This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 11 titles deal with the following topics: (1) interpersonal communication in the reference interview; (2) the relationship of a principal's communication behavior to the teacher's perceived job satisfaction; (3) the relationship…

In 1982, Bakersfield College (BC) conducted a telephone survey to assess the effectiveness of BC's promotional efforts, the community's perception of the quality of BC's courses and cultural events, the educational interests and needs of the community, and interest in expanded child care and innovative time frames for course offerings. Information…

A study was conducted in Spokane, Washington, to determine motivational factors and preferred conditions that would encourage adults to participate in learning activities. Interviews were conducted with 600 randomly selected households (89 percent success rate) distributed across the age, educational attainment, occupational, and socioeconomic…

A follow-up survey of Oregon's 1979-80 twelfth grade vocational students and early leavers and their employers was conducted to determine what the former students were doing, what they thought of their vocational preparation, and how their employers perceived their preparation for jobs. The survey population consisted of all 1979-80 vocational…

Evidence concerning tenure as found in a review of the literature of more than 200 sources is examined. After addressing the tenure process, typology, history, the involvement of the American Association of University Professors, and current legal perspectives, the various alternatives to tenure are considered. The following systemic institutional…

Results of the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) evaluation of its collection of data for the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) are examined. Concerns regarding accuracy, timeliness, and uses of HEGIS data collection are addressed. To review the literature of higher education and publications concerned with some…

A study of persons living in the vicinity of LaGuardia Community College was conducted to determine respondents' views about problems facing their communities and their attitudes toward and experiences with adult or continuing education. Between April and June 1980, 840 interviews were conducted with adults who were not full-time students. During…

The major purposes of this study were (1) to determine the congruence between perceived actual and desired frequency and extent of participation by teachers in the decision-making process; (2) to relate decision participation to teachers' job satisfaction; (3) to relate selected personal and situational variables to decisional participation; and…

Data on the social effects of boomtown growth and industrialization were collected from residents of three western communities (Craig, Colorado; Price, Utah; and Gunnison, Colorado) via a fairly detailed mail questionnaire sent to a random sample of 900. Completed questionnaires were received from 443 (a return rate of 65%). A number of different…

Faculty career changes through retirement, a move to another institution, or a move to nonacademic employment were examined through interviews with 134 faculty members who had left Pennsylvania State University, a multi-campus research university. The research design incorporated the concept of "social information processing" (Pfeffer,…

This study focused on the intrinsic motives that account for teachers leaving their profession. Former teachers in the Haifa area of Israel participated in interviews, giving reasons for leaving teaching that correlated with those found in a study of the literature. The most frequently mentioned reasons for leaving teaching were: (1) burnout and…

Alumni of Bellarmine College, Kentucky, who had obtained B.A. or B.S. degrees from 1974 to 1978 were surveyed in 1979. Areas of assessment were as follows: majors, desired occupation at time of graduation, attendance at graduate school, present employment status, jobs held by respondents, reasons why respondents chose their present jobs,…

The study described in this report was conducted at the State University of New York (Geneseo) to determine which instructional variables were most responsible for students' liking or disliking for a course (student affect), course satisfaction, and voluntary participation in additional course work in a field (behavioral intent). The report first…

Research of 25 Michigan elementary and secondary public schools is used to test a model relating organizations' problem-solving adequacy to their available inputs or resources and to the appropriateness of their structures. Problems that all organizations must solve, to avoid disorganization or entropy, include (1) getting inputs and producing…

Alumni impressions of the degree to which their college educations contributed to their personal growth in a number of outcome areas were assessed, in 1980-81 based on data collected at 36 colleges and universities. A total of 7,330 alumni records were examined, and the respondents ranged in age from 20 through over 65 years old, with a median age…