The purpose of this study was to analyze three groups of policy-makers from the western counties of the state of Florida concerning four components of rural community education. The groups were; superintendents of education, county commissioners and school board members. The survey determined total population attitudes and group differences in terms of selective activities relating to interagency cooperation, citizen involvement, use of public school facilities and broad-based programming. Knowledge of community education information held by policy-makers was also examined. / Methodology. One hundred and fifty four questionnaires were mailed to policy-makers located in the fourteen western rural counties of the state of Florida. Seventy two responses were returned for a response rate of forty seven percent. Five categories of response were profiled: disagree, slightly disagree, no opinion, slightly agree and agree. Responses were assigned a number weight from one to five with higher numbers assigned to responses indicating more favorability. Total population and group attitudes were determined in relation to activities associated with the four components. / Findings. Policy-makers' attitudes regarding activities associated with interagency cooperation, citizen involvement, use of public school facilities and broad-based programming were mixed. County commissioners were much less supportive of the components than were superintendents and school board members. Superintendents were the most supportive. Policy-makers agreed that the rural public schools were meeting the educational needs of children and adults in their communities. Policy-makers rated their knowledge of community education information as medium or high. The majority had received information about community education from national, state or local sources. / There was a significant difference at the .05 level of confidence for group differences in thirteen of the twenty three activities associated with the components of community education. / Conclusions. Superintendents and school board members were much more supportive than county commissioners regarding those activities associated with the four components of community education. County commissioners disagreed with the proposition of sharing resources with community agencies for the purpose of addressing social problems. Clear neutrality concerning use of referral services and opposition to resource sharing expressed by the county commissioners could indicate weak understanding of agency capability to adequately deliver the prescribed services under mutual agency sponsorship. Sharing of educational facilities to enhance delivery of social services to the rural population did not find favor with the county commissioners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0961. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of this study was to survey the perceptions and preferences of mental health personnel from which guidelines could be derived for staff development planners within community mental health centers. The study involved the administration of a forty item questionnaire to a large community mental health center. The items were designed to elicit staff perceptions and preferences regarding staff development issues and activities. After analyzing the data, conclusions were drawn and guidelines formulated. / Conclusions. The principle conclusions developed in the study were: (1) Items involving decisional participation were critical ones. (2) Respondents, regardless of job rank, perceived staff development to be of great importance, but did not think the organization really backed it. (3) Respondents preferred not to enter into intimate training roles with each other. (4) Promotion was perceived as unrelated to inservice training. (5) Time and location of inservice activities were very important to the respondents. / Guidelines. Selected guidelines developed in the study were: (1) Staff must be involved in all stages from planning to outcome evaluation. (2) The entire staff would not have to be surveyed to determine perceptions and preferences. Job position or classification within the study organization did not significantly influence perception of needs items. (3) Flexibility and variation in the scheduling of staff development events must accommodate different work schedules and unit missions. (4) Organizational commitment with appropriate personnel policies must be present for realistic backup of the staff development program. (5) The perceived needs and interests of staff must be reflected in the design and composition of inservice education and training efforts. (6) Staff will view with caution any effort that would diminish their control and ownership of staff development planning. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2527. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this research was to use three models for assessing the continuing education needs of persons engaged in environmental occupations in the state of Florida to see if they would yield similar results. / The models selected for study provided three different logistical approaches to assessing needs. They were: (1) Social Indicators (SI) model which utilizes the efforts of the planner in analyzing needs based upon available literature and community factors, (2) Community Forum/Key Informant (KI) model which is characterized by personal contact as its primary focus with interaction between the researcher and practitioners, and (3) Gamma Needs Assessment (GNA) model which is a formal process utilizing random sampling and rank-order techniques. The three models were used to assess the continuing education needs of water well drillers in Florida as a representative group of environmental practitioners. / An analysis of the results of the three models was conducted in two ways: (1) a subjective analysis based on logistical considerations and operational elements, and (2) a statistical analysis of the results. / The application of three models to an environmental occupation yielded lists of educational training needs which could be used to initiate training programs. / Recommendations were made for additional research in environmental occupations utilizing these and other needs assessment models. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-03, Section: A, page: 0691. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The thesis of this study was that variances in the popularity on college and university campuses of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), are related to the presence and/or absence of American society's fears of imminent danger from without or within the country. To determine the validity of this thesis, the relationship between the fluctuations in ROTC enrollment in four-year colleges and universities in the First ROTC Region and changing attitudes toward the programs as expressed in popular magazines was explored. The ROTC programs studied were limited to the Army units (AROTC) in the First Region, including Maine to Puerto Rico. Popular magazines were limited to Time and U.S. News and World Report. Two periods of war (Korea, 1950-53; Vietnam, 1969-72) and two periods of peace (post-Korea, 1954-57; and post-Vietnam, 1974-77) were the time frames selected. / A content analysis technique was utilized by a team of three professionals. All pertinent articles in the magazines under scrutiny were read, analyzed and categorized as pro-, neutral or anti-ROTC. Reasons (stated or apparent) for attitudinal stance, photographs, other illustrations and authors (where given) were tallied for each article. Percentages were computed for all articles and all categories. / Enrollment figures for colleges and universities having Army ROTC programs and for the campus military units themselves were collected. Percentages of students enrolled in AROTC were computed therefrom. Those percentages of students enrolled in AROTC during the periods selected and the percentages of articles favorable, neutral or unfavorable toward the Corps were used to determine the relationship between campus enrollment and societal attitudes. The resulting answers to questions posed in the study failed to show a definitive relationship between ROTC enrollment, as represented by the Army units, and societal attitudes as found in the two popular magazines during the periods considered. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-12, Section: A, page: 5041. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to chronicle the organizational development of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) as one form of consortium in post-secondary education. The historical-descriptive research method was used. The conceptual framework for the study derives from the organizational perspective posited by Deal and Rosaler (1975).('1) / Compared with the conditions set forth by Deal and Rosaler, the subsystems of FLETC rank as follows: (1) Goals, simplistic; (2) Formal structure, complex; (3) Technology, simplistic; (4) Informal norms and processes, simplistic; and (5) Environment, simplistic. Accordingly, FLETC is an atypical educational institution. / The study also found that FLETC was a highly cost-effective operation, savings to the Government amounting to approximately $19.5 million annually--derived principally from reduced per diem rates payable to trainees in residence and cost-avoidance from closing duplicative facilities elsewhere. Thirty-six Federal law enforcement agencies currently participate in FLETC's programs; over 9,000 students were graduated in Fiscal Year 1980. / Recommendations resulting from this study include: (1) Deal's and Rosaler's theory of organizational development should be validated in several educational systems and at different levels; (2) additional selected consortia should undergo analyses in order to determine additional ways in which to combat the rising cost of postsecondary education; (3) selected Peace Officer and Standards and Training (POST) programs should be evaluated in order to determine the efficacy of regionally consolidated training, including those conducted in consort with educational institutions; and (4) the history of the Treasury Law Enforcement School (TLES) / should be chronicled. ('1)Deal, T. E., & Rosaler, J. A. An organizational perspective on planning and problem solving in schools. Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Research and Development in Teaching, 1975. (Monograph) / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0381. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study examined the degree to which the variance in ratings of faculty by their division chairpersons, for teaching effectiveness and overall contribution to the college, is explained by individual faculty members' levels of agreement with community college goals at Northern Virginia Community College. Faculty agreement with goals was measured using the Community College Goals Inventory (CCGI) developed by Educational Testing Service. / Eight of twenty-one divisions at Northern Virginia Community College were used in the study. These eight divisions contained 218 faculty members. The eight division chairpersons rated their faculty on a six point scale for both teaching effectiveness and overall contribution to the college, and all faculty in each division were asked to complete the CCGI. Approximately 72 percent of the faculty returned the completed forms. / Multiple regression analyses were carried out using the division chairpersons' two ratings of their faculty as the dependent variables and faculty ratings of the goal statements in the CCGI as the independent variables. Findings showed generally moderate to low contributions of faculty levels of agreement with community college goals to explaining the variance in their ratings for teaching effectiveness and overall contributions to the college at Northern Virginia Community College. The findings are not in agreement with the statements of various authors writing in the field of community college studies, who have, instead, asserted the importance and necessity of a high level of faculty agreement with community college goals before those goals could be achieved by the college. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0378. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to describe the curriculum decision-making process in Florida public postsecondary institutions. The study is based on responses from two groups--faculty members and administrators--within the public universities and community colleges in Florida. These research questions dealt with curriculum decision-making and its relationship to: (1) external and internal variables; (2) constraints and facilitators; (3) decision-making levels; (4) differences between university and community colleges; and (5) differences between faculty members and administrators. / This study is limited to a description of the progression of new courses, the revision of courses, the evaluation of courses, and the termination of courses within the institution. The progression of programs, originating outside the department or institution does not form a part of the study. / The data were analyzed and frequencies and percentages were presented for four groups: (1) university faculty; (2) community college faculty; (3) university administrators; and (4) community college administrators. Conclusions drawn from the analysis of the data included: (1) The curriculum process, once it passes from the department level, appears to be affected very little by other external or internal variables. (2) In most cases, the perceptions of administrators as to their role in the curriculum process was somewhat stronger than indicated by faculty responses. (3) In most cases, the importance of curriculum committees, mission statements, state laws and regulations, and public requests was perceived as stronger by administrators than by faculty. (4) Although the department--the chairperson, the mission, and the faculty--is indicated as important in the curriculum decision-making process, the extent of written policy at this level is minimal, as indicated by the data. / The recommendations of the study included suggestions for further study in the areas of curriculum decision levels, course duplication, length of approval/disapproval time for new courses, the impact of state level agencies on the curriculum, and the impact of the department on curriculum decision-making. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, Section: A, page: 1445. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to identify the life style aspirations, multiple role commitments, and role conflict strategies of women doctoral students in comprehensive programs of higher education administration within the State of Florida. During the Spring 1982 semester, there were 91 women doctoral students enrolled in such programs at The Florida State University and The University of Florida. A survey instrument was designed by the investigator, pretested, and mailed to the entire population. Responses were received from 81 women or 89 percent of the population. / Marriage and family aspirations were revealed by most of the respondents and the majority either had or expected to have at least one child. The majority of women who had no children but expected children in the future also indicated that they would return to work as soon as possible after the birth/adoption of each child. In addition, over 79 percent of the respondents did not expect their careers to be interrupted before their retirement. / With respect to the highest position respondents expected to obtain in their lifetime, the majority aspired towards executive/administrative level positions within postsecondary institutions. Over half of these women expected to become chief executive officers, vice presidents, directors, deans, or chairmen. In addition, the majority of the respondents indicated that they would consider employment in fields unrelated to higher education. / Marriage and family were viewed as either being advantageous to or having no effect on career advancement because of support provided by a husband and family. Women who wished to remain single viewed their flexibility as an advantage. / Most respondents indicated a future commitment to the roles of wife, mother, and employee, with the employee role being the most frequently mentioned response. The wife role, however, was considered the most important role, when roles occurred simultaneously. / Respondents were divided equally between those who did and did not anticipate future role conflicts, with time constraints being viewed as the primary problem. The majority of women reported structural role redefinition as their most likely strategy for conflict resolution and reactive role behavior as their least likely choice. Finally, respondents recommended that universities develop day care programs and flexible work hours to alleviate the role constraints placed upon women professionals in higher education. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-07, Section: A, page: 2249. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Management in higher education faces complex and pressing problems caused by size, complexity, scarcity of financial resources and backward administrative procedures. Lack of accurate, relevant and timely information is a key problem higher education managers encounter in their attempts to make the kind of decisions current administrative conditions demand. / Management information systems (MIS) have been very helpful in business and industry for the improvement of administrative conditions and the decision-making and problem-solving processes. In higher education, however, MIS models have not proved as efficient as was expected, but they have helped to realize that systems engineering in higher education should focus on institution-specific, flexible, adaptive, and dynamic management information system models. / This study takes the four public institutions of higher education in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, as an instance of the conditions and problems educational administrators have to cope with. Those four institutions are analyzed and conceptualized as a system. This system is the background and point of reference for the study. A prototype decision model was designed and tested in reference to that background system. The system provides the parameters to obtain the prototype data for the simulation. The simulation of the prototype model implements the test of the model, produces descriptive and analytical information, and performs sensitivity operations. The results of the simulation are analyzed to determine how a dynamic MIS model can provide management with relevant information for decision making. / The main analytical technique applied in the study is path analysis, which, combined with functional analysis, makes up the policy analysis algorithm. Three main computer programs were written to carry out the study. / The study presents conclusions about the conditions and value of specific and dynamic MIS models in higher education, and recommends the application of analytical techniques as an essential component in higher education MIS models. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-09, Section: A, page: 2906. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

This study examined the legislative stance toward governance and corporate academic freedom of institutions of higher education in Florida between 1900 and 1989. The conceptual framework for this study was drawn from political systems analysis, focusing on the external control exerted from environmental forces upon organizations through their dependency for resources. The investigation replicated qualitative and quantitative measures of autonomy used by Fisher (1984) in the study of four states. Additionally, Florida legislation was analyzed for its impact on corporate academic freedom. / Analysis of laws passed in Florida and historical documents substantiated the key conclusions: (1) Public higher education developed as a state agency in Florida, affording it a low level of autonomy and high level of legislative involvement. (2) Demands for efficiency and economy brought centralized coordination to public higher education in Florida in 1905, and its influence remains visible today in the emphasis on a unified system of education, strict fiscal control, and restrictions on duplication and new program approval. (3) Restrictive legislation in Florida intruded in recent decades in two areas--programs and regulatory boards--and in one essential freedom domain--how it may be taught. (4) Some responses to legislative interest such as compliance and the use of citizen boards appear to discourage further legislative intrusion, whereas, other responses such as avoidance of implementation of laws and solicitation of special appropriations appear to reinforce further legislative intrusion. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0433. / Major Professor: Joseph C. Beckham. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.