The purposes of this study were: first, to compare junior colleges in Japan and Sri-Lanka with the community junior college movement in the United States; and second, to identify concepts and philosophies of the community college that could be considered by developing countries. / This study was descriptive and data analysis revealed these findings: (1) the three movements used the community college idea to further democratize higher education to meet the middle level manpower needs and to expand educational opportunities; (2) the American junior college is a prototype of the comprehensive model; and (3) Japanese junior colleges and Sri-Lanka junior university colleges are characterized as specialized short-cycle educational institutions. / Recommendations for consideration by developing countries included: (1) concepts of education for work, cooperative education, lifelong learning and community-based education must receive publicity; (2) export of the community college idea will depend upon assessment of favorable attitudes of the educational, business, civic, and political leaders of that country; (3) decentralization of educational systems must be encouraged; (4) governments should turn to short-cycle education to fill the gap between professionals and paraprofessionals in their countries; (5) the community college concept could be modified and adapted to differing cultures; (6) appropriate educational agencies around the world are advised to assist in making surveys and studies for developing experimental junior colleges in developing countries. / Recommendations for further study included: (1) the cost/benefit aspect of adapting community junior colleges in developing countries; (2) a follow-up study on the impact of establishing community colleges in Japan and Sri-Lanka; (3) the impact of establishing new educational systems, such as community colleges, upon the eco-political structure of developing countries; and (4) needs assessments for the various technologies in developing countries to provide a base for planning vocational training programs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4323. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-11, Section: A, page: 5754. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

This study is an investigation of the American student movement which existed from 1931 to 1941. The study focused on major student organizations, issues of student concern, goals and activities of students and student organizations, and events having a major impact on the movement. Evidence used in the study was drawn primarily from existing accounts of student activities generated by observers of the events. The historical method was used to compile and analyze the evidence used in this study. External criticism was used to authenticate the evidence while internal criticism was used to determine its credibility. / The study revealed that the Student League for Industrial Democracy, the National Student League, the American Student Union, the National Student Federation of America, the American Youth Congress, and the United Student Peace Committee were major student organizations active in the movement. National issues with which students were concerned were the economy, military training in colleges, increases in military expenditures, the status of the American labor movement, racial discrimination, violations of free speech and academic freedom, and government aid to students and youth. International issues of concern to students were peace, the rise of totalitarian governments, and the status of students in other nations. / Five of the major student organizations conducted a variety of activities on the local, regional and national levels, including national conferences and activities of particular interest to their members. The sixth, the United Student Peace Committee, coordinated the student peace strikes from 1937 to 1940. The basic goals of the organizations were determined to be economic, political, and social change, student unity, preservation of peace, and mobilization of students. / Events which had a positive effect on the movement were a student visit to the Harlan coal miner's strike, student protests over dismissal of a student editor, adoption of the Oxford Pledge, formation of the American Youth Congress, introduction of the strike as a protest tactic, and formation of the American Student Union. Events which had a negative effect were introduction of collective security as a path to peace, signing of the Berlin-Moscow non-aggression treaty, formation of the Youth Committee Against War, and the start of the Second World War. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4324. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of academic administrators on the importance of selected components of quality in higher education. The population studied were the 136 academic administrators in the nine state universities in Florida. One hundred fourteen administrators responded through a mailed questionnaire (83.8% return). / Administrators were classified according to university, adminitrative level, and discipline categories. Responses were analyzed across these classifications to see if perceptions of quality were unique to the particular classifications. / Components of quality were grouped into four major categories: faculty, student, institutional, and program quality components. Also examined were the methods employed to assess the quality of higher education and the uses and outcomes of state appropriated quality improvement funds. The academic administrators were also asked to assess the efforts of their respective institutions, the state legislature, and the Board of Regents toward improving the quality of education in Florida. / The level of perceived importance was measured through the use of a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (little importance) to 5 (essential). The results were then rank ordered from highest to the lowest and compared across the classifications. / The results reflected greater similarities in perceptions in the importance of the identified components of quality than incongruencies. There were only slight differences in perceptions across the three classifications of academic administrators. / Quality components relating to faculty quality were perceived as the greatest importance to the quality of higher education followed by program, student, and institutional quality components. Ten criteria, identified as components of quality, were given for each of the four major categories. / As a whole, academic administrators perceive their respective universities are doing the best they can to improve quality. They feel "targeted" funding is more effective than "lump sum" funding and that the state legislature and Board of Reagents are not attuned to their respective quality improvement needs. / It appears that the definition of quality does not significantly vary, even when the effects of experience and other unmeasured personal characteristics that influence one's perceptions are considered. The administrative level or university classification does not influence the perceptions of academic administrators to any great extent. Only when examined across disciplines do perceptions appear to differ, and even then, only slightly. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4326. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4923. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

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.