The purpose of this study was to collect and interpret base-line data concerning the organizational culture and climate of selected elementary and secondary schools. The sample consisted of 20 parochial schools, 10 elementary and 10 secondary, in the mideast section of the United states. The study focused on three specific questions: 1) What are the cultural values of parochial schools, 2) What is the organizational climate of parochial schools, and 3) Do the cultural values and climate characteristics of parochial elementary schools differ from those of parochial secondary schools? Nelson's (1990) Cultural Value Analysis Tool (CVAT) was used to gather organizational culture data. Hoy, Tarter and Kottkamp's revised Organization Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) was used to gather organizational climate data. Analysis of data on the 419 responses included the following: 1) One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on real and ideal means of the sixteen cultural dimensions across the elementary and secondary schools individually, 2) One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the real means of the sixteen dimensions comparing the elementary and secondary schools, and 3) confidence intervals on the principal and teacher behaviors of the OCDQ as compared to the norm group of Hoy, Tarter, and Kottkamp. Significant differences between ideal and real means were found on dimensions of effort, status, and flexibility for the elementary schools (p < .05). Significant differences between the ideal and real means were found on dimensions of effort, time, quality, empathy, dominance, status, political, abstract, planning/organization, and flexibility (p < .05) for the secondary schools. The one-way analysis of variance conducted on the descriptive mean scores of the 16 dimensions of the CVAT showed no statistical difference between elementary and secondary level schools. Confidence intervals indicated that parochial elementary principals are more supportive, less restrictive, and as directive as the principals in the norm group. Parochial elementary teachers were more collegial, less disengaged, and as intimate in their behaviors as the teachers in the norm group. Confidence intervals formed from the mean scores on the OCDQ-RS indicated that parochial secondary principals were more supportive and as directive as the principals in the norm group. Parochial secondary teachers were more engaged, less frustrated, and more intimate in their behaviors as compared to the teachers in the norm group. All parochial schools had an open climate to varying degrees ranging from below average openness to very high openness. The 20 parochial schools valued the cultural dimensions of quality, empathy, leader, and planning/organization. Parochial schools valued the cultural theme of relations as the top priority, followed by the themes of work, thought, and control.

The purpose of this study was to explore the valuation process of community college library end-users as they decide which information resources to use when conducting research. This study was designed as an exploratory study using Q methodology and focused on five specific information resources that community college library end-users routinely use in their research process: the Internet, the reference librarian, books, newspapers, and subscription databases. Little is known about the valuation hierarchy that end-users overlay on these resources when deciding which ones to use to address a specific research need. Sixty-four community college library end-users from four main campuses of a large community college sorted 40 statements describing specific value statements pertaining to the information resources under study. The statements were sorted along a continuum ranging from least like me (-4) to most like me (+4) with 0 representing an opinion of neutrality. Following these procedures, five factors emerged that represented different perspectives on value relating to the five information resources under study. Interpretation of these factors yielded distinct patterns of opinion relating to the perceived value of each information resource. These factors were named: (a) Browsers, (b) Proficient, (c) Vacillators, (d) Bibliophiles, and (e) Traditionalists. The results of the study suggest that community college library end-users value, to varying degrees, all five of the information resources selected for this study. The results also suggest that while the Internet has become a dominant information resource in the community college library end-user's research process, other more traditional information resources such as the reference librarian, books, and, to a lesser extent, newspapers still hold value in the research process. The perspectives described and the interpretation provided in this study can greatly assist community college library end-users in the valuation of available community college library information resources.

This qualitative study was conducted to illuminate the different perceptions of students, parents, and teachers in one urban classroom pertaining to learning to read and write. The study explored the similarities, differences, and relationships among these perceptions. One kindergarten classroom was selected in an urban school that was currently implementing literacy initiatives. Eighteen students, six parents and three teachers were interviewed to provide insight into their views of emergent literacy. Five themes were identified as reoccurring topics and are discussed in the findings: activities that count as reading and writing, motivation for learning to read, how children acquire literacy skills, the use of technology to promote literacy, and working with students at home. The findings suggested that there are few literacy related issues upon which students, parents and teachers agree. Five conclusions were drawn based upon the findings. The conclusions examined the use of metacognitive discussions, appropriateness of motivational techniques, teachers' knowledge of research, effectiveness of computers in the classroom, and benefits to parents of volunteering in the classroom. The need to improve communication and interaction between students, parents, teachers and administrators was illuminated in this study.

Science teachers have a unique place in education due to their academic discipline and the fact that the public ties teacher accountability to student performance. One major measure of teacher accountability in the State of Florida is the end of course examinations (EOC). The purpose of this study was to examine selected high school Biology teachers’ perceptions about how their instructional practices have been affected by the administering of an EOC in comparison to other high school science teachers who are not required to administer an EOC. The overriding research question for this study was: What are the perceptions of selected high school science teachers whose students are subject to an EOC, as well as those whose students are not subject to an EOC? This qualitative study used a grounded theory, phenomenological approach to first elicit the perceptions of selected science teachers regarding how their instructional practices have been affected by the implementation of an EOC. These perceptions were examined within the context of other science teachers in the same school who were not subject to EOCs. Emergent understandings of these teachers’ perceptions were then used to build a theoretical understanding of the phenomena surrounding their construction. The sites for this research are science departments from high schools in a mid-sized central Florida school district. This research was accomplished by gathering data from preliminary surveys with open-ended responses, then followed up with more in-depth interviews constructed from the initial survey responses. Key findings from this study were the teachers’ need to cope with the pressure of time constraints on their instruction and working within the curriculum map as mandated by the county offices. Additionally, results of this study also indicated that teacher accountability and the pressures it engenders to increase student achievement are more pronounced for those teachers administering EOCs, who subsequently believe student learning is diminished. Importantly, teachers of subjects that include EOCs in this study themselves expressed understandings that these accountability pressures distorted their teaching practices to focus more on less cognitively complex classroom learning activities such as fact-based questions than their non-EOC teacher counterparts, although they knew these approaches to be less effective. Although this phenomenon of the unintended consequences of EOCs has been explored before, this study highlighted it from the vantage of teachers who were aware of its occurrence, but felt powerless to stop it.

This qualitative study represents an examination of the perceptions of 18 recent business college graduates of their transition experiences from college to the workplace. The participant’s ages ranged from 23 to 28 years including 4 males and 14 females of diverse racial and ethic groups. One-on-one, semi-structured, open-ended interviews were the primary method for data collection. Using excerpts from the participants’ interviews, the data were examined and analyzed using content analysis (Patton, 2002) and educational criticism (Eisner, 1998). The data were organized into three main topics: the importance of organizational socialization, the complexity of mentoring in the workplace, and the continuation of young adult development. The findings include the newly hired graduates’ feelings regarding the support received from educators and employers in their transition into the workplace, what should be done to assist them in the transition process, and their continued optimism about their futures with their employers and their desire to succeed.

This retrospective study used the language of political ecology to describe the dynamics of a school board decision to hire a nontraditional superintendent. Those dynamics were described as contextual variables that existed within the community as well as mediating variables that were negotiated among the key players who were part of the selection process. This study confirmed that the school board did not make the decision in isolation from the community power structure. The methodology of this descriptive case study was qualitative, using a basic interpretive design informed by symbolic interactionism. Data were collected primarily through interviews with key players of the superintendent selection event, as well as from local news articles and artifacts. This research identified variables that were part and parcel of the superintendent selection process. It also helped to explain why most of Jacksonville, Florida, favored a candidate with a military background over three other candidates who had served as superintendents of other large, urban school districts. The environmental and mediating variables were presented as key constructs that affected the superintendent selection process and influenced the final decision to hire a nontraditional superintendent.

Medical residency is a time of high stress, long hours, high case loads, fatigue, and lack of free time. Burnout rates among residents have been reported to be between 25-76%. Scant literature exists in regard to resident stress and its impact on learning and attrition during residency. The theory of margin posits that a healthy margin is necessary for adults to learn. Healthy margin exists when a person’s ratio of burdens over resources creates a surplus of energy. This study sought to determine if there was a difference between emergency medicine (EM) residents’ margin in life scores and remediation, at risk for remediation, and those considering leaving their emergency medicine residency training. Volunteer EM residents (n = 279) completed the Margin in Life Scale for Emergency Medicine (MILS EM) questionnaire, which measures six life areas: Health/Body, Religion/Spirituality, Self-Confidence, Interdependence, Parenting, and EM Work. Residents self-reported if they were considering leaving EM training and program directors provided remediation, at risk for remediation, and attrition rates. The mean MILS EM score among the 273 included EM residents was .64, which is within the recommended healthy range of .30 to .80. Additionally, all mean subscale scores fell within the healthy range. Only 13% of residents were reported as being on remediation, MILS EM (M=.63) with no statistically significant differences between those on remediation versus those not. Only 6% of residents were reported as being in jeopardy of remediation, MILS EM (M=.63) versus those not at risk (M=.64). Finally, only 5% of EM residents self-reported considering leaving EM training and no residents left their training program. Women scored lower on the MILS EM, and the life areas Health/Body (p Results of this study suggest that EM residents appear to have sufficient margin overall and in each of the life areas. Few were on or at risk for remediation and even fewer reported they were considering leaving EM residency training. As females scored lower in some of the life areas, further investigation is needed to determine if there are characteristics in the work environment that affect women differently than men.

The purpose of this study was to determine which factors and the degree to which these factors influenced the Joint Committee when deciding how much money should be allocated to the different services funded by the Ryan White CARE Act. This study focused on the possible explicit and implicit factors influencing the decision-making process and interactions of the members of the HIV/AIDS Joint Prioritization & Allocation Committee in the decisions that were being made on behalf of the people who are infected and affected by this disease. The methodology included a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, utilizing surveys, coding of communicative behavior, one-on-one interviews and researcher observations. The surveys and interviews were the primary sources of data. The findings indicated that both explicit and implicit factors influenced decisions. A significant difference was found to exist between clients and committee members for the priority ranking of services. A significant difference also existed between the committee's perception and staffs perception of which factors were most important. The influence that the committee members may have had with one another during discussions was not enough to cause any significant changes in the way they weighed the importance of the factors. The majority of the committee members reported that they relied on recorded data sources such as the needs assessment, epidemiological data, and client utilization of services, rather than their personal experience or HIV status, however this was not totally substantiated by the interviews. Persons living with HIV admitted that their HIV status was a strong factor influencing their decisions. Most participants reported feeling respected and empowered in the surveys, however during the interviews some felt that they were not being listened to adequately. This finding was supported by the interaction analysis. The results indicated that there is a need for more training and mentoring, particularly for those who are new to the process. Some participants reported there is a need to conduct more business on a joint basis to reduce redundancy and duplication of effort. There is also a need to recognize the importance of the influence of the staff members who provide the committee with the information that is used to make the decisions.

The subject of religion in public schools has always been controversial. America is a religiously diverse society, and one of the fundamental documents of this country, the Constitution of the United States, prohibits the establishment of a single religion which may seek to influence or control the ―free exercise‖ of all religions. Indeed the discussion of religion in school is very extensive. The subject includes, but is not limited to the discussion of students‘ religious expression, prayer in school, students‘ religious accommodations, the right of the student to distribute religious literature, as well as the rights of students to form religious clubs. The objective of this research study was to refine the very broad discussion of religion and religious liberties in public schools to the narrow subject of how teaching about religion is viewed in the public schools. Furthermore, given the current world‘s conflict with members of the Islamic faith and the increasing Muslim population in the United States, the study about Islam is a fundamental subject of inquiry for today‘s students who require a more global outlook. Primary to the study of whether teaching about religion is constitutional, which it is, an examination of how teachers, administrators, and school board members approach the subject, implement the policy, and prepare teachers for the task, was the focus of this research. Using a mixed methods methodology, I collected and analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from a sample total of 1,054 Florida social studies teachers. Overall, the results of the findings were that the surveyed teachers were open to teaching about all religions. However, their training and level of understanding of the content material required to accomplish the tasks were deficient. Recommendations included the designing of appropriate pre-service and in-service training programs for teachers who have responsibilities for teaching about various religions.

Attrition from schools of nursing continues to affect almost one third of students enrolled. Attrition is costly financially and personally to the student, to the educational institution, the health care consumer and the profession. The purpose of this study was to identify variables measurable at time of admission which might alone or together be predictive of successful persistence until graduation from a nursing program. The variables included cognitive and noncognitive characteristics measured by the Nurse Entrance Test (NET) as well as demographic and other academic achievement measurements. A convenience sample of associate degree nursing students admitted into two successive classes of a large, urban community college was used. Two hundred sixty seven students participated, with successful students defined as those who succeeded in each course of the program and continued in enrollment in an uninterrupted fashion until graduation. Cognitive factors included preadmission grade point average (GPA), California Achievement Test score, and measurements on the Nurse Entrance Test (NET) for Math Skills, Reading Comprehension and Rate, Testtaking Skill and Preferred Learning Style. Noncognitive factors were NET self-perceived scores on five areas of Life Stress and a Social Interaction Profile of passive and aggressive styles. Demographics were age, gender and race. Using univariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis, the same six characteristics were found to be significantly different between the groups of successful and nonsuccessful students and predictive of success or nonsuccess: Reading Comprehension, preadmission GPA, age and stress in three areas -academic, family and social. When a discriminant analysis using a stepwise inclusion procedure was performed, these six were included among the ten variables found together to be useful in a prediction equation. Added to these six were Testtaking Skill, Money Stress, Social Interaction Profile and gender. By measurements in all types of analyses used, Academic Stress and Reading Comprehension were consistently the strongest of the predictors of group membership. Group membership was successfully predicted in 74.33% of the cases when the reduced set of ten variables was used. Findings from this research could be used as a basis for developing a risk profile for students either for use in making admission decisions or for identifying students at risk for nonsuccess. Nursing educators should become alert to the finding that the students in this study were at risk for failure because of noncognitive as well as because of cognitive characteristics. Future research could focus on the multifactorial influences in a student's life which affect success. Research could focus also on the examination, implementation and evaluation of intervention strategies designed to increase retention and improve academic performance.