There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Journalism

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the practice of formally evaluating Indiana school superintendents and to determine superintendent dispositions toward the process. More specifically, the following issues were analyzed: (a) the extent to which Indiana school superintendents were formally evaluated; (b) the extent to which job descriptions, district policy, or employment contracts were associated with formal evaluations; (c) superintendent opinions regarding criteria, purposes, and methods of evaluation; and (d) the extent to which selected demographic variables were associated with the practice of completing a formal evaluation.A descriptive survey research procedure was used in this study. The survey instrument was adapted from the one developed and used by Simpson (1994) in his study of South Carolina superintendents. Several modifications were made to adjust to current conditions in Indiana. The instrument was divided into two parts: current practices and procedures for formal evaluations and background information about the superintendent and school corporation. The population of this study was all 287 public school superintendents in Indiana. Data were collected in March and April of 1996. A total of 248 usable surveys was returned and analyzed.The findings indicated: (a) more than 78% of the superintendents were being formally evaluated; (b) more than 79% of the superintendents indicated the presence of a written job description, with over 59% of these superintendents indicating they were evaluated using the stated role expectations included in the job description; (c) more than 58% of the superintendents indicated their employment district had a written policy concerning superintendent evaluation; (d) more than 33% reported that a formal evaluation was a provision of their employment contract; (e) a checklist or rating scale was most frequently used in the evaluation process; (f) the most important criterion in evaluation was board and superintendent relations; (g) the primary purpose for superintendent evaluation was to identify areas needing improvement; and (h) the higher the superintendent's salary and the larger the school corporation, the more likely it was that the superintendent received a formal evaluation. In addition, the study offers recommendations for practice and for further research. / Department of Education

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which Indiana alternative school administrators were knowledgeable of research-supported tenets of effective alternative education and the extent to which they personally supported these tenets. Other purposes included: (a) developing a demographic profile of the administrators, including total population and membership in an Alternative Career Group or Traditional Career Group, (b) testing for possible associations between the two study groups and selected demographic variables, (c) testing for possible differences in knowledge levels between the two study groups, and (d) testing for possible differences in support levels between the two study groups.The study population consisted of 118 licensed administrators employed in public alternative schools in Indiana serving students whose disruptive behavior resulted in the students' removal from traditional schools. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Ninety-one surveys were returned, yielding a 77% response rate.Major findings included:1. Administrators did not recognize all tenets that guide the policies of effective alternative schools or all practices that hinder success; the mean knowledge score was 78% of the possible score, indicating moderate knowledge level.2. Administrators' personal support level was slightly lower than the knowledge level; the mean support score was 74% of the possible score.3. Less than one-third of all administrators reported taking college courses pertaining to alternative education.4. Alternative Career Group members had a significantly higher knowledge level of the tenets than Traditional Career Group members; however, no significant difference existed between the groups regarding personal support.Results concerning knowledge and support suggested that some administrators were not guided by the tenets of alternative education espoused in the literature. Moreover, administrators who had a career orientation to this specialization were no more inclined to support the tenets than were administrators without this career orientation. The fact that a relatively low percentage of administrators had completed one or more college courses in alternative education raises questions regarding the degree to which these administrators are adequately prepared to lead their schools. Recommendations are made with respect to additional research and to revising licensing standards for alternative school administrators. / Department of Educational Leadership

The relationship between the media and politicians is uncertain at best. This study examined the attitudes of Indiana state senators and representatives with regard to the way they are treated by their local media. It is based on a study conducted in 1990 by Dr. Daniel Riffe, that sought similar opinions from Alabama state lawmakers.The hypothesis assumed that legislators who indicated they found the media useful would not view them as adversarial. A 39% response rate was achieved, which while not high enough to statistically validate findings did indicate a rejection of the hypothesis, as well as reveal other interesting observations. / Department of Journalism

This study investigated the relationship of the elements of professional development and the attitudes of teachers and principals toward inclusion. Participants in the study were the teachers and principals in Indiana schools designated as "Inclusion Schools" by the Indiana State Legislature in the summer of 1992. Thirty-one schools of the 50 designated schools were approved for data collection. Three hundred ninety teachers and 31 principals responded to the survey instrument.The dependent variables were the attitudes of the participants toward the inclusion process and the concept of inclusion. The independent variables were six characteristics of professional development: design, presenters, location, attendance requirement, when professional development occurred, and how much professional development was received. Additional independent variables were demographic information such as: age, experience, level of education, and if special education classes had been taken at the university.The conclusions of this study for teachers found positive relationships with the dependent variables for inclusion professional development characteristics: design by building based decision making, presentations by special education administrators and staff, the location in the home school, voluntary attendance, and the more professional development the more positive the teachers' attitudes. A negative relationship was found when professional development occurred before inclusion began. The age and experience of the teachers had a negative relationship to positive attitudes toward inclusion.The only positive relationship between the principals' attitudes toward inclusion and professional development found that attitudes were more positive when more professional development was attended. They were positive when the professional development took place before inclusion began. Other findings reflected negative relationships with inclusion professional development characteristics for: location, design, presenters, and attendance requirement. The more inclusion aide support the principals had, the more positive were their attitudes toward inclusion.The teacher findings in this study were supported by literature and prior research findings by the NASBE Study (1992), Miller & Lieberman (1988), Brehm's Reactance Theory (1983-84), and Pearman et. al. (1992).The principal findings were not conclusive and further study should be made to find how inclusion professional development can develop positive principals' attitudes toward inclusion. / Department of Educational Administration and Supervision

The purpose of this study was to determine the overall effectiveness of and the level of engagement in performance assessment processes by Indiana school boards in relation to the Indiana School Board's Associations (ISBA) Code of Ethics as perceived by school administrators. Additionally, there were four objectives: (a) to determine what extent Indiana school boards engage in a process of formal evaluation of their own performance and effectiveness; (b) to determine if there is a difference in perceived compliance to the ISBA Code of Ethics for school boards who engage in school board performance evaluation compared to those school boards who do not; (c) to determine if there is a relationship between the educational background of school board members and school boards performing their duties according to the ISBA Code of Ethics; and (d) to determine the overall perceptions of Indiana school superintendents and randomly selected elementary and secondary principals as to whether school board performance is currently in accordance with the ISBA Code of Ethics. Research questions and hypotheses were developed to determine school superintendents' and randomly selected elementary and secondary school principals' perceptions and possible differences and/or relationships.A descriptive survey research procedure was used in this study, which sought information regarding the professional activities of each participant's school board in comparison to the ISBA Code of Ethics. The questionnaire was constructed in order to answer four research questions and three null hypotheses.The findings indicated: (1) 32.5% of Indiana school boards evaluate their own performance and effectiveness; (2) 67.5% of Indiana school boards do not evaluate their own performance and effectiveness; (3) school boards that engage in performance evaluation processes tend to adhere more strongly to the ISBA Code of Ethics in comparison with those school boards that do not engage in performance evaluation; (4) there was no relationship between the educational background of school board members and school board performance in accordance with the ISBA Code of Ethics; and (5) there did appear to be a significant difference between how superintendents and principals perceive school board performance when compared to the ISBA Code of Ethics. / Department of Educational Leadership

Awareness, use and attitude by Indiana secondary school vocational agriculture/agribusiness and social science educators toward soil survey reports were determined using a mailed questionnaire. Results were analyzed based on teaching discipline and geographic location (urban and rural). In general, social science respondents were not aware of and did not use soil survey reports as a teaching aid whereas vocational agriculture/ agribusiness respondents did. The majority of educators responded positively to statements regarding usefulness of soil surveys. No significant differences were found between urban and rural areas. Results indicated that teaching discipline was the critical factor in educator use of soil surveys.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which elementary principals are involved in teacher selection and to determine the opinions of principals on : (a) procedures used in the selection process, (b) current status of their involvement, (c) who establishes teacher selection processes, (d) involvement of teachers in teacher selection, (e) their current level of preparation to effectively select teachers, and (f) the role of decentralized governance in teacher selection.The study sought to determine if principal involvement in teacher selection was governed by policy or superintendent regulations. Also, the study sought to determine if there was variance in teacher selection practices within a school district and possible reasons for such variance. Finally, the study sought to determine if any of three demographic variables (school district regional classification, school district enrolment, and governance structure) influenced principal involvement in teacher selection.Data were collected from 188 randomnly selected elementary principals in Indiana via a survey containing 28 items divided into 4 categories. Data were analyzed using an analysis of variance, and research decisions were based on the .05 level of significance.In general, the level of involvement of Indiana elementary principals in teacher selection is relatively high. Demographic variables incorporated in this study appeared to have little effect on principal's involvement. There were three exceptions. Where variance of practice occurred within a district, significance was found in paper screening of candidates, interviewing of candidates, and making recommendations for employment. Principals' involvement in teacher selection was not affected by regional classification, enrollment of the school district, engagement in decentralized governance, existence of regulations, or established board policy on teacher selection.Findings in this study suggested that principals were highly involved in many aspects of teacher selection with one exception, writing of the job vacancy announcement. It was also found that there was a majority of schools that did not have existing school councils. Principals believed that their involvement in teacher selection was important, yet their training in this area appeared to be limited.Based on the outcomes, recommendations for further study included assessing teacher selection practices at sites where school councils exist, examining discrepancies between perceived selfconfidence and formal training, and evaluating the role of the principal in writing job vacancy announcements. / Department of Educational Leadership

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a drug testing program could impact or change student drug use at the secondary education level. Secondary purposes were to 1) assess the perceptions of secondary education students toward licit and illicit drugs, drug use, and the newly implemented drug testing program, and 2) to examine why drug use may continue even after a drug testing program has been implemented. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires, discussion groups, and one-on-one interviews. Examination of the questionnaire data indicated that student drug use was not substantially deterred by the newly implemented drug testing program over a three to four month time period. Also, students' perceptions of the newly implemented drug testing program were mainly that of disagreement. Students commented that they felt the drug testing policy was implemented to "catch them" using drugs rather than "help them" with a possible drug addiction. One of the main reasons that the drug testing program did not have a great deterrent effect on student drug use, as suggested by the students, was that the odds were not high enough that they would be selected to be drug tested. In some instances, drug testing was not proving to be a deterrent to drug use, but rather a deterrent to participation in school activities. However, for some students, drug testing was proving to be a deterrent to drug use. As quoted from one of the discussion group members: "It's a step in the right direction." / School of Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the steps taken by the Ball State University Athletic Department in order to achieve the gender equity expectations set forth by Title IX. The study also investigated the perceptions and understanding of student athletes at Ball StateUniversity toward the steps taken to achieve gender equity. This study utilized surveys with student athletes from Ball State University. The results suggest that student athletes do not feel they are treated equally by the athletic department. However, it is unclear as to whether student athletes are fully aware of the actions taken by the athletic department to ensure gender equity. / Department of Educational Leadership