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STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL AS A MEANS FOR MEASURING ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS TOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL
Title
A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL AS A MEANS FOR MEASURING ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS TOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL.
Creator
WRIGHT, WILLIAM FRANCIS, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description
This study sought to accomplish three things: 1) to develop a model which would use semantic differential techniques to measure the intensity of teacher attitudes toward public school supervisory concepts; 2) to determine if teachers' attitudes differ significantly in the subgroups of the study's population when analysis of variance is applied to the data supplied by the model instrument; and 3) to determine which rotation, orthogonal or oblique, more closely approximates the simple structure...
Show moreThis study sought to accomplish three things: 1) to develop a model which would use semantic differential techniques to measure the intensity of teacher attitudes toward public school supervisory concepts; 2) to determine if teachers' attitudes differ significantly in the subgroups of the study's population when analysis of variance is applied to the data supplied by the model instrument; and 3) to determine which rotation, orthogonal or oblique, more closely approximates the simple structure when factor analysis is applied to the data. Analysis of the data was based on the responses of 217 public school teachers who were enrolled in graduate courses located at the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University. Each subject responded to eighteen bipolar scales, evaluating seven supervisory concepts. Analysis of the data was accomplished by three computer programs, Kaiser's "Little Jiffy, Mark IV," to measure sampling adequacy, reliability, and degree of empirical confirmation of the model; analysis of variance to determine whether the subgroups were statistically significant and evaluate the relationship between the variables in the groups; and factor analysis applied to the data which incorporated two methods of rotation, orthogonal and oblique, to determine which rotation more closely approximates the simple structure. Findings: The findings may be summarized as follows: 1. Teachers' responses clustered into four principal factors, here presented in rank order of extraction--evaluation, potency, activity, and stability. The evaluation factor accounted for over 55 percent of the common variance. 2. The concept instrument, bipolar scales, and semantic differential techniques can be combined to differentiate teacher attitudes concerning specific concepts. 3. A comparison of the mean variable scores for concept instruments revealed that responses by this study's teachers rated the positions of principal, director and superintendent very low. 4. Data comparing such groups as university attending, school districts of employment, and age groups by analysis of variance techniques revealed statistical differences that were substantive when evaluating the concepts of dean, principal, director and superintendent. 5. Teaching level and male/female teacher group accounted for statistical differences that did not prove to be substantive over all concepts. 6. A comparison of the quartimax rotated factor matrix and the oblique pattern matrix revealed that clusters of variables are more clearly defined on the pattern matrix. Near zero loadings are minimized and high loadings are maximized. However, on several of the concept data runs the differences were not clearly defined. Conclusions: 1. The model developed for measuring teacher attitudes was reliable and demonstrated a high degree of empirical confirmation. 2. Supervisory job does appear to be a factor influencing teachers' attitudinal responses on the bipolar variables. 3. University of attendance, school district of employment, and age group are factors which produce significant differences in teacher attitudes. 4. Factor analysis involving either orthogonal or oblique should be selected based on the objectives of the research project. Both methods may be utilized, results compared, and the solution which provides the best answer for the study involved should be selected.
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Date Issued
1980
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11746
Subject Headings
Teachers--Attitudes, School personnel management
Format
Document (PDF)
differential effects of agency costs on multinational corporations: Theory and evidence
Title
The differential effects of agency costs on multinational corporations: Theory and evidence.
Creator
Wright, Francis William., Florida Atlantic University, Madura, Jeff
Abstract/Description
The corporate form of business organization has associated with it potentially significant agency costs. These costs arise principally from the separation of ownership and control interests in the firm. While it is widely believed that multinational corporations (MNCs) with substantial foreign market exposure face higher agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic firms, empirical evidence in support of this contention is largely absent from the literature. This dissertation uses capital...
Show moreThe corporate form of business organization has associated with it potentially significant agency costs. These costs arise principally from the separation of ownership and control interests in the firm. While it is widely believed that multinational corporations (MNCs) with substantial foreign market exposure face higher agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic firms, empirical evidence in support of this contention is largely absent from the literature. This dissertation uses capital market data to empirically examine the theory that multinational corporations with substantial exposure to foreign markets incur greater agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic corporations. Using the agency cost perspective of common shareholders, this study tests for evidence of a differential agency cost effect for MNCs by examining the market reaction to a series of events that should tend to signal a change in the level of agency costs for all firms. If MNCs with significant foreign market exposure experience higher agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic corporations, then events that tend to reduce (increase) agency costs in all firms should have greater positive (negative) wealth effects for highly exposed MNCs. An event-study methodology is used to measure the abnormal returns associated with the announcements of four separate events: (1) debt offerings; (2) equity offerings; (3) organizational restructurings; and (4) takeover defenses. The observed abnormal returns are then examined cross-sectionally to test whether various firm-specific factors (primarily degree of foreign market exposure) are influential in explaining the pattern of returns. When taken together, the results of the four event-studies and their associated cross-sectional analyses support the main hypothesis of this dissertation that multinational corporations with substantial foreign market exposure experience greater levels of agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic corporations. The strength of these findings depends upon the extent to which the underlying events represent effective proxies for changes in agency costs across firms.
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Date Issued
1995
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12402
Subject Headings
Corporate Governance, International Business Enterprises, Commercial Agents--Costs
Format
Document (PDF)