The purpose of the study was to determine the direct influences of selected environmental, academic, and background factors as well as academic outcomes and expression of intent to leave on persistence or non-persistence of nontraditional students at a comprehensive community college in the Dallas County Community College District. The study applied a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Data for this study were collected during the Fall, 1987 semester from 312 first-year nontraditional students using the two-year institution questionnaires from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. In addition, follow-up surveys were administered to the 97 students who did not re—enroll for the Spring, 1988 semester. The data were analyzed using discriminant function, chi square, and product-moment correlation. For these nontraditional students, educational goal commitment, cumulative grade point average (GPA) and expression of intent to leave at the end of the semester had significant direct influence on persistence or non-persistence decisions. In contrast, environmental factors such as finances, employment status, and family responsibilities, and background factors such as high school academic performance, enrollment status and parents' education level did not directly influence dropout decisions. Nontraditional students reported receiving moderate to high levels of encouragement to remain in college …

The purpose of this study was to investigate job satisfaction among physical education instructors at Teachers Colleges in Thailand by using the Faculty Job Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction Scale developed by Olin R. Wood, which was translated into the Thai language by Vatthaisong. The investigation was based on the 10 facets of job satisfaction selected from Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory: achievement, growth, interpersonal relations, policy and administration, recognition, responsibility, salary, supervision, the work itself, and working conditions. The questionnaire consisted of 68 items. A 6-point rating scale was used for the 10 facets of job satisfaction. A total of 169 physical education instructors from 36 Teachers Colleges in Thailand, or 86.22% of the population, participated in this study. For this investigation, frequencies, percentages, one-way ANOVA, and the Scheffe method were used for data analysis. Significance was established at the .05 level. From the findings of this study it could be concluded that physical education instructors were satisfied with their jobs. The major sources of satisfaction were ranked as follows: interpersonal relations, the work itself, achievement, recognition, responsibility, working conditions, growth, policy and administration, supervision, and salary. The gender variable did not contribute significantly to job satisfaction, while region, age, level of education, work position, …

Academic freedom has gone through three distinct eras yet each era overlaps a great deal with the one following it. The first era was the bureaucratic. It was exemplified by the negotiations between administrators and professors in the 1920s. The American Association of University Professors and the American Association of Colleges began cooperating and a hierarchical structure emerged, with the tenured professor at the top of the faculty. The second era was the political era and it was mainly a result of loyalty oaths, which began after the first World War and then escalated again during the 1930s when communism became a major concern. The political era then gave way to the legal era when the first academic freedom cases went to the United States Supreme Court in the 1950s. The first cases were the result of political pressures that became legal pressures. Most of the early court cases were based on communism. The legal era has produced changes. There are now more rights; for students and teachers of all levels, including pre-college levels, are guaranteed some academic freedom rights. However, the First Amendment and academic freedom are not synonymous because a professor usually cannot win a case based solely …

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the marketing strategies for attracting students who have nonreligious vocational goals (NRVG) that are employed by Bible colleges that are either accredited or candidates for accreditation of the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC). Primary subpurposes were to determine the AABC's interest in marketing themselves.to NRVG; practice of educational marketing strategies toward NRVG; career planning programs and placement services available to NRVG; approaching employers with placement services for NRVG; making available seminars, placement services, and alumni networking for NRVG; and difference in marketing to NRVG according to a colleges' denomination, size, three year growth pattern, and estimated percentage of NRVG. An overview of the literature pertaining to educational marketing and marketing for a liberal arts education was given. The population chosen for this study was the accredited (87) and candidate for accreditation (15) Bible colleges of the AABC (102). Eighty (78.4%) colleges actually responded. The design of this study was survey research using a mailed questionnaire as the principal source of data collection. The statistics utilized were parametric (e.g., one-way analysis of variance and t test) and nonparametric (e.g., chi square). The results of the study indicated that AABC colleges were …

This study was a comparison of the perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the actual and expected role of selected components of a faculty development plan at Srinakharinwirot University-Phitsanulok, Thailand. The study also investigated whether the demographic classifications of administrators and faculty members were related to their perceptions regarding the actual and expected role of selected components of a faculty development plan. Forty-one administrators and sixty full-time faculty members completed the survey instrument. Statistical tests used to summarize and analyze the data included mean, standard deviation, t test, chi-square, and correlation ratio. The results and findings of this study showed that (a) there were no major differences between administrators and faculty members related to their perceptions of a faculty development plan; (b) faculty members perceptions of the actual and expected role of selected components of a faculty development plan were consistent to a greater degree than were the perceptions of administrators; (c) significant differences between the perceptions of administrators regarding the actual and expected role of selected components of a faculty development plan were found for only one item: study leaves; (d) there were significant differences between the perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the actual role of …

This study concerns the relationship between student evaluation of instruction and student achievement in the field of management at the community college level. Purposes of the study were to determine the subjective student evaluation of instructor performance in introductory classes of management, student achievement in the class upon completion of the course, and the relationship between the student evaluation of instructor performance and student achievement in knowledge of the course. The population studied was all 10 sections of the Principles of Management course taught by 8 instructors at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas during the fall semester of 1988. A pretest-posttest design was used to determine student achievement scores. The College Board provided sufficient copies of two versions of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests for Introduction to Management for the pretest and posttest. A special statistical technique using multiple regression was used to calculate an achievement score for each student that was adjusted for entry level knowledge. Student evaluations of instructor performance were paired with the achievement scores and grades students received from the instructor. Additional confidential demographic data was obtained about the students and the instructors. Major findings of the study concluded there is no …

The problem of this study was the identification of selected characteristics of Minnie Stevens Piper Professors. Purposes of the study were: (a) to determine characteristics of Minnie Stevens Piper Professors, and (b) to determine whether these professors possess characteristics which typify outstanding college teachers as described by the Selection Research, Incorporated College Teacher Perceiver interview. Forty subjects, 20 from community colleges and 20 from senior colleges, were randomly selected from the 1978 through 1988 lists of Piper Professors. Fifteen community college and 11 senior college professors agreed to participate by being interviewed with the College Teacher Perceiver. This interview identified 13 characteristics, or themes, of excellent college teachers.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using word processing and proofreading software in freshman composition at a community college. This study used pretest and posttest measures to determine if significant differences in the improvement of composition skills occurred between students in a composition class that did not use microcomputers and students in a composition class that did use microcomputers. Objective tests and writing samples were used as measurements. The population for the study consisted of students enrolled in freshman composition classes at a two year community college. Students self-selected enrollment in each class. Three hundred students who completed the pretest and posttest measures and completed the course were included in the study. There was no significant difference found in the improvement of writing skills between the two groups as measured by the objective test or the writing samples. There was a significant difference found in the withdrawal rate of students from the classes. The computer class had a significantly higher withdrawal rate than the non-computer class.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether patients with AIDS are stigmatized by nursing faculty, (2) to determine whether practicing homosexuals are stigmatized by nursing faculty, (3) to determine whether faculty attitudes toward AIDS patients are influenced by the patients' sexual preference, and (4) to determine whether faculty attitudes toward practicing homosexual patients are influenced by the patients' disease. This study is a modified replication of studies by Kelly et al.

Dallas Bible College existed under several names from 1940 to 1985. It was a member of the American Association of Bible Colleges. Although never prosperous, the institution did have an educational niche. This study explores the reasons behind the close of the school in 1985. It surveys the previous history but emphasizes the events from 1983 to 1985. The study investigates the change of mission, location, and name which occurred in the final year of existence. Also included is an extended study of disunity on the board of directors. Exploration is made of reasons why no strong leadership emerged to step in and save the school as it was on its downward path.

The purposes of this study were to measure and compare stress levels of academic administrators in public and private universities which are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of University Affairs in Thailand. The administrators surveyed included vice rectors (vice presidents), deans, department chairpersons, and secretary officers from five public and five private universities. The four administrative stress factors studied included role-based stress, task-based stress, conflict-mediating stress, and social-confidence stress.

This study was motivated by concerns within the medical education community regarding the psychometric soundness of current assessment methodologies. More specifically, there is reason to seriously question the reliablity and/or validity of these methodologies in assessing the intellectual skills upon which medical competence is based.

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.

The problem addressed in this study was to determine if a significant association exists between attributions and academic achievement among students in a program of religious training at a Bible college. The research was designed to ascertain if optimistic attributions are more frequently associated with students in programs of religious education than with students in a public state-supported university environment. No significant correlation was found between optimistic explanatory styles and the academic achievement of Bible college students. A significant positive difference was found to exist between the explanatory styles of students at The Criswell College and students at the University of North Texas. Students in religious courses of study tended toward attributions for negative events that were external, unstable, and specific. The University of North Texas students tended toward attributions for negative events that were internal, stable, and global.

The research was designed to test the hypothesis that significant differences exist between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students respecting background characteristics and reasons for enrollment in selected two-year colleges. The findings led to firm conclusions regarding the need for educational institutions to provide remedial and tutorial services, liberal financial aid, culturally sensitive institutional ambience, diversity in faculty, counselors, and staff, and instructional and student development programs responsive to the cultural diversity of all students.

The major purpose of this study was to determine if pre-clinical medical school course examinations reflect critical thinking skills. The entire second year class from a medical school in the southwest made up the population. Student examination results from the first two years as well as scores on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal were used in this study.

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 problem of this study concerns ethnoviolence on the campus of a predominantly white, state-supported university in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. In order to study ethnoviolent behavior, the effects it has on the victims, and the perceptions that minority students have of the campus climate, all African-American, Hispanic, and international students enrolled at The University of Texas at Dallas were mailed a questionnaire.

The Federation of North Texas Area Universities was mandated by the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System on 3 December 1968, and this consortium was given legal empowerment by the Texas State Legislature. The three federated Universities--North Texas State University, Texas Woman's University and East Texas State University--developed a plan of cooperative action to maximize use of available resources, a plan which included sharing facilities and faculty as well as developing joint program offerings. At a time in history when educational institutions were obliged to maximize their resources, minimize their expenditure, and eliminate duplication, the consortium was an innovative approach to higher education as well as an interesting alternative to having degree programs cut and funding diminished.

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

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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 …