Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Values and perceptions of community college professional staff in Oregon

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  • This study attempted to develop a profile of values held by Oregon's full-time professional staff members as a group. It also tried to ascertain if there are differences in the values and perceptions held by sub-groups within the community college staff. The main questions to be answered were: 1. Are there discernible differences in the value profiles of community college professional staff members in Oregon as determined by the Rokeach Survey on instrumental values when the staff is classified by seven job categories, by age, by sex, by educational preparation, and by early socio-economic status? 2. Are there discernible differences in the value profiles of community college professional staff members in Oregon as determined by the Rokeach Survey on terminal values when the staff is classified by seven job categories, by age, by sex, by educational preparation, and by early socio-economic status? 3. How do Oregon's community college staff members in each of seven job categories perceive their role in the college environment as determined by responses to questions adapted from the Staff Survey which Cohen and Brawer developed? Procedure s The 1971-72 "Directory to Personnel in Oregon Community Colleges" lists a total of 1353 professional staff members. Four hundred seventy-nine individuals (35.4 percent of the total population) were sent questionnaires and 360 (26.6 percent) of the total population) returned usable questionnaires. Conclusions 1. In analyzing the composite value profile on instrumental values, Broadminded, Capable, Honest and Responsible were reported to be most important. Other findings were: a) vocational instructors placed a higher priority on the "work-oriented" values Ambitious and Self-controlled than did the other sub-groups while college transfer instructors placed a higher priority on Independent and Intellectual, b) Imaginative and Loving were discernibly more important to the under forty group and Logical and Self-controlled were discernibly more important to the forty and over group, c) only three values (Ambitious, Courageous, Intellectual) were four or more points apart when the respondents were divided by sex, d) Forgiving, Loving, Intellectual and Independent tended to become more important as community college staff acquired more formal education while Selfcontrolled appeared to become less important, and e) no differences were found when the respondents were stratified by father's major occupation. 2. In analyzing the composite profile on terminal values, Self-respect and A Sense of Accomplishment were reported as most important and National Security and Salvation were considered to be least important. Other findings were: a) counselors and adult education instructors placed a higher priority on Equality than did other groups within the college, b) the forty and over group placed a higher priority on An Exciting Life and A World of Peace than did the younger group, c) women staff members placed more importance on Equality than did the men, d) terminal value rankings reflected very little change that could be attributed to additional formal education, and e) there were no discernible differences due to early socio-economic status. 3. Based on responses to the Cohen and Brawer Staff Survey, the following findings were reported: a) the informal lecture and structured discussion were preferred teaching styles, b) the respondents felt student evaluation was important, c) the majority of the respondents would abandon the traditional letter grade system, d) "The ability to evaluate critically and objectively" was the most important quality the staff members wished their students to gain in college, e) preparation of students for the world of work was considered to be the prime obligation while preparation for further formal education was seen as a low priority item, f) only a few staff members believed students are drawn to the college because they wished to participate in student government, student activities, or athletics, g) meeting individual needs of students was a prime concern, h) many staff members did not fully understand college policies and community college philosophy, i) many staff members wanted to participate in the formulation of educational policies but the majority believed responsibility for personnel policy belonged to the administration, j) the need for more long-range student follow-up studies was considered to be an important problem, and i) higher salaries and more autonomy were not regarded as prime problems by most staff members.
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