This study identified and compared characteristics in the career progression of African-American college presidents of institutions in the continental United States. The study was concerned with personal, educational and professional characteristics of these senior level administrators. From a population of 141 individuals, 73 presidents participated in this study. Frequencies, means, percentages, chi-square, crosstabulations and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed in the analysis of data. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

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.

This study examines the association between the attitudes of students toward computers and their knowledge of the ethical uses of computers. The focus for this research was undergraduate students in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences (Department of Computer Science), Business and Education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.

This study concerned the impact lifestyles of the elderly have on purchases from different product categories. The main purpose was to determine, evaluate, and analyze the effects of lifestyles on elderly shoppers' choice of retail outlets.

The purpose of this study was to compare the avowed beliefs and reported practices of Southern Baptist pastors based upon their level of attainment in higher education and their choice of theological seminary.

The researcher examined a relatively unexplored and limited territory dealing with higher education organizational pluralism pertaining to particalized substance abuse programs in private sectarian institutions of higher learning with student populations of under five thousand. The conceptual framework, which was a recapitulation of Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal's (1984) "multifaceted lens," applied to the human resource framework, the structural framework, the symbolic/cultural framework and the political framework in the administration of these selected substance abuse programs. The frames under which the respective substance abuse programs operate were identified by utilizing a semi-structured interview protocol. The study found usage of management frames by substance abuse program administrators to be in agreement with Bolman and Deal's "four frames theory," with the preferred management style consistent across the frames. The administrators of the substance abuse programs prefer the human resource frame almost categorically. Each institution places a strong emphasis on recruitment of an ideal type of student, modeled after a very clear and concise institutional mission statement. The pervasive theme of the mission message seeks potential Christian leaders only. Almost exclusively, the institutions studied do not tolerate substances of any sort. The administrators interviewed were knowledgeable about the various organizational frames …

Although it is widely assumed that listening is among the most important learning skills (Wolvin & Coakley, 1988), an examination of the literature indicates that it has been woefully neglected as subject matter in schools. Listening has also been neglected as an area of research. Surveys have been conducted to see if listening is being taught or can effectively be taught, but little evidence exists to suggest that effectively teaching listening improves students' academic performance. This study investigated the relationship between listening skills instruction and academic performance among university students. The purpose was to determine if teaching university students comprehensive listening skills improves their academic performance. It was assumed that listening can be effectively taught. The goal of the study was to compare 75 students who were enrolled in a listening course to a similar group of 75 students not enrolled in a listening course. The students were compared on the basis of grade point improvement the semester after the experimental group had completed the listening course. The t test was chosen because it can be used for testing the significance of the difference between the means of two independent samples. The grade point averages of the two groups were …

The problem of this study involved identifying and ranking perceptions of the attributes of exemplary teaching of adjunct faculty of the Dallas County Community College District. Data was collected by a 75 item opinionnaire and a demographic data sheet which was sent to a population of 3,000 employees of the Dallas County Community College District and 100 exemplary faculty from 39 of the 50 United States. The five chapters were titled Introduction, Review of Literature, Methods, Presentation and Analysis of Findings, and Summary, Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations. Revealed through the findings of Chapter 4 was the order of attributes as a Grand grand rank found through the combining of the grand rank order of the Dallas County Community Colleges' employees and the rank order of the nationally recognized exemplary faculty. Findings disclosed that a rank ordering of items represented by Kendall's W at .9654 with a chi-square of 142.8815 at the .001 level of significance. These findings led to the rejection of three null hypotheses and the following related conclusions: (1) perceptions of importance of teaching attributes, can be rank ordered, (2) while a high level of significant values of W may be interpreted as meaning that the observers and …

The problem of this study concerned the factors involved in the selection of medical technology as a major. The purposes of the study were to determine (a) the most influential factors in the selection of medical technology as a career, (b) which sources of career information were the most frequently utilized and most influential in the choice of medical technology as a major, (c) the most common misperceptions of the field at the time of selection of the major, and (d) the relationship between accurate perceptions of the field at the time of major selection and satisfaction with the choice of major after employment.

Previous research suggests that careproviders' attitudes and perceptions significantly influence the type and quality of services received by institutionalized adults with developmental disabilities (IADD). This study explored attitudes careproviders hold concerning training needs of the IADD and their service model orientation. It traced the history of training people with developmental disabilities and provided a brief review of the medical, developmental, and normalization models of service delivery. The conceptual framework upon which this study was based proposed that staff perceptions and orientation concerning service delivery to the IADD can be conceptually related to five factors in a research model. They were identified as: (a) careprovider's characteristics; (b) working environment; (c) previous careprovider experience; (d) developmental disability history within the careprovider's family; and (e) self-reporting of a service delivery orientation. This study examined only a portion of this model (factors a, b, and e). The response sample included 370 professionals and paraprofessionals, aged 17 to 72 years, who were employed at a large residential facility serving individuals with developmental disabilities in Denton, Texas. The respondents were predominantly female (76.5%), Caucasian (72.2%) with slightly less than 75% having more than a high school diploma. The instrument, a self-administered questionnaire, consisted of three parts; …

The purpose of this study was to analyze the dissertations in Higher Education Administration at the University of North Texas from 1971 to 1991.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of word processor use by foreign college writers and their attitudes toward writing, writing revision practices, writing quality, attitudes toward the use of computers, and time spent on computers. The results indicate that students' attitudes toward writing and their perceptions of computer usefulness significantly affected their writing quality. Students with more positive attitudes toward writing and the usefulness of computers tended to produce better quality writing. In addition, the findings indicate that students' writing revision practices significantly affected their attitudes toward writing. Students who revised their writing more frequently tended to have better attitudes toward writing than those who did not. In contrast, students' levels of computer anxiety, computer confidence, computer liking and their writing revision practices did not significantly affect the quality of their writing. Furthermore, the amount of time that students spent on computers did not significantly affect their attitudes toward using computers in writing.

The problem of this study was career goals of student activities mid-managers and their perceptions of attaining these career goals. An introduction and the purposes of the study are included in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 includes a review of selected literature on professional development and mobility. The methodology used to conduct this study is described in Chapter 3. The findings are presented in Chapter 4, and the summary, discussion, conclusions, and recommendations are contained in Chapter 5. The 455 student activities mid-managers employed at institutions holding membership in the National Association for Campus Activities were mailed a questionnaire composed of demographic items and questions seeking information relevant to the purposes of this study. A total of 296 (65%) usable surveys were returned. The results of the study indicate that the positions of chief student affairs officer and dean of students were career goals of the subjects. The dean of students position was the only position that was perceived as attainable by the subjects. When looked at by gender, males desired and believed that the positions of chief student affairs officer and dean of students were reachable. Women desired both positions, but believed that only the position of dean of students …

This study examined the encoding accuracy and decoding accuracy of individual speakers and audience members as predictors of the accuracy with which public speaking anxiety is communicated during speech performance. Previous research revealed that audiences tend to underestimate the state anxiety of public speakers and that a low-to-moderate, positive correlation exists between speaker self-report and audience-observed state public speaking anxiety. Two divergent theoretical perspectives, differential information processing and emotional communication processes, were proposed as explanations for this phenomenon. Predictors for each perspective were estimated by Kenny's 1988 Social Relations Model (SRM). The study was conducted at a large metropolitan community college in the southwest region of the United States. Eighty subjects (40 males and 40 females) delivered two brief speeches before audiences of 20 fellow classmates. Immediately following each speech, speakers reported their state public speaking anxiety on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory A-State (STAI A-State). Audience members recorded their observations of speaker state anxiety on an audience version of the STAI A-State. Correlations between speaker self-report and audience-perceived state public speaking anxiety served as the estimate of judgment accuracy. The full SRM explained 65.7% of the variance in communication accuracy. Actor effects, the most powerful predictor of communication accuracy, accounted …

The purpose of this study was to provide both businesses and institutions of higher education with a descriptive analysis of the programs of five companies that have utilized community colleges in their basic skills programs. The five companies represented included Texas Instruments Defense Systems Corporation and SGS-Thomson Microelectronics (electronics companies), Abbott Laboratories (a pharmaceutical company), J & E Die Casting (a small die casting firm), and Company X, a semiconductor company that requested anonymity. The community colleges included were Richland College, Brookhaven College, and North Lake College. Modified case studies were used to obtain data collected through individual interviews with representatives from the community colleges and the companies. The syntheses of documentaries provided details of how the five community college-directed workplace literacy programs met, or failed to meet, their literacy challenges. Descriptions of the curriculum and structure of each program were also included. Numerous factors contributed to the success or demise of the programs studied. Elements that served as powerful assets when adequately supported were detrimental when neglected. Factors common to all of the programs were financial support, management philosophical support, confidentiality, adequate testing instruments, class schedule flexibility, instructor capability, physical classroom facilities, and work-related documentation integrated into the curriculum. …

This study proposed (a) to identify the most important attributes of effective college teachers as perceived by students in Taiwan, (b) to investigate the influence of different factors on students' perceived attributes of effective college teachers, and (c) to determine if the students in various Taiwanese teachers colleges differ in their opinions of the most important attributes of effective college teachers. Students identified these factors as attributes of effective college teachers: rapport, effective teaching methods, enthusiasm, fairness, interaction, practical experiences, personality, clarity, and being well-prepared. The fact that sophomore students and freshman students value some factors differently was discovered in this study. In addition, students who have previous teaching experience value all of the important attributes higher than those who do not have teaching experience before they attended teachers colleges.

The study analyzed burnout of nursing faculty to determine the frequency, intensity, and predictors of burnout. Christian Maslach's burnout questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and a demographic data survey were used to measure burnout. A random selection of 250 nursing faculty was mailed both a burnout questionnaire and a demographic data survey. There were 192 useable responses that were used in the study. Each questionnaire and demographic data survey were reviewed for completeness and rechecked for accurate data entry. The results were presented in summary tables. Data analysis included frequency, means, Pearson r, and downward, stepwise regression analyses. There was a high frequency and intensity of burnout in all nursing faculty, as measured in the three MBI subscales (depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment). There was a significant relationship between the number of hours nursing faculty spend with academic advising and the intensity of emotional exhaustion. None of the demographic data, except hours spent in academic advising, were a predictor of burnout.

The purpose of this study was to identify a set of perceived indicators of institutional quality for theological schools. To identify the most commonly agreed upon indicators of perceived quality for theological schools, 69 variable indicators of quality were selected from research regarding quality in higher education and in theological schools and compiled into the Inventory of Determinants of Quality for Theological Schools (IDQTS). This instrument was mailed to presidents or deans of non-Catholic theological schools, theological school faculty members, theological school graduates who are practicing ministers, and church leaders. Of the 487 surveys mailed, 288 were returned to be included in this study. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure was executed for each of the 69 IDQTS items to determine if the group means of the four study group responses were significantly different. The level of significance was set at .01. Thirty-nine IDQTS items were found to have no significant difference in the group means for responses at the .01 level. Twenty-nine of these 39 items were rated as Important or Most Important perceived indicators of institutional quality for theological schools with overall means of 3.00 or higher. Ten other items were rated as Less important to Unimportant perceived …

This study sought to determine female college and university athletic directors' perceptions of position power according to selected job-related characteristics, through development and use of a nineteen-item survey instrument. The study was conducted during the 1991-1992 academic year and consisted of an initial study to determine content validity of the survey instrument, followed by construct validity and reliability determination utilizing a pilot study group of twenty female intercollegiate athletic directors.

The study attempted to determine the relationship between student evaluation of instruction and institutional performance ratings with the following predictors: faculty job satisfaction, faculty attitudes toward the evaluation process, faculty attitudes toward factors associated with the evaluation process, and faculty characteristics.

This study is an analysis of the development of junior colleges in South Korea from 1963 to 1991 based on a survey of junior college presidents. It also identifies current problems facing junior colleges and future plans of junior college presidents. Chapter I states the problems and the purposes of the study. A brief background, the significance of the study, and methodology are also contained in this chapter. Chapter II contains a review of the literature. Sources related to the background of this study are somewhat limited. However, several studies are reviewed in this chapter. Chapter III describes the evolution of higher education, including modern education, Japanese colonial education, education after the liberation from Japan, effects of the Korean War, higher education reform under the military revolutionary government, 2-year colleges, 5-year higher vocational schools, professional schools and junior colleges. Chapter IV explores political, economic, and social factors influencing the establishment of the junior colleges, as well as societal obstacles to the development of junior colleges. Chapter V explores the problems facing junior colleges. Current academic facilities, including laboratories, gymnasiums, classrooms, computers, library materials, and teaching machines, are evaluated in this chapter. Chapter VI describes the junior college presidents' efforts to …

This study concerned student transfer and articulation between Kent State University and Cuyahoga Community College District.

This study examined the need for, and interest in, preretirement preparation programs for educators (teachers and administrators) in Nakorn Nayok Province, Thailand. All educators were between 46 and 60 years of age and were working in elementary and secondary schools in Nakorn Nayok Province, Thailand. The sample consisted of 333 teachers and 101 administrators. Data were collected by questionnaire survey. Of the returned questionnaires, 81.33% were usable. The results were analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results of the study show that elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators in Nakorn Nayok Province, Thailand, would benefit from preretirement preparation programs, but that few programs exist for educators. With all things taken into consideration, individual Thai educators have to be responsible for their retirement preparation knowledge, because the Ministry of Education does not consider preretirement preparation programs important enough to require that they be provided for educators.

The purpose of this research was to estimate (1) the extent to which institutional inbreeding is prevalent among mathematics faculty at colleges and universities throughout the United States; (2) the extent of institutional inbreeding among mathematics faculty at American colleges and universities classified according to institutional genre; (3) the extent of institutional inbreeding among mathematics faculty classified according to gender; and (4) the extent of institutional inbreeding among mathematics faculty in American colleges and universities classified according to regions of the country. Institutional inbreeding was defined as faculty employment at the institution from which one received the highest earned degree. An exhaustive review of the literature on inbreeding was used to develop this research. All public-supported and private-supported American universities that offer a doctorate in mathematics were identified by consulting the 1991 American Mathematical Society Professional Directory. Catalogs for the academic year 1991-1992 were requested from each institution. One-hundred sixty-seven institutions of higher education which offer the Ph.D. degree in mathematics and 5,961 faculty members were identified. The results of the analyses found a mean proportion of inbred mathematics faculty of 3.46 percent, which is one-tenth of the most recent study examining mathematics faculty. A chi-square goodness of fit test …