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EXPERIENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DEANS AND FACULTY AS CORRELATES 0F CURRICULUM CHANGE IN U.S. AND CANADIAN BIBLE COLLEGES BY Donald John Moore A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Curriculum and Instruction 1985 ABSTRACT EXPERIENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DEANS AND FACULTY AS CORRELATES OF CURRICULUM CHANGE IN U.S. AND CANADIAN BIBLE COLLEGES by Donald John Moore The purpose of this study was to examine the experien- tial characteristics of deans and faculty as correlates of curriculum change in 0.8. and Canadian member and candidate schools within the American Association of Bible Colleges. Three research questions guided the study which identified curriculum changes, characteristics of deans and faculty involved in these changes, and the correlation between the curriculum changes and the characteristics of the deans and faculty. The study was carried out in two phases each employing different mailed questionnaires. Phase One identified the curriculum changes (programs, entrance and graduation requirements, courses) during the three-year period of 1981-1984 and the individuals responsible for each. Phase Two identified the experiential characteristics of two selected groups of deans and faculty responsible for the ' curriculum changes identified in Phase One. The curriculum changes were identified as follows: 1. Programs: Education and Missions programs experienced. Donald John Moore 2. Entrance and Graduation Requirements: Overall on the increase. 3. Courses: Primarily Education, Christian Ministries, Music and Bible and Theology courses. The major experiential characteristics of the deans and faculty responsible for the curriculum changes were as follows: 1. Educational Background: -trained in both religious and non-religious schools -studied in both religious and non-religious fields -earned a Masters degree in the last 3 years —not currently employed by a previously attended educational institution 2. Teaching/Administrative Experience: -experience in both religious and non-religious work-settings -current position is faculty member with 11-20 years of experience -experience is within only one institution 3. Personal/Continuing Education: -involved in multiple religious seminars and conferences -reads both religious and non-religious magazines and books -virtually no involvement in research and writing Comparing the characteristics of deans and faculty in schools with a high rate of curriculum change with those in schools with a low rate of curriculum change, it was found that there were only two variables that differed signifi- cantly. These two variables were the source of education and the field in which the studies were done. THIS DISSERTATION IS DEDICATED TO: MY PARENTS WHOSE PERSONAL LIVES AND EXAMPLE HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES IN MY LIFE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the result of the excellent assis- tance I received from a number of very important people in my pursuit to study curriculum change in Bible Colleges in North America. The rich resources shared and the encourage- ment given by each were highly valued and appreciated. Dr. Ted Ward as my major professor, mentor, and friend provided the direction, support and supervision so necessary for the completion of this task. Dr. Charles Blackman, Dr. Richard Farace, and Dr. Howard Hickey as doctoral committee members each added valu- able insights and assistance guiding my work. The American Association of Bible Colleges endorsed this study and provided access to work with their member and candidate schools. Over 85% of the schools provided the necessary data to make this study a success. Briercrest Bible College, my employer, graciously provided financial assistance and study leaves to help facilitate this study along with assistance from their data processing center. Most importantly my wife, Darla, provided the encouragement, confidence and assistance so necessary from day to day to see this project to it's completion. iii Finally, I acknowledge the One who has contributed the most by giving me the knowledge, desire and ability to strive for excellence in all I do to please Him as my Creator. iv LIST OF CHAPTER CHAPTER A. B. CHAPTER A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. CHAPTER A. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLES O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 1: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Background of the Study . Research Questions. . . . Importance of the Study . Overview of the Procedure Definition of Terms . . . Delimitations . . . . . . Limitations . . . . . . . 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Curriculum Change . . . . . . . . Faculty Involvement in Curriculum Ch 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Research Design . . . . . . . Description of the Population Instrument Development. . . . Data Collection . . . . . . . Phase One: Instrument Content Phase One: Data Analysis. . . Phase Two: Instrument Content Phase Two: Data Analysis. . . 4: FINDINGS Phase One: Analysis of Curriculum Changes . Program Changes. . . . . . hUNH Course Changes . . . . . . ange. Program Entrance Requirement Changes . Program Graduation Requirement Changes vii l—‘OCDQO‘UIUJ FJH 12 16 33 37 39 41 B. Phase Two: Change Agent Study . . . . . . Part A - Change Agent Characteristics . . . 44 1. Educational Background . . . . . . . . 47 2. Teaching/Administrative Experience . . 48 3. Personal and Continuing Education. . . 49 4. Personal Perspective . . . . . . . . . 51 Part B - Relationship of Characteristics to Change Involvement. . . . 52 1. Educational Background . . . . . . . . 54 2. Teaching/Administrative Experience . . 60 3. Personal and Continuing Education. . . 65 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS A. Phase One: Summary of the Findings. . . . . . 74 B. Phase One: Discussion and Implications. . . . 77 C. Phase One: Recommendations for Further Study. 78 D. Phase Two: Part A - Summary of the Findings . 79 E. Phase Two: Part B - Summary of the Findings . 81 F. Phase Two: Discussion and Implications. . . . 81 G. Phase Two: Recommendations for Further Study. 86 APPENDIX A: Phase One Instrument: Review of Curriculum Change in AABC Member Schools (1981-1984). . . . . 89 APPENDIX B: Phase Two Instrument: Characteristics of Individuals Successful in Achieving Curriculum Change (1981-1984) 0 O O O O O O O O O O O 91 APPENDIX C: Personal Perspective Comments . . . . . . 96 BIBLImRAPHY. O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 101 vi Table 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. LIST OF TABLES Curriculum Change Reported School by School . Specific Program Changes. . . . . . . . . . . Specific Program Entrance Requirement Changes Specific Program Graduation Requirement Changes 0 O O O O O O O O O O O I O O O O 0 Specific Course Changes . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Change Agent Characteristics . . . Summary of Personal Perspective Comments. . . Source of Education Compared to‘ Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Fields of Study Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Highest Degree Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Years Since Last Degree Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Current Employer Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Sources of Experience Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Years of Experience Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Current Position of Experience Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . Breadth of Experience Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . vii Page 17. Association Memberships Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . 66 18. Seminar/Conference Involvement Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . 68 19. Research/Writing Involvement Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . 69 20. Magazine/Journal Reading Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . 70 21. Reading of Books Compared to Curriculum Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . 71 FIGURE Figure 1. Comparisons of Change Agent Characteristics and Overview of the Findings . . . . 53 viii CHAPTER ONE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The curriculum in a college is under constant change and development in an attempt to keep up with the demands of a changing society. Zaltman, Florio, Sikorski describe the responsibility that schools carry: Educational institutions are inextricably caught up in the ebb and flow of societal change. The school is contemporary society's most salient educational insti- tution. It is expected to carry the double burden of maintaining traditional values while preparing society's young members to deal with a changing world (1977, p. 3). With this responsibility on the shoulders of schools, there must be a constant awareness of curriculum changes that are either needed or are being made in response to the needs of a changing society. Curriculum changes can emerge from either the rational processes of curriculum planning or the relatively unplanned and adaptive “drift" (Hoyle in Bellack & Kliebard, p. 517) that often occurs. When curriculum changes emerge, they can and should be evaluated in light of an institution's mission statement. Zais clearly addresses this concern about the nature of curriculum change: First, change is inevitable; it will occur despite attempts to inhibit it. Second, change, itself, is neither good or bad; it is the direction of change and the value judgement placed on it that determines its goodness or badness . . . it is preferable that it (change) be directed by intelligent human intervention than that it be allowed to occur randomly as a result of accidental historical circumstance (1976, p. 19). In addition to identifying and evaluating curriculum changes, it is important to study the individuals most closely associated with the initiation and implementation of these changes. The members of the college faculty greatly influence curriculum change processes. From both an historic and current perspective, faculty involvement in curriculum change is well documented: The major role of the faculty in curriculum change was first formally stated in the 1915 American Association of University Professors' ”Declaration of Principles." Today the faculty are clearly the dominant force in the last two stages of curriculum change---initiation and implementation of the plan, and institutionalization of the innovation. Not only are they responsible for the operation of most new curricula as teachers, but they are also the prime movers in the hiring and promotion of instructional staff and their consent is usually obtained before implementing or terminating academic programs (Levine, 1978, p. 424). In each institution, certain faculty members and deans (called curriculum change agents in this study) are particularly successful in bringing about curriculum changes. A careful study of the preparation and development of these effective curriculum change agents provides additional insights into current curriculum changes. A knowledge of the training and background of experience of a successful curriculum change agent may inform the hiring and faculty development processes within a college. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) was established in 1947 to provide accreditation for Bible Colleges and Institutes across the United States and Canada which presently number 102. The AABC is a charter member of the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA), being one of the four national institutional members of COPA, coming in the same “institutional" category as the regional associations (Mostert, 1982). The focus of the AABC's mission is to accredit educa- tional institutions in which there are endeavors to prepare and equip students to live a Christian lifestyle, be actively involved in Christian service and to be good citi- zens of their country. The association is particularly noted for maintaining a consistent requirement that every institu- tion require of their graduates a full 30 hours of study in Bible and Bible-related courses. Beyond this, requirements exist for various programs in relation to studies in general education and in their major field of professional study. IIn order to keep current and abreast with a changing society, many Bible Colleges are making improvements and changes in their curriculum. The AABC represents the overall awareness and concern for the direction of recent curriculum changes in light of their responsibility as an association. The first issue is one of identifying the nature and types of curriculum changes made in AABC schools during the three-year period of 1981-1984. The findings which result may be reviewed and evaluated by the association's membership. A major interest of the AABC schools is the desire to maintain a distinctiveness as an association of educational institutions. To safeguard it's distinctiveness, each college in the association has generally hired individuals with certain training and background of experience. For example, usually a college has hired, as a faculty member, an individual who has either graduated from his/her own institution or from another within the association. This practice can be an asset in that many of the institution's valuable beliefs, traditions and practices are more readily maintained and perpetuated. However, the liability is that this practice may prevent outside thought to enter the system and there may be more resistance to change. Therefore, the second issue is to study the educational background, teaching/administrative experience and personal and continuing educational development (referred to as the training and background of experience in this study) of each change agent identified in each AABC institution. A closely related concern is to identify what relationship exists between the training and background of experience of faculty members and deans and the tendency within the institution towards curriculum change. These two issues serve as the focus for the research, carried out with the endorsement of the AABC and through the participation of its 102 member and candidate schools. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The study addressed the following research questions: 1. What curriculum changes have occurred, school by school, in AABC member and candidate schools during the three-year period of 1981—1984? What are the characteristics of the training and background of experience of the faculty members and deans serving as curriculum change agents in AABC schools? Is there a relationship between the training and background of experience of faculty members and deans and the high or low involvement of schools in curriculum change? IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY The study was of value and significance to three dis- tinct groups: the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC), Bible College administrators, and Bible College faculty members. The AABC was informed of what specific curriculum changes took place within their 102 member and candidate schools during the three-year period of 1981—1984. With information on curriculum changes, the association was able to study the findings and bring these to the attention of its member and candidate schools for study and evaluation in light of the association's mission statement. In addition, the study was concerned with the extent to which specific curriculum changes were initiated by the majority of the colleges in the association. The relationship between the training and background of experience of faculty members and deans and the tendency of a school towards curriculum change provided insights into recommended hiring and faculty development practices made to colleges within the association. Bible College administrators benefited from this study in being able to evaluate their own institution's curriculum changes in light of the developments taking place in other AABC member and candidate schools. This evaluation provided the stimulus for new curriculum development or the affirmation of what had already taken place. The results of the study have the potential of influencing faculty hiring processes, ongoing faculty development, and the composition of future curriculum committees within colleges. Faculty members in Bible Colleges gained many of the same benefits as indicated for the AABC and for adminis- trators. In addition, the relationship identified between training and background of experience and the tendency to be involved in curriculum change may influence future plans for personal professional development and employment. OVERVIEW OF THE PROCEDURE The research was done in two phases, each employing a unique questionnaire. The first instrument (Phase One) was be sent to the academic deans in all of the 102 member and candidate schools of the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC). The survey collected information about the nature and types of curriculum changes that have taken place during the three-year period of 1981-1984 (including program and course changes). In addition, the name and role of the initiators or major supporters (hereafter called "curriculum change agents”) involved in each curriculum change was obtained. Each responding institution was then placed on a continuum (from low to high) reflecting the amount of curriculum change that had transpired. This placement was used to indicate a school's tendency towards curriculum change. Phase Two involved 54 schools composed of the 27 schools identified as the lowest and the 27 schools identi— fied as the highest in terms of the amount of curriculum change determined in Phase One. The Phase Two instrument was sent to each curriculum change agent identified by the academic deans in each of these 54 schools. Information was collected concerning the training and background of exper- ience which included the educational background, teaching/ administrative experience and personal and continuing educational development of each change agent. The data collected in both phases were analyzed in order to respond to the research questions guiding the study. A report was made to each institution responding to Phase One by way of a summary of the curriculum changes that had occurred in AABC schools, along with a brief synopsis of the Phase Two findings. DEFINITION OF TERMS The study used the following terms which are defined by the researcher as follows: Change Agent: a faculty member or dean identified as the initiator or major supporter of one or more curriculum changes which were successfully implemented into a program within the educational institution. Curriculum: “Curriculum is a series of planned events under the auspices of the school that are intended to have instructional/educational consequences for the participants” (Eisner, 1979). Curriculum Change: Curriculum change includes both the rational processes of curriculum planning and the relatively unplanned and adaptive "drift“ (Hoyle in Bellack and Kliebard, p. 517) which causes a movement from what it was to something new. The study focused only on the rational processes of curriculum planning. General Education: “General education refers to courses that acquaint students with the content and methodology of the major areas of learning: social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities" (Dressel & DeLisle, 1969, p. 12). The Major: The Major, or concentration, is the gen- eric term used to describe "depth" requirements. Use will be made of Levine's (1978) definition: The major . . . which usually consists of a number of courses in one field or in two or more related fields, is the depth component of the undergraduate curriculum. It is intended to provide students with a body of knowledge, methods of study, and practice appropriate to a subject or subject area (p. 28). 10 Training and Background of Experience: The training and background of experience refers to the educational background, teaching/administrative experience and personal and continuing educational development of a particular individual. DELIMITATIONS The proposed study has the following delimitations: 1. No attempt was made to identify the specific inter- nal and external forces that caused, effected or brought about the curriculum changes identified, beyond the efforts and contributions of the dean and faculty of each institution. Data for Phase One of the study came from only academic deans; thus the study was limited to what these individuals recognized, recalled, and were willing to report as curriculum change. Therefore, all curriculum changes may not have been identified. Data for Phase Two of the study came from only faculty and administrators identified by the aca- demic deans in Phase One. There may have been additional individuals within each institution who are successful curriculum change agents that were not identified. 11 The period of three years (1981-1984) was chosen as a short enough period to allbw for recall of cur- riculum changes and yet a long enough period to expect some curricular changes to have occurred in most schools. LIMITATIONS: The proposed study has the following limitations: 1. While recommendations naturally evolved from it, the study was "primarily concerned with determining the nature and degree of existing conditions,” (Lehmann 1971, p.95) and should not be viewed as an evaluative study, as such, of any college. The results of the study do not represent the value or worth of any one or more curriculum changes reported in the study. The data collected from the academic deans relied on their ability and willingness to recognize, recall, and report curriculum changes in their colleges. The results of the study do not represent the many curriculum changes and individuals involved in other non-reported curriculum activity. The weightings used in Phase Two were arbitrary and non-empirical since there was no precedent available. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW This section consists of two parts. The first part reviews the literature concerning curriculum change. The second part focuses on the role and involvement of faculty in the curriculum change process. CURRICULUM CHANGE A study of curriculum change can be rather difficult to accomplish. Curriculum changes can be: planned or unplanned, intended or unintended, recognized or unrecognized, announced or unannounced, and slowly or quickly adopted. Kerr, as the chairman of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, spells out the problem: Change and innovation are difficult to moniter . . . Some innovations become standard practice almost before the shine of their newness wears off. Other new ideas turn out to be simply variations on an old theme. Some are tried and abandoned almost before they are generally known to have come upon the scene. To these difficulties, one must add the most obvious of all-~- there is no systematic way in which innovation is announced to the interested public. Many worthwhile ideas get overlooked, even after the most conscientious scholarship has been exerted to bring them to light (in Heiss, 1973, p. v). The study focused on the curriculum changes which were made as a result of planned, intended and announced change 12 13 processes that occurred in a select group of private colleges during the three-year period of 1981-1984. In order to have a clear understanding of curriculum change, it is important to identify the component parts of a curriculum. These are the areas in which one would expect to find changes occurring. Taba (in Gress & Purpel, 1978) provides a model of the four components or elements of a curriculum as shown here: Objectives Subject /I \Method and Matter \1/ Organization Evaluation These components are accepted by a number of special- ists in the curriculum field (Herrick & Tyler, 1950),(Giles, McCutcheon, & Zechiel, 1942),(McNei1, 1981). In studying curriculum changes the following questions arise when curriculum is conceived of in terms of Taba's four components: 1. What changes have taken place in what has to be done (objectives) through the curriculum? 2. What changes have occurred in the subject matter used? 14 3. What changes have there been in methods and organization? 4. What changes have taken place in appraising the results? From the context of these four elements and questions, the researcher chose to study two major categories of curriculum change within a select group of colleges. These were program and course changes. Naturally not all curriculum changes are as significant as others. To help distinguish the differences, McNeil (1981) provides five levels of complexity of curriculum change: take 1. Substitutions of one element for another 2. Alteration of basic elements 3. Perturbations or disruptive changes 4. Restructuring or system modifications 5. Value orientation change Looking closer at the curriculum changes that often do place, Worthen makes the point that: . . . much of current curriculum change does not corres- pond to any sort of planned mechanism or set of developmental goals but, instead, is homeostatic (reactive or tending to restore balance in the system rather than develop the system). Homestatic change, it appears, is most likely to involve substitution of one element for another . . . (1966). The responsiveness of the college environment plays an important role in providing for curriculum change. The environment must be one that can maintain a balance between flexibility and stability which is difficult to do (Bell, 15 1967). The college is expected to prepare students for a changing world and yet maintain traditional values (Zaltman, 1977). Often the very process of developing stability within a college prevents the college from having the flexibility to adapt when changes occur (Zaltman, 1973). Major problems arise when there is too much flexibility or stability. Weick states that too much flexibility can be destructive: The trouble with total flexibility is that the organ- ization can't over time retain a sense of identity and continuity. Any social unit is defined in part by its history, by what it has done and by what it has chosen repeatedly. Chronic flexibility destroys identity (1979). On the other hand, excessive stability results in the repetitive use of a set of responses to all changes that are encountered. This could become a problem since new, more appropriate responses might never be discovered and the potential value in some changes never realized. For instance, colleges within the AABC have a tendency to hire individuals who have either graduated from their own private religious institution or at least from another within the association. This practice can be both an asset and a liability. The asset is that many of the institu- tion's valuable beliefs, traditions and practices are more readily maintained and perpetuated. However, the liability is that this practice may prevent outside thought to enter the system and there may also be more resistance to change. 16 The balance between flexibility and stability in a college environment is maintained primarily by the adminis- trators, academic deans and faculty members. The ability or inability to respond to change will affect the direction of curriculum changes and ultimately the life of the institution. The study reported on the types of curriculum change, as well as the characteristics of the academic deans and faculty members involved in curriculum decision-making processes. FACULTY INVOLVEMENT IN CURRICULUM CHANGE The role of the faculty in the curriculum change pro- cess has been well documented down through the years. Levine reports: The major role of the faculty in curriculum change was first formally stated in the 1915 American Association of University Professors' "Declaration of Principles." Today the faculty are clearly the dominant force in the last two stages of curriculum change---initiation and implementation of the plan, and institutionalization of the innovation. Not only are they responsible for the operation of most new curricula as teachers, but they are also the prime movers in the hiring and promotion of instructional staff and their consent is usually obtained before implementing or terminating academic programs (Levine, 1978, p. 424). More specifically, Levine further explains the extensive role that the faculty play in many of the curricu- lum changes that this study addresses. For instance, \/ 17 consider the role that faculty play in decisions concerning the majors an institution offers: ...the general design of the major--including the determination of additional credits or courses required beyond the institutional minimum, the content of the courses, the number of the courses offered, the sequencing of courses, which courses are required, which courses are electives, the character of compre- hensive examinations or theses, and the rules for granting credit--are almost always determined by the faculty with expertise in the major area, usually members of a department, particularly for single sub- ject majors (p. 29). In light of this, the curriculum offerings and require- ments of any particular institution reflect the composite perspective of the faculty. Many factors influence the thinking and decision-making processes of each faculty mem- ber involved in curriculum change which impacts the whole institution. Some research may be drawn from related fields to clarify variables that affect the adopters of new innova- tions. Studies by Rogers (1961), Marsh (1954), and Wilkening (1952) which have analyzed the relationships between divi- sion of new farm practices and the characteristics of the target systems, have tended to show that innovation is related to such deomographic variables as socioeconomic level, educational level, and a cosmopolitan outlook. Zaltman identifies and organizes the basic qualifica- tions of a change agent around the following five areas of concern: technical qualifications, administrative ability, 18 interpersonal relations, job orientation and leadership (1977). A dean or faculty member serving as a curriculum change agent must possess technical competence and have kept up with the current developments in his/her field. The indivi- dual must also be able to adapt and apply his/her skills to the problems at hand whether simple or complex. The curriculum change agent must have administrative abilities in planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling with particular care for the detailed matters and red tape problems that occur. Interpersonally, the curriculum change agent must have an ability to identify with others and develop an environ- ment of openness, trust and risk-taking which are important for change and innovation (Argyris, 1965). The curriculum change agent must have motivation and drive with a commitment to develop the skills and resources of those with whom he/she is working. In addition, the individual must be able to recognize and tolerate the con- straints that any social system will impose. The leadership qualifications for a curriculum change agent include the necessity for poise and backbone along with political finesse in endeavoring to present a change attractive to differing segments within the organization. In 19 addition, traits of personal integrity, honesty, and ethical behavior are essential. Many of these qualifications are developed and acquired through the change agent's training and background of exper- ience. Of primary importance to this study is the effect that the previous training and background of experience of the dean and the faculty has in relation to their collective (institutional) tendency towards making curriculum changes of various kinds within their school. McGrath and Altman write, ”There has been very little research concerned with the way in which . . . levels of training achieve their impact on group performance (1966, p. 59)." They also report that effective leadership behavior and task performance were explained in part by education. Rogers makes a generalization that innovators have relatively high social status in terms of amount of educa- tion (1983). In a previous work he cites some twenty-five studies which found that education was related to innova- tiveness (1962). He concludes that one of the criteria for establishing an innovative staff is their breadth of training (1953). Amount of education was significantly correlated with the adoption of innovations by a group of superintendents in the Allegheny County Study done by Carlson (1965). Wygal, on the other hand, found that there 20 was no significant relation between the amount of education possessed by innovators and traditionalists (1966). In summary, Evans claims “the greatest resistance to change will be found in those institutions whose tradi- tional, primary function has been the perpetuation of a society's folkways, mores, and values, such as religious and educational institutions (1967, p. 2)." Colleges within the AABC carry the distinct responsibility of communicating religious education and values, in addition to providing an educational program which prepares students for a changing world. Therefore, faculty need continued encouragement to consider and evaluate possible curriculum changes, implementing changes consistent with the mission statement of the institution. One means of doing this is to select faculty with con- siderable breadth in education and experience to inform their perspective in curriculum change processes. Levine points out that this is currently a problem in general education by stating: "The training and experience of most faculty members does not prepare them well for broad, cooperative, interdisciplinary teaching (1978, p. 22)." Private religious education provides one particular valuable perspective. Besides this, further education and experience in non-religious institutions can serve to inform the 21 perspective of a faculty member involved in making curriculum decisions. CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Chapter Three contains the description of the research design and methodology. Included are a description of the research design, a description of the population, the proce- dures of the instrument development, the data collection and data analysis for each of the two phases of the research, and a summary of the two phases. RESEARCH DESIGN The focus of the study was descriptive in nature. Isaac and Michael (1981) state that the contribution made by descriptive studies to the advancement of knowledge is four-fold: (a) to collect detailed factual information that describes existing phenomenon, (b) to identify problems or justify current conditions and practices, (c) to make comparisons and evaluations, and (d) to determine what others are doing with similar problems or situations and benefit from their experiences in making future plans and decisions (p. 46). The primary purpose of the study fulfilled Isaac and Michaels' first purpose by describing the actual curriculum 22 23 changes reported as having taken place during the three-year of 1981-1984 in member and candidate institutions of the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC). In addition, each faculty member and dean identified as being responsible for each change was surveyed to identify any significant training and background of experience common to successful curriculum change agents. The survey research was handled in two phases. The first phase employed a questionnaire to collect data iden— tifying four specific areas of curriculum changes that had taken place during the three-year period in each AABC insti- tution. Each school responding was assigned a point value in accord with the amount of curriculum change that had taken place. The schools were then ranked from high to low with regard to their curriculum change activity. The second phase employed a questionnaire to obtain specific data from the successful curriculum change agents representing the 27 schools ranked high and the 27 schools ranked low in curriculum change activity as identified in Phase One. Participants in Phase Two wereasked to provide information describing their personal training and background of experience. The instruments provided were coded with personal identification numbers, assuring confidentiality. 24 The following ten steps were taken in preparing for each phase of the two-phase study: 1. 10. The first questionnaire was developed with items designed to obtain data concerning the curriculum changes occurring during the three-year period of 198l~1984. The questionnaire was pretested with an audience similar to that of the study to check its validity. The questionnaire was revised following the pretest to improve vague and poorly worded questions. The data were collected with the revised mail ques- tionnaires using the "Total Design Method", which is described later in this chapter. The data were analyzed in light of the research questions guiding the study. In addition, each responding institution was given a numerical value to represent the amount of curriculum change that had occurred in the three-year period. The second questionnaire was developed with items designed to obtain data concerning the training and background of experience of curriculum change agents identified through the first questionnaire. The questionnaire was pretested with an audience similar to that of the study to check its validity. The questionnaire was revised following the pretest to improve vague or poorly worded questions. The second questionnaire was sent (using the "Total Design Method”) to the curriculum change agents identified through the first questionnaire in the 27 schools scoring the highest and the 27 schools scoring the lowest with respect to their curriculum change during the three-year period. The data were analyzed in light of the research questions guiding the study. 25 DESCRIPTION OF THE POPULATION The population of the study consisted of all 102 member and candidate status institutions accredited under the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) in the United States and Canada. The chief academic officer, usually the‘ Academic Dean or Dean of Education, was invited to partici— pate in Phase One by the Executive Director of the AABC. Following this, a select number of administrators and faculty members identified in Phase One were invited to participate in Phase Two by the Executive Director of the AABC. INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT This section describes the process used to develop each questionnaire for the two-phase study. The content of each questionnaire is described separately under each phase later in the chapter. Although the questionnaires were fairly straight- forward, a major concern in the development of each was the quality of the items created. Sheatsley says, ”The accuracy and validity of our data depend entirely on the questions we ask and the ways in which our respondents perceive and .respond to them (in Rossi et al., 1983)." Each questionnaire item was worded carefully. Even as far back as 1936, Hovde reported that three experts out of 26 every four criticized wording of questionnaires. Payne (1951) provides six valuable questions to test the wording used in the development of good questions: (1) Does it mean what we intend? (2) Does it have any other meanings? (3) If so, does the context make the intended meaning clear? (4) Does the word have more than one pronunciation? (5) Is there any word of similar pronunciation that might be confused? (6) Is a simpler word or phrase suggested (either in the dictionary or in a thesaurus)? Questions were asked in a prescribed order. There is evidence that responses to certain kinds of questions vary significantly depending on the items that precede and follow them (Bradford and Mason, 1964). Questions related to one another were grouped together. This common strategy tends to encourage context effects on the responses received (Schuman & Presser, 1981, p. 75). In order to develop questionnaires that would yield reliable and valid data, a pretest of each questionnaire was individually administered to respondents with a similar per- spective to that of the population studied in each phase. Each respondent was asked to indicate where they had ques- tions, noted ambiguities or had other comments. 27 From the pretest of each instrument, a few minor changes were made. DATA COLLECTION In order to obtain a high rate of response to the mail questionnaires (planned to exceed 80%), the researcher fol- lowed the standard set of mail procedures outlined by Dillman entitled "The Total Design Method (TDM)" (in Rossi et al., 1983). Research on this procedure has shown response rates of over 90% from groups of respondents similar to those used in this study (Dillman, 1972, 1978). TDM IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES The TDM implementation procedures are as detailed as those regarding questionnaire construction, and consist of the following: 1. A one-page cover letter is prepared. It explains (a) that a socially useful study is being conducted; (b) why each respondent is important; and (c) who should complete the questionnaire. It also promises confidentiality in conjunction with an identification system used to facilitate follow-up mailings. 2. The exact mailing date is added onto the letter, which is then printed on the sponsoring agency's letterhead stationery. 3. Individual names and addresses are typed onto the printed letters in matching type and the researcher's name is individually signed with a 28 blue ballpoint pen using sufficient pressure to produce slight indentations. Questionnaires are stamped with an identification number, the presence of which is explained in the cover letter. The mailout packet, consisting of a cover letter, questionnaire, and business reply envelope is placed into a monarch-size envelope on which the recipient's name and address have been individually typed (address labels are never used) and first- class postage is affixed. Exactly one week after the first mailout, a post- card follow-up is sent to all recipients of the questionnaire. Three weeks after the first mailout, a second cover letter and questionnaire is sent to everyone who has not responded. Seven weeks after the first mailout, a second cover letter complete with a third cover letter and replacement questionnaire is sent by certified mail. PHASE ONE: INSTRUMENT CONTENT The questionnaire used in Phase One was designed to collect data concerning the curriculum changes that had taken place in each AABC institution. Individual items for the questionnaire were developed around four specific areas of curriculum change. The following information was requested concerning each of these four areas: 1. Program changes a. names of programs changed b. type of program changes (added, deleted or replaced by another) c. identity of the administrator or faculty member primarily responsible for the change 29 2. Program entrance requirements a. names of programs changed b. type of requirement changes (increased or decreased) c. identity of the administrator or faculty member primarily responsible for the change 3. Program graduation requirements a. names of programs changed b. type of requirement changes (increased or decreased) c. identity of the administrator or faculty member primarily responsible for the change 4. Course changes a. names of courses changed b. main use of the course as either a Bible, Major or General Education course c. type of course changes (added or deleted) d. identity of the administrator or faculty member primarily responsible for the change A sample of the Phase One instrument used to collect the above data is included in Appendix A. PHASE ONE: DATA ANALYSIS Data received through the questionnaires were recorded categorically in each of the four major areas of curriculum change under study. In addition, a numerical total, with percentages, of the number and types of changes reported under each category were recorded along with the identity of the individual responsible for each change. From the analy- sis of these data, significant curriculum changes were determined. 30 In order to prepare for Phase Two, a numerical value was given to each school (which responded to Phase One) to represent the amount of curriculum change that had taken place during the three-year period under study. Each cur- riculum change reported was given a value of one point except for changes made to entire programs; these latter were given a value of three points due to the greater amount of time and decision-making invested in such program changes. Using this weighting, schools were ranked in order of values calculated from a low of zero (0) to a high of sixty-three (63). From this ranking the high 27 and the low 27 schools were identified for further study under Phase Two. All of the data were then summarized and placed in tabular format for reporting purposes. PHASE TWO: INSTRUMENT CONTENT The questionnaire used in Phase Two was designed to collect data describing the training and background of experience of the curriculum change agents found in the two sets of 27 schools identified as being on the high or low end of the continuum in Phase One. In this way, the training and background of experience of each group of 27 were compared with each other. Individual items for the questionnaire were developed around four major areas of 31 study. The following information was requested concerning each curriculum change agent: 1. Educational Background a. name of each institution from which a degree or diploma was received b. the degree or diploma received c. the year of graduation and the field of study 2. Teaching/Administrative Experience a. name of each institution b. position held and number of years 3. Personal and Continuing Education a. Professional Associations -name of the association -number of years of membership b. Seminar/Conference Involvement -topic of each conference -sponsor of each -involvement as attendee, presentor or coordinator c. Research and Writing -title of work and year -source of publication -reason for work * professional interest * invited by publisher * expected by employer * other d. Current Reading Practices -four most useful magazines read -title/author of last four books read -reason for reading these books: * personal interest * recommended * teaching preparation * required by work/education 4. Personal Perspective Asked to identify the characteristics they would look for in a person to be hired to assist in stimulating curriculum change. A sample of the Phase Two instrument used to collect the data is included in Appendix B. 32 PHASE TWO: DATA ANALYSIS The data analysis was handled in two parts. Part A focused on the characteristics of the training and back- ground of experience of all faculty members and deans serving as curriculum change agents. These were identified and tabulated to identify the dominant characteristics. Part B identified and compared any significant differ- ences in the characteristics of curriculum change agents found between the agents in schools with high rates of cur- riculum change and schools with low rates of curriculum change. In order to do this, the responses were processed in two separate groups according to their classification as an institution with a high or low tendency towards curriculum change. Within each group the data received were recorded categorically in each of the four major areas of training and background of experience. Comparisons between the two profiles were then made using a Chi—square test to deter— mine whether the two frequency distributions differed significantly from each other in each of the categories. CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS Chapter Four presents the findings from each phase of the two-phase study organized around the research questions guiding the research. PHASE ONE: ANALYSIS OF CURRICULUM CHANGES The first research question: ”What curriculum changes have occurred, school by school, in AABC member and candi- date schools during the three-year period of 1981—1984?" was addressed through Phase One. A total of 88 schools responded out of a possible 102 AABC member and candidate schools, resulting in an 86% return. Table One presents a summary of the types and numbers of curriculum changes reported by each AABC school in addi- tion to the total number of changes reported. The total of reported curriculum changes in each of the four major areas of curriculum activity were as follows: 217 program changes 18 entrance requirement changes 34 graduation requirement changes 189 course changes 1049 Total number of curriculum changes 33 34 DETAILED ANALYSIS OF CURRICULUM CHANGES FROM 1981-1984 IN AABC SCHOOLS TABLE 1: ASSIGNED VALUE COURSE CHANGES GRAND REQUIREMENTS CHANGES ENTRANCE GRADUATION ADDED OR DELETED TOTAL SCHOOL PROGRAM NO. .Qm Aflmmzmw mObmz mamHm .Qm Aflmmzmw £0642 manm Qmmflmmoma GmmfimmUZH Gmmflmmoma Ommdmmqu Gmamqma Dmodqmmm Omnad 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 WEIGHTS 3 280301200165002000302000121 l 84060440401200.1—030000001000 l 331300003305000000000000000 625787740950532010003001034 1 1 l 044203305603774783413473002 12311 121 ll 11 11.1 1 ll 210334321200500021002012000 .l. 100000000000000000010000000 002101010001020332020201233 100000000010000000000000000 000000010000000210100100020 41020100101101].000001210100 001010001100000100004000000 623443443151223504340412644 21 01 10 24 61 Continued 35 (Continued) TABLE 1: COURSE CHANGES GRAND ASSIGNED VALUE REQUIREMENTS CHANGES ENTRANCE GRADUATION ADDED OR DELETED TOTAL SCHOOL PROGRAM NO. .Qm Aémmzmw MOhdz mqum .Qm Admmzmw MOHQS mqum Qmm