Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4864. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

This is an examination of the Staff and Program Development Office at the Florida Junior College at Jacksonville as perceived by the certificated personnel who participated in staff and program development activities at the College. The period studied was July 1, 1968, thru June 30, 1978. / The purpose of the study was to determine if the program was in agreement with the stated goals and objectives of the SPD Office. In addition, the participants were asked for: (1) their appraisal of the long-term effects, (2) their suggestions for improvements, and (3) their perceptions as to whether FJC's SPD Office is a model to be followed by other community colleges. / Procedures for data gathering centered around a review of college records and the development of a questionnaire that sought to answer the four questions presented above. The questionnaire was sent to the 378 certificated personnel who had taken part in SPD activities during the period under study. / Adjusted frequency percentages were computed for each of the possible responses to the 41 questions presented to SPD participants through the survey instrument. The questionnaire responses, expressed in adjusted frequency percentages, and data gathered from SPD records were matched to the four questions posed by the writer. The more significant findings were: (1) The Staff and Program Development Office of the Florida Junior College at Jacksonville did meet its stated goals and objectives for the period July 1, 1968, thru June 30, 1978. (2) Certificated personnel believed that there is a need for additional input from the entire college community when future goals and objectives are determined. (3) Responses from certificated personnel responding to the "ripple effect" of SPD activities indicate that there was not enough sharing of experiences and learning acquired by participants in SPD activities. (4) Certificated personnel would like to see the SPD Office direct more of its activity in the direction of improving instruction and administration skills. (5) The SPD Office at the Florida Junior College should be considered a model for other community colleges to follow. (6) The College should continue to encourage and support the activities of the SPD Office. (7) Activity evaluation reports sent to the Division of Community Colleges revealed that the SPD Office evaluated the activities it sponsored as being effective and successful. Research findings substantiated this. (8) Certificated personnel at FJC believed that teaching, counseling, and administration were improved as a result of SPD activities. (9) The review of the literature indicated that more research needs to be done in the design of evaluation techniques for the evaluation of staff and program development programs. / Based upon the findings of this study and the review of the literature, the following recommendations are offered: (1) Research should be conducted by community colleges to study the effects of SPD activities upon all college personnel. (2) Research should be conducted that could lead to the development of systems for the better dissemination of information that was gathered by participants in SPD activities and programs. (3) Research should be conducted at other community colleges that would replicate this study since the Florida Junior College at Jacksonville is a multi-campus institution with problems and concerns that would not be common to all institutions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0916. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

A process model providing employees of community colleges in Florida with a formal means to participate in the determination of their salaries and fringe benefits was developed. Systems analysis was used to establish the requirements for a new compensation system at Florida Junior College at Jacksonville, and the Process model was synthesized from the system requirements. The methodology involved the collection and evaluation of information from the literature, the perceptions of employees, a listing of constraints and studies of: the compensation system in use at Florida Junior College at Jacksonville; the budget process and the pay plans of other organizations. Problems with the compensation system in use were formalized in problem definition statements as a preliminary step to specifying new system requirements. Annual changes, major changes and compensation process changes were addressed in the model which specifies actions to be taken and information flow. A system flowchart was included. A focal point of the new process is the College Compensation Committee, which receives budget information, prepares compensation recommendations guidelines for employee recommending bodies (Faculty Senate, Career Employees' Council, Administrators' Ad Hoc Compensation Committee), receives recommendations from those bodies, develops pay plan specifications, recommends a pay plan to the President, and makes other recommendations for further study of major changes to the pay plan or the compensation process itself. The new system has been implemented at Florida Junior College at Jacksonville, and acceptance, in principle, of the model from five selected community colleges in Florida was obtained. It was concluded that the model may be acceptable to the non-unionized colleges in Florida. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2458. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Purpose of the Study. This study was conducted to determine the responsiveness of Lake-Sumter Community College to the needs of its community in the field of lifelong learning and to evaluate that responsiveness. The student investigated areas where the needs of the community are not fully met, to examine the causative barriers to community service and to present recommendations for the reduction of those barriers whereby the college might improve its community service. / Small community colleges with limited budgets and personnel need definitive processes to find answers to problems. The study was conducted to determine the demographic correlation between enrolled non-credit students and the general population of the institution's service area. / Seven research questions were proposed, centering around gaining a current view of which segments of the population were being served, facilitating factors and barriers to enrollment and effectiveness of the courses offered. / Procedures. Procedures for the study were divided into five categories: (1) review of literature; (2) constructing a demographic data base of the institution's area; (3) development and administration of an instrument to determine the demographic characteristics of the non-credit students in the institution; (4) classification and processing of the data; (5) analysis and presentation of the data. / The instrument used was modified from one used by Nickens in a previous study, with added questions to determine student perceived barriers to enrollment, factors which facilitated enrollment, and what information media were effective in acquainting the population with course offerings. / Findings. Findings indicated that in general Lake-Sumter Community College was most responsive to the needs of white, married, female Lake County residents, in the 45 to 65 years of age group (especially those with some previous college), from a family with an income in excess of $12,000 per year. However, it was not as responsive to the needs of the black, separated male residents of Sumter County in the 15 through 24 years age group (especially those with a 7th grade education or less), from a family with a yearly income of $3,999 or less. / This study revealed perceived barriers to registration such as those of distance to the classroom, lack of knowledge of offerings, and inability to pay the fees. The perceived facilitators to enrollment focused upon overcoming those barriers. / The study indicated that most (94 percent) of the students were very satisfied with their courses. In terms of enrollment the present informal means for determining courses appeared adequate. / Recommendations. The study contains recommendations to the college: (1) to improve access by offering more outreach classes, planning some free classes, and rotating classes to different evenings; (2) to improve safety by improving campus lighting; (3) to make offerings more responsive to disadvantaged public's needs by setting up an appropriate advisory committee; (4) to increase dissemination of course information by evaluating media on the basis of dollars per traceable registration and making appropriate adjustments in media budgeting. / Recommendations for further research included: (1) surveying students earlier in the term to capture those who might dropout; (2) include non-students in the survey; (3) survey non-credit students at another institution similar to Lake-Sumter Community College; (4) construct a comparison of student demographics to population demographics to population demographics for evaluative purposes; (5) probe possibility of recruiting instructors for free courses. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: A, page: 0509. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4866. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

This study had two purposes: (1) to describe the frequency of occurrence of the cognitive style of field dependence among "high risk" students in developmental courses at the community college level; and (2) to describe the natural impact of match/mismatch of instructor and student cognitive / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 2905. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Statement of the Problem. The problem with which the study dealt was to explore the perceptions of Junior College Leadership Program presidents regarding their preparation for leadership positions in the community-junior college field. An attempt was made to determine what education and experience were perceived necessary at the time of preparation in the Junior College Leadership Program, were perceived desirable at the present time, and were forecast for the changing presidential leadership role of the future. / The population for the study consisted of all living persons who were W.K. Kellogg Fellows in the Junior College Leadership Programs who subsequently or presently hold a presidential position in a community college. The total population of 102 were identified utilizing source bases including state director lists, the AACJC Directory, and a list identified in the 1980 dissertation study by Perkins. / The research methodology employed was descriptive survey, utilizing a questionnaire designed to solicit background information, perceptions of problem areas confronting the community college, perceptions of the relevancy of completed university coursework, and perceptions of relevancy of internships or other field experiences. Perceptions were solicited pertaining to the periods of the 1960s, the 1970s, and the 1980s. / Budgeting and the faculty were consistently perceived as two problem areas for all three decades. During the 1960s, presidents perceived facilities planning, accreditation, expanding enrollments, the open-door concept, academic leadership, curriculum, and student groups as direct relevant problem areas. The areas most frequently perceived directly relevant for the coming decade of the 1980s were: declining resources, state legislatures, career education, energy crisis, declining enrollments, change in student population, financial management/accounting, evaluation of staff and programs, and federal government policies and regulations. / The Junior College Leadership Program was considered a significant influence in the professional leadership development of all respondents. The experiences perceived as the most influential in the development of educational leadership abilities varied. On-the-job administrative experience and association with recognized experts in the field while students in the JCLP were frequently specified by the presidents as significant. The respondents' suggestions for university-based training programs were meaningful internships and contact with actual leaders or practitioners in the field. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-11, Section: A, page: 4588. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-10, Section: A, page: 5297. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the Staff and Program Development Coordinators's position in Florida's public community colleges. The SPD program and the Coordinator's position were created in 1968 by the Florida Legislature in response to the need for colleges to provide staff training and program development for the dramatic growth they were experiencing. / The specific questions which the study attempted to answer were: (1) What are the characteristics of the SPD Coordinator's position and the individuals who occupy this position? (2) What are the SPD Coordinators' and their supervisors' perceptions of the actual tasks performed by the Coordinator and do they agree? (3) What are the SPD Coordinators' and their supervisors' expectations for the tasks that the Coordinator ideally should perform and do they agree? (4) Is there any relationship between actual tasks performed and the tasks that should ideally be performed as perceived by SPD Coordinators and by the Coordinator's supervisor? / To fulfill the purpose of this study, a questionnaire was developed, tested and mailed to the 28 SPD Coordinators and their supervisors. The questionnaire gathered data about (1) the characteristics of the SPD position and the current Coordinators, (2) the actual tasks performed by the Coordinator as perceived by the Coordinator and his supervisor and (3) the tasks the Coordinator ideally should perform as expected by the Coordinator and his supervisor. Questionnaires were returned by all 28 of the Coordinators and by 24 of the supervisors. / The data collected which related to the actual and ideal tasks of the Coordinator were statistically analyzed using the Student's t-Test and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Test. Questionnaire items were classified using a concordance of agreement into three categories: proactive (providing leadership tasks), reactive (responding to leadership tasks) and administrative (day-to-day routine tasks). The .05 level of significance was used. / The findings related to the characteristics of Coordinators showed that most Coordinators possess common personal and educational characteristics, that they have had little formal training for this position, that they are part-time and that they were promoted from within the college. / The findings related to the characteristics of the SPD position showed that except in small colleges, there is no relationship between the size of the college and the percent of time spent on SPD, that the Coordinator reports to a high ranking official in the college, that the Coordinator lacks institutional direction for his role and that Coordinators perform their tasks in conjunction with several college staff. / The findings related to the actual and ideal tasks showed that Coordinators perceived that they most often performed proactive tasks and least often performed reactive tasks, that supervisors expected proactive tasks were ideally the most important for the Coordinator to perform and that each group perceived a high relationship between what the Coordinator actually does and ideally should do. / The conclusions drawn from the findings included (1) SPD programs shared common characteristics and the Coordinators possessed reasonably uniform characteristics, (2) Coordinators and their supervisors did not agree on the relative emphasis of the actual tasks performed by the Coordinator, (3) Coordinators and their supervisors did not agree on the relative importance of the ideal tasks which the Coordinator should perform and (4) each group perceived that the actual tasks performed were closely related to the expected ideal tasks. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0914. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The problem area with which this study is concerned is faculty participation in internal decision-making in Florida's public two-year colleges. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of participation as it existed and to examine factors affecting faculty satisfactions that are perceived as areas needing change to increase participation and raise satisfaction levels. The study also was concerned with faculty perception of collective bargaining as a viable alternative mode of internal governance. / A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a random sampling of faculty and administrators in all twenty-eight colleges. Nine hundred and thirteen questionnaires were distributed to the population sample and 440 were returned for a return rate of 49 percent. / Findings revealed a wide variation in the levels of faculty participation at the twenty-eight colleges, ranging from "no participation" through "joint action". Academic decisions were indicated as the area of activities in which faculty exercise the most influence. The greatest concern for increased input by faculty was in the area of personnel, or faculty welfare, where the respondents indicated faculty had the least amount of input. The colleges, including six colleges that have elected a faculty union, were undecided as to the effectiveness of collective bargaining as a viable alternative, or adjunct, to internal governance structures. / Most of the colleges indicated a preference for independent internal organizations; such as faculty senates, councils, committees, or associations; and tended to be generally undecided as to whether a union election would be successful in the immediate future on each college campus. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0914. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.