University Preparation of School Principals : The Fort Hays Study

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate the opinions of graduates concerning the education they received in the educational administration preparation program. The independent variables investigated were: position, level of school, school enrollment size, and gender. The dependent variables were scores from Scale 1 (skills/knowledge, items 1- 39); and scores from Scale 2 (satisfaction with program, items 1-4). The sample consisted of 93 graduates of the program, five composite null hypotheses were tested employing a three-way analysis of variance (General Linear Model). A total of 40 comparisons were made plus 30 recurring. Of the 40 comparisons, 12 were for main effects and 28 were for interactions. Of the 12 main effects, one was statistically significant at the .05 level. The following main effect was statistically significant: present position for the dependent variable Scale 2 (satisfaction with program, items 1-4). The results of the present study indicated the following for main effects: principals/vice principals rated Scale 2 (satisfaction with program, items 1-4) higher than teachers and other. Of the 28 interactions, 4 were statistically significant at the .05 level. The following interactions were statistically significant: 1. present position and level of school for the dependent variable Scale 1 (skills/knowledge, items 1-39) 2. present position and level of school for the dependent variable Scale 2 (satisfaction with program, items 1-4), 3. present position, level of school, and highest level of education/degree for the dependent variable Scale 2 (satisfaction with program, items 1-4), and 4. present position and size of school enrollment for the dependent variable scale 1, (skills/knowledge, items 1-39). The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1. the independent variables present position and level of school should be examined concurrently for Scale 1 (skills/knowledge, items 1-39), 2. the independent variables present position and size of school enrollment should be examined concurrently for Scale 1 (skills/knowledge, items 1-39), 3. the independent variables present position, level of school , and highest level of education/degree should be examined concurrently for Scale 2 (satisfaction with program, items 1-4) , and 4. graduates have a very positive attitude toward the program