Doctoral dissertations in physical education : a twenty-year portrait

This research project was designed to describe selected characteristics of doctoral dissertations written by students in departments of physical education in the United States from 1964 through 1983. It was conceptualized and carried out in light of both the existing body of knowledge about doctoral dissertations in physical education and the available social scientific research methodology. Through a process of sequential matching of listings in Dissertation Abstracts International, Completed Research in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, and American Doctoral Dissertations, a population of 5344 dissertations in physical education completed between 1964 and 1983 was identified. For each dissertation, five objective elements were recorded: (a) the degree that was earned, (b) the year in which the degree was earned, (c) the college or university where the degree was earned, (d) the advisor(s) of the dissertation author, and (e) the prestige ranking of the physical education doctoral program in which the degree was earned. Each dissertation abstract or title was coded for the academic specialty of physical education it reflected according to a classification paradigm derived from Zeigler's (1982, 1983) taxonomy. Each entry was also coded for the primary research strategy that was used, based on a variation of the paradigm presented by Isaac and Michael (1981)