Current Search: Decker, Larry E. (x)
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- Title
- A Study of School Improvement Plans, School DecisionMaking and Advocacy, and Their Correlation to Student Academic Achievement.
- Creator
- Curry, Maribel Marcos, Decker, Larry E., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
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Parent involvement literature reveals that parents play an important role in student academic achievement. The School Advisory Councils are the major outlet for parents to engage in decision-making and advocacy skills in Broward County. The School Improvement Plans are the major output of the School Advisory Councils and this document contains many strategies that schools should follow in order to increase achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if School Improvement Plans and...
Show moreParent involvement literature reveals that parents play an important role in student academic achievement. The School Advisory Councils are the major outlet for parents to engage in decision-making and advocacy skills in Broward County. The School Improvement Plans are the major output of the School Advisory Councils and this document contains many strategies that schools should follow in order to increase achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if School Improvement Plans and school decision-making and advocacy had any correlation to academic achievement. The researcher investigated this utilizing two research methods: a survey to investigate if school decision-making and advocacy were correlated to student academic achievement; and content analysis to investigate if School Improvement Plans were correlated to student academic achievement. The study gathered data from 38 middle schools and 29 high schools in Broward County, Florida, during the academic year of 2004-2005. The researcher used standard five of the National PTA Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs to design the Decision-Making and Advocacy Survey to determine the perceptions of decisionmaking and advocacy. The researcher surveyed two of the key players with leadership roles of the School Advisory Council: the principal and the SAC chairperson. The survey was pilot tested for its reliability. The researcher also used the School Improvement Plan from each middle school and high school in Broward County in order to conduct the content analysis. The survey and content analysis data were analyzed using linear correlation, multiple correlation, and multiple regression. A major finding of this research was the significant correlation between the Math strategies found in the School Improvement Plans and the Math achievement scores, as well as the correlation between the Writing strategies found in the School Improvement Plans and school grades. In general, it can be concluded that the strategies found in the School Improvement Plans may increase student achievement, particularly in Math and Writing.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000660
- Subject Headings
- Broward County School District (Fla )--Planning, School improvement programs--Florida--Broward County, School management and organization--Decision making, Educational planning--Florida--Broward County, Academic achievement--Florida--Broward County
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- College alcohol and life skills study with student-athletes.
- Creator
- Gregory, Barry M., Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a brief intervention designed to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol-related problems. Volunteer student athletes were randomly assigned to receive a 3-session feedback and skills intervention, a 2-session feedback and skills intervention, or a workbook control. The alcohol and life skills intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral skills training and motivational enhancement strategies. The skills and feedback groups received...
Show moreThis randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a brief intervention designed to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol-related problems. Volunteer student athletes were randomly assigned to receive a 3-session feedback and skills intervention, a 2-session feedback and skills intervention, or a workbook control. The alcohol and life skills intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral skills training and motivational enhancement strategies. The skills and feedback groups received personal feedback on the quantity and frequency of their alcohol and other drug use, college-drinking norms, alcohol-related consequences, alcohol beliefs, and problem severity in ten domains of health, psychiatric, and psychosocial adjustment. All student athletes completed the Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI-R) and the College Alcohol/Life Skills Project Survey. Analyses of covariance were conducted to determine if differences existed between the three groups on the variables of interest. There were no significant differences between the three groups. Paired t tests were used to measure differences from pretest to posttest for each of the three groups. In the skills group, the estimated drinks per week decreased significantly, with a 60 percent improvement in perceptions of college drinking norms. The skills group also reported a significant decrease in positive alcohol outcome expectancies. In the feedback group, the number of drinks consumed per week at baseline decreased 47 percent. Significant decreases were also found in the feedback and skills groups on the DUSI-R composite and substance use, behavior problems, health status, social competence, work adjustment, peer relations, and leisure/recreation domain scores. The results of this study support the efficacy of brief interventions based on the social learning and cognitive behavioral model of drinking. The brief feedback and skills intervention significantly reduced misperceptions of college drinking norms, improved functioning in the DUSI-R domains linked in the literature with substance abuse, and reduced false alcohol beliefs. The significant findings favored the skills and feedback groups as compared to the control. The non-significant findings of drinking reductions on five drinking measures in the feedback group have important significance for campus alcohol education programs. Results support the use of motivation feedback and life skills strategies to reduce high-risk drinking and alcohol related problems.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2001
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11944
- Subject Headings
- College athletes--Life skills guides, College athletes--Alcohol use, Alcoholism--Study and teaching
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Faculty development centers in higher education: Incorporating diversity and technology.
- Creator
- Torrey, Evelyn Jeanne, Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
This descriptive study on faculty development centers, diversity, and technology was conducted by distributing e-mail surveys to 484 four-year colleges and graduate institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Responses to the 25-item instrument were submitted electronically into a database and merged with institutional data on state, enrollment, tuition, affiliation, highest degree awarded, and selectivity ranking. Although pedagogical...
Show moreThis descriptive study on faculty development centers, diversity, and technology was conducted by distributing e-mail surveys to 484 four-year colleges and graduate institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Responses to the 25-item instrument were submitted electronically into a database and merged with institutional data on state, enrollment, tuition, affiliation, highest degree awarded, and selectivity ranking. Although pedagogical training has always been an integral component of teacher education, disciplinary expertise has generally been the sole prerequisite for college teaching. Most universities offer travel support for faculty to attend professional conferences and provide sabbatical leave. Some academic units organize their own training activities. Consulting specialists may conduct specialized training. An individual or committee may voluntarily coordinate faculty development efforts. Since 1960, an increasing number of campuses have established faculty development centers with their own identities and reporting relationships, staff, budgets, and designated space, often with assistance from federal, state, or foundation funding. Centers focus on classroom instruction (instructional development), on faculty and their needs (faculty development), the overall needs of the institution (organizational development), and/or research. Of 185 respondents, 65 have faculty development centers, 5 have centers devoted to instructional technology, and 27 have active programs without formal centers; most belong to organizations or networks. Most centers have staff, budgets, and dedicated space. Centers are more likely found at large public institutions, report to the chief academic officer, and offer voluntary training to faculty, adjuncts, new faculty, and teaching assistants. Services focused more on andragogy and technology than on diversity. Most have Web sites, limited forms of evaluation, and expansion plans. Eight are women's colleges, 24 are Historically Black Colleges or Universities, and 9 are Hispanic Serving Institutions. Significant differences were found for enrollment, tuition, affiliation, and highest degree awarded and the scope of centers and programs. The study confirmed the value of faculty development centers and programs, the need to increase diversity and technology training, and the importance of evaluation and documentation of the contributions made by faculty development programs to the mission of the institution.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11987
- Subject Headings
- College teachers--Training of--United States, Multicultural education--United States, Educational technology--United States
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Perceptions of tenth-grade mathematics teachers and school administrators toward Florida's school accountability system: The A+ Plan.
- Creator
- Ferrer, Lourdes., Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn how high school mathematics teachers and school administrators perceived Florida's school accountability system, the A+ Plan. This inquiry was conducted during the spring of 2001, in one of the largest urban school districts in Florida, with a sample of 27 participants, 21 teachers and 6 administrators, pre-selected from a high, an average, and a low performing high school. Data was gathered in the form of tape-recorded interviews, hand...
Show moreThe purpose of this qualitative study was to learn how high school mathematics teachers and school administrators perceived Florida's school accountability system, the A+ Plan. This inquiry was conducted during the spring of 2001, in one of the largest urban school districts in Florida, with a sample of 27 participants, 21 teachers and 6 administrators, pre-selected from a high, an average, and a low performing high school. Data was gathered in the form of tape-recorded interviews, hand written field notes, and document analysis. This study found that the school performance grade, teaching assignment course level, and race or ethnicity were not a source of variability in participants' perceptions. The A+ Plan was unanimously viewed as a bureaucratic reform initiative that used a power coercive approach to obtain compliance. Participants believed that the A+ Plan's fundamental belief that "every child can learn and that no child should be left behind" was unrealistic, and did not share the plan's central assumption that students' performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is the direct result of their performance as teachers. They believed that students' natural abilities and personal motivations to learn surpass any other variable in determining the students' level of achievement. The FCAT was judged as an ineffective and unfair tool for teachers' accountability purpose because it did not provide information about students' academic growth in a year, and also, because it compared schools that differed in their students' demographics. The participants believed that they should not be held accountable, punished or rewarded for their students' performance on the FCAT because their students' scores on the mathematics section of the test was the outcome of their previous mathematics experience and English language proficiency. They believed that the school grade was merely a reflection of the school population, and that publicizing grades made the hiring and retention of qualified teachers more difficult and damaged their professional reputation and esteem in the community at large. The participants held that the A+ Plan was creating an environment where teachers perceived their work as more stressful and less rewarding because of what they view as unfair and unrealistic standards.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2001
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11967
- Subject Headings
- Mathematics teachers--Florida--Attitudes, Educational change--Florida, Educational accountability--Florida, School administrators--Florida--Attitudes
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The impact of curriculum design on health promoting behaviors at a community college in south Florida.
- Creator
- Hubbard, Ann Balaka., Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
The turn of the century has been greeted with major health care changes. Society is striving toward goals of health-promotion and wellness, historically nursing education's domain. To promote health in a population of community college students, this pilot study implemented health-promoting curriculum at a local community college. The theoretical framework for this research was Nola J. Pender's Health-Promotion Model. This framework was operationalized by Pender and Walker (1987) in an...
Show moreThe turn of the century has been greeted with major health care changes. Society is striving toward goals of health-promotion and wellness, historically nursing education's domain. To promote health in a population of community college students, this pilot study implemented health-promoting curriculum at a local community college. The theoretical framework for this research was Nola J. Pender's Health-Promotion Model. This framework was operationalized by Pender and Walker (1987) in an instrument, "Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II" (HPLP II). This instrument evaluates health-promoting behavior. The HPLP II was administered to: (a) An experimental group of 50 nursing students and 67 non-nursing students, and (b) a control group of 24 nursing and 31 non-nursing students for base-line measurement. The experimental group attended a health-promotion continuing education curriculum incorporating Pender and Walker's health-promotion subscales. After completion of the continuing education program, a post-test of the HPLP II was given. Without intervention, the control group completed the HPLP II for comparison. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. One hundred and seventy-two participants responded to the HPLP II pre-test. One hundred and sixty students responded to the post-test HPLP II, yielding a 93 percent overall response rate. It was found that: (1) Univariate ANOVA testing demonstrated significant differences among the characteristics of the sample by age, gender, ethnic background, and religion. (2) ANOVA testing demonstrated that there was a difference in health-promoting practices on the nutrition subscale by religion. (3) Health promoting deficiencies occurred on all subscales, with mean scores ranging from 2.14 to 3.09. (4) ANOVA testing demonstrated that there was a difference in groups (i.e. control and experimental across program areas) pre and post test on the interpersonal relation subscale between groups. Recommendations to the nursing field should be geared toward educating faculty on curriculum design of health promotion education. Uniform health promotion education materials should be created and utilized in the classroom setting. Future research in health promotion and health promotion education should include larger, more diverse samples from a variety of community colleges in order to strengthen the research findings. The time frame for the research conducted should also be lengthened to strengthen the research findings. Finally, the specific teaching methodology utilized in the health promotion education curriculum should be examined so that individual learning styles are acknowledged.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11993
- Subject Headings
- Health promotion, Medical education, Nursing--Study and teaching (Graduate)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The impact of block scheduling on academic achievement and the perceptions of teachers and administrators in selected South Florida high schools.
- Creator
- Cosimano, Michael, Florida Atlantic University, Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of scheduling alternatives on (a) student achievement, student behavior, and attendance rates and (b) teacher and administrator perceptions. Archival data for student achievement, behavior, and attendance were obtained from the Palm Beach County School District. Perceptions of teachers and administrators were obtained through data collected from questionnaires administered through participating schools in this study. The research took...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine the impact of scheduling alternatives on (a) student achievement, student behavior, and attendance rates and (b) teacher and administrator perceptions. Archival data for student achievement, behavior, and attendance were obtained from the Palm Beach County School District. Perceptions of teachers and administrators were obtained through data collected from questionnaires administered through participating schools in this study. The research took place at three high schools using either 4 x 4, A/B, or modified block schedules and two high schools using traditional schedules. The block-scheduled schools were used in a similar study in 1996 after 1 year of implementation. The current study investigated the impact of block scheduling for year 1 (1996) and year 6 (2001). Perceptions toward block scheduling were obtained from teachers and administrators working in the three block-scheduled schools. The findings in this study support prior research which found that block scheduling may enhance student achievement levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Based on the findings, it appears that the modified block schedule may be a better choice over the 4 x 4 and the A/B schedules in terms of increasing student achievement, decreasing student behavior problems, and increasing student attendance rates. Tentative findings on the perceptions of teachers and administrators appeared to indicate a preference toward remaining on the block schedule over the traditional schedule.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12090
- Subject Headings
- Academic achievement, School management and organization
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The development of a community-school partnership in a Brazilian elementary school: A case study.
- Creator
- Carvalho, Renata Osborne, Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
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This case study focused on describing the perspectives of educators and community members involved in a school-community partnership in an elementary public school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their perspectives included what they saw as the partnership's history, influence of the Friends of the School Project, benefits, conflicts, processes, and future expectations. This research was significant because community involvement in Brazilian public schools has been growing recently. The researcher...
Show moreThis case study focused on describing the perspectives of educators and community members involved in a school-community partnership in an elementary public school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their perspectives included what they saw as the partnership's history, influence of the Friends of the School Project, benefits, conflicts, processes, and future expectations. This research was significant because community involvement in Brazilian public schools has been growing recently. The researcher was a participant observer in the school, observing activities, interviewing adults, and collecting documents related to the partnership. The result was a holistic narrative of the case study from the triangulation of the methods of data collection and the views of participants. The research revealed a divided community, a previous abusive use of the school by the community, and a school open to constructive partnerships. The Friends of the School had a complementary role in the development of partnerships. The school had positive pedagogy, culture, and participation of parents and volunteers. The partnerships brought resources to the school and enriched the lives of people, particularly the children and the volunteers. There was an unequal distribution of partner activities per grade level and the roles of the citizens, educational professionals, and the state were questioned. Matching interests and respecting school's routines were important in the process of developing partnerships. Participants expected more participation from partners, more efficiency from the state, and better public schools. Their vision was of the children growing to be happy, critical, and able to compete in the world. The conclusions were that the public school was important in the fight against inequalities; the relationship between the school and the community could improve; the Friends of the School helped to make the partnerships official and brought more citizens in to participate in the school; the partnerships enriched the lives of children, parents, educators, and partners; Brazilians needed to demand their rights as stated in the Guidelines and Basis Law of the National Education (1996); and the volunteer action needed to be more organized.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11981
- Subject Headings
- Community education, Community schools
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Influences of an experiential learning program for Holocaust education.
- Creator
- Clyde, Carol Luann, Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this investigation is to examine the influence of an experiential learning program for Holocaust education. The March of Remembrance and Hope (MORH) program was established as a means to raise awareness and understanding of the event and to encourage students' involvement in related programs. The study explores what influence (if any) the MORH program had on the areas of student world-view, academic interests, and leadership skills. Additionally, the research will determine if...
Show moreThe purpose of this investigation is to examine the influence of an experiential learning program for Holocaust education. The March of Remembrance and Hope (MORH) program was established as a means to raise awareness and understanding of the event and to encourage students' involvement in related programs. The study explores what influence (if any) the MORH program had on the areas of student world-view, academic interests, and leadership skills. Additionally, the research will determine if reflection on the program influenced student participants, and if there are common demographics among those most influenced by the program. Finally, the research evaluated whether specific program activities were more influential to program participants. Data collected from 78 participants of the MORH program were analyzed using frequency distribution, Levene's Test for Equality of Variances, a Spearman's Rho correlation, multiple regression analysis and Chronbach's alpha. Open-ended questions posed in the survey were analyzed using a coding guide based on participant responses, which provided qualitative outcome data by identifying dominant themes. Results of the study indicate that participants were influenced in the areas of world-view and leadership interests and abilities more so than academic interests. Participants who actively reflected on the experience were more influenced than those who did not. There was no indication of demographic traits inherent to those participants who were more influenced by the MORH program. Finally, there were specific activities and events inherent to the MORH program that tended to influence participants at higher levels. This study found that participants in an experiential learning program for Holocaust education were influenced through participation and that participants identified a number of significant activities. This research has added to the current body of knowledge, but there are areas which might be improved or further developed based on the findings.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12010
- Subject Headings
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Study and teaching (Higher), Experiential learning
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Academic performance and demographic variables in predicting success in college algebra and graduation rates in an urban multi-campus community college.
- Creator
- Pedersen, Ginger Lee., Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict success in college algebra and in Associate in Arts graduation, and to examine the relationship between placing in one or more developmental education courses and Associate in Arts graduation. The study was conducted at a large urban community college in Palm Beach County, Florida with 1,142 first-time-in-college students who took the College Placement Test (CPT) as their entrance examination. The study was designed to determine...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict success in college algebra and in Associate in Arts graduation, and to examine the relationship between placing in one or more developmental education courses and Associate in Arts graduation. The study was conducted at a large urban community college in Palm Beach County, Florida with 1,142 first-time-in-college students who took the College Placement Test (CPT) as their entrance examination. The study was designed to determine whether students' gender, age, ethnicity, grade point average (GPA), English language proficiency, nontraditional status, placement scores and number of developmental courses could predict a students' success in college algebra and graduating with the Associate in Arts degree, and how placing in one or more developmental course was correlated with graduating with the Associate in Arts degree. Three research hypotheses were developed to determine any significant predictive ability among the variables studied. Hypotheses 1 and 2 used discriminant analysis to determine the predicative ability of identified variables and hypothesis 3 used a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient to assess the relationship of placing into one or more developmental courses on graduating with the Associate in Arts degree. All hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. The results of the study indicated that for hypothesis 1 the variables of GPA, number of developmental courses, level of mathematics courses and mathematics placement score were all significant predictors. For hypothesis 2, the variables of GPA, placement scores in reading and writing, and the number of developmental courses were all significant predictors. For hypothesis 3, the number of developmental courses that a student tested into did have a significant relationship with the student's receiving an Associate in Arts degree. The results are discussed in relation to ensuring that students are better prepared for college-level work by a series of recommendations relating to collaborative efforts between community colleges and local high school districts. In addition, recommendations are made to re-align the developmental mathematics curriculum to effectively prepare students for subsequent college-level mathematics courses.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12083
- Subject Headings
- Community colleges--Florida--Palm Beach County--Sociological aspects, Community college students--Florida--Palm Beach County--Statistics, Academic achievement--Florida--Palm Beach County, Postsecondary education--Research--Florida--Palm Beach County, Algebra
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A school, family, community partnership predictor model: Based on principals' communication and action strategies.
- Creator
- Bernstein, Susan Beth, Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
Family and community involvement literature reveals that principals play a key role in the success of family and community involvement initiatives. However, there is a paucity of information on specific strategies that principals use to increase involvement. This lack of information applies to schools in general and for schools with diverse populations with low socio-economic status. To help fill these gaps in information this researcher examines differences in communication and action...
Show moreFamily and community involvement literature reveals that principals play a key role in the success of family and community involvement initiatives. However, there is a paucity of information on specific strategies that principals use to increase involvement. This lack of information applies to schools in general and for schools with diverse populations with low socio-economic status. To help fill these gaps in information this researcher examines differences in communication and action strategies used by principals in, both Title I and non Title I schools, with exemplary family and community involvement programs (as evidenced by their school receiving the FL DOE Five Star School Award) compared to strategies used by principals whose schools did not receive such a distinction. Sixty-one potentially significant communication and action variables are extracted from the literature and grouped into three categories (one-way communication, two-way communication, and action-based communication strategies). Seven null hypotheses addressing the significance of these categories and the potential to develop a predictor model are tested using a specially designed Family and Community Involvement Principal Survey whose content, construct, and validity was subjected to the scrutiny of experts in the field and pilot tested for its reliability. Data was collected in January 2003 from a final sample of fifty-nine Palm Beach County. Florida elementary school principals (an 80% response rate). This data is subjected to a series of factorial Analysis of Variance and Discriminant Analysis, testing the null hypotheses at a .05 level of significance. The analyses identify statistically significant differences in action-based communication variables for Five Star, Title I, and an interaction among Five Star/Title I principals including: (a) planning teacher in-service on involvement, (b) funding involvement programs, (c) creating a Family Resource Center, and (d) encouraging family and community members to participate in shared decision-making. No significant differences were found in one-way or two-way communication variables for Five Star, Title I, or an interaction between Five Star/Title I. Further, the null hypothesis for a predictor model was rejected allowing for identification of key variables in a partnership classification model. Conclusions, recommendations, and implementations are discussed for further research and practical application.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12033
- Subject Headings
- School principals
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The perceptions of effectiveness of mentoring relationships in higher education.
- Creator
- Jadwick, Doreen K., Florida Atlantic University, Decker, Larry E.
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this study was to measure the perceptions of effectiveness between faculty mentors and proteges involved in formal mentoring relationships in higher education. The subjects were drawn from a non-probability sample of 35 faculty mentors and 53 proteges active in the 1995-96 Mentor Program sponsored by the Office of Minority Student Services at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). The responses from faculty mentors (n = 17) represented a 48.6% response rate. The responses from...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to measure the perceptions of effectiveness between faculty mentors and proteges involved in formal mentoring relationships in higher education. The subjects were drawn from a non-probability sample of 35 faculty mentors and 53 proteges active in the 1995-96 Mentor Program sponsored by the Office of Minority Student Services at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). The responses from faculty mentors (n = 17) represented a 48.6% response rate. The responses from proteges (n = 22) represented a 41.5% response rate. Four out of the seventeen faculty mentors who responded had more than one protege. The variable information was used only once for each faculty mentor, therefore, the analysis included 17 faculty mentors and 22 proteges. Subjects were administered the 55-item Principles of Adult Mentoring Scale (PAMS); an instrument based on adult development psychology theories and the transactional process of learning with six behavioral mentoring functions: Relationship Emphasis, Information Emphasis, Facilitative Focus, Confrontive Focus, Mentor Model, and Student Vision. Faculty mentors completed the PAMS and proteges completed the protege version of the PAMS. MANOVA and ANOVA indicated that the faculty mentors' and proteges' overall levels of perceptions of effectiveness were similar as were the levels of perceptions of effectiveness for the six behavioral mentoring functions. When compared to Cohen's mentor role competency scores for the PAMS, the behavioral mentoring functions revealed a variety of perceptions of effectiveness: Relationship Emphasis and Facilitative Focus for faculty mentors and proteges resulted in effective mean scores; Information Emphasis and Student Vision mean scores of faculty mentors resulted in less effective mean scores while Information Emphasis and Student Vision mean scores of proteges resulted in effective mean scores; faculty mentors' and proteges' mean scores for Confrontive Focus resulted in less effective scores while the Mentor Model mean scores of faculty mentors and proteges revealed very effective scores. The composite mean scores and mean scores for each of the six behavioral mentoring functions appear to validate Cohen's mentor role norm competency scores for the six behavioral mentoring functions developed for the purpose of using the PAMS. Confrontive Focus behavioral scores in this study were consistent with findings from F. C. Stoner's January, 1996 study that revealed less effective mean scores for adult educators from Continuing Education, Higher Education, and Business and Industry (Stoner, 1996). This is an initial study. The approach used here can be used by others in higher education. The research provides adult educators with data and reproducible techniques with which to assess, evaluate, and improve the interpersonal competencies of adult learners and mentors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1997
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12494
- Subject Headings
- College teachers--In-service training, Mentoring in education
- Format
- Document (PDF)