The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the admission/selection process of the Radiologic Technology Program at East Tennessee State University to ascertain predictive validity of the admission process and to identify specific indicators leading to program completion. The population for this investigation consisted of 510 students who had applied to East Tennessee State University and the Radiologic Technology Program from 1991 through 1993. Data were collected from institutional and program academic records. Correlation research was chosen to establish validity. One-way Analysis of Variance and t-test were applied to investigate different admission parameters and discriminate analysis was completed due to prior groupings in the initial academic analysis. An alpha level of.05 was selected for this study. The population (N = 510) consisted of four groups of students: Program completers (graduates), program non-completers, students interviewed/not admitted, and students not interviewed nor admitted. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) determined significant differences in all admission parameters between the four groups. Discriminate analysis of program completers and non-completers found that curriculum GPA ranking was significant explaining 47% of the shared variance. The population of students admitted to the program (N = 110) was further statistically analyzed by t-Tests and no significant differences were identified between program completers and non completers. Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The admission parameters utilized by the Radiologic Technology Program at East Tennessee State University were statistically significant in identifying differences among the four groups of students; (2) No significant differences were identified between program completers and non-completers; (3) The admission model utilized by the Radiologic Technology Program is equitable. The following recommendations were suggested: (1) Further studies should be conducted incorporating demographic factors; (2) Studies addressing selection parameter reliability should be conducted; (3) Reliability of each interview question should be ascertained; (4) Studies involving common admission parameters at different sponsoring institutions should be investigated, and (5) Incorporation of qualitative methodology regarding program completion versus non-completion could be beneficial.

The purpose of this study was to determine those resources that selected leadership development experts rated as most effective in discovering and fostering the continuing professional development of leaders. In this descriptive study, three research questions were formulated. A modified version of Hunter's reputational technique was used to collect data through a snowball sampling of the selected population. In phase 1 of the study, a survey was developed, validated, and mailed to 56 LEADership directors in all 50 states, yielding 34 (64%) returns, which were used in creation of the final questionnaire. In phase 2 of the study, the final instrument, including 256 identified resources, was developed, validated, and mailed to 220 experts in leadership development identified in the initial survey. A return of 88 (40%) of the questionnaires identified leadership development resources that selected experts rated as effective. The 19 instruments, 128 books or other printed materials, 32 audio or video tapes, and 77 programs identified through the initial survey were rated either "not effective", "somewhat effective", "effective", or "very effective" on a likert-type scale.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the activities, processes, and structures used to link a teacher evaluation program to professional growth and motivation. A total of 52 teachers in the Johnson City School System, who were scheduled for evaluation during the 1994-95 school year, were selected by both random and purposeful sampling techniques to participate. Data were collected through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Principals of the nine schools involved also participated in the naturalistic inquiry component of the study. Data were analyzed both deductively and inductively. The analysis revealed attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of those involved in the implementation of a growth-oriented approach to teacher evaluation. What were the reasons for the success or failure of the program? Through data analysis the investigator identified 12 critical elements within four major categories that influence the linking of teacher evaluation, professional growth, and motivation. The four major categories are: characteristics of the culture, characteristics of the administrator, characteristics of the teacher, and characteristics of the process. The 12 critical elements were identified as follows: a trusting environment; collaborative relationships; high expectations of growth; administrators who are facilitators or coaches and resource providers; teachers who are mature, responsible, and self-directed; and a continuous process that is individualized, formative, and structured. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were suggested: (1) assess the culture of the school before implementing the Professional Teacher Evaluation Model, (2) provide training for teachers and administrators, (3) allow teachers to choose professional growth options, (4) identify teachers' level of readiness for self-directive learning, (5) emphasize importance of the principal's role, (6) ensure presence of the 12 critical elements identified, and (7) implement the Professional Teacher Evaluation Model as the professional growth option of the proposed Tennessee State Model for Local Evaluation.

The problem was to determine certain factors which are perceived to limit the freedom superintendents have to implement change effectively. The purpose of the study was to determine the degree of autonomy with which superintendents in Tennessee may effectively make decisions regarding educational change. There are 138 public school superintendents, of which 132 (96%) participated in this study. The research was of a descriptive nature and utilized data gathered from a survey instrument constructed by the researcher. A questionnaire developed by Dr. John T. Haro in 1990 for a similar study in California was used as a basis for the development of the instrument to measure the factors that limit the superintendent's freedom to effect change. Additionally, the variables of the school district, the superintendent's demographic data, and the superintendent's relationship with various constituencies were examined. Once the instrument was altered, it was reviewed by eleven former school superintendents for further modification. The new instrument was then piloted with 15 assistant superintendents to complete the validation process. Findings include the following. More than 90% of the respondents reported having moderate to much freedom in effecting school district change. The values of the community had the most influence on the freedom to implement change of any variable, while school boards provided the most support for change. Superintendents with less than 10 years of experience reported that they were less free to implement change than were their peers with 11 to 20 years of experience. Superintendents with master's degrees considered site level administrators to be less limiting to change than did those with master's degrees plus. Superintendents from urban, suburban, and rural settings offered no significant difference in their response to the survey.

The purpose of this study was to identify personality types among dental hygiene school administrators and faculty and to determine if correlations existed between leader style, ideologies of leader style, perceived effectiveness, and personality type. Selected demographic variables were also examined. The dimensions of personality investigated were derived from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: extroversion, introversion, sensing, intuition, thinking, feeling, judging, and perceiving. The leadership behavior dimensions were the two dimensions of the real and ideal Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaires: consideration and initiating structure. Effectiveness was measured by a 39 item Likert-type instrument based on Tucker's (1981) categorical listing of chairperson activities and responsibilities. The study was conducted using a random sample of faculty and administrators from 32 dental hygiene programs across the United States. Thirty-two administrators and 148 faculty were surveyed. Responses were received from 23 administrators (71.9 percent) and 96 faculty (64.8 percent). Personality type was correlated with subordinate perception of leader style, ideal leader style, and effectiveness, with the strength of the relationships ranging from weakly negative to moderately positive. Among the correlations observed, those between real initiating structure and introversion, thinking and feeling were significant at the.05 level, as were the relationships between ideal consideration, and thinking and feeling. Relationships significant at the.05 level were also found between instruction and extroversion, introversion, sensing, intuition, and judging and between budget and resources and extroversion. Gender of the administrator and length of tenure did not account for significant differences in leader behavior ratings or effectiveness scores. Age of the administrator, however, was found to account for significant differences in leader behavior ratings, but not effectiveness ratings. A negative relationship was observed between amount of administrative training and effectiveness scores indicating that as administrative training increased effectiveness decreased. Ideal scores reported by faculty were significantly higher than real scores reported by faculty, but no significant difference was observed between the real and ideal scores reported by administrators. Administrators rating low on real consideration and real initiating structure received the lowest effectiveness ratings.

The problem of this study was to identify and discriminate the perceptions of administrators, Career Ladder teachers, and non-ladder teachers in the Tennessee public schools toward the Tennessee Career Ladder Teacher Evaluation System. Demographic data and information were collected by a state-wide survey of Tennessee educators. Two research questions were raised to guide the study. The comparison data collected pertained to sex and age of the participants, highest degree completed by the participants, participants' Career Ladder status, professional membership, professional experience, and the type and classification of school in which the participants worked. The information concerning educators' perceptions regarding the Career Ladder Program was obtained through their responses to the 30 statements in the research instrument which dealt with the various important aspects of the program. Major findings indicated that significant differences in perception regarding the Career Ladder Program existed among the Tennessee educators. In general, teachers who have obtained Levels II and III status on the Career Ladder and administrators perceived the program positively while Level I teachers and particularly non-ladder teachers tended to perceive it rather negatively. No groups surveyed felt that the evaluation process was well-understood or that the program encouraged diversity in teaching behavior. No groups felt that differences in learners, schools, and school systems were considered when assessing the effectiveness of teaching behavior under the current evaluation system. All educators felt that need for reducing the amount of paperwork required in teacher preparation for evaluation, and were aware of the "gamesmanship" dimension of the program. There was agreement among all groups in the study that the Career Ladder Program had failed to attract the best people into the teaching profession, failed to retain them, and has done little to enhance the teacher's public esteem. Despite the agreements, it is evident that Tennessee public school teachers and administrators held different perceptions toward the Career Ladder Program. A relationship seems to exist between administrators and higher level teachers and a more positive perception concerning the program. On the other hand, it appears to be true that lower lever teachers and non-ladder teachers are associated with a generally negative perception regarding the Career Ladder Program. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

The purpose of this study was to examine the academic leadership as portrayed in the American academic novel from 1950 to 1990. Leadership positions from higher education (president, vice-president, dean, and chairperson) were examined in this analysis of 40 academic fiction novels. The leader behavior of the selected characters was classified, using the following categories: autocratic (telling), democratic (selling), participative (participating), delegative (delegating), situational (varying) and "other" (unclassifiable due to lack of information or criteria variance). The finding was that the majority of academic leaders, in the novels studied, behaved using an autocratic (telling) leadership behavior. Also, the majority of the selected novels were written from the viewpoint of a professor; however, the autocratic image of the administrators was considered accurate from the professorcharacter's point of view. The results of this study should prove useful to educational institutions in deciding the usefulness, choice, planning, and implementation of leadership training for academic administrators. The introduction of leadership methods in education would be warranted to effect the future leadership performance of educators and, eventually, improve the leadership image of academic administrators.

The primary purpose of this study was to develop case studies providing a description of how two higher education institutions addressed the role of values. The researcher attempted to provide insight and understanding into the implicit and explicit values of the institutions through a values audit process. The methods of transmitting those values internally and externally were examined, as well as, implications for students, faculty, and staff. There was also an analysis as to what evaluation process was used to ensure compliance or alignment and to gauge that alignment between educational practices and the institutions' mission and purpose. The study examined the established and appropriate reward systems for recognizing and assuring compliance or alignment. The ethnographic case study was chosen as the research model for the investigative process for this study. Two case studies were conducted in which a four-year public institution, East Tennessee State University; and a four-year private Christian, liberal arts institution, Milligan College were examined. Each institution was treated as a case study, then a cross-case analysis was conducted between institutions noting similarities and differences. Four ethnographic techniques were used in the data collection phase of the research study: researcher's notes, face-to-face interviewing, document analysis, and participant observation. In each technique, the researcher emerged as the primary instrument for data collection. Based on the data collected, it was found that an institution's vision, mission, values, and goals provide the context in which it operates. The leader emerged as the individual who sets the tone for values for the institution. Effective strategies for communicating and implementing the values throughout all levels of the organization are critical. Compliance and alignment of members with the values must be expected, encourages, rewarded, and punished. Institutions may employ differing, yet, effective strategies for values definition, communication, and implementation. Recommendations made, as a result of the study are the following: (1) a periodic, broad-based review of the vision, mission, and values be conducted, (2) effective and continuous communication strategies be formulated and implemented into the hiring, supervision, and evaluation process, (3) an individual or an area be responsible for reviewing, transmitting, and evaluating the values, (4) periodic values audits be conducted internally and externally, and (5) further research be conducted in areas impacted by institutional values.

The purposes of this study were to determine the factors that influence the use of e-mail by principals, the purposes for which e-mail messages were sent and received, and the impact of experience and training in the areas of computers and e-mail. A survey was sent to a stratified random sample of 620 elementary, middle/junior high, and high school principals of the Central Appalachian Region. Respondents were asked to provide data regarding demographics, accessibility to hardware and software, computer and e-mail experience and training, uses of e-mail, and items that influence e-mail use. Eleven research questions and 10 hypotheses were addressed. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square, ANOVA, multiple regression, and factor analysis. At the.05 level of significance eight null hypotheses were retained and two rejected. Factor analysis identified four factors for e-mail users and five factors for non-users. E-mail was used by 59.7% of respondents. There was no relationship between level of use and gender, age, highest degree earned, or total years of educational experience. The predictors of e-mail use were computer experience, accessibility to resources, and training. Keyboarding skills and use of e-mail by superiors, fellow principals, and teachers were not indicators of e-mail use. Principals primarily use e-mail for administrative tasks and secondarily for accessing and retrieving information. Training is essential to the effective implementation and use of e-mail. There were six primary training methods for computers and e-mail. Factor analysis revealed that e-mail users have hardware and software resources, training, support, and encouragement to use e-mail to obtain educationally beneficial and appropriate information. Non-users were not comfortable with the technology. Principals must be cognizant of e-mail's capabilities and potential ramifications upon the educational community and provide the role model for the use of technology. E-mail has the potential to break down barriers of geographical isolation and instill a sense of community. If future educational leaders are to be prepared to meet the challenges of an information age, colleges of education need to provide instruction in the use of computers and e-mail.

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to establish guidelines for planning future public school facilities based upon identified global, societal, and educational trends that would most likely highly impact upon the types of public school facilities that will be built in the future. Based upon an extensive literature review, interviews with educational practitioners and facility specialists, and on-site visits to 15 schools in four states, 66 guideline elements were developed. These elements were submitted in a questionnaire/rating sheet format to a researcher-selected jury of 13 national educational facility planning specialists (100% Response Rate) for their evaluations. The five sections for which the final set of guidelines were established were: (1) Planning, Design, and Site Selection; (2) Environmental Enhancement Factors; (3) Space Utilization; (4) Technology; and (5) School and Community Service Areas. The findings were that all 66 guidelines were rated as essential, highly desirable, or significant by the jurors. The major conclusions reached from the study were several: (1) Educational practitioners advocated systematic, proactive, long- and short-range facility planning. This planning should be broad-based and pluralistic with flexibility, mobility, and adaptability as the cornerstones of the school design process. All planning should be based on both "hard" and "soft" data. Planning should also be both bottom-up and top-down with maximum information shared with the stakeholders. (2) Aesthetic, psychological, and behavioral environmental enhancement factors were key areas in future school designs. Facilities should be student-centered and "user-friendly" with an external welcoming appearance. The selection of the school site was extremely important, also. (3) Schools should be designed to offer optimal comfort to all inhabitants with flexible spaces where teachers and students can learn, relate, and explore. Schools and communities should share resources if possible.