An analysis of selection criteria of candidates for doctoral study in education at the University of the Pacific

The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding the effectiveness of currently used admissions criteria (undergraduate grade point average; master\u27s degree grade point average; Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Miller Analogies Test (Mat) scores; ratings on essays, interviews, and letters of recommendation; and an accomplishment coefficient) for doctoral study at University of the Pacific School of Education in Stockton, California. Archival data compared these measures with certain criteria for finishing the doctoral program (first-semester grade point average, overall doctoral degree grade point average, passing or failing comprehensive examinations and number of trials to do so, years to appointment of dissertation committee, grade in the intermediate statistics course, years to awarding of degree, and whether the degree was completed). Subjects included all students admitted to the school\u27s doctoral programs between 1976 and 1990 who took at least nine units in the pursuit of that degree. Data from 337 student records were analyzed and produced the following statistically significant results: There were small but significant correlations between certain clusters of admissions criteria (GRE and MAT scores and master\u27s degree grade point averages) and certain program criteria (first-semester and overall doctoral grade point averages, statistics grade, and number of trials to pass doctoral comprehensive examinations). Multiple linear regression also indicated a small but significant ability to predict a few criteria from the GRE and MAT. Multiple linear regression also indicated a small but significant ability to predict a few program criteria within individual School of Education departments. The admissions criteria did not, in most cases, significantly differentiate those students who were successful in the doctoral program as measured by the chosen criteria. Implications of these findings were discussed in the final chapter. The study concluded with recommendations for further use of the data and for future research