From 1852 to 1978, or a period of one hundred and twenty-six years, 102 Christian colleges were established in Florida. Currently, there are 27 originally licensed and accredited Christian colleges of Florida in existence. This raises the question of why so many have failed. / The purpose of this study was to determine the common ingredients and characteristics that were shared by those institutions which succeeded and by those which failed. / Action research, using the historical method, was applied in this study. / Factors associated with success and failure of independent colleges were discussed using related literature of a national origin. This was then compared to what is happening to Christian colleges in Florida. / Background information is given regarding Christian colleges and a brief history of the oldest surviving Christian colleges of Florida is given. / The Christian colleges of Florida studied are identified and their purposes and/or origins are discussed. / The identified colleges were placed into Hertzler's "life-cycles" of social institutions to aid in discovering the stages in development in which they presently exist. By placing the colleges into stages of development, it made it much easier to identify common ingredients and characteristics shared by these institutions. It also helped to identify common problems faced by these institutions. / A questionnaire was sent to the presidents of the twenty-seven Christian colleges and the following information was ascertained: (1) The top five problems that your institution has faced since it was established. (2) Name any First Order Problems that may threaten the survival of the institution. (3) What are the five greatest strengths of your institution that contributes to its continued survival. / Research information from the State Board of Independent Colleges and Universities identifies the deceased Christian colleges of Florida and their reasons for ceasing operations from 1972 to 1978. / Based on the accumulation of information mentioned, ingredients and characteristics of surviving Christian colleges and also deceased Christian colleges are identified. / This should be extremely valuable information to newly formed and struggling Christian colleges in particular and to all Christian colleges in general. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-01, Section: A, page: 0105. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-10, Section: A, page: 5332. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

This study has dealt with the retirement transition, specifically as it affects public school educators. There is evidence to suggest that this transition has been a disagreeable one for many persons, due to maladjustment to the changes inherent in moving from a work-centered lifestyle to one which is leisure-centered. Retirement orientation programs have helped some individuals with their adjustment to retirement, but these programs have not been widely available to teachers. This study has proposed that part of the problem of adjustment to retirement has been inaccurate preconceptions of retirement on the part of pre-retirees. / The populations studied were comprised of all educators who had retired from the Escambia County, Florida school system between 1974 and 1978, and a similar number of active educators who had between 24 and 28 years of teaching and/or administrative experience. Questionnaires were used to characterize the pre-retirees and the retirees in regard to their retirement predisposition or retirement satisfaction, their retirement-related values, and the retirement planning assistance they had already received. / Findings generally indicated a favorable outlook toward retirement on the part of the active educators and a high level of retirement satisfaction among the retirees. Ratings of retirement-related values were similar for both groups, although financial concerns were uppermost on the pre-retirees' list as contrasted to the retirees' strongest emphasis on health. Retirement planning assistance was received by the majority of the respondents in only one area: retirement plan benefits. The preconceptions of the pre-retirees were found to be similar to the perceptions of the retirees; however, there were significantly low relationships between the categories highly valued by the pre-retirees and the planning satisfaction they expressed in the same categories. / The findings revealed a high degree of uncertainty among the pre-retirees in regard to their projected retirement status, indicating a lack of retirement planning and/or a lack of interest. It appears that programs will not be well-received which do not consider the factor of relevance, as perceived by the pre-retirees. Additional research was recommended to determine more thoroughly the retirement expectations of pre-retired educators and the information gaps therein. Research was also recommended which would include a broad age range of retirees. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0965. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Statement of Purpose. Public policy in West Virginia resulted in a plan for community college education to counter gaps identified by the Board of Regents and the Southern Regional Education Board. The plan was intended to serve as a blueprint for the development of community college education in West Virginia. There had not been a determination to date as to whether or not the establishment of the two-year colleges addressed earlier problems of the state nor whether they were responsive to the present and future needs of the citizenry. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the development of the West Virginia Community College System when compared to the 1971 State Plan for Comprehensive Community College Education in terms of its original objectives and the system's subsequent accomplishments. / Methodology. The research was divided into two sections. The statistical data included student enrollments, program inventories, degrees conferred, operating revenues, and physical facilities. The second portion involved a series of interviews which were conducted with leaders in education and government during 1971 and 1979. Their views were compared to the original goals of the system and subsequent development of community college education. The data was analyzed for accomplishments and concerns which could be documented through quantitative measures and the results were compared to the perceptions of statewide leaders using David Easton's political systems model to conceptually view the original expectations, responsiveness to changing conditions, and future course of community college education. / Findings. According to statistical data and the perceptions of those interviewed, significant progress had been made in the provision of both geographical and programmatic access to community college education for the state's citizens. Student enrollments, graduates, and potential for growth characterized the successes of the system, whereas program duplication, overlapping of services, and cooperation with the public vocational technical education sector constituted significant weaknesses. The stability of funding and need to develop relationships with external sources of funding were indicated as being critical issues for the future. / Conclusions. Credit and non-credit activities were supported by the majority of those interviewed, and public acceptance was measured by societal response to and support of community college programs. The 1980s were expected to be complicated by the priority of education in the state and the competition for resources from elements both internal and external to the total higher education system. The community colleges were expected to continue receiving substantial support as long as their record of being responsive to changing needs and provision of educational services was maintained within reasonable fiscal limits. The interviewees perceived the community colleges to be a success, and the statistical data tended to reinforce that assessment. / Recommendations. The need for community colleges to have statewide visibility is considered vital for maintaining the support of the public, and the institutions in conjunction with the Board of Regents must seek to communicate their achievements to the appropriate officials of state government. Full commitment to community college education in the state remained unresolved; thus, an effort should be made to identify obstacles to the full implementation of community college education at senior level institutions. / Closer cooperation between community colleges and the area vocational technical schools will need to characterize state postsecondary education policy in the future. In addition, a need exists to evaluate higher education in the state periodically in order to measure their commitment and response to the overall needs of the state's citizens. Additional recommendations were reported in the study. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 2956. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

A two-part study used the Delphi technique to identify indicators that define educational quality and developed an instrument for measuring quality in an educational system. Thirty representatives from the following groups were chosen to participate in the Delphi survey: students, professors, administrators, Board of Regents members, state legislators, employers, and professional associations. In the first part of the study, participants identified and ranked seventeen major indicators according to their importance in contributing to educational quality. Subcategories, consisting of measures for each major indicator, were similarly ranked according to their importance in assessing that indicator. The study then developed an evaluation model incorporating the indicators previously identified. The model, based on a computational algorithm, involved the assignment of relative weights to selected criterion variables for a standard institution against which other institutions could then be assessed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-11, Section: A, page: 4617. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This study examined the organizational environment experienced by women administrators in the state universities of Florida and the impact of that environment on particular aspects of the professional life of these women. The study focused on (1)the extent of the existence of selected social-cultural conditions, (2)the relationship between these conditions and certain needs and functions of the administrator such as professional development needs, administrative styles, and future aspirations, (3)the relationship between these conditions and selected background characteristics of the respondents, and (4)the relationship between the percentage of women administrators at the institution and the existence of social-cultural conditions, professional development needs, administrative styles, and future aspirations. / An instrument designed by the investigator was used to gather data related to (1)23 areas of social-cultural conditions, (2)34 subjects of professional development needs, (3)general aspects of administrative style, and (4)expectations regarding advancement. 70% of the 245 women administrators in the nine state universities responded to the survey. / Results. 50% or more of the administrators reported experiencing 19 of the 23 social-cultural conditions examined. Predictors (determined by using multiple regression) of these experiences were respondents' ethnic background, and age, their basic assumptions regarding women's success and failure, and the "percentage of women administrators at the institution." The "experience of the social-cultural conditions" was a significant predictor of three other variables: "personal development needs," "adaptations in administrative styles," and "time of the next expected job change." / Significant predictors of five factors of professional development needs included the general concern with one's performance, time management concerns, "years of administrative experience," and "years in the current positions." The "percentage of women administrators at the institution" was a significant predictor of the "experience of social-cultural conditions" and of "negative personal consequences of advancement." / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1029. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Since the early seventies there has arisen increasing concern over drops in productivity in America's public and private sectors. The influence of productivity reductions on the nation's inflation rate, has been increases in the number of requests for productivity assessments. The purposes of this study were: (1) to identify variables to measure the productivity of faculty in selected Colleges of the Florida State University System; (2) to examine the output for possible trends over an eight year period; (3) to determine if the colleges differed on the compensation-incentive system variables of the research framework; and (4) to apply the research findings in making recommendations for improved productivity. / In order to examine faculty productivity, a set of output measures and demographic and some background variables were selected to represent productivity and the incentive system. These measures were analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis. The result of the first level analysis was the discovery that the Colleges of Education exceeded the Colleges of Business on most of the productivity variables for the three time periods 1973-75, 1976-78, and 1979-81. A clear trend toward increasing productivity for both colleges was discerned. However, the Colleges of Business' annual rates of increase surpassed the Colleges of Education's rates of change. / The discriminant analysis produced a set of discriminant coefficients which were evaluated to determine the statistically significant variables that the two colleges differed on. The results were sixteen variables that distinguished the colleges. Six of the variables were a part of the compensation-incentive subset. Clear differences were found in the group centroids and it was concluded that the incentive system, comprising of monetary and non-monetary variables, influenced productivity. These variables should be creatively included in administrative processes for improved productivity. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2533. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the opinions and assessments held by doctoral graduates and dropouts regarding their doctoral program experiences, and (2) to determine the opinions held by the doctoral graduates and dropouts regarding their educational programs in terms of subsequent job performance and professional advancement. The study was limited to 225 subjects of which 169 subjects actually participated in the study. The subjects had been enrolled in Florida State University during the period June 1972 to June 1979. Ninety three subjects satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the pre-candidate group (inactive first and second year students), 60 subjects satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the candidate group (inactive ABD's), and 72 subjects satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the graduate group (PhD's). The subjects responded to a Doctoral Student Follow-up Questionnaire. Data from the Questionnaire as well as data collected on selected demographic variables were tested via Discriminant Analysis, Analysis of Variance and Chi Square. Statistical Analysis of the data revealed that significant differences were found among the three groups in their attitudes and opinions of the dissertation, course work, interaction with faculty and students, the identification of hurdles to the completion of the degree, graduate record examination scores, considerations in choosing to attend FSU, and job performance and satisfaction. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-08, Section: A, page: 3458. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this study was to design a developmental model of a process for developing, introducing, and implementing innovative curricula at the community college level. / The study involved three major parts: (1) review of literature, (2) design of the model, and (3) evaluation of model components. Model components were selected from the literature if two or more authors reviewed included the process. Model components were evaluated by an advisory committee representing local, state, and national levels. Committee responses were collected using a Likert type scale for degree of importance of model components. A Delphi process was used to determine group consensus. The model was put into final schematic format. / The broad base of the model, the Macro Environment, includes community mores, power structures, and funding. This model is based on the combination of organizational development and instructional development, with research being an integral part of both areas. Organizational Development components are: (1) Commitment of Administrators and participants, (2) Staff development/inservice, (3) Personal interaction, (4) Compatibility of innovation and organizational structure, and (5) Improvement of relationships and team functioning. Research components are: (1) Needs identification and (2) Systematic/shared diagnosis. Instructional Development components are: (1) Development/design of strategies, (2) Staff training for implementation/problem solving, (3) Implementation, (4) Feedback and (5) Assessment of innovation. This model should be viewed as flexible. / Recommendations for further study might include exploration of: (1) role and function of educational organizational management as well as managements' attitudes toward oganizational decision making and change, (2) amount of organizational management training that people in educational organizational management must have to qualify as educational organizational administrator, (3) the part organizational development played in the implementation process for institutions who have innovative programs and (5) any adaptations of the model that institutions who used it felt had to be made in order to effectively implement curriculum innovations. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4316. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-10, Section: A, page: 5331. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.