five stress factors of reward and recognition, time constraint, departmental influence, professional identity and student interaction revealed a positive correlation between degree and professional identity factor, and a negative …

The problem with which this study is concerned is comparative administrative leadership behavior between municipal and university administrators. The specially designed survey instrument elicited respondents' perceptions of their administrative leadership behavior based on the 12 dimensions of the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire- XII.

This study examined international education (IE) programs in Texas community colleges to determine how they compare to a general, theoretical model of IE programs discussed in the literature. The study proposed: (a) to describe, through a review of literature, the components of IE; (b) to describe the administration of IE within the Texas community colleges; (c) to identify existing IE instructional activities; (d) to describe the student support services related to IE which are in practice; (e) to describe what community and out of country outreach components are in operation; and (f) to determine how the IE programs in Texas community colleges compare to theoretical components of IE programs as identified in the literature.

The increase in the number of nontraditional aged undergraduate students (25 yrs. and older) and students transferring between post-secondary institutions has raised the question of whether effective instruction is viewed the same by these different groups of students. This study addressed this question by analyzing the responses of these different groups to 23 instructional questions on a standard faculty evaluation form.

The primary concerns of this study were to describe the most common practices of current college student leadership training programs in the United States and to compare the 1979 and 1997 findings by replicating the 1979 Simonds study. This study provides an overview of related literature on the history of leadership theory and the research on leadership training in higher education, a detailed description of the methodology, results of the survey, a comparative analysis of the 1979 and 1997 findings, and discussion of the current status of leadership training at institutions of higher education. Conclusions are drawn, and implications and recommendations for student affairs professionals are made that may improve the quality of student leadership in higher education.

The effects of top-level text structure and signaling on the reading recall of Japanese female junior college students studying English as a foreign language were investigated in this study. One hundred thirty-two subjects were selected from a private female junior college in Tokyo. The students were divided into three groups—high, average, and low reading comprehension levels—based on the results of the Test of Reading Comprehension. The instrument used to measure students' recall ability was developed from expository passages taken from a biology textbook. The passages were rearranged to show identifiable top-level structure, collection of description, causation, problem/solution, or comparison. Each passage was divided into two versions: a with-signaling version, in which top-level structure was explicitly stated by signaling words or phrases, and a without-signaling version, where signaling words or phrases were omitted. After the students were stratified on reading comprehension, they were assigned to eight different versions of text—two of each of the four top-level text structures, one with- and one without-signaling. In the recall test, students were instructed to read the text and to remember as much as they could.

The overall purpose of this study was to determine the job prospects and relevance of printing education to the printing industry. The study was conducted in four Nigerian cities—Lagos, Kaduna, Kano and Benin City.

This study investigated the factors related to student retention in a comprehensive community college developmental education mathematics program. The purpose was to identify and describe these factors and to develop strategies for improving retention in the community college developmental education mathematics program. Tinto's 1975 model of institutional departure was employed to examine different factors relating to retention in developmental education mathematics courses. In accordance with established criteria, data were collected using the Institutional Integration Scale (IIS) and Students Existing Records (SER). The IIS survey instrument questionnaire was completed by 41 students from a sample of 56 developmental education students enrolled in college level mathematics, and the data thus collected were used for analysis. Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, and the chi-square statistical analysis with a significant level of 0.05. The analysis of the data showed that the responding sample was primarily white, females aged 18 to 45. Most of the respondents had high grade point averages, did not miss any developmental education mathematics classes, and attended extra curricular activities infrequently. More fathers than mothers of the sample population had received a college education. Academic goal commitment, institutional experience, academic involvement, and placement grades were not statistically significant factors …

An international survey was conducted to assess theological higher education via distance learning as perceived by graduates of Trinity College and Theological Seminary's (Trinity) doctoral programs. The purpose of the study was to determine student-perceived strengths and weaknesses of Trinity's doctoral-level distance education theology programs. Also, the future of distance-learning mediated programs of theological higher education was speculated. A random sample of 400 doctoral recipients was selected from the population of 802 doctoral recipients who graduated from Trinity between the years of 1969 and March 1998. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 203 (50.0%) were returned. Frequency counts, percentage distributions, and chi-square tests of goodness-of-fit were employed to analyze the data. A profile of the modal type of student who would participate in theological distance education at the doctoral level was developed from the demographic variables queried. Responses to questions regarding respondents' educational experiences and coursework were solicited as well. Respondents identified five primary strengths of Trinity's distance education doctoral programs as: the convenience of the program; the immediate application of course content to personal and professional endeavors; the quality of education provided; the Biblical groundedness of the curricula, the materials, and the faculty; and …

The study determined the overall persistence rate of first-time full-time entrants into a mid-sized private university during the fall semesters 1989 to 1991 to the 2nd year (1990 to 1992). The study compared the retention rate of recipients and nonrecipients of a variety of financial aid programs. Included is a comparison of groups receiving various types of financial assistance and whether or not there are differences between the groups with respect to types of assistance, gender, ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, Anglo), high school grade point average, and national test scores (SAT, ACT). The types of assistance studied were categorized by academic scholarships, university-operated student employment, need-based grants, activity awards, entitlements, and loans. The question of whether renewal, elimination, or reduction in assistance relates to retention was also studied.

This study paralleled Smallman's (1993) analysis of college athletes at an NCAA Division I school, which found significant differences between athletes and nonathletes in readiness to make career decisions. The present study measured career decision-making skills using The Career Development Inventory. In addition, the present study examined the salience of roles (i.e., student, worker, citizen, family member, and leasurite) as measured by The Salience Inventory.

The problem with which this study is concerned is determining the effectiveness of a computer adaptive test as compared to the effectiveness of using the entire test. The study has a twofold purpose. The first is to determine whether the two test versions generate equivalent scores, despite being of different lengths. The second is to determine whether the difference in time needed to take the computer adaptive test is significantly shorter than the computer administered full test.

The purposes of this study were to estimate: (a) the extent of biblical literacy among convenience samples of adults from randomly selected religious and non-religious groups, (b) the extent to which American adults are religious, and (c) the association between religiosity and biblical literacy.

The percentage of women who receive doctorates has increased by over 300 percent during the past three decades. The consequences of pursuing the Ph.D. degree have always been far reaching and profound, serving as an impetus and springboard for the reconfiguration of one's beliefs, values, and professional life. The purposes of this national study were to ascertain and describe marital and social changes that occurred in the lives of women who were awarded the Ph.D. degree at midlife. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of three-hundred women who hold the Ph.D. degree and were employed in institutions of higher education in the United States. The study sought to identify the effects of the Ph.D. experience upon the marital relationships, friendships, and social activities of women who completed the degree between the ages of thirty-five and forty-five. Demographic data were collected which were related to their marital status before, during, and after the Ph.D. experience. Both closed and open-ended questions were posed which solicited information pertaining to their post Ph.D. experience. This research reports both quantitative and qualitative findings. The majority of women who complete the Ph.D. experience at midlife undergo and initiate changes in their lives which impact their …

This study chronicles the contributions of Bill J. Priest under the headings of Board of Trustees governance model, multi-college district, quality first: facilities and staff, curriculum, counseling, public relations, telecourses and the Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development. Data were gathered from personal interviews, primary sources and secondary sources. The study includes an overview of the emergence and evolution of the junior college with specific focus on the conceptual beginnings of the Dallas County Community College District and the selection of its founding president, Bill Priest. Professional and personal profiles of Priest are documented as background for the study. Conclusions are that Bill Priest established the Dallas County Community College District as a national model of a multi-college district, was instrumental in affecting the change from junior college to comprehensive community college as the standard for two-year higher education institutions, played a significant role in setting the national agenda for the community college movement through his long-term participation in a leadership capacity in the American Association of Junior and Community Colleges and through the establishment and selection of leadership of the League for Innovation, was instrumental in the creation of the Associate Degree of Nursing, was a national leader …

The major purpose for this study was to determine the self-perceived leadership styles of the presidents, vice-presidents, and deans of public community and junior colleges in Texas in 1994. Administrators' choices of leadership style were also compared with personal characteristics of leaders, such as age, gender, title, number of years in current position, number of years in current institution, number of years in administration, degree earned, number of years in teaching, and number of full-time subordinates. The backgrounds of the administrators, particularly their previous experience, control over their respective budgets, size of their budgets (state, local, other, percentage of workers' compensation), and the ethnicity of leaders, were also examined. The Styles of Leadership Survey and a Demographic Information Form were used to collect the data.

The central purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of faculty in applied sciences to the attitudes of faculty in liberal arts and other selected fields to determine if they differ significantly from each other in their perceptions of the effects of university-industry alliances on campus governance and operations. Secondary purposes were (a) to appraise the debate on alliances and the effects of alliances on academic values and (b) to contribute to the literature concerning alliances and their potential for improving higher education.

Although strategic planning has been used successfully in most major business institutions, higher education has been slow to adopt this management technique. Involvement in planning is a critical issue for allied health educational programs, such as physical therapy, which are relatively new to the academic environment. These programs face a continual need to update their curricula and clinical education based on rapid changes in the health care delivery system and the profession. The problem of this study was to determine the extent to which the strategic planning process is currently applied in institutions in the United States which offer accredited physical therapy educational programs. The population of this study was made up of the chief executive officers of the 115 public and independent institutions that offer physical therapy educational programs. Selected experts on strategic planning and chief executive officers were surveyed in two phases using a mailed questionnaire designed to measure the organization, characteristics, and impact of strategic planning in institutions that offer accredited physical therapy educational programs. Seventy-three percent of the chief executive officers responded, and 50.9 percent indicated their involvement with strategic planning by completing the questionnaire. The findings indicate that, although there is general agreement between the …

The extent of the application of the strategic planning process on dental education institutions was the problem in this descriptive study. The specific purpose was to describe the status of strategic planning based on the perceptions of the respondents. The organization, the characteristics and the impact of the strategic planning process would be investigated and described by this research. The total population of the doctoral and post-doctoral dental education institutions were included in the study. A specifically developed research instrument was used to elicit the perceptions of the respondents, both experts and chief executive officers (deans). All the experts (100 percent) completed and validated the research instrument and 65 percent of the dental education institutions completed the research instrument. The research instrument evaluated three areas of strategic planning: organization, characteristics, and the impact of strategic planning on their institutions. It was concluded that all dental education institutions participate in the strategic planning process and that the organization in the strategic planning process and that the organization and characteristics are generally similar to those in higher education institutions. The application of the strategic planning process has been proven beneficial in higher education institutions and there are perceived benefits in dental education. …

Research into job preference and job satisfaction addresses the agreement between individual and institutional values leading to job choice and job satisfaction. This research assessed ten job preference and ten job satisfaction factors at the University of Guam. Ninety-one faculty members and 32 administrators completed a two-page paired-comparison questionnaire. Demographic data were also collected. Factors' hierarchy and valence positions were reported and subjected to "PCSTATS" program to determine significance among pairs. Significant differences existed in three of the four hypotheses measuring the job preferential factors: advancement, benefits, company, co-workers, hours, pay, security, supervisor, type of work, and working conditions; and job satisfaction factors: good wages, job security, interesting work, tactful disciplining, in on things, working conditions, management loyalty, appreciation, promotion, and sympathetic understanding. Additional findings were made using post hoc analysis. Results indicated that administrators perceived others' preferences to be (a) pay, (b) advancement, and (c) type of work while faculty chose (a) type of work, (b) pay, and (c) advancement. In job satisfaction administrators selected (a) promotion, (b) good wages, and (c) job security, while the faculty chose (a) interesting work, (b) good wages, and (c) promotion. Self job preference factors chosen by males and females were (a) type …

A study was conducted to identify demographic and academic characteristics of students transferring from North Texas area senior colleges to Tarrant County Junior College (Texas) in the Fall 1984 semester. Academic characteristics were measured at the point of transfer and during subsequent junior college enrollment(s) through Spring 1989. Transcripts of 608 reverse transfer students were examined. Non-Completers, students who transferred prior to completing a baccalaureate degree, were identified as 77% of the population; students who transferred after earning a degree were 22%. Of the Non Completer students, 35% transferred as Poor Students (transfer GPA of 0.00-1.99), 23% as Fair Students (2.00-2.79) and 19% as Good Students (2.80-4.00). The reverse transfer students were 52% male. Most (87%) were white, with 6% black, 4% Hispanic, and 3% other ethnic. They varied in age from 18 to 81: 24% were younger than 21, 31% were 21-25, 45% older than 25. Poor Students earned a cumulative junior college GPA 1.29 higher than transfer GPA; Fair Student GPA was .63 higher; Good Student GPA decreased by .01. The change was significant at the .01 level for Poor and for Fair students. Poor arid Fair students who stopped out "for at least two years prior to …

The major purpose of this study was to determine what differences exist among groups of social studies student-teachers, instructors, and administrators in eight teachers colleges in Northern Thailand regarding their perceptions of the importance of selected social studies teaching competencies.

The focus of this study is a comparison of the perceptions and expectations of the leadership role and function of the department chairpersons in the faculty of education by the respective department chairpersons, deans, and all faculty members from each of the six public teacher colleges in Bangkok, Thailand. In conclusion, role conflict between the department chairpersons can be reduced if the department chairpersons concentrate on the expectations of faculty members. The department chairpersons need to reevaluate their leader behavior in relation to both deans and faculty members in order to fulfill the organizational goals and personal needs.

The purpose of this study was to trace the development of education, including higher education, in the United Arab Emirates. In order to complete this study, a computer search of available literature in the English and Arabic languages was constructed. The findings of this study revealed that although education at all levels has been expanded and improved, enrollment in vocational education and science remains low at the secondary level. Students also seem to avoid science and education at the college level. Based on the results of this study, further research should be conducted to determine the perceptions of alumni educational experience, community involvement in education, the role of national and multi-national cooperations in education, and women's education in relation to their participation in the labor force.