This study was designed to empirically test a conceptual model and measurement of financial well-being as a function of (a) personal characteristics; (b) objective attributes, quantitative indicators of the financial domain and financial management behaviors of respondents; (c) perceived attributes, subjectively assessed life conditions and perceptions of financial situation; and (d) evaluations of financial situation using various reference points as standards of comparison. Two sub-problems were investigated in the study: (a) Which group of attributes, personal characteristics, objective attributes, perceived attributes, or evaluated attributes, significantly explains variance in perceived financial well-being?; and (b) Which individual attributes significantly explain variance in perceived financial well-being? A mail survey was conducted from October of 1989 through January of 1990 with a randomly selected sample of Virginia citizens (N = 1,500). After an initial mailing and two follow-up mailings, 529 questionnaires were returned of the 1,450 that were received by respondents, providing a 36.5% total return rate (529/1,450). Twenty-three questionnaires were blank or unusable, yielding a useable return rate of 34.9% (506/1,450). Demographic characteristics of the sample were similar to those of the population of Virginia citizens. Financial well-being, as measured by an adaptation of Cantril's (1965) 11-point self-anchoring striving scale, was the dependent variable. All of the independent variables regressed on the dependent variable produced an R 2 of .71, which was statistically significant (p < .01). Removing each group of attributes individually from the regression equation resulted in a significant (p < .01) decrease in the resulting adjusted R2s as computed by F ratios. All attribute groups were determined to be essential to the measurement of financial wellbeing. Individual variables with a significant t ratio (p < .05) were the Perceived Attribute Index, Index of Well-Being, and full-time employment status. The results of the study supported the conceptual model. Results clearly verified the measurement of financial well-being as a function of personal characteristics, objective attributes, perceived attributes, and evaluated attributes. / Ph. D.

The purpose of the study was to determine how former Indiana public school board of education members perceived the effects of school board service on their families, friendships and finances. The primary research problem was that there were no systematically acquired descriptions of the prevalence of consequences of service on an Indiana public school board of education. Twelve research questions were presented.The study was descriptive in nature and used descriptive survey methodology. A survey containing 40 closed-ended and four open-ended questions was mailed to 433 former Indiana public school board members who served in 1995 and whose terms of service expired on or before June 30, 1996. Of the 390 deliverable surveys, 207 (53.1 %) were completed and returned. The statistical analyses of the aggregate data included the establishment of frequency counts, corresponding percentages, analysis of variances (ANOVA), and Tukey's HSD post hoc analyses. Responses from the open-ended questions were reviewed by the researcher to determine common categories based upon the content of the responses. The categories were ranked and reported based upon the frequency and corresponding percentage of the responses.Data from the study indicated that most former members of Indiana public school boards perceived that their membership on Indiana public school board had no effect on both their familial and non-familial relationships. If there was a perceived effect, it was more likely to be positive in nature than negative. In addition, most former Indiana public school board members perceived that membership on Indiana public school boards of education had no effect on the friendships/non-family relationships of their children, spouses, or significant others. If there was an effect, it was more likely positive than negative.Former Indiana school board members generally perceived that service on Indiana public school boards of education had no effect on their businesses and/or economic status. If there was an effect, it was more often negative than positive.There were essentially no differences in the perceived effects of service on a local Indiana public school board of education based upon board members' method of assuming office (election, appointment, etc.), method of leaving office (defeated in election, choosing not to seek re-election, etc.) length of school board service, gender, political experience or service as board president.A difference in the perceived effects of service on local Indiana public school boards of education was found based up the former members' occupations and the urbanization of the former members' districts.More than half of the respondents indicated that because of school board membership they occasionally or often experienced increased periods of stress, received cold or unresponsive reactions from acquaintances, and experienced interactions that they would describe as harassment. However, more than 85% of the respondents indicated feeling pride in their leadership and accomplishments, as well as the development of greater personal growth because of their service on public school boards. In addition, approximately 95% of the respondents indicated they were thanked or shown appreciation for their service on a school board. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education