A STUDY or SELECTED FACTORS RELATED TO THE 3
COMMUNICATION paocess u’sso av CURRiCULUM 7
DIRECTORS m mcmcm wanes—CHM);

Thais far fhg'Dogmo 9f Ph. D._
MICHIGAN STATE “UNIVERSfTY
Pefer P. Waiius
I963

 

THESIS

This is to certify that the

thesis entitled
A STUDY OF SELECTED FACTORS RELATED TO THE

COMMUNICATION PROCESS USED BY CURRICULUM

DIRECTORS IN MICHIGAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
presented by ‘

Peter P. Wallus

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

PILD .degree minunanon

‘ OS, "f;
ngor professor y",

 

Date ll/l5/63

0-169

 

LIBRARY

Michigan State
University

 

PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record.
To AVOID FINES return on or before date due.
MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested.

 

DATE DUE

DATE DUE

DATE DUE

 

0ch A34 2005

 

Er” 7.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6/01 cJCIRC/Dateouepss-sz

——_

A STUDY CF SELEcTEO FACTCRs ReLAIES

TO THE COANUKICATION PdDCEbS Coda sv

CCRRICULUM DIRECTORS IN MICHIGAN
PUBLIC SCHOOLS

by Peter P. hallus

In this study the researcher undert00k to assess
some of the factors of the communication process which public
scnool curriculum directors use. The communication process,
as outlined in this research, has four basic factors: a
sencer, a message, a channel and a receiver. In this pro-
Ject the curriculum director was considered as the receiver,
three curricular practices were labeled as messages and
communication media were described as channels. The sender
was not researched.

The following hypotheses were formulated: (I) that a
relationship exists between the receiver and the message,

(2) that a relationship exists between the channel and the
message, (3) that a relationsnip exists between the receiver
and the channel, and (4) that relationships exist among the
channels.

An interview schedule was developed to seCure infor-
mation from all the curriculum directors who were listed
as: general administrator, other than the superintendent,
in charge of curriculum for a school system which had grades
one through twelve. All the qualified curriculum directors
in hichigan public schools were interviewed. The three

curricular practices were described as (I) action research

I
’ . h ,3 a r“ '0.
‘« w‘ Kr (.r v ' u. ' l i

1"

LI‘
{'D
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(D
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a method of curriculum development, (2)

 

a program for all youth and (3) counselinc, a practice for

 

all youth throughout all the school grades, kindergarten
through grade twelve by trained counselors. The communica-

tion media were grouped under three generic headings, mass

 

media, Groups as media and individuals asrhedia.

In collecting the data, each factor of the communica-
tion process as represented in the education setting was
qualified in specific terms. The curriculum directors were
described through the use of demographic characteristics
which were age, sex, size of school System, professional
preparation, professional experience, professional involvement,
reputed knowledgeability and reputed reliability. The Curri-
cular practices were compared on the bases of favor or non—
favor, and use or non-use. The communication media were
assessed for specific utilization and for degree of utiliza-
tion.

Percentages were used to report the descriptive data.
The chi-square test of significance was applied to ascertain
levels of association for the hypothesized relationships.

Significant associations were found to exist in the
following relationships: (I) between the receiver and the
message, (2) between the receiver and the channel, and (3)
among the various channels. Although the relationship Lu-
tween the message and the channel did not reach a signifi-
cant level of association, it was deemed permissible to

report the results to avoid the type two error of probability.

In support of the firSt hypothesis that a rela;; a-
ship existed between the receiver and the message, the
following demographic characteristics had associations of
noteworthy significance to the three curricular practices:
age, sex, size of school system, professional experience,
professional involvement, reputed knowledgeability and
reputed reliability. The level of significance varied from
extremely significant to mooerately low. The evidence seems
to support the hypothesis that the characteristics of the
curriculum directors are related to the acceptance and use
of curricular practices.

The next hypothesis concerns the relationship be-
tween tne channel and the message. The description of the
association level as moderately low is appropriate for all
four relationships between the communication media and the
curricular practices. Those curriculum directors who have
a low rating in groups aa media tend to favor and use aga-
eral education for all youth as a practice. whereas those
curriculum directors with a high rating in the use of
groups aa media tend to use action research as a curricular
practice. Another negative relationship exists between

curriculum directors in the use of individuals aa media

 

and general education, that is, those curriculum directors

 

who have a low rating in the use of individuals aa media

 

tend to have an association with ganeral education as a

 

practice in curriculum. Because the evidence is not signifi-

cantly supportive, these results are reported to indicate

Peter F. wallus

possible direction.

When the third hypothesis, that a relationship
exists between the receiver and the channel, is assessed in
light of the results of this study, four associations emerge
as important. Age, sex and professional involvement reveal
varying levels of association with groups 2§.E£212 and
individuals 22.22213- These associations support the third
hypothesis that certain demographic characteristics of the
receiver are significantly related to the use of certain
kinds of channels.

The last hypothesis that relationships exist among
the channels is supported. The data reveal that a high
rating in one channel tends to produce a high rating in the
other channels. A significant association exists among the
use of mass media, ggoups aa $3211 and individuals aa flfifllé'
That is, those receivers who tend to use one kind of a
channel extensively will tend to use other kinds of channels

extensively.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author wishes to express his gratitude to the
members of his guidance committee for the ennumerable
occasions when they gave unselfishiy of their time and
knowledge. I wish to thank the chairman of the guidance com-
mittee, Dr. George A. Myers, for making this project
possible through his invaluable guidance and encouragment;
to Dr. Archie O. Haller for his assistance in the specialized
area of this research that of the diffusion-acceptance pro-
cess; to Dr. Charles A. Blackman for his suggestions to the
research and improvement of the text; to Dr. Harold Dillon,
for his encouragement during the entire study.

The author is also indebted to the many curriculum
directors who gave unstintingiy of their time to make this
project a reality.

My wife Nancy and the children, who have been con-
stant companions throughout the complete program, have
provided inspiration, love and encouragement. I one a
debt of gratitude especially to my wife eho worked dili-

gently at every stage of this project.

A sruov or SELECTED FACTORS RELATED TO THE
COMMUNICATION PROCESS useo av CURRICULUM
oxeeorohs 1~ MICHIGAN PUBLIC soeoots

by

\
1
if"

opt)"
Peter P. Wallus

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

College of Education

l963

Chapter

II.

III.

IV.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . e e . . .

Background of the Problem . . . .
The Process of Communication . . .
Statement of the Problem . . . .
Assumptions and Hypotheses . . .
Purposes of the Study . . . . .
Significance of the Study . . . .
Scope of the Study . . . . . .
Definition of Terms . . . . . .
Organization of the Study . . . .

REVIEW or RELATED RESEARCH . . .

Personal and Social Characteristics of

the Recipient of Information . .

Sources of Information . . . . .
Summary e e e e e e e e e

METHODOLOGY - 0 ~ 0 O O O O O 0

Sample . . . . . . . . . .
Procedures . . . . . . . . .
Development of the Instrument . .

Development of Practices to be Included

in the Interview Schedule . . .
Techniques for Analysing the Data .

PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS . . . .

Descriptive Material of Curriculum
Directors . . . . . . . .

PRESENTATION or FINDINGS . . .1 .

Demographic Characteristics Compared
with Orientation to Practices . .

U
D)

u")

m

NW\O\OG)-\JO\J>~

U

i" \«T "'
-..'. )‘i «‘1'

Chapter

VI.

VII.

Communication Media Compared

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

LITERATURE
APPENDIX A
Section i
Section 2
APPENDIX 8
Section l
Section 2

Section 3

CITED

iv

(D

l3.

l4.

Paradigm of the communication process

Distribution
according to

Distribution
according to

Distribution
according to
tionai

Distribution
according to

Distribution
according to
experience .

Distribution
according to

Distribution
according to

Distribution
according to

Distribution
according to
positions .

Distribution
according to
membership .

Distribution
according to
membership

Distribution
according to

LIST or TABLES

of curriculum directors
age I O O O O O 0

of curriculum directors
highest degree attained

of curriculum directors
major areas of educa-

preparation . . . . . .

of curriculum directors
teaching experience .

of curriculum directors
length of educational

O O O C O O O O

of curriculum directors
size of school . . .

of curriculum directors
prior positions . .

of curriculum directors
career patterns . . .

of curriculum directors
frequency of prior

0 O O O O O O I

of curriculum directors
levels of professional

of curriculum directors

patterns of professional

of curriculum directors
professional leadership

at five levels of organization . .

Distribution
according to
five levels

of curriculum directors
committee membership at
of organization . .

O

Peg

“J

K

\J

E

U!

l

25.

Distribution of curricUIum directors
ccorcing to numb er of puclications
read regularly at state level . .

Distribution of curriedlum cireztcrs
according to number of publications
read regularly at the national level

Distribution of curriculum directors
according to number of newspapers
read regularly on three levels .

Distribution of curriculum directors
according to articles written for
state and national publications .

Distribution of curriculum directors
according to conference attendance
on five levels of crganizatioh .

Distribution of curriCUlCm directors
according to rating scores of
reputed knowledgeability . . .

Distribution of curriculum directors
according to rating scores of
reputed reliability . . . . .

Distribution of scores of media rated

for usefulness on a five-point scale

Distribution of scores of communication

media according to range, median, mean

Distribution of scores for elements of

mass media . . . . . . . .

 

Distribution of scores for elements of

SFOUES 2-S- m8dia e e e e e e e

Distribution of scores for elements of

individuals aa media . . . . .

Rank order of the communicaticn media

Percentage ratings of the three practices

by curriedlum directors . . . .

Relationship between age and attitude

toward Practice A (action research)

 

vi

Q)

(I;

Table page

30. Relationship between age and attitude
toward Practice 8 (general education) . . . . luu

3i. Relationship between age and attitude
toward Practice C (counseligg) . . . . . . IOI

 

32. Relationship between age and use of ‘
Practice A (action research) . . . . . . i-'

33. Relationship between age and use of _
Practice 8 (general education) . . . . . . .Cu

34. Relationship between age and use of “
Practice C (COUPSEIIQQ) - - . - ° ° ° ' {LE

35. Relationship between sex and attitude \"
toward Practice A (action research) . . . . iv;

36. Relationship between sex and attitude f,
toward Practice 8 (general educatigfl) . . . . :7;

37. Relationship between sex and attitude ,
toward Practice C (counseling) . . . . . lOi

38. Relationship between sex and use of
Practice A (action research) . . . . . .

39. Relationship between sex and use of ‘~
Practice 8 (general education) . . . . . . I~.

40. Relationship between sex and use of
Practice C (counseliflg) . . . . . . . . In:

4|. Relationship between size of the
school system and attitude toward A
Practice A (action research) . . . . . . . ii“

42. Relationship between size of the
school System and attitude toward '
Practice 8 (general education) . . . . . . '“3

43. Relationship between size of the
school system and attitude toward
Practice C (counseling) . . . . . . . . Ill

44. Relationship between Size of the
school system and use of Practice
A (action research) . . . . . . . . . iii

45. Relationship between size of the

school system and use of Practice
8 (general education) . . . . . . , , , li2

vii

Table

46

47.

52.

53.

54.

Relationship between size of the
school System and use of Practice
C (counseling) . . . . . .

 

Relationship between professional
preparation and attitude toward
Practice A (action research) .

Relationship between professional
preparation and attitude toward
Practice 8 (general education) .

Relationship between professional
preparation and attitude toward
Practice C (counseling) . . .

Relationship between professional
preparation and use of Practice A
(action research) . . . . .

Relationship between professional
preparation and use of Practice 8
(general education) . . . .

Relationship between professional
preparation and use of Practice C
(counseling) . . . . . .

Relationship between professional
experience and attitude toward
Practice A (action research) .

Relationship between professional
experience and attitude toward
Practice 8 (ggneral aducation) .

Relationship between professional
experience and attitude toward
Practice C (counseling) . . .

Relationship between professional
experience and use of Practice A
(action research) . . . . .

Relationship between professional
experience and use of Practice 8
(General education) . . . .

 

Relationship between professional

experience and use of Practice C
(counseling) . . . . . .

 

viii

ll5

llC

*i

UT
\0
O

60.

Cl.

64.

65o

7i.

Cl.)
(5'
(0

Relationship between professional
involvement and attitude toward
Practice A (action research) .

Relationship between professional
involvement and attitude toward

f‘

Practice c (counseling) . . .

 

Relationship between professional
involvement and attitude toward

A

Practice c (counseling) . . .

 

Relationship between professional
involvement and use of Practice A
(action research) . . . . .

Relationship between professional
involvement and use of Practice 8
(general education) . . . .

Relationship between professional

involvement and use of Practice C
(counseling) . . . . . . .

Relationship between reputed know
ledgeability and attitude toward
Practice A (action research) .

Relationship between reputed know-

ledgeability and attitude toward
Practice 8 (general education) .

Relationship between reputed know
ledgeability and attitude toward
Practice C (counseling) . . .

Relationship between reputed know-

ledgeability and use of Practice
(action research) . . . . .

 

Relationship between reputed know
ledgeability and use of Practice
(general education) . . . .

 

Relationship between reputed know
ledgeability and use of Practice
(counseling) . . . . . . .

Relationship between reputed reliability
and attitude toward Practice A (action
research) . . . . . . .

ix

A

B

C

O

i‘

if!

Tabie Page

72. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and attitude toward Practice
8 (general education) . . . . . . . . ljf

73. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and attitude toward Practice ’
C (COUNSEiiflQ) o o o o o o o o o o '34

 

74. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and use of Practice A f
(action research) . . . . . . . . . l3c

75. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and use of Practice 8
(general education) . . . . . . . . . 137

76. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and use of Practice C
(COUNSE'infl) o o o o o o o o o o o :3

77. Relationship between use of mass
media and attitude toward Practice 7‘
A (action research) . . . . . . . . . lab

78. Relationship between use of Eéfifi
media and attitude toward Practice
8 (general education) . . . . . . . . iPO

79. Relationship between use of mass
media and attitude toward Practice |
C (counseling) . . . . . . . . . . lei

80. Relationship between use of mass
media and use of Practice A
(action research) . . . . . . . . . iLl

El. Relationship between use of £32:
media and use of Practice 8 _
(general education) . . . . . . . . . l42

82. Relationship between use of mass
media and use of Practice C '
counseling . . . . . . . . . . . l4

83. Relationship between use of groups
as media and attitude toward .
Practice A (action research) . . . . . . ’4

54. Relationship between use of groups
as media and attitude toward
Practice a (ggneral education) . . . . . IA;

 

Table Page

85. Relationship between use of groups
33 media and attitude toward _/
Practice C (counseling) . . . . . . . . I43

86. Relationship between use of groups
as media and use of Practice A
action research) . . . . . . . . . . leo

87. Relationship between use of groups
as media and use of Practice 8
(general education) . . . . . . . . IA?

85. Relationship between use of oroups
as media and use of Practice C
(counseling) . . . . . . . . . . . . '47

89. Relationship between use of indivi-
duals ap media and attitude toward .-
Practice A action research) . . . . . . '45

 

90. Relationship between use of indivi-
duals ag media and attitude toward
Practice 8 (general education) . . . . . . 143

9i. Relationship between use of indivi-
duals as media and attitude toward

Practice C (counseling) . . . . . . . . '50

92. Relationship between use of indivi—
duals 33 media and use of Practice .
A (action research) . . . . . . . . . '53

93. Relationship between use of indivi-
duals pp media and use of Practice
8 (general education) . . . . . . . . . '3‘

94. Relationship between use of indivi-
duals p§_media and use of Practice

C (counseling) . .

Relationship between
mass media . . .

Relationship between

groups 33 media .

Relationship between

individuals pp media

Relationship between
mass media .

and use

and use

and U89

xi

of

of

of

of

l0}.

lOA.

Relationship between sex and use of

groups g3 media . . . . . . .

Relationship between sex and use of
individuals g3 media . . . . . .

Relationship between size of the school
system and use of mass media . . .

 

Relationship between size of the school
system and use of groups pg media . .

Relationship between size of the school
system and use of individuals 33 media

Relationship between professional pre-
paration and use of mass media . . .

 

Relationship between professional pre-
paration and use of groups pp media .

Relationship between professional pre-
paration and use of individuals 33
media 0 O O O O O O O O O O

 

Relationship between professional
experience and use of mass media . .

Relationship between professional
experience and use of groups pg
{DQOia O O I O O O O O 0 O 0

Relationship between professional
experience and use of individuals
pp media . . . . . . . . . .

Relationship between professional
involvement and use of mass media . .

Relationship between professional
involvement and use of groups 33
(“Edia O O O O 0 O O O O O 0

Relationship between professional
involvement and use of individuals

pg media . . . . . . . . . .
Relationship between reputed know-
ledgeabiiity and use of mass media .

 

xii

Table

lie. Relationship between reputed know-
ledgeabiiity and use of groups 33
media . . . . . . . . . .
lip. Relationship between reputed Know-
ledgeability and use of individuals
SE media . . . . . . . . .

lid. Relationship between reputed reli—
ability and use of mass media . .

 

ll7. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and use of crOups ii media

ll8. Relationship between reputed reli-
ability and use of indiviCuals
gs media . . . . . . . . .

 

ll}. Relationship between use of mass
media and use of groups 33 p521; .

 

 

lPC. Relation mi: between use of'

I
. y -‘ -_g .-
- J'

L‘._b-~.-—. ‘ou....— - a..-

 

“-2.

~¢ .

O
I.

' |
(‘3 v 0 O U ‘

m ”‘m-“

 

iEi. Relationship between use of croucs
as media and use of neiviog_}£ as
WAN-4’-
liltJiO o o o o o o o o o

 

lEE. Data indicating associations of
demographic characteristics to
curricular practices . . . . .

l2}. Data indicating associations of
{Ommunication media to curricu-
lar practices . . . . . . .

lEA. Data indicating associations of
demographic Characteristics to
cnannels of communication . . .

Data indicating associations among
communication media . . . . .

(X)
in
o

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM

This study explores the significance of patterns of
the communication process in a specific segment of our society,
that of education. Accurate knowledge of the impact of the
organized patterns of communication on the actions of
specific individuals within an established system in our
society is the aim of this research. Specifically, the
patterns of communication used by curriculum directors in the
state of Michigan in fulfilling their responsibilities are

analyzed.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

most Americans have been exposed to the revolu-
l
tionary developments in the field of communication. Some

observers claim that, as a nation, Americans devote more

time to the consumption of mass communication than to paid

2
work or play, or anything, except sleep". Research indicates

that the average American spends approximately seventy

 

l
Educational Policies Commission, National Education
Association of the U.S. and the American Association of
School Administrators, Mass Communication and Education
(Washington, 0.0., l938).
2

'George Gebner, "The Individual in a Mass Culture,"
Saturday Review, h3zll, June l8, I960, p ll

(0

percent of his waking hours involved with the process of
communication, that is listening, speaking, reading and
writing. Arithmetically, this would total ten or eleven
hours daily.' it has also been noted that America originates
and consumes more mass communication products than any other
nation in the world. The things heard, watched and read
influence the behavior of the average American from the time
he rises until he goes to bed; they affect how business is
conducted, courtship established, freedom defined and public
policy formulated. "Mass communication has become almost as
much a part of the environment of today's American as the
air he breathes."2

The communication process has its origin in the
dyadic needs of society. On the one side of this dichotomy,
society has a need to present facts to the populace for con-
sideration; while on the other, members of the society have
a need for facts in order to make a decision concerning the
society. These needs are based on the assumption that indi-
vidual choice is a determinant of political, economic, social
and personal affairs.

A study of the forces which undergird the develop-
ments of the communication process reveals several factors

which have concomitantly imposed demands for improvements.

An exploding population has taxed existing media. World

 

l
David K. Berlo, The Process of_§ommunication (New
York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., l960), p l.
2
Mass Communication and Educatipg, gp.cit., p 7.

KN

leaders seek relief of international tensions in a court of
world opinion. Rapidity of change has provided incentive to
keep before the public progress in a variety of fields.
Then, too, there are other forces which have
inherent in their structure both a facility to expedite the
improvement of the communication process and, as a result of
this facility, a demand for further improvement. One such
force, mass education, has produced a citizenry capable of
responding to a large variety of media and consequently, has
created a desire for refinements of these media. Another
such force is the rate at which the accumulation of knowledge
is taking place. Because this rate is acquiring staggering
proportions, a premium has been placed on the dissemination
of the newly found knowledge in communications. Technology,
too, has found its growth contributing to the solution of
communication problems while exerting pressure for still
further improvement to make all its contributions known.
These forces, among others, have produced the rapid
growth and diversity of communication media in the last
half century. This rapid expansion of the communication
field has created an impact on many segments of our society.
Government, business and industry, private institutions, and
special interest groups have recognized the necessity to
incorporate into their plans the utilization of communication
media to satisfy the demands of the forces of society.
Education is no exception, as education moves more

and more into critical prominence, the needs of the students

and the means by which these needs will be met must be
clearly understood by the public.| In order to gain this
unperstanding, educators must be in a position to utilize
those patterns of communication appropriate for their pro-
blems. To assure maximal effectiveness of the avenue of
communication, a thorough study should be made of the com-
munication process in the educational setting.2

Accurate knowledge of organized patterns of commun-
ication upon the individual and the group has been the
objective of much of the research in communication, this
objective is likewise the goal of this study. This study
should add to the exactitude with which predictions of

communication can be made.
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication has been variously defined in current
literature to include 2" those processes by which people
influence one another.d This definition is based on the
premise that all actions and events have communicative

values as soon as theyare perceived by a person other than

 

l
(Henry 2. Blank), "What They Don't Know Can Hurt
You," Administrators Notebook, 11:}, (November, l953).
2
George Z. Bereday, and Joseph A. Lawerys,
Communication Media and the School (New York: World Book
Co., l960), p Al.
3

Jurgen Ruesch, and Gregory Bateson, Communication:
The Social Matrix of ngchiatry, (New York: w. w. Norton
and Co., Inc., l95l), p 6.

\}1

the initiator.l Based on this general definition, Berlo2
and others} have developed modeis which have the ‘oliowing
elements: an (I) initiator, one who originates, a (2)
message, ideas being conveyed, a (3) channel, the medium by
which the message is relayed and a (4) receiver, who is the

recipient, of the message.

TABLE l.--Paradigm of communication

 

initiator_____g> Message _____29 Channel.____9 Receiver

 

Parsey, in reviewing research in educational commun-
ication, uses three words somewhatinterchangeably: commun-
ication, spread, and diffused. He then proceeds to define
the process as that of diffusion. His definition, "diffusion
refers to the process by which ideas (information, knowledge)
are spread (diffused) witnin and among social systems”, is
appropriate for this research!+ For purposes of this study
the diffusion occurs within and among the public school
systems of Michigan and those sources of educational exper-

imentation outside the public schools. In the model of

communication presented above, the receiver of the messages

 

l
Bereday and Lawerys, op.cit., 0 Al.

 

2

Berlo, op.cit., p 3.
3

Mass Communication and Education, op.cit., o lO.
4

John M. Parsey, Educational Communication in_g
Social Setting, A Report to the American Psychological
Association, Cincinnati, Ohio, September 8, l959.

I found in his

becomes the point of focus. However as Coop
research, the categorization of the sources of information
proved to be somewhat difficult because both channel and
initiator were involved. Consistent witr his ;;:isirn, a
classification of sources of information was arbitrarily

established under three generic terms: mass media, groups

8 media and individuals pg media.

 

Therefore,the intent of this research is to explore
the sources of information as classified under :pgghgngp,
groups pg ppglg and individuals pp gpgig when a specific
receiver, the curriculum director, is the object of the
process of diffusion concerning specific messages, the

curricular practices.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The problem of this research is to study certain
avenues of communication in the diffusion of educational
information into the public school system. This study is
focused on one of the positions in school organization which
is responsible for transmitting ideas from sources of exper-
imentation into the classroom, that of the curriculum

2
director.

 

|
James H. Copp, Maurice L. Sill and Emory J. Brown,
"The Function of Information Sources in the Farm Practice
Adoption Process", Rural Sociology, 23:46,(June, i958).
2
John A. Permenter, "Who Does What in Instructional
Supervision?" Educational Leadership, Vol. l6:8,(May, l9§ii
p ABl.

'xJ

ASSUMPTIONS AND HYPOTHESES
Assumptions

The hypotheses that are tested in this research are
based on five assumptions: first, that the personal char-
acteristics of the curriculum director of Michigan are
related to their work in curriculum; second, that the
variety and number of media the curricuium directors use
reflect their perceptions of curriculum; third, that the
personal characteristics of the curriculum directors are
determinants of the variety and number of media that the
curriculum directors use in their work in curriculum; fourth,
that the curriculum directors use a variety of communication
media; fifth, that the communication patterns are unique to
the level of occupational responsibility. General curricu-
lum directors, as defined for this study, would have patterns

of communication peculiar to general curriculum directors.
fiypotheses

General Hypothesis 1: The demographic characteris-

 

tics of the curriculum

General Hypothesis II. The kinds of channels of
communicatipn that curricu-
lum directors use are
pplated to their orientation

to three curricular practices.

General Hypothesis III. The demographic characteris-
tics of the curriculum
directonsare related to the
channels o£_communication

that they_use.

General Hypothesis IV. Any individual channel of
communication that curricu-
lum directors use is related

to other channels they_use.
PURPOSES OF THE STUDY

This study has been undertaken to: (I) identify tne
sources of information used by Michigan curriculum directors
in the adoption of selected educational practices; (2) iden-
tify some of the demographic characteristics of curriculum
.directors as variables which significantly influence their
identification of sources of information; (3) define the
relationship between these independent variables and the
curriculum directors' attitude toward acceptance of
curricular practices; (4) review pertinent literature;

(5) recommend further research; (6) suggest implications for

education in general and for the preparation of the curricu-

lum director in particular.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is expected that this study will help improve the
understanding of the process of diffusion of information in
the educational systems of the state of Michigan by studying
the flow of information to one of the key points in these
systems.

It is also anticipated that this study would help
curriculum directors become aware of the sources of commun-
ication which could most affect their behavior.

Furthermore, it is hoped that the results of this
study would be used by colleges of education in courses of
study to improve the patterns of communication suggested for

curriculum directors.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is limited to the communi-
catiorusources of the curriculum directors of the suriit

school system in the state of Michigan.
DEFINITION OF TERMS

For the purpose of this investigation, the following
definitions are being used:
Communication, includes all those processes by which

people influence one another. This definition is based on

IO

the premise that all actions and events have communicative
aspects as soon as they are perceived by a human being and
that such perception changes the information the individual
possesses and therefore influences his behavior.'

Sources 9: information, in keeping with the above
definition of communication, indicate the means by which
information is relayed to the curriculum directors. Three
general classifications of sources of information are used:

(l) mass :edia, which include radio, television, newspapers,

professional journals, books, etc.; (2) groups 5 :edia,

 

such as conferences, seminars and college classes; (3)

individuals 33 media, such as subject matter specialists,

 

non-specialists and salesmen. This definition of sources
of information is congruous with that held by Lionberger,
who states that:

"On the one hand dissemination of information is a
planned and intended function involving a complex
organizational structure and well-formulated pro-
cedures. While on the other hand, exchange may be
happenstance and have no structure other than a A
chance meeting of two people with common interests.‘

Curriculum Directpp, is a general administrator in

 

ch "T;- of curriculum of a school system which has grades

.1

 

l

Dorwin Cartwright, "Principles of Mass Persuasion,"
Human Relations, 11:} (July, l949), pp 253-267.

2

Lionberger, Herbert F., Adoption of New Ideas
and Practices (Iowa University Press, l96D), pp £2-45.

one through twelve.l ‘

Qesirable gpgpationai practices, for this study,
are those practices which are widely accepted as belonging
in the school program but which are not generally used.2

Specific definition p1 individual practices:

Practice.A: "Agtigg research is research undertaken
by practitioners in order that they may improve their
practices”.3

Practice B: As used in this study, Practice B is

defined as a general education program conducted in reg-

 

ularl. scheduled, integrated classes in which pupils, on

all grade levels, attacked problems pertinent to them." 4’5
Practice 9: Is defined in this study as a counseling

system extending through all the grades using qualified

guidance personnel.

 

I
Department of Public Instruction, Directopypof

Local Curriculu Pro ram in Michigan (Lansing, Michigan,
I950) Bulletin E0. 503, g: p.
2
Aopendix A, section 4.
3
Corey, Stephen M. Action figsearch to_Improve School
Practices (New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers
Coilege, Columbia University, l953), p lhl.
4

 

Harold Alberty, "Core Programs," Epcyclcpedia of
Educational Research, (New York: Macmillan Co.,T9bO),

pp 3 0‘3 0

Paul Dressel and Margaret Lorimer, 9Generai Educa-
tion," Enc clo edia of d c , (New York:
Nacmillag Co., I930), pp 570-580.

warren G. Findley, "Student Personnel Work-Elemen-

tary and Secondary," Encyclopedia of Educati nai PesearCh,
(New York: Macmillan Co., l960): p‘ihSZ.

l2

ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

In Chapter I an introduction is made to the problem,
the impact of communication on society and education. The
hypotheses to be tested and definition of terms are stated.

Chapter 2 presents a review of related literature.

The methodology and research techniques are described
in Chapter 3.

In Chapter 4 the demographic characteristics of the
curriculum directors and the communication media used by the
curriculum directors are cited.

The relationships between these descriptive data and
the defined practices are presented in Chapter 5.

Chapter 6 summarizes the research, states the con-
clusions, and offers recommendations for changes and for

further research.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH

This research project is favored by the fact that
sufficient research has been carried-out on the adoption of
practices into agriculture to outline in a general way the
range of determinants involved in the process. as well as,
to propose certain tentative generalizations. However, be-
cause no study can cover all the pertinent aspects of a
problem, a principle of parsimony will have to be invoked in
determining appropriate areas for particular concentration.
Therefore, only those determinants and generalizations are
studied in this research which are related to selected char-
acteristics of the receiver of information, the terminal
point in our model of communication, and to patterns of
communication which are utilized by these recipients.

It could be said that much of the research, which
is labeled today as diffusion, had its inception in the
efforts of state and federal governments to encourage far-
mers to accept new concepts of farming. The initial
attempts to improve the acceptance of farm oractices tia:ed
their emphasis upon techniques of extension work. M. C.
Wilson' of the Extension Service of the United States

Department of Agriculture conducted a series of studies in

 

l
M. C. Wilson, "Extension Methods and Their Relative

Effectiveness " U.S. Dept. of A riculture, Technical
Bulletin No. i06 (February, I923),

l3

14

the i920's during which he assessed primarily the effective-
ness and efficiency of techniques. His work was character-
ized by its concentration on the Extension Service, he
produced data of limited use for generalization in diffusion.

Subsequently, researchers established methodology
and objectives which placed the emphasis upon different
aspects of the communication process. Some research was
devoted to a description of the recipient of the information.
This evoked detailed delineations of the personal and social
characteristics of the farmer, the steps of progress he
followed in accepting an idea, those factors which affected
his rate of adoption, how he related to the other farmers
in the matter of adoption, and how situational factors, such
as community and culture, were determinants of his acceptance
of new ideas. 0n the other hand, some studies probed the
avenues of communication to find which were being used and
how they were being used by respondents in obtaining infor-
mation necessary to making a judgment in regard to the
adoption of the new ideas.'

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CHARACTERiSTiCS Of THE
RECIPIENT “F INFORMATION
One of the major directions in the diffusion of new

information to the farmer was to use the definition of the

 

l
Lionberger, op. cit., p 5-7.

fl

is

l
farmers' characteristics as a basis of comparision. Hoffer,2

in his classic study of the celery growers in Michigan,
reported in l942 differences of adoption of improved prac-
tices. He checked his sample in the six communities to try
to isolate those characteristics which would lead to ready
adoption. He found that in comparing readers and non-readers
a larger percentage of readers of Bulletin Léfi? owned their
own farms and were in the age group which ranged from 40 to
59 years. In other respects the two groups were similar.

An approximately equal proportion had membership in churChes
and other community organizations. About the same percen-
tage voted at the general elections and subscribed to a
daily paper, a weekly paper and farm periodicals.4 When
analyzing this dichotomy of readers and non-readers, Hoffer
was able to show "that not only did a higher proportion of
the readers accept improved practices but some were dis-

posed to accept more than one practice, a tendency not so

 

I
James H» 0099. "Personal and Social Factors Asso-
ciated with the Adoption of Recommended Farm Practices
among Cattlemen " Technical Bulletin 81 (Kansas State College,
September, l956).
2

Charles R. Hoffer, "Acceptance of Approved Farming
Practices among Farmers of Dutch Descent " Special Bulletin
fil6, (Michigan State College, June, l942).

pnrfer' s purpose was to study the ac-e-c ta ce :f
- - ll ,
lra-tices *e::mm;ndsd in ’irruijf ‘Lij‘i” igi. wtie v
. .. "t ,,,,, '. 4
Production in Micthan, (test as sins, ddeJdi y “is;
a

hoffer, op. cit., p i6.

evident among non-readers."'

Ryan and Gross2 found in a study of diffusion and
acceptance of hybrid corn seed in two Iowa COWW4”iii€3 in
lass that farmers who adopted the new hybrid seed early we:e
"ifferentiated from others by the following characteristic
they were younger, had more schooling, operated larger tarrs
an} participated more in formal social organizations.

Gross; reporting in l945 discriminated between
adopters and non-adopters of hybrid corn seed and compared
these results with accepters and non-accepters of recommended
hog sanitation practices. The data, based on a l94l study,

revealed that the accepters of hog sanitation sys ems has

r—f

characteristics which distinguished them from non-accepters.
The characteristics which were consistent with the

findings of Gross and Ryan above were more schooling, larger
farms, higher incomes, more social participation, more use
of experinent station bulletins, more subscriptions to
magazines and newspapers, and more participation in cooper-
atives and government programs. In comparing these char-
acteristics of the adopters of hog sanitation practices to

those of the adopters of hybrid corn seed, Gross found that

 

l
Ibid., p l8.
2
Bryce Ryan and Neal Gross, "The Diffusion of Hybrid
Corn Seed in Two Iowa Communities," Rural Sociology, VIII
(March, l943). DD l5-24.
3

Neal Gross, "The Differential Characteristics of
Accepters and Non-Accepters of an Improved Agricultural
Technological Practice," Rural Sociology, XIV, No. 2,
(June, l945), pp i48-l56.

l7

they were congruous except for that of age. He pointed out
that early adopters of corn practices were younger than
non-adopters but, conversely, that early accepters of hog
sanitation systems were older than non-accepters.

In further corroboration Ryan and Grossl in a later
study of hybrid corn seed found the characteristics of the
early adopters consistent with previous research: they
were younger, had more schooling, operated larger farms and
participated more in formal social organizations than did
the late adopters. It may be noted here that early adoption
and leadership in local affairs were not equated.

From the trend of the research, there seemed to be
an indication that those people who adopted practices early
could be detected by selective factors. In an attempt to
ascertain such a list, Gross and Taves2 selected a list of
characteristics that could distinguish between accepters and
non-accepters on a statistically significant basis. Al-
though they were not able to isolate critical, distinguishing
factors that were statistically significant, they were able
to note a direction for the characteristics of the adopters

when contrasted with non-adopters. The four main charac-

teristics in order of precedence were first, reading

 

I
Bryce Ryan and Neal Gross, "Acceptance and Diffusion
of Hybrid Corn Seed in Two Iowa Communities," Research
Bulletin 212, (January, l950), pp 663-708.
2

Neal Gross and Marvin J. Taves, "Characteristics
Associated with Acceptance of Recommended Farm Practices,"
Egral Sociology XVII , No 4, (December, l952) pp 32l-327.

college bulletins, second, membership in cooperatives, third,
age, and last frequency of trips to the nearest metropolitan
center.

Changing the basis for distinction, LionbergerI used
the "local influentialsfi who were designated by the farmers
as being instrumental in influencing the adoption of practices
to characterize his research. His findings indicate that the
"local influentials" differed more from the other farmers by
having larger farms, larger incomes, more prestige, more
participation in formal social organizations, a better social
orientation and technological competence.

Coleman2 in exploring the extent that the Extension
Service was reaching the residents of a rural New York area
noted that farmers most often reached by the Extension Service
had higher education, larger farms, high socio-economic
status and participated more in formal organizations than
those who were not in such contact. In further pursuing
this concept of differentiagion of farmers to facilitate

adoption, Coleman and Marsh in a study of three hundred and

ninety-three farmers in Kentucky discovered that when

 

l

Herbert F. Lionberger, "Some Characteristics of
Farm Operators as Sources of Information in a Missouri
Community," Rural Sociology, XVIII, No 4, (December, l953)
pp 327-338.

Lee Coleman, "Differential Contact with Extension
Work in a New York Community," Rural Sociology XVI, No. 3.
(September, l95l), pp 207-2l6.

3

Lee Coleman and C. P. Marsh, "The Relations of
Neighborhood of Residence to the Adoption of Recommended
Farm Practices," Rural Sociology, XIV, No. 4,-(December,
I954). DD 385-389.

certain status factors. were held constant that a wide differ-
ence among farmers living in differentiated neighborhoods
appeared in the use of media and the adoption of practices.
Usually farmers living in neighborhoods that had a low number
of contacts with a particular media, had a low-number of
contacts with other media. High adoption neighborhoods were
characterized by more extensive use of mass media and speci-
fied agencies than the low adoption neighborhoods which relied
on friends and neighbors as sources of information. Colemanc
thus was able to note that standards of adoption of the
community influenced decisions for adoption and must be con-
sidered in any differentiation of factors affecting the
adoption process.

In interviewing one hundred and seven farm operators
and nine additional neighborhood leaders in the Piedmont
Community of North Carolina, hilkenirg3 attempted to draw a
more critical description between the innovator and the farm
leader. He found that the local leaders did not differ
greatly from the other farmers in the average number of

practices adopted. This research pointed out that informal

leadership was not far ahead of the followership.

 

l

Status factors were defined as: score on Sewell
scale of socio—economic status (short form), value of crops
and products sold, membe snip in the Farm Bureau, and per-
sonal contact with professional advisors in the two years
preceding the interview. Coleman and Marsh, og.cit., p 387.

2

Ibid

 

2
J
Eugene H. hilkening, "Informal Leaders and Inno-
vators in Farm Practices,” Rural Sociology, XVI, No. 3,
(September, I952), pp 272-275.

When Wilkenirg grouped the farmers who were first to
adopt improved practices within a "communityi, he discovered
that in comparing them with the other farmers, the community
innovators had the following characteristics: they had
larger farms, higher socio-economic status, more contacts
outside the community and a greater tendency to obtain farm
information outside the community. In addition, although
they participated more in community activities, were life-
long residents of the community and were from prominent
families, they were not generally considered by the other
farmers as local leaders.

in a further refinement of grouping, Wilkening
created a category labeled neighborhood innovators.2 When
the neighborhood innovators were compared with the community
innovators, it was found that the neighborhood innovators
possessed characteristics similar to the community innovators
but they were not as consistent. The important characteris-
tic that differentiated the nelghborhood innovator from the
community innovators was the fact that the neighborhood
innovators were not life-long residents of the community.
These farm operators were not looked upon, in general, as
local leaders either. Here, again, leadership was not

equated with early adoption.

 

l

He defined community as "almost the size of a
township".

2

Neighborhood innovators were those farmers who
were first to accept the improved practices in a smaller
locality within the community.

in

Another researcher attempted to extend the boundaries
of the definition of adopters by exploring certain psycho-
logical factors, James H. Copp' interviewed one hundred and
fifty-seven beef cattle men of Kansas to measure their
mental flexibility and professional orientation in regard
to farming and to demonstrate the importance of these factors
when considering the adoption process. So far as the data
available in this study are concerned, the basic factors in
this sample of beef producers accounting for their tendency
to adopt recommended farm practices are their gross farm
income, their intensity of operations or managerial ability
(reflected by income and acreage), their numbers of beef
cattle, their tendency to view farming from a professional
point of view and their so-calied "mental flexibility" in
operating. Furthermore, the basic or most important factors
seem to be gross farm income, professional farming orienta-
tion, and'mentai flexibility".2 Copp thus expanded the
definition of the characteristics of adopters of practices
to include that of professional orientation and mental
flexibility.

Copp then attempted to improve his generalizations
by comparing these data of the Kansas research with that

originally studied by Wilkenlng of one hundred and seventy-

 

l
James H. Copp, "Personal and Social Factors Asso-
ciated with Adoption of Recommended Farm Practices Among
Cattiemen," Technicngulletin 8}, (Manhattan, Kansas,
September, i956), p 3i.
2

ibid., p 3:.

22

I ihe results of the

seven southern Wisconsin dairy farmers.
analyses of the two samples were in agreement in showing that
measures of economic productivity and personality traits such
as mental flexibility and discerning ability, were of im-
portance, in accounting for variance in the adoption of farm
practices. These two factors proved to be even more impor-
tant than age, formal education, level of living and social
participation. Although Copp holds that the results of the
study are not to be considered as conclusive, he has indi-
cated that this further refinement of the factors which
describe the recipient adds to the exactitude with which
future predictions can be made.2

In pursuance of a more accurate understanding of the
motivation which impels farmers to adopt practices, Hoffer
and Stangiand3 explored the relationships between farmer
adoption rates and attitudes and values of the farmers.
they addressed their research to the foilowing questions:
"What is the effect of a conservative attitude, compared
to a progressive outlook regarding farming and family living?

What effect does the habit of being efficient have? What

relationship exists between the farmer's attitudes toward

 

i
James H. Copp. "Toward Generalization in Farm
Practice Research," Rural Sociology XXIII, No. 2,
(June, i958), pp lOB-ill.
2

ibid., p lll.
Charles R. Hoffer and Dale Stangiand, "Farmers'

Reactions to New Practices," Igchnical Bulletin 264,
(East Lansing, Michigan, February, l958), p 55.

23

risk-taking and the adoption of approved practices?’I

The results indicated conclusively that ”farmers
who are efficient, self-reliant and pragressive tend to
adopt approved practices. Those who value security highly
and are conservative delay or fail to adopt a new practice".2

In addition, Hoffer and Stangiand found that the
nature of the soil, size of the farm, or cost of materials
and machinery were deterring elements. However, educational
level and membership in the Farm Bureau were positively
associated with the adoption of approved practices.

In summary, the authors concluded that values and
attitudes of the adopter, in addition to other factors,
must be considered if the process of adoption of new
practices is to be more effective.

In the early adoption studies it was noted that some
farmers adopted practices early in the diffusion process,
while some were reluctant to adopt until the practices had
been tried. Most of the worm that was done at the time
:ifferentiated between 313$QE'S an: non-adortere. so»?
researchers had noted a time differential between the
time the person was introduced to a practice and the time

3
he might adopt it.

 

l

Hoffer, and Stangiand, op. cit., p 7.
2

Ibid., p 22.

3
P. R. Mort and F. G. Cornell, Adaptability of

pubiic School 8 stems (New York: Columbia University
Teachers Coilege, l938). -

n:
:4

Rogersl hypothesized that the adoption process could
be more closely defined by placing the adopters on a time
continuum. He also felt that the adopters could be placed in
categories which were "exhaustive, mutually exclusive and
were derived from one classificatory principle".2 He later-
viewed one hundred and forty-eight operators in iowa con-
cerning the time of their adoption of 2, 4-D weed spray.

A distribution of the time elements produced a bell shaped
curve which approached normality. Rogers was able to
classify the adopters on the basis of standard deviation
from the mean of the distribution. He labeled the categories
in degrees of time as: innovators, early adopters, early
majority, late majority and iaggard. He was able to verify
a statistically valid scheme for classifying adopters in
future research designs in the study of diffusion. Rogers
emphasized that "the best" criterion for classifying the
adopters of agriculture products is the time at which they
adopt a practice or practices.4 Although the length of time
has been shown to vary with different practices, the shape
of the curve remains constant.

In further analyzing the causes for the time lag

between initial introduction of a practice and its final

 

i
Everett M. Rogers, "Categorizlng the Adopters of

Agricultural Practices," Rural Sociology, XXIII, No. 4,
(Decembeg, i958). pp 345-35 .
ibid., p 346.
3

ibid., p 354.
4

See Appendix A, section 4.

25

l
adoption, Beal, Rogers and Bohlen formulated a research
project which empirically validated the concept of five

stages in the individual adoption process of farmers. This
2

five stage concept had been suggested by a committee of
rural sociologists who had summarized the diffusion research
to that point. Interviews were completed with one hundred
forty-eight farm operators in central Iowa. The interviews
included the following outline stages and of questions used

to assess them:

"(l) Awareness: where or from whom did you first
see or hear about the use of antibiotics in hog feed?
(2) Information: after you first heard about antl-
biotics, where or from whom did you get additional,
more detailed information about antibiotics? (3)
Application: after you had enough information to know
quite a lot about antibiotics, where or from whom
did you get the information that helped you decide
whether or not to actually to try it on your own farm?
(4) Trial: after you had decided to try out antibiotics
on your own farm, where or from whom did you get the
most information or help on how much to use, how to
feed it, how to handle it, where to get it, and the
kind to use on your own farm? (5) Adogtion: after you
once tried antibiotic on your own farm, how did you
decide whether or not to continue using it - actually
adopt it?"

In their findings, Beal, Rogers and Bohlen demon-
strated that the five stage construct has meaning to farmers

when discussing with them the adoption of farm practices.

 

l
George M. Beal, Everett Rogers and Joe M. Bohlen,
"Validity of the Concept of Stages in the Adoption Process,‘
Rural Sociology, XXII, No. 2, (June, I957) pp I66-l68.
2
North Central Sociological Committee, ng Farm
People Accept New Ideas, I (Ames Iowa Extension Service,
November, T955), p 5.
3

Seal, Rogers, Bohlen, op. cit., p l67.

In assessing their use of sources of information in the con-
text of the five stage model, the farmers identified the use
of different sources at the various stages of the adoption
process.

It is evident from this research that the person
being exposed to new ideas was not only confronted with
getting information but with weighing that information. The
researchers did not find that all farmers went through the
entire process but most farmers found the construct useful

in their discussion of the process of adoption.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

In the study of how a person comes to accept a new
idea, at least two processes are involved,' that of diffusion
and that of adoption. "The adoption process is a mental
process through which an individual passes from first
hearing about a new idea to its final adoption."2 Adoption
is a personal matter, a matter of an individual's willingness
to accept a practice for use on the basis of the inform tion
he has acquired. Diffusion, on the other hand, happens
between people, it is the act of passing on information. It
includes all the avenues of communication which modern man

can make available in his search for information. "The

diffusion process refers to the spread of new ideas from

 

l
Joe M. thlen, et. al. "Adapters of New Farm Ideas,’
North Central Regional Extension Publication No. l},
(October, l96i). p 3.
2

i

Ibid.

0.)
RI

l
originating sources to ultimate users".

Section One of this chapter was chiefly concerned
with matters related to adoption, the change in the indivi-
dual; Section Two will address its main concern to the
diffusion process, the dissemination of information.

If we return to the work which was done by Wilson
in the l920's, it can be noted that his pre~occupation with
the Extension Service led him to restrict his research to
the determination of the effectiveness and efficiency of
certain techniques advocated by the Extension Service.

Subsequently, Hoffer, and others envisioned broader
perspectives to include other available sources and commun-
ication media. Hoffer noted that the greater number of
contacts the celery grower had with a variety of sources the
greater the likelihood that he would read the bulletin from
the Extension Service and adopt the practice.

His data also revealed that a positive influence
was possible with a single medium, the extension bulletin.
It was noted further that those farmers who read the
bulletins, also used a greater number of sources and
adopted more practices than those who did not read the
bulletin.

Bohlen, og, git., p 3.
2

Hoffer, op. cit., p 34.

To
U.)

Hoffer,' in a later study, surveyed one hundred and
fifteen farmers in Eaton County in Michigan to ascertain how
the farmers of the area received their information about
farming. He found that over fifty percent of the farmers
used the following sources: radio, farm journals, neighbors,
local newspapers, bulletins from Michigan State College and
visiting the office of the county agricultural agent.

Wilkening3 continued to increase the knowledge of
sources by studying the differential importance of certain
avenues of communication and relating this information to the
socio-economic level of the farmers. He found that for all
the farmers, "other farmers" and Extension Services were
reported as sources of information approximately equal.

When socio-economic status was introduced as a factor, a
considerable difference in source use became evident. Those
farmers on a higher status level favored agricultural
agencies, while those on the lower levels reported other

farmers and dealers most often.

l
Charles R. Hoffer, "Social Organization in Relation
to Extension Service", Special Bulletin 33%, (Michigan
Agriculture Experiment Station, August, l9 6), p 3!.
2
Ibid, p 7.
3
Eugene A. Wilkenlng, "Sources of Information for
Improved Farm Practices," Rural Sociology XV, No. l,
(March, l950), pp l9-30.

 

29

Ryan and Grossl reviewed their research in diffusion
of hybrid corn seed in l950 and substantiated their earlier
data. In terms of the kinds of media used by the'farmers in
accepting a new practice, single media were not equally
effective at different stages of the adoption process. The
sources which they considered were neighbors, salesmen, farm
journals, radio advertising, extension service, relatives,
personal experimentation and an open-ended category called
'others'. They found that in the early stages the most
important single source of information as well as being the
most influential, was the salesman. However, neighbors
became most important both as sources of information and as
an influence in the later stages.

When various factors other than capabilities of the
media are involved in the functions fulfilled by the media
(stages of the adoption process, socio-economic levels) the
use of the media is altered.

Lionberger2 found in two studies that newspapers
and farm journals were reported as sources of information for
more farm practices among low income farms in selected
counties in Missouri than other sources. Radio, neighbors

and friends were next in order of frequency of use. In

 

i

Ryan and Gross, Research Bulletin 372, 92, git.,
p p 665-7C‘8 o

2

Herbert F. Lionberger, "Low-Income Farmers in
Missouri" Their Contacts with Potential Sources of Farm and
Home Information," Research Bulletin 44l, (Missouri
Agricultural Experiment Station, May, i949), p 28.

\fl
(Q

l
another study, Lionberger in continuing the quest for a

clearer understanding of source-use compared sources in terms
of personal and impersonal descriptions. He found that
personal sources such as farm organizations, county exten-
sion agents, vocational agriculture teachers and Farmers Home
Administration representatives were more effective in
adoption of practices than their counterparts labeled im-
personal represented by the printed word and radio.2

Thus, the number of studies dealing with factors
related to the differential utility of sources of information
continued to grow.

Seal and Rogers3 carried this concept (that the
sources were being used in a different way) to the next
stage. They reported a study of the sources in the adoption
process of new fabrics in I957 used by homemakers in central
Iowa. The sources of information were classified according

to the following categories:

"I. Mass Media - Radio, television, newspapers,
magazines

2. Agencies - High school economics and
Extension Service

 

i

Herbert F. Lionberger, "Sources and Uses of Farm
and Home Information by Low-Income Farmers in Missouri,"
Research Bulletin 472, (Missouri, April, l95l), p 34.

2

Ibid., p 25.

3

George M. seal and Everett M. Regers, ”informa-
tional Sources in the Adoption Process of New Fabrics,"
igurnal of Home Economics, XLIV, No. 8, (October, l957},
pp 6304634.

 

3i

3. Informal - Relatives, neighbors, and friends

4. Commercial - Door-to-door salesmen, store sales-
people, direct-mail sales, store
displays and written materials with
the garments

5. Self - Own information fxperimentation and
interpretation."

They found that mass media sources are moSt important at the
awareness stage then declined in importance throughout the
remainder of the steps. Informal contacts appear as most
important at the application stage, as important at the
information stage, but drop in importance at the awareness
and trial stages. The pattern for commercial sources of
information is that they are increasingly important from
awareness through trial. Agencies were not considered by
the homemakers as greatly important at any stage. §£L£, as
a category became more and more important from the applica-
tion stage through the trial stage, to the adoption stage
where 35;: was considered the major source.

Generally speaking, the researchers found that a
declining trend of use of impersonal sources existed through
the first three stages, while personal sources increased in
use. Impersonal sources were important at the trial stage
for directions of use.

This study emphasizes the relationShip between the
diffusion process and the adoption process in the differen-
tial use of media at the various stages of acceptance of a

new idea.

i
ibid., p 632.

In l956 Wilkening' reported a study of the roles com-
municating agents play in expediting technological change in
agriculture. His main assumption was "that the type of
information transmitted about new farm techniques or prac-
tices is related to the primary functions and to the struc-
tural and operational features of the transmitting agent‘.f
In other words, “different sources are utilized for different
types of information'.

Based on this assumption, Wilkenlng grouped the
sources of information according to their primary functions
with regard to their structural and operational character-
istics. He used the following four general headings to
categorize the sources: mass media (farm papers, farm
magazines, newspapers, radio and television), other farmers
(neighbors, friends and relatives), agricultural agencies
(county agent, vocational agriculture instructor, college of
agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, etc.), commercial
sources (business firms and private professionals).

Wilkenlng also categorized his information into three
types: "(l) hearing about the change, (2) information of

help in deciding whether to try out the change, and (3)

 

l
Eugene A. Wilkening, "Roles of Communicating Agents
in Technological Change in Agriculture," Social Forces xxxlv,
NO- 4. (gay. I956). 09 36l-307.

Ibid., p 36i.
3

Ibid., p 363.
4""

Ibid.

instruction in how to put the change into effect."l These

correspond to the stages of "awareness", "decision-making"
and "action", respectively. He was able to conclude that
mass media were named most frequently as a source of first
information, but declined in use at the other stages. The
most important role for 'other farmers' was at the decision-
making stage, however, they were important at all stages.
They gained increased importance at the action stage.
Agricultural agencies served their most important role in the
action stage in presenting additional information for action.
They also served this function at the decision-making stage.
Commercial firms were not important as a first source of
information as hypothesized by the researchers, but played
their main roles in providing information at the action
stage. In this way, Wilkening was able to emphasize the
importance of studying the individual media in order to make
a valid assessment of its potentialities.

Rogers and Beal2collected data regarding the use of

2, 4-D and the influence which affected its adoption in

l955 in order to determine the relative importance of

 

————

l
Ibid., p 362.

2

Everett M. Rogers and George M. Beal, "The Impor-
tance of Personal Influence in the Adopters of Technological
Changes," Social Forces, xxxv, No. A, (May, l958),
pp 329-335.

 

\)l
p

personal influenceI at different stages in the decision-
maklng process. The researchers concentrated on one specific
source in order to ascertain its effectiveness. They divided
the adopters into five different categories, noted earlier

as innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority
and laggards. Then they compared the adopters in these
categories to the sources of information they used,at each
stage of the adoption process,in.order to examine the

"vpothesis that personal influence is more important for

’9

than early adopters.

These rural sociologists were able to post an
affirmative conclusion to their study. They found, generally,
that impersonal sources were most important at the awareness
stage. At the information, application and trial stages
personal sources took precedence. "Personal sources were
especially important at the application and trial stages."2
Most farm operators did not list additional help for the
adoption stage. Hypothesis I that personal influence is

more important at certain stages in the adoption process

than at other stages was upheld.

 

i

For purposes of the present analysis, 'personai'
sources of information were defined as those communication
contacts which involved a direct face-to-face exchange be-
tween communicator and communicatee. Included in this
category of personal sources of information were: relatives,
friends, neighbors, landlords, former employers, door-to-
door salesmen, implement and feed dealers, veterinarians,
direct contact with agriculture college staff, county
agents, teachers, and meetings (such as extension, 4-H,
Farm Bureau, etc.).

Rogers and Beal, pg. cit., D 352.

'2‘ C\

d,’

The researchers found that the utilization of personal
sources of information was indicated by the demand for per-
sonal sources which become increasingly more important for
each successive adopter category from innovator to laggard.

In general, early adopters use more impersonal sources of
information, while late adopters utilize more cerssral a '"32”
of information. Thus Hypotheses II was also affirmed.

l

Rogers and Beai then proceeded to investigate the
role of group influences in the adoption process. They
re-interviewed twenty-three farm operators from a previous
study using projective techniques to delve into the impor-
tance of the relationship between individual and grOup
influences. This relationship was described by the authors
in the following paragraphs:

"A reference group has been defined as a group whose
expectations are important in influencing the actor's
behavior. An individual may refer to other individuals
as well as to groups. The role expectations which
certain individuals hold for the actor may be just as
important in influencing the actor's behavior as are
the role expectations of certain reference groups."

"The authors have labeled these individuals as
referents. A referent is an individual whose expecta-

tions are émportantto the actor and influence his
behavior".

 

I
Everett M. Rogers and George M. Beal, "Reference
Group Influences in the Adoption of Agricultural Technology,"
(Ames: Iowa State University Press, l938), p 83.
2
Ibid., p IO.

\N
(Ti

"The major distinction between a referent and a
reference group is that the point of reference is an
individual rather than a group of individuals".

For purposes of this research, Rogers and Beal
explored in quite some detail, the following three refer-
ence groups: neighbors, friends and family and the county
agent as a single referent.

Using the construct that had been developed earlier
by Rogers,2 the researchers differentiated the farm operators
in terms of adopter categories and use of reference groups
and referents. Previous research studies had found differ-
ences in personal characteristics between earlier and later
adopters and there seemed to be justification to expect
that "different reference group influences t3 be of differ-
ent importance for each of these categorieer

Rogers and Beal f0und that neighbors const'tuted one
of the major reference groups for most farmers. However,
the neighborhood reference group was more important for the
later adopters than for the earlier adopters. The dis-
tinction between friend and neighbor was hard to make for
many of the respondents and they merged these two concepts.
Also many farmers did not feel that neighborhood norms

existed for adoption.

The family as a reference group served as a more

 

l
Ibid., p ll.
2
Everett M. Rogers, "Categorizing the Adapters of
Agricultural Practices," Rural Sociology. XXIII, No. 4,
(December, l958), pp 345-351.
3

Rogers and Beal, op, cit., p 32.

Jiigrefe entity. It was discovered that those respondents
who relied more on family ties were later adopters. Most of
the farm operators seemed to consider the family as an
important reference group in their consideration of new
practices.

In regard to the referents, the respondents per-
ceived the county agent as their main line of communication
with the agricultural scientist. A more exact description
of the adopters produced earlier adopters who tended to have
'more contact with the county agent, greater knowledge of
the Extension Service, better acquaintance with Extension
workers, and more favorable attitudes toward the Extension
Service."l The respondents who were prone to adopt the
practices first, the innovators, were more likely, however,
to go directly to the research scientist and skirt around
the county agent. While most farm operators attributed a
high positive referent norm on adoption to the county agents,
they considered his role more as an "information giver" than
as an "influential".

When the respondents were queried as to their
feelings toward the research scientist, a wide difference
of opinion was expressed. The higher adoption scores of
the farmers tended to indicate an equally more favorable

attitude toward the scientist. The scientist was not con-

sidered as closely related to the respondents as the county

l
Rogers and Beal, op. cit., p 77.

\.)J
(r;

agents. Many respondents would place more credence in
scientific discoveries if the scientist worked for the
government or the state agricultural college than for com-
merciai concerns.

In the consideration of mass media, farm magazines
were perceived as important sources of new race ideas and
agricultural research results. Radio and television were
important in reporting market information and not as sources
of new ideas.

Rogers and Beal confirmed the importance of groups
and individuals as sources of influence in maklrg decisions
concerning the adoption of new practices.l

Copp, Sill and Brown2 in a study of one hundred
seventy-five Pennsylvania dairy farmers attempt to account
for the differential utilization of sources by respondents
on the successive stages of the adoption process. They de-
veloped a model which took into account these five consider-
ations:

"(l) institutionalization of infornation sources,

I the temporal sequence of information sources,
) the possibility of negative recommendations,

(2

(3

(4) scheduling limitations of the sou ces and
(5) the need for local legitimatlon".

 

l

Katz and Lazarsfehiin a study of marketing point-
out the influence of the small group and of personal
influence on the behavior of individuals. Personal
influence, 0 cit., p 394.

James H. Copp, Maurice L. Sill and Emory J. Brown,
"The Function of Information Sources in the Farm Practice
Adoption Process, Rural Sociology, XXIII, No. 2, (l958)
pp 156-157.
3
Ibid., p '53.

K)!

When the data of the study were aspiied to the model,

”the predictions in eight out of nine instances
that the probability of securing as good a fit between
model and data through theuoperation of random factors
is less than one in fifty.

Lionberger,2 in a review of the research in adoption
of farm practices, adds two additional factors: (I) indivi-
dual perception of the source as a means of obtaining farm
information, and (2) the need for two way communication
at the evaluation or decision-making stages of the individual
adoption process.

In this attempt to specify the reasons for variance
of the functions of information sources, these researchers
have added to the precision with which predictions can be
made relative to source use in the adoption process.

Copp, Sill and Brown in summarizing their research
on source use above, found that there is no key information
source for a given stage and that percentage variations
among practices as to source use at a given stage varies
somewhat with the nature of the practice. The subcommittee
for the study of diffusion of farm practices of the North

4
Central Rural Sociology Committee, in a recent bulletin

 

 

 

 

2
Lionberge', or. cit., L 'jtion of New {Jess and
Presti:“s, p 48.
3
Copp Sill and Brown 0 . cit. 0 l5!
4 O 9 D

hOldS that 4.”? 7'"-3.1"7"‘ ""c "’ ’5" :l."' 'I“. 3. i’ ‘2 ‘.";; ‘ ..i.:

v‘ . - x - . v

i
rate of adoption. The subcommittee suggests that the rela-'

tive speed with which a new practice is adopted depends, in
part, upon the characteristics of the new idea. These rural
sociologists maintain that the following five characteristics
affect the rate of adoption: (l) cost and economic returns,
{2) complexity, (3) visibility, (4) divisibillty, and
(5) compatibility. They explain that those practices which
have low cost and high, quick returns tend to be adopted
sooner than those which don’t. Practices which are simple
to understand and use are more positively favored for
adoption than those that are complex. The fact that a prac-
tice and its results are visible tend to make it more
acceptable to farm operators. Farmers, too, are more willing
to adopt practices that can be divided into smaller elements
to be taken a little at a time. Farm operators acceot more
readily those practices that are compatible with their way of
life than those ideas which are grossly different.

Thus, the use of sources of information is not
solely dependent upon the magnitude of the information nor
the diversity of the channels available but lies contingent
upon the factors related to both the kinds of information

2
and the utility of available sources.

 

C)

-::p, Sill and Brown, r1. cit., o 4.
2 "'

See Accendix 8, section}

4i

It might be noted here that studies related to the
diffusion-adoption concepts have been conducted in Zhe areas
of voting,l bond sales,2 marketing,3 and education. Many of
these have contributory effects on the work done in rural
sociology. Some of these research sociologists have explored
leadership from a more encompassing vantage point. They
have attempted to ascertain the direction of the flow of
influence within a community structure. Their results indi-
cate that not only does influence flow from the apex of a
community hierarchy through several strata to the lower
levels, but that a lateral flow also exists in which each
stratum has its own set of leaders.5

In pursuing the concept of leadership further,
researchers discovered that leaders were differentiated on
several characteristics from followers. One of the charac-
teristics which served to distinguish leaders was the number

of contacts with communication sources. Persons in leader-

ship positions used more sources of communication than those

 

l
Paul F. Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel

Gaudet, The People's Choice (New York: Columbia University
Press, l918), p 7.
2

Dorwin Cartwright, "Some Principles of Mass Per-
suasion: Selected Findings of Research on the Sale of U. 8.
War Bonds," Human Relations, 11, pp l54-l6l.
3
Robert C. Brooks, Jr., "Word of Mouth Advertising
in Selling New Products," Journal of Marketigg, XXII, No. 2,
4

Walter Cocking, " The Regional Introduction of
Educational Practices in Urban School System of the United
States,” (New York, Columbia University Press, l95l0 p 8i.

5
Katz and Lazarsfeld,op. cit., p 400.

I“
l ‘0

persons who were followers. It was hypothesized that these
leaders were acting as media in that they heard of the new
ideas first and then relayed these to others. Katz and
Lazarsfeld‘ summarize their research by taking into account
some specific notions about the role of people. Behind the
design of this study was the idea that persons, and es-
pecially opinion leaders, could be looked upon as another
medium of mass communications, similar to magazines, news-
papers, and radio. "We could study their 'coverage', their
effect and, in a way, their content."2

They proposed that inasmuch as the opinion leaders
served as a relay station of information, a model could be
constructed to inculcate this two-step flow of information.
The results of their study substanthfixn their hypothesis and
further revealed that these opinion leaders were influenced
by other persons. From these results it seemed that a new
concept was appropriate to indicate the flow of personal
influence, a multi-step model.

3 4 5

Other researchers, Menzel, Coleman, and Katz

 

l

Katz and Lazarsfeld, op. cit., p 400.
2

Ibid., p ll.
3

Herbert Menzel, James Coleman and Elihu Katz,
"Dimensions of Being 'Modern' in Medical Practice," Journal
of Chronic Diseases, XVIV, No. l, (January, I959), pp 20-50.

2;

James Coleman, Elihu Katz and Herbert Menzel, "The
Diffusion of an Innovation Among Physicians," Sociometry,
xx, No. 4, (December, l957), pp 253-370.

5

 

James Coleman, Herbert Menzel and Elihu Katz,
"Social Processes in Physicians Adoption of a New Drug,"
Journal of Chronic Diseases, IX, No. l, (January, l959),
'pp I-l9'.

43

combined an interest in diffusion with that of studying the
role of a more elaborate social network of communication and
gave birth to a new study. This study focused on the diffu-
sion and adoption of an antibiotic into a medical community
of four midwestern cities. They found that:

"At first the influence of these social networks
operated among doctors who were integrated into the
community of their colleagues through ties of a pro-
fessional nature - as advisors or as discussion partners.
Then it spread through friendship networks to the
doctors who were closely tied to the medical community
through their friendship relations. By this time,
social influence had also become Operative in the more
'open' parts of the social strucutre - i.e. among the
relatively isolated doctors. Finally, there came a
phase during which most of the remaining doctors intro-
duced gammanym but did so in complete independence of l
the time at which their associates had introduced it".

These researchers contribute additional dimensions

to the diffusion adoption studies conducted by rural socio-
logists. The relationship of opinion leaders to mass media
seems to stress the need for greater specificity of the
functional characteristics of avenues of communication.
The administrator as a communicator has been pro-
posed as one of the current roles2 that the public school
administrator must play in order to relay his ideas clearly

and with effect to the staff and community. Moreover, lines

 

l

Coleman, Katz and Menzel, op. cit., p 268.

2

'Mass Communications and Education", Educational
Policies Commission, NEA, l958, p l24.

of communication should be established to produce feedback
from these two receivers. It is only as a master communica-
tor that the administrator can fulfill his responsiblity of
educational leadership.

Edgar Dale| presents the challenge that mass media
do influence the child and the adult. He argues that as
educators they should be alerted to the kinds of control they

exert over the channels and the messages and through con-

certed effort they can influence the communication patterns.
2

Ruesch and Kees expand the usual communication con-
cept to include not only the verbal, but also the non-verbal.
The definition, as advocated by this study, indicates that
non-verbal communication includes all those activities not

considered as the verbal spoken or written word.

3
Dr. Edward T. Hall, in his book "The Silent Lan-

guage" proposes that all of culture is communications, that
is, mans total life is a series of communication events.
Hall's definition of communication provides the elasticity

for the verbal,non-verbal concept.

l
National Society for the Study of Education, Mass
Media and Education, (Chicago: The University of Chicago

Press, I958), p B57
2

.Jurgen Ruesch, and Weldon Kees, Non-Verbal Commun-
ication (Berkeley: University of California Press, lQSET]
P i93-

3

Edward T. Hall, The silent Language (Greenwich:
Fawcett Publications, l9637.

 

 

45

Herman and Sheatsley|found in probing the reasons
for failures in national compaigns that certain psychologi-
cal characteristics of people influence the effectiveness of
communication. The first deterrent was a core of'know-
nothings" who were found harder to reach on any point of
foreign affairs. The researchers found that not all people
provided equal targets. Another factor which presented itself
was the matter of public interest. The survey found that
a certain percentage of the population were apathetic to the
problems and needed to be motivated. The authors found
that people tend to expose themselves to information which
is agreeable with their prior attitude. The need for a
better understanding of the public was analyzed when it was
found that a person's perception and memory are often dis-
torted by his wishes, motives and attitudes. This type of
distortion is also related to the findings that the amount
or exposure of information will not always change attitudes.
The researchers felt that before campaigns are launched the
receivers of the messages should be thoroughly studied to
determine the kind and amount of campaigning to be done.

2
Within the school structure, Berner studied the

 

l
Herbert H. Hyman and Paul B. Sheatsley, "Some
Reasons Why Information Campaigns Fail", Public Opinion
Quarterly, I947, XI, pp 4l3-423.
2 .

Marshall K. Berner, Devel0pment of Procedures
and Techniques for the Analysis of the Relationship Between
the Formal Organization of High School Systems and the
InformaT Communication Structure Within These Systems.
Doctor's Thesis, (Urbana: University of Illinois, l957)
202 p. Abstract: Dissertation Abstracts l7:2476: No. ll

 

9 l957-

relationship between the formal organization of the school as
a system of communication and the informal system of commun-
ication of two high schools. He noted that the official
lines of communication were effective when they were har-
monious with the informal communication structure. Then, too,
his results indicate that the effectiveness of a particular
message was dependent upon the value given it by the one
receiving the message rather than the person initiating the
communication.
l

Shapiro in developing further the concept of com-
munication effectiveness in the public schools found that
the size of the school was a determinant of the response to
a communication. In investigating several schools, he dis-
covered that the smaller school was more responsive to the
messages then the larger schools.

2

Dale and Williams conclude their review of research

in mass media in education with the following principles:

"l. Mass media messages will be most effective when
specific, relevant to the needs of the consumer, and
presented by trusted persons.

2. Important messages reach the receiver by both
the formal and informal systems.

3. Ideas must become legitimized before they are
fully accepted..

4. A multi-media approach with variety in medium
is more effective than a single medium."

 

l

David R. Shapiro, Relationship of High School Size
to Stgff Relations, Doctor's TheSTs, (Stanford: Stanford
University, l95877236 p. Abstract: Dissertation Abstracts
l8: l324; No. 4, l958.

2

Edgar Dale and Harold A. Williams, Massfifiedia
Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Third Edition,
Macmill Co. l960, p 795.

 

2+7

Summary

In summary, the research that has been reviewed has
pointed out two trends in the diffusion-adoption studies:
first, that a more accurate description of the recipient of
the information is needed and second, that a better under-
standing of the functional typology of the means he uses to
obtain this information. It was shown that people vary in
their adoption of new practices according to their own per-
sonal and social characteristics. They seem to go through
specific stages from the initial acquaintance with the idea
to its final use. Various avenues of communication are
differentially utilized in acquiring information. The
practices, themselves, prescribe a mode of transmission.

The latest recommendations from rural researchers,
Bulletin No. l3,l "Adopters of New Farm Ideas", purports to
develop educational programs which consider these elements
in their design. In order to be most effective, a change
agent must be fully cognizant of utility of all communication
channels available to him. He must understand:

a. The nature of the acceptance process

b. The values and aspirations of the people with
whom he must work

c. The fornal and informal group relationships
within his area

d. The availability and most appropriate use of
mass communications

e. The sequence and interrelationships of influ-
ence in acceptance of new ideas".2

 

l
Bulletin No. I}, OD. cit., p ll.
’3

Bulletin No. l, op. cit., p 9.

LU

The first section of this chapter contained those
studies related to a definition of the role and the char-
acteristics of the receiver of the information in the
adoption process. The second section was concerned with a
description of the sources of information in the process of
diffusion. One can conclude from this survey that no other
researcher has had as his objectives those specifically
outlined above.i In the research cited, no data were avail-
able which described the public school curriculum worker,
either in terms of the sources of information he relied
upon to keep him informed, or in terms of those character-
istics which make him an effective communicator.

l
See Chapter 1, page 7.

CHAPTER III
METHQDOLOGY

The position of curriculum director was selected for
this study for the following reasons: the curriculum

director (I) is a key person in improving the communication
I
system of the educational program; (2) is the recipient and

the originator of communications concerned with curriculum
2

improvement; (3) is expected to show leadership to the
3
educational staff in recent devel0pments of curriculum;

(4) has a need to know the most effective means of receiving
4

information; and (5) holds a position which is in the pro

J

cess of being clarified in current research.

 

l
Reba M. Burnham and Martha L. King, Sarervision i
NaShington: Association for Superxis on anu Curri-

l)

 

fitticn (
CUlum Ce velopment, l95l), p 30.
0

Glenn Hass, et. al., Leadership for l.
-ction (Washington: Association for super
iculum Development, National Education Ass

 

lOll an El

 

Kimball Wiles, dupervlsi
{New York: prentice-Hall, lnc., l
4
Arthur a. Combs, Perceiving, Behaving, sec
(hashingtcn: Association for supervision and Qu‘riculun
Development, National Education Asscciatian, l0 2)
l54-l85.

 

5
Gordon A. Mackenzie, "Role of t p
iduzationgL Leadership, xviv, No. 2, ( 3v err -ber

SANDLE

The position of the curriculum director, whlch was
taken as the focus of this study, was defined by the follow-

ing criteria: (l) listed in publication 504, l959.—l960, of
i
the Department of Public instruction; or (2) included in the

files of the Department of Putlic Instruction after the

issuance of the above publication and before August lb,
2
l960; (3) categorized in the summary of the returns from

which the above publication and files were constituted as:
"general administrator other than superintendent responsible
for curriculum development"; belonged to the Michigan
Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development for

the school year l959-l960 as indicated in the listing of
3

membership for that year; (5) responsibility included both
elementary and secondary levels.

Thirty-seven established offices of curriculum
director were selected as the sample for this study. The

subjects for research constitute the entire universe for

i
t

bulletin No. 504, op. cit., 32 p.

2
because a part of the interview schedule included
a sociometric response, a date had to be set when no
further additions or deletions were made to the original
list. That date was established as August l6, l960.

5
Directo:y, Michigan Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, Department of the Michigan
Education Association and affiliated with A830, a
department of the National Education Association, l959-l900.

l
the state of Michigan. With the universe being limited in

number, no further restrictions were placed on the size or
type of governmental unit in wnizn the carpal system was
located, although the size of the school was a consider-
ation in the treatment of data.

The entire universe of thirty-seven curriculum

directors responded to the interview schedule.
PROCEDURES

when the content and the format of the schedule had
been determined, a letter was constructed and sent to the
curriculum directors. The curriculum directors were in-
formed of the purpose of the research, those instituticns
which felt the research of importance, and introduced the A

C

author as the person fulfilling the demands of researcher.
Then appointments were made by telephone with each Curricu-
lum director for a personal interview at his home or in his
office, usually during non-office hours. This arrangement
tended to increase the element of privacy wnich is one of
the fundamentals of personal interviewing.

During the course of collecting the data, an attempt
was made to follow those fundamentals of personal inter-

viewing whiCh are held important by researchers in the

 

l
Curriculum directors are identified in Appendix A
by governmental unit.

2

The letter was later carried on all appointments to
help the respondents recall the project. bee Appendix A,
section 5.

i 2

field. Symons, Johnson, and others in discussing the inter-
view technique contend that in order to increase the reli-
suiiity of the results three needs should be met: a need
for privacy, a need for establishing rapport between inter-
viewee and interviewer, and a need for Systematic records of
the conference.

Prior to the actual administration of the schedule,
attempts were made to establish rapport between interviewee
and interviewer. The interviewer had discovered, during the
pre-test period, that in order to have a successful inter-
view, time had to be allotted to relax the interviewee and
to explain to him the purposes of the project. Although
this procedure extended the period of the interview, it was
deemed essential for the fundamental question of reliability?
Furthermore, to maintain this rapport throughout the inter-
view period, the respondent was permitted enough time to
rephrase the questions in keeping with his understanding of
the problem and thus to enable him to gain the perception
necessary to respond in a way which snowed understanding of

the question.

 

I
Percival Symonds, "Securing Rapport in interviewing,"
Teachers College Record, 39:707-722, (May, i938).
2
William h. Johnson, "Techniques of Individual
Conference," School Review, 48:600-505, (October, l9w3).
5
William J. Goode and Paul R. Hatt, Methods in Social
Research (New York: McGraw Hill Company, Inc., l952),
p ‘33-'86.

The schedule, which structured the responses into
three parts,was administered only by the author. While some
of the answers were written by the interviewees in the pre-
sence of the author, most of the responses were recorded by
the interviewer directly on the schedule. Often the inter-
viewer immediately after leaving the interview situation,
filled in details for those answers which were left incom-
plete during the interview. The procedural details (a struc-
tured questionnaire, uniform administration, and systematic
recording of the responses) were adhered to strictly through-
out the course of the interviews to augment the reliability

i
of the results.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INSTRUMENT

Before the construction of the interview schedule,
the research objectives and the requirements of data to meet
those objectives were clearly defined and stated. Then, in
order to translate the research objectives into specific
questions, the interview schedule was divided into three
distinct parts. Part One was to secure twelve items of
demographic information considered as descriptive, inde-
pendent variables such as age, professional experience and
education. Part Two consisted of questions to elicit the
attitudinal and behavioral reactions of curriculum directors
to three curricular practices. A section of Part Two was

also devoted to locating those sources of information which

 

l
Ibid., p I84'l850

the selected curriculum directors used in learning of develop-
ments in curriculum. These sources were located by using the

three curricular practices as a means of rating specific

media.
The sources of information were grouped as three
strata of communication media: Lassrnedia such as books,

magazines, radio and television; groups gg media such as

serirars, faculty meetings and college courses; individcais

 

3; media such as superintendent, salesmen, and friends.

 

Part Three of the schedule included information
concerning sociometric patterns of relationships among
curriculum directors.

DEVELOPMENT OF PRACiiCES TO 55 EN;LuOEO
IN THE XNTERVIEW SCHEDULE
The selection of practices was accomplished through

the use of a jury of experts reacting to a rating scale for

several practices considered significant in the literature.
Method of Selecting the Jury

The jury was selected from those organizations in
Michigan which work for the improvement of curriculum on a
professional level. In order to get a somewhat comprehensive
expertness to these sources, three general types were
selected. (I) The state universities were considered as a

group which gave the philosophical orientation, improved

practices, and indicated future direction to curriculum

..N'-
OE'QEI

(1

effort, (2) the state department of Ouhiir instru

y i
(J

which attempted to translate the oniicscohicai in
the practical in its work with communities, and if!
the professional group which represented in its membership
the thinking of the philosopher, the interpreter and the
practitioner in the field, the Michigan Association of
Supervision and Curriculum Development.

The jury was constituted according to the following
criteria: (i) two respondents from each source. and

(2) the respondents should be actively working for the

improvement of curriculum.
The Participants on the Jury

if the universities were to have one major function,
it might be interpreted to be relaying new ideas from sources
of experimentation to those people in the field who are per-
forming the actual duties. Two representatives, one from
one of the largest universities in the state, and one from
a smaller one, agreed to fill out the rating scale. Dr.
Charles Blackman from Michigan State University and Dr.
Dorothy McCuskey of Western Michigan University complied with
the requests. Both of these individuals had as a major part
of their responsibilities, the instruction of classes in
curriculum.

in the Department of Public Instruction, those per-

sons who were working directly for the improvement of

curriculum in the schools were given the rating scale; they
were the secondary curriculum specialist, Mr. Louis Koscis
and the elementary curriculum specialist, Mr. Karl Kramer.
To complete the jury from the membership of the
Michigan Association of Supervision and Curriculum
Development and to give the jury the ingredient of compre-
hensiveness, two criteria were considered prerequisite.
First, inasmuch as the other members of the jury were not
actively participating in curriculum work in the public
school systems of Michigan, that someone who was a practi-
tioner be selected. Secondly, that this practitioner be
knowledgeable in the areas of curriculum. It was assumed
these criteria could be satisfied by selectively inviting
two members of the board of directors of the Michigan
Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. This
assumption was made because the board of directors had
practitioners on it and these practitioners had been elected
by the membership of a professional group representing the
curriculum workers. The president of the board Dr. Delmo
Della Dora, and one other board member, Dr. Burton Thorn
satisfied these criteria and submitted completed rating

scales.
Practices to gelncluded

The initial step in determining which practices
were to be included in the study was to compile a list of

curricular practices which experts intro field of curriculum

felt were important. A composite list was derived from
readings in texts for curriculum courses, publications from
the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
and other current materials related to curriculum.l This
list was presented to specialists working in the field of
curriculum to revise and condense according to two broad
general criteria: (l) the public schools' need for the
practice and (2) that the practice had not already been
adopted by most schools. It was assumed that these criteria
would eliminate practices which were of minor importance as
well as those which dated too far back to facilitate locating
sources. The list was then refined and approved in the
form of a rating scale by a member of the author's guidance
committee.

The rating scale was presented to the jury, which
rated each practice on a four-point scale? l. Desirable
and significant; 2. Desirable; 3. Questionable and/or unde-
cided; 4. Undesirable and/or insignificant. After each
member of the jury had completed his rating of each item,
he was asked to place in rank order those practices which
he had rated in the first category of "desirable and
significant'.

In tabulating the results, the following weights

 

I
See Appendix A,section 2.
2
Orvil S. Barr, Robert A. Davis, and Palmer 0.
Johnson, Educational Research and Appraisal (Chicago:
J. B. Lipancott Company, l9557. p 71.

H H

were used: a practice rated one was given a score of six,

H

a practice rated "two a score of five, "three" a score of

four, "four” a score of three, "five" a score of two and

H il

six a score of one. Only the first six items in category
one “desirable and significant" were recorded. in the ini-
tial stages of development six items were to be included in
the instrument. A further dimension was added to the study
of the practices by the selection of three practices, by
noting the length of time the practices had been in use.

In its final form the interview schedule included the follow-
ing practices:

Practice A: Action research carried on in the schools.

Practice g: A general education program organized as an
integrated class for all youth.

 

Ezggligg Q: A counseling system starting in the elementary
grades and extending through all the grades

Selection of Sources

The first list of sources, which was extracted from
the literature of communication research, was grouped under
three general headings: ass ~edia, ;:oups g; "edia, and
individuals gg media. The list was then submitted for
additions and corrections to several researchers who were

i
knowledgeable in the field of communication research. Upon

 

l

Dr. James E. Copp, Assistant Professor of Rural
Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park,
Pennsylvania, Dr. John M. Parsey, Associate Professor,
Bureau of Educational Research, College of Education,
Michigan State University, Mr. Don Wells, Assistant,
National Project in Agricultural Communications, Michigan
State University.

revision of this list of media, the items were removed from
their categories and placed in an unrelated, chance order

for use in the interview schedule.' In addition, during the
pre-test periOd, the respondents were afforded the opportunity
to make any further additions. It was Suggested that the
curriculum specialist from the county office of education be
added to the list of sources. however, although it was
possible to offer suggestions during the course of the study,

no contributions were cited with sufficient frequency to make

them important.

Demographic Characteristics

 

The demographic characteristics were selected on the
basis of their importance in related research and their
pertinence to this study. These items were modified to fit

the purpose of the research and presented to experts for
2
their consideration.

Prerest

Upon construction of the schedule it was pretested
on six persons working in the area of curriculum to establish

acouracy of format and to complete the refinement of content.

l

The logic for this decision for order placement was
that the interviewee would be in a position to make a selec-
tion of individual media upon each item's merit and not to
balance categories. As Sarr, Davis and Jonnson hold "inter-

mingltn; of items and provis;on fer multiple inferences are
used as a basis for preventing the individual from 'working'
the test." op. cit., p 72.

2

The schedule was then mooified to in orporate appropriate
l,2
Sug'estions obtained during the pre-test period. Final

if:

changes and corrections were made during conSultation with

members of the author's guidance committee.
CLASSIFYING DATA

In attempting to classify the data for Statistical
purposes, each category of data was divided as closely as
possible into balanced grOups.

The curriculum directors fifty years old and less
were classified as younger. The CurrlCuiLm directors fifty-
one years olc and more were ’Gjudged olcer.

school size was determined by number of students in
attendance. Eigrt thousand students and over were regarded

as being high and a numter under eight trousano as bein lcw.

«D

The professional preparation index was comprised of
two factors: degrees hel: and fields of specialization. each
curriculum director was scored for the degrees held accorc-
in; to a three-point scale: one point for master's degree,
one point for coorses beyond the master's and one point for

I ,. ' ' .. ‘ -, r.» .‘r".:- 2"“. ;_*
a doctor 5 deg ee. iacn curriculum :vr~c1- was . ' “our--

 

 

. - —' "\ I ,x' ‘ : .‘_ . < ‘ _ r“ . :- ’_‘
Fr‘=!jar‘C': C.I ‘UTGXtOH and .JgClcy we u. :V‘l‘49._' . :f‘, if; f
.. v e v" .. - — V . \ -. « . ;‘n-. . . '. . “A . ' A
aeheral otai‘313 s {anleh--; p.. a, tea ,3.;.}: k ;1Li;e
trail, Inf.’ gut-t _--

,.
I.

t
v
to
Q!

J
L)
L
0)
(9

0
Pi
r1
0
f)
(9
o

for field of specialization according to a three step scale:
two points were given for areas of specialization in super-
vision, curriculum or administration; one point was given for
areas of specialization in education; zero points were given
for areas of specialization other than education. A total
index score, which was comprised of degree score plus area

of specialization score, ranged from one through five inclu-
sive. When these were tabulated in sequence, the high rating
was ascribed to ratings four and five. Ratings three, two
and one were considered low.

The professional experience index is constituted of
the types of experience curriculum directors have prior to
assuming the duties of the general administrator in charge
of a program from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Six
tyres of experiences were discernible: teaching, line rela-
tionships, staff relationships, college teaching, central
administrative positions, and government and professional
positions. Each curriculum director was given a point for
each classification. Total scores ranged from one through
our. The high classifications for this index were three
and four, the low classifications were one and two.

The professional involvement index represents a
composite score. The items included in the score are derived
from the participation and the incidence with which this
participation occurs. Three items, membership in profes-
sional organizations, leadership described as holding office,

and conference attendance, were recorded at the local,

(‘A

regional, state, national and international levels. Two
additional items, publications read and contributions to
publications were considered at the state and national levels.
One item, newspapers read regularly, were noted at the local,
state and national levels. A total score was assigned each
curriculum director based on his participation and the

number of levels at which the participation occurred. The
professional involvement index had a range of scores from
twenty through fifty-six, a difference of thirty-six. The
scores thirty-six and above were considered as high; while
scores below thirty-six were rated as low. There were
nineteen high and eighteen low scores.

The reputed knowledgeability index and reputed reli-
ability index were based on assessments made by each curricu-
lum director in the sample of the other curriculum directors.
Two questions were posed for response. The first question,
the basis for the reputed knowledgeability index, was: "From
this list of curriculum directors, please indicate those who
have to your knowledge a reputation of knowing curriculum
work?" The second question, the basis for the reputed reli-
ability index, was: "From those rated as knowledgeable,
would you please indicate those people upon whose judgment
you would rely in making decisions about curriculum?" In
every case, the rating was based on the frequency with whicn
the curriculum director was appraised by his colleagues. The
scores for reputed knowledgeability ranged from two through

thirty-three. A score of ten or more was considered

high. Those scores below thirteen were considered low.

Media indexes were derived from grouping the scores
of media under each generic caption.

Mass media had a range of scores from two to twenty.
Those scores of eleven and above were considered high. The
scores below ten were considered low. ‘

Groups 3; £5113 had a range of scores from four
through twenty-six. Seventeen and above were considered
high scores. Below seventeen were considered low scores.

Individuals ag Eggig had a frequency range from
one through twenty-two. Thirteen and above constituted high

scores. Twelve and below were considered low scores.
TECHNIQUES FOR ANALYSING THE DATA

Tables showing percentages will depict the findings
of this study in Chapter IV. The range as a measure of
variation and the median as a measure of central tendency
will further describe the data. The small sample precludes
the use of tight statistical tests of hypotheses. In
Chapter V, however, the computation of chi-square is made

I
according to the procedures suggested by McNemar.

x2 = N (AD - so)2
U+e)70+p) (A+cT(e+oT

 

 

I
Quinn McNemar, Psychological Statistics (New York:
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., l9557, p 224.

oz;

The correction for continuity was made by incorpora-

ting Yates' correction for continuity in the preceeding
i
formula.

/ N 2
x2 = N (l AD - sci - Z;
iK—+ 8) (C + D) (A + C) (B + D)

 

In those cases where any expected value of a
l
2 x 2 table was less than five, Fisher's Exact Test was

used to analyze the data.

p = (A + s): to + oi:_lA + citals + o):
N: A: s: c: p:~

In this study the twenty percent level of signifi-
cance is considered capable of indicating general tendencies.
Those associations which attain at least this level will be
reported and termed as noteworthy significance. Further-
more the P <;.30 level which is much less rigorous than
usual, is reported here because the sample is so small that
using the more conventional criterion would result in
falsely accepting the null hypothesis.

In the presentation of the findings the following
frequently used qualifying terms will be utilized to describe
'specific probability ranges. The word "definite" or the
word "reliable" will be used to mean a significance level

beyond P 4,30.

 

l
Ibid., p 23l

2
Sidney Siegel, Nonparametric Statistics for the
Behaviorial Sciences (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company,

Inc., l955), p 97.

TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Range of Possibility Significance of Association

.50< to (above chance association

.40< P <.50 no significant association

.30< P (.40 very low but definite
association

.20< P <.30 moderately low but definite
association

.l0< P 4.20 low, definite but not quite
significant association

.05 AP <.i0 significant association

.0l 4 P < .05 highly significant associa-
tion

.00l < P 4 .0i extremely significant

association

TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE DIRECTION OF ASSOCIATION

 

 

 

 

Range of Possibility Direction of Association

.50 and above (statement of percentages
only)

.40 <P 4.50 (statement of percentages
only)

.30“< P 4.40 might be indicated

.204 P 4.30 seems to be indicated

.l045 P 42.20 tends to be indicated

.054 P4.l0 is indicated

.0l 4 P z. .05 is strongly indicated

.00l 4 P 4 .0l is very strongly indicated

In this chapter a delineation of the development of
the questionnaire included the establishment of the criteria
for selection of-the population of the research, a review
of the procedure used in the interview situation, the
selection and verification procedures of the practices, and
the construction and testing of the final instrument. Also,
included were the techniques for analyzing the data and
those terms which are important for accurate description
of the results.-

The next chapter, Chapter 1V, contains a profile of
the curriculum directors as portrayed by selected demo-
graphic characteristics, their use of media, and their

orientation to three practices.

CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS

In this chapter a number of personal and professional
characteristics of selected curriculum directors in Michigan
will be reported. This portion of the study is based on
self-reported and self-supported information provided by
participating curriculum directors through personal inter-
views conducted during the course of the study. The contri-
bution of the collected characteristics lies in their rela-
tionship to the attitude and behavior of the curriculum

directors concerning curriculum practices.

A23.

The group covers an age range of thirty-one years,
from thirty-three through sixty-four, with nearly forty-
three percent of the group being between the ages of fifty-
five and sixty-five. The median age of the curriculum
directors was fifty-two. Nearly ten percent reported an age
of less than forty.

Table 2 indicates most curriculum directors are

in their fifties or sixties.

67

TABLE 2.--Distribution of curriculum directors
according to age

 

 

 

 

Number of
Age in Years Curriculum Directors Percent
30 " 40 4 I 09
4| - 50 l) 35.l
5i - 60 l) 35.l
6i & over 7 l8.
Total 37 l00.0

 

Professional Preparation

Forty percent of the curriculum directors reported
holding only a master's degree in various areas of study.
Nearly thirty-seven percent indicated further study beyond
the master's degree but not terminating in a doctoral
degree. Twenty-three percent hold a doctor's degree.

TABLE 3.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
highest degree attained

ll

 

W

 

 

Number of
Degree Held Curriculum Directors Percent
Master's degree IS 40
Master's plus IA 37
Doctor's degree 8 23
Total 37 lOO

 

The following areas were reported, in order of
highest frequency, as major field of study; administration,

supervision and curriculum development fifty-four percent;

guidance, counseling, test and measurement twenty-two percent;
general education thirteen percent; and other areas of study
such as economics, vocational education, speech and English
eleven percent. Tables 3 and 4 present the number of cur-
riculum directors holding different educational degrees and

different major areas of professional concentration.

Professional Experiences

1

Fifty-six percent of the curriculum directors reported
to have less than ten years teaching experience. Only sixteen
percent indicated teaching experience of fifteen years or
more. Teaching experience in terms of length of service
varies for the curriculum directors from zero years to twentty-
two, which is a range Of twenty-two years. The median number
of years of teaching experience for this group is eight and
three tenths. -

TABLE 4.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
major areas of educational preparation

W

 

Number of
Major Field Curriculum Directors Percent
Administration,supervision,
and curriculum development 20 54
Guidance,counseling and
test and measurement 8 22
General education 5 l3
Vocational education,
speech and English . 4 ll

 

Total 37 IOO

 

7 0

TABLE 5.--Distrlbution of curriculum directors according to
teaching experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years of Number of
Teaching Experience Curriculum Directors Percent
O - 4 6 I602
5 - 9 l5 40.6
'5 - l9 5 l3.5
20 & over i 2.7
Total 37 l00.0

 

Total Educational Experience

The overall range of total educational experience,
in terms of years, is from eight to forty-five, an interval
of thirty-seven years. The median number of years of total
educational experience is twenty-six and three tenths. in
overall educational background only twenty-one percent of the
curriculum directors had less than twenty years of educa-
tional experience. Firty-three percent of the curriculum
directors indicated thirty or more years of educational
experience.

Table 6 reveals that curriculum directors tend to

have extensive educational experiences.

TABLE 6.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
length of educational experience

 

 

 

—1 I

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years of Number of
Educational Experience Curriculum Directors Percent
ll - 2O 8 2l.6
2l - 30 ll 29.7
4| & more ,2 5-5
Total 37 l00.0

 

(I)
(D
x

In the group of curriculum directors interviewed
there are twenty-six males, who comprise seventy percent of
the entire sample. Eleven females constitute a block of
thirty percent. Thus, the predominant male holds a little

better than two-thirds majority over the female.
ize of Schools

The range of sizes of school systems based on stu-
dent membershlp varied from l,328 to 279,337 pupils, which
spanned an interval of 278,0l9. The median size was 8,385.
Over thirty-five percent of the schools visited had student
memberships under five thousand. Twenty-seven percent of the
schools were included under five to ten thousand student
population. Slightly over sixteen percent recorded student
populations between ten to fifteen thousand. Thus, over

three fourths of the schools visited had indicated student

“\J
h)

membership at less than fifteen thousand.

TABLE 7.--Distrlbution of curriculum directors according to
size of school

 

 

 

Range Number of Schools Percent
Under 5,000 l3 35.l
5,000 to l0,000 l0 27.0
l0,000 to l8,000 6 l6.2
l5,000 to 20,000 3 8.l
20,000 to 25,000 2 5.4
25,000 to 30,000 I 2.7
30,000 to 35,000 0 - -
35,000 to 40,000 l 2.7
40,000 and above l 2.7
Total 37 l00.0

 

Sequence of Educational Position

The career route of the curriculum director begins,
in almost every case, with teaching at either the secondary
or elementary level. Only one curriculum director did not
start at this point. Teaching at the college level, despite
the fact that it was not as dominant a factor as public
school teaching, was reported by thirty-two percent. Just
over sixty percent of the curriculum directors participating
in this study have held a principalship at either an elem-
entary or secondary level. Eighteen percent of the curri-
culum directors have served as supervisors throughout the
grades for specialized subject areas. Twenty-seven percent
reported being in charge of some phase of elementary or

secondary curriculum work as coordinators. The positions

“\J
\xl

noted by the curriculum directors in the central office
included testing, research, administrative assistant and
work in the business office. This group (of those engaged
in central office work) constituted only eleven percent of
those reporting. Twenty-two percent of the curriculum
directors reported having some previous experience in organ-
izations related to the public school education at the state
or national level. in only five instances, the present
curriculum directors reported working formerly as superinten-
dents. Table 8 shows the educational positions which curri-
culum directors held prior to assuming their current respon-
sibilities.

TABLE 8.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
prior positions

 

 

 

Number
Previous Positions Reporting Percent
Teaching 36 97.3
Principalship 23 62.6
Supervisor 7 l8.9
Director or Coordinator l0 27.0
College Teaching ’ l2 32.4
Central Administrative Office 4 l0.8
State and National Office 8 2l.8

 

The ultimate position which the curriculum director
finds in his field has been re-defined from a directorship
to an assistant superintendency. Forty-six percent of these
"general administrators in charge of curriculum" held, as

part of their title, that of assistant superintendent. The

74

other fifty-four percent still retained a form of the title
of curriculum director exclusive of assistant superintendent

denotation.
Career Patterns

An inspection of Table 8 reveals no consistent
career pattern with sufficient frequency to merit notation.
However, when some of the positions are re-classified under
more generic terms, two strong indications arise.

Teaching remains separate as a category and includes
both secondary and elementary.

One of the generic terms which describes the type
of relationship which administrators maintain, is a line
relationship. This heading includes the assistant principal,
principal and superintendent. Another general term which is
descriptive of supervision is staff relationship. This
relationship would assemble under the staff caption the
supervisor, the coordinator or director, the assistant
superintendent who coordinates the elementary curriculum,
the department head or athletic director in high school.
Table 9 relates this merger of positions. It can be noted
in Table 9 that the terms which describe the type of rela-
tionship experienced by curriculum directors provide some
indications of a career pattern. The pattern with the most
elements, bringing together teaching, line, and staff rela-
tionship is indicated by thirtyefive percent of the curricu-

lum directors. When curriculum directors who had only

-J
\ )1

TABLE 9.--Distributlon of curriculum directors according to
career patterns

 

 

 

Type of Relationships Number Percent
Teaching, line, staff l3 35.l
Teaching, line (only) l3 35.l
Teaching, staff (only) 6 l6.2

 

teaching and line relationships, excluded in the tally of the
first career pattern, were tabulated, they likewise constitute
a percentage of thirty-five. If these two patterns are
joined, the resulting combination would increase the percen-
tage to seventy. When a similar union is made between the
teaching, line, staff relationships and teaching, staff
relationship, the ensuing percentage is not as impressive as
the first combination but quite noteworthy, over fifty per-
cent. Then, too, if teaching and one or the other relation-
ship, either line or staff, were to be considered, the per-
centage would rise to eighty-six percent. That is, eighty-
six percent of the curriculum directors have teaching and
either staff or line position as a part of their career
pattern.

The justification of a career pattern may be found
in Table l0, which lists the frequency of positions each
curriculum director reported as holding prior to his pre-

sent position.

 

I I'll-l" III III lllllllll‘ I in

TABLE lO.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
.frequency of prior positions

 

 

 

 

Number of Number of
Previous Positions Curriculum Directors Percent
5 5 l3.5
4 ll 29.7
3 l3 35.2
2 8 2l.6
I O .C.
Total 37 lO0.0

 

Professional Organization Membership

The curriculum directors' participated in profes-
sional organizations at the local, regional, state, national

and international level.
Level of Professional Membership

Eighty-one percent of the curriculum directors par-
ticipated in professional organizations at the local level.
All of the curriculum directors were members of organizations
at the state‘and national level. Only eight and one tenth
percent belonged to organizations with an international

affiliation. Table ll shows the strength of state and

national organizations.

 

Membership at the state level was a criterion for
participation in the project.

77

TABLE ll.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
levels of professional membership

 

 

Organization Curriculum Directors Percent
Local 30 8l.l
Regional 24 64.8
State 37 IO0.0
National 37 lO0.0
International 3 8.!

 

Patterns of Professional Membership

Eight and one tenth percent of the curriculum directors
maintained membership in all five levels of organization.
Almost half of the curriculum directors, or forty-eight
and six tenths percent were members of local, regional, state
and national organizations. The next highest combination of
levels of organizations was local, state and national which
was twenty-nine and seven tenths percent. Thus, over eighty-
six percent of the curriculum directors participated in
professional organizations at local, state and national
levels as a total combination. Table I2 shows the distri—

bution of patterns of membership.
Leadership at Five Levels of Organization

Leadership, is defined as holding office, in
professional organizations, when considered with the same
number of levels, reveals that over sixteen percent of the
curriculum directors served in leadership positions at the

local level. Eleven curriculum directors, or twenty-nine

78

TABLE l2.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
patterns of professional membership

 

 

Levels of Curriculum
Participation Directors Percent

 

Local,regional,state,

 

national,international 3 8.l
Local,regional,state

national l8 48.6
Local,state,national ll 29.7
Regional,state,national 2 5.5
State,national 3 8.l
Total 37 lO0.0

 

and seven tenths percent were leaders at the regional level.
Almost two-thirds of the curriculum directors served at
least a term as leader at the state level. Only one person
served as leader in an international group. Table l3 shows
the relationship of leadership and level of organization.
TABLE l3.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to

professional leadership at five levels
of organization

 

 

 

Levels of Curriculum
Organization Directors Percent
Local 6 l6.2
Regional ll 29.7
State 24 64.8
National l3 35.l
International l 2.7

 

Educational Committee Participation

The total participation of curriculum directors

“'7 ”e
l
l

“ £1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE i4.--Distribation of curriculum directors orjir~ to
Committee memgefa“zt at ffve 5:; (S
Inter-
Local Regional State National national
A 3 s B C 8 C 8 C B C
7 l 2.7
6
5 3 8.l
4 l 2.7 l 2.7 3 8.l
3 l 2.7 5 l3.5 7 l8.9
2 4 l0.8 5 l3.5 l0 27.0 4 l0.8
l l 2.7 ll l9.7 9 24.4 4 l0.8 l 2.7
0 3O 8l.l l5 40.6 5 l3.5 28 75.7 36 97.3
'Total 37 “MID 37 lO0.0 37 l00.0 37 lO0.0 37 lO0.0
Code for above chart:
Column A designates the number of committees for all
levels.
Column : designates the number of curriculum
directors who have membership on committees.
Column 5 designates the percent of the total sample
that the curriculum directors are in

Column 2.

worked on at least one educational committee outside of their
school System. Twenty-two curriculum directors served on a
committee at the regional level. Over eighty-six percent

of the curriculum directors worked at the state level.
Twenty-four point three percent of the curricuoum directors
were active on a national committee. Only one person served
on an international committee. Taole l4 reveals that only

at the regional and state levels is the percentage of curri-
culum directors participating on committees higher than that
of those who do not.

Table l4 points out the range of frequenCy cf
committee participation. The overall range of all levels is
from zero, no participation, to seven. For the specific
levels of local and regional participation the range is
identical, from zero through four. At the state level the
range is from zero thrOugh five. National level participa-
tion ranges from zero through seven. The international
range is limited to zero ard one. The median point for those
participating at the local level is two and one tentr. At
the regional level it is one and five tenths. The median is
two and two tenths at state level participation. At the

national level it drops to one and six tenths.

Publications Read SegularLy

 

The overall range of the numeer of publications

read regularly from both state and national circulations was

”hit one at the state level to thirty-two at the national

level.

The range at the state level was from one to
twelve, a difference of eleven. The median at the state
level was six and seven tenths. Nineteen percent of the
curriculum directors reported that they read seven publica-
tions regularly. Thirteen and a half percent read eight
books regularly. However, the percent drips markedly when
nine to twelve publications are considered. Thirteen point
five percent of the curriculum directors reported they they
each read four to five publications. Ten point eight percent
read six regularly. Twenty-six, or seventy point three per-
cent of the curriculum directors concentrated in a range of
publications from four through eight. Table l5 shows the
range of numbers of publications that curriculum directors
read at the state level.

Table l5 shows ever ninety percent of the curricx-
lum directors read at least four publications at the state
level.

#t the national level, forty percent of the Curri-
culum directors read regularly ten to fifteen publications.
Four Curriculum directors exceeded twenty publications. one
read thirty—two. Nineteen percent of tne curriculum directors
ranged from fifteen to twenty publications on a regular
basis. Twenty-seven percent read from five to ten publica-
tions. Only one person read less than five. Table is

shows the distribution of the number of pcclications.

TABLE i5.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
number of publications read regularly
at state level

n;— T
.2— fl -__ ‘L

 

 

Number of Number of Percentage of
Publications CurriCulum Direztcrs Total Sample

3‘ "NU’ #UIO‘.\I CI.)\DC)-i\)
O—CmUiUib-flkfim —\JJIU
OI'UOUTKJJ\NO U \NU' MC‘U'V
ONOtrUTUTQW UIDNNL‘

 

U1
\1
O
Q i
C)

Total

 

Table I6 indicates almost all Curriculum directors
read at least five national publications regularly.
TABLE l6.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to

number of publications read regularly
at the national level

 

Number of Number of .

National Publications Curriculum Directors Percent
20 and up 4 l0.8
l5 to 20 7 l8.9
l0 to l5 l5 40.0

5 t l0 l0 27.0
0 to 5 l 2.7

 

Newspapers

 

Newspapers were read by curriculum directors at

the local, state and national levels. The range of numbers
of newspapers read was from zero through two, a difference of
two for all three levels. A majority of curriculum directors
read at least one paper for each level. About ninety percent
of the curriculum directors read at least one state news-
paper. Over half the curriculum directors read a newspaper
at the national level. Table l7 shows the relationship
between levels of newspapers and number of papers read.

TABLE l7.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to

number of newspapers read regularly
on three levels

 

Local State .National

 

Publi- Curriculum Per- CurrICulum Per- Curriculum Per-

 

 

TBZIOR directors cent Directors cent Directors cert
2 3 8.l 7 l£.9 4 l0.8
l 22 59.5 26 70.3 lb 43.3
0 l2 32.4 4 l0.8 l7 45.9
Total 37 lO0.0 37 lO0.0 37 lO0.0

 

Table l7 revea s that curriculum directors read

regularly less at the national level than at any other level.

Articles Written for State or National Publications

 

The range of numbers of articles is from zero
through fifty-four for both levels. The distribution is

distorted by one person who had a large number of articles

on both the state (28) and national (54) levels.

At the state level sixty percent of the curricu-
lum directors did not write any articles. Although forty
percent did make some contribution, only twenty-one percent
wrote more than one. The median number of contributions
was two.

At the national level, where fifty-four percent
of the curriculum directors have contributed articles, forty-
six percent have not. The median number of articles at the
national level is three. Table l8 shows the distribution of
number of articles written for state and national publica-
tions.

TABLE l8.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to

articles written for state and national
Publications

 

 

 

State National
Number of Curriculum Curriculum
.“l‘cies Directors Percent Directors rz- ~:
54 l 2.7
28 l 2.7
E'- l 2.7
I
O c. 3.“:
5 3 8.2
4 2 5.4
3 2 5.4
E 7 i8.) 2 5.4
l 7 l8.; 7 l8.9
O 22 59.3 l7 45.9

kul
«J
C)
Q
Q

Total 37 lOQ.O

w- .mg..-u-.-ow<~.-ofl —— _-

 

Table I8 indicates that curriculum directors cor-
tripute articles for publication more extensively at the

national level than at the state level.

Conference Attendance

 

The frequency of annual attendance at conferences
ty curriculum directors is the lowest at the international
level of organization where only one curriCulum director,
or two point seven percent, has participated. Conferences
at the local level register at a minority level of total
involvement of four curriculum directors, or ten and eight
tenths percent. The regional level of organization shows a
marked increase of participation with twenty-six curriculum
directors involved in one to seven conferences. Thus, at
this level over seventy percent of the curriculum directors
indicate participation. Table l9 reveals that participation
on the state level is greater than at any other. Sixty per-
cent of the curriculum directors attend at least three con-
ferences at the state level. Three of the participants, or
eight and one tenth percent, attend seven conferences at
this level. All curriculum directors attend at least one
conference annually on the state level. The participation
at the national level has a greater range than at any other
level from no attendance at conferences to attendance at
nine conferences. more than fifty-six percent of the curri-
culum directors attend at least two conferences at the
national level. Thus Table l9 indicates that conference

attendance is greatest at the state and national level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE ”.1: ‘°
0‘ organization
Inter-
Local Regional State National national
A o t. d C. o o o c. o o
9 l 2.7
8
7 i 2.7 3 8.!
6 l 2.7 W—
5 2 5.4 2 5.4
2 5.4 5 l3.5 4 13.8
i 2.7 5 l3.5 II 29.7 8 2|.6
8 2l.6 8 2|.6 6 l6.2
3 8.l IO 27.0 7 l8.9 13 35.l l 2.7
O 33 89.2 II 29.7 3 8.2 36 97.3
Total 37 lD0.0 37 IO0.0 37 IO0.0 37 lO0.0 37 iC0.0
Code for above chart:

designates the number of committees for all
lE‘V‘E’i S.

designates the number of curriculum di-
rectors who have membership on committees.

designates the percent of the total sample
that the curriculum directors are in

Column 2.

Column A
Column a

Column 5

Repute Knowledgeability

The range of rating scores based on an assessment
of knowledgeability of curriculum matters was from two
through thirty—three. The median rating was eight and the
mean was thirteen and five tenths. Fifty—three percent of
the curriculum directors were mentioned by their colleagues
as being knowledgeable ten or less times. Twenty-one percent
of the curriculum directors wereconsidered knowledgeable by
at least twenty-six curriculum directors. All curriculum
directors were rated as knowledgeable cy at least two other
members of the sample. Table 20 describes the distribution
of rating scores for knowledgeability of curriculum directors.

TABLE 20.--Cistribution of curriculum directors according to
rating scores of reputed knowledgeability

 

 

 

Distribution Number of

of Scores Curriculum Directors Percent
0 - 5 '3 35
6 - lO 7 i9
ll - l5 l 3
lo - 20 4 ii
2| - 25 4 ll
20 - 30 S l 3
3i or more 3 8

 

\rJ
.\’
:3,
(J

Total

Reguted Reliability

The range of rating scores based on an assessment
of reliability of curriculum directors was from zero through
thirty-one. The median rating was seven and the mean eleven.
Almost half of the curriculum directors were mentioned by
only five colleagues as being reliable by any Curriculum
director. On the other hand, eight percent of the curricu-
lum directors were adjudged reliable by twenty-six colleagues.

It may be noted here that the range of rating
scores for reliability was smaller than that for knowledge-
ability. The median and the mean of the reliability
dSLtssment were also lower than knowledgeability. Table
Al presents these data.

TABLE 2l.--Distribution of curriculum directors according to
rating scores of reputed reliability

—‘_—f
- —

 

Distribution Number of

of Scores Curriculum birec10rs Percent
O - 5 ‘ lb 49
6 - IO 2 5
ll - l5 4 ll
l6 - 20 4 ll
2i - 25 o lo
2o - 30 2 5
Bl or more i 3

 

Total 37 lOO

 

source Usefulness

 

The distribution of the scores of the sources of
information rated for usefulness is shown in Table 22.

The range of scores is from sixty-three to one
hundred sixty-four, a difference of one hundred and one.
The median score is one hundred and twelve. Twenty-two
percent of the ratings of communication media are concentra-
ted at the sixth interval. The rest of the scores are

spread somwehat uniformly.

 

 

TABLE 22.--uistritxtion of scores of meiia rate:
it" us:‘-l‘: :
Ten-point interval Frequency Percent

 

oo - by a 7.4
70 - 79 l 3.7
o0 - 8:9 3 ll.l
9O - 99 j ll.l
ldO - l0; 3 il.l
llO - ll; 0 22.5
l23 - l2? 2 7-4
le - ljl ’“ - -
l4u - l49 j ll.l
lSO - lSj 3 ll.l
IOO - l89 l 3-7

Total 27 . loo.o

 

Genera of Communication media

When the sources of information are considered

under the three generic terms of mass media, groups as aedia,

 

 

and individuals as media, the re-grcuping reSults in relation-
snips significant to the study. .ggss media has the largest

range of scores, lowest median and mean. 1ndividuals as

 

 

media holds the middle position in range, median and mean.
while groups as media has the smallest range, it has the
highest median, mean and individual score. Table 23 indi-
cates that the elements of groups as ”Edia are used more

than the elements in either of the other classifications.

TAdLE 23.--Oistribution of scores of communication media
according to range, median, mean

 

Categories

 

of media Hange Difference Median tean
sass 63-I59 96 9| le.3
Group 99-l64 85 lib l24.5
Individual 69-l54 :; lll ll3.o

 

The rank order of the elements of the foree gan-
l
eral categories shows the priority and significanze that
the curriculdm directors assigned to them within their
group. Using the initial scores assigned to them, the ele-

ments are ranked from highest to lowest. A pattern of use-

fulness, as designated by tne Curriculum directors, emerges

 

(x

index Construction, see Appendix A, Section ;

within each category.

hass MEOla

 

“books and professional journals” are the com-
ponents which constitute the first and second positions. A
hiatus of thirty-one points brings the third place to
”bulletin and notices”. The remaining positions hold scores
below one hundred, with a range from ninety-six to sixty-
three, a difference of thirty-three points. "Radio” and
”television" hold the two bottom rank positions respectively.
Table 24 shows the distribution of scores of communication

media under mass fledia.

 

 

 

 

TABLE 24.--Distrioution of scores for elements of mass media
wass Media Scores Rank
books l5; l
Professional journals lid ;
bulletins and notices l2? 5
Displays 9s 4
Newspapers 9l 5
Advertising orocnures and posters 82 c
Magazines, lay do 7
nadio 75 5
Television a3 9

Table 24 reveals that newspapers hold tne median

position in this category.

Groups as wedia

 

”Croups' considered as One classification of

sources of information holds the prime position among tne

\L,
\

three general categories. “Committee meetings held within

the school System" are deemed the most useful source of infor-
mation, followed closely by ”graduate courses” and ”faculty
meetings”. A cluster of scores with only a differential of
four points includes ”conferences”, ”professional meetings”,
”school board meetings", and ”teacher institutes". Only one
type in this classification, "seminars”, has a rating below
one hundred. Table 25 shows the distribution and rank order

of communication media under the caption ~rouES ss neoia.

_—

TABLE 25.--Distribution of scores for elements of
orOuos_ss media

 

 

Type of Group Score Rank
Committee meeting in system l64 i
Gnaduate courses l48 2
Faculty meetings l4l 3
Conferences ii9 4
Professional meetings lid 5
School board meetings ii5 6
Teacher institutes lib b
Undergraduate courses lOl 7
seminars 99 8

 

Individuals as Media

The next classification, individuals ss nedia,

l

ranks second anong the three general cat~gdries. he ’super-
intendent” is given the rating which places him in top posi-
tion as a communicator. ”Teachers” rank a close second.

i

”Curriculum directors‘ from other school Systems are ranwed
third. Poor scores cluster arOund the median witn a differ-

ence of only eight points; they represent ”friends”, ”book

‘0
DJ

salesmen”, ”curriculum consultants” and “school board members“.

"Audio-visual salesmen” are rated the least useful. Table
as shows the range of sources of communication media for

individuals ss media.

——-——

 

TABLE 26.--Jistribution of scores for elements of
individuals ss media

 

 

 

Type of Individual Score Rank
buperintendent l54 l
Teachers l4b 2
Curriculum director (other) l25 3
:riends ll4 4
Book salesmen ill 5
Curriculum consultants iO7 s
bchool board members loo 7
Family 87 8
Audio-visual saleSmen 89 9

 

Rankings of Individual Media Compared as Mass NediaL_Grodgs
as media and incividuals as media

When the communication media are divested of their
general classifications and ranked in one master list, (see
Table 27), the relative positions of the elements of each
groups as incorporated in the master list are consistent,
generally, with the relationsnips of the three general

l

classifications. Hrougs ss media takes the top rating in
the list with the element, "committee meetings within the

system”. The first four ranks contain the prime positions

of the three generic groups. krou s as media has seventy-

 

eight percent of its elements above the median. sixty-eight

 

l
See Table 23, page 9C.

94

percent of the elements of Mass hedia are below the median.

 

The elements of individuals ss Media are spread somewhat

 

uniformly over the entire range: twenty-two percent in the
upper quartile, fifty-six percent in the interquartile range

and twenty-two percent in the lower quartile.

TAbLE 27.-—flanx order of the communication media

 

Communication media Score dank

 

Committee meetings in scnool lu4 i
oooxs lb; 2
Professional JOurnals lad 3
superintendent l54 4
Graduate courses l48 5
Teachers leo u
Faculty meetings l4! 7
bulletins and notices i27 o
Cu riculam stratigrs (:t W“) iii :
Conferences lly lo
Professional meetings ilu ll
school board meetings lli l;
Teacher institutes ilS

Friends il4 l3
Booa sal:;*:n lll i4
CurriCulum conSultants lo? lj
bcnocl board mencers lCu lb
Lnoergraduate college courses lOl l7
Seminars 9y ii
Displays a; l3
Newspapers yl 23
Family o7 2i
Advertising (brochures,posters) :2 :2
hagazines, lay dd 2}
naoio 72 a4
Audio—viSuel salesmen u} 2o
Television a: as

 

.5 fgr all Communication

(in

Table 27 reveals the ranking o L:.:

media.

Ki}

UT

"hreesfractices as Related to Three Faclor

M

U)

 

Three practices, 5, b, and 9 were used to test tne

independent variables and to gain an insight into tne sources
used by curriCulum directors in specific instances. The

respondents were queried on three bases, knowledgeability,

attitude and behavior.

Currigular practices

 

 

Table 28 indicates that Practice 8 was Known by

ninety-seven cercent of the curriculum directors; practiss

H
4
I.

 

was known to ninety-three percent of those reporting; while
wractice Q was familar to ninety—seven percent. Thus,

almost all of the curriculum directors knew the three

All the Curriculum directors favored Fractiss :.

sotice s was the least favored of the tnree practices

“5 5!. --

 

at seventy percent. Drastioe Q was favored by eigrty-s'r

 

"trcent of he curriCulum directors.

u.

3

)

l

i

1

44
‘)
1’3
ii)
“i

‘ I-' p Q r f‘ .p t " i ‘ fl ' a. n w a .—-
~ H ' _, wt -3 ‘ ‘ ,5 Le; uo ulii'lS
i r} 7, :L .' ‘1 .. -. ,3 c: 5'} c : r, i + 3 -4 A § 0 .3 ’- ,- : s .— .- é C A. - 5 h -‘ ~, a: v- v- n J l
“x. ' v ‘. ~ ' 4 u l , . i; C, .e ’3 i, . 3. . j .. :.‘ l ~ ” 8‘ .3 L! . 5; , s
'v ———v—~ ma: III

has the hicrest percentages in 835 three c;snin;: "-“i'"%
v d scum .-
" t -r" “‘Ft te‘centa'3as water" i “s 'r
. 9 g u — s
."’l 1‘ _ -P-°f;‘\3t_ ‘v‘ 3" 4q‘Q-1 ire; r}... -
3 ' u - x . «4 v .6 .l. L, xi” '.O‘J.l JO

 

'“c those Jo"i:uium :frecturs who did not nave

.fit*i*f-~ .* iv: 7“”‘fifif an er“lt'a:icn a? ~,a« v. t‘en
{hi I ( o _ - _, a
I A I
v- -, .e - t
\‘H‘gort/ 3 "i . V . s .

TABLE 25.--Per¢?“ia'a re;' 5; :5 :'I *-'-: .v;“f';;. ;.
curricuium street rs

Percent rerzen: re"cent

 

Practices Know €avwr more For
Practice A (Action Reusarch; 37 id: as

 

O\
N

Practice e (General Education) 93 70

 

 

 

 

,' o ,\ o A ’— cw
Practice c (Counseling) 3 db {5
W .—
dgrnfi*y

“—-
"is r'g 1-” -“asente: three asoects a: the orc-

rile o‘ tre currtculum fiT”EZZGfS: one. selected irregraohzc

Characteristics 3‘ curriovi;fi :ir.f.;r;, tat. an indication
of the use of media and, three. their :rieniatiCh to three
practices. In the followirg chapter an attempt is made to

hate the relationsnios among these three factors.

CHAPTER V

PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS

O

In Chapter l seseral hypotheses were proro ed
concerning the use of communication media by the curriculum
directors of the state of Michigan in the performance of
tneir curricular responsibilities. These hypotheses are
now examined in the light of the findings of the study.

The results will be presented in the following
order: (l) the relationship of the characteristics of the
curriculum directors to the orientation indicated by the
curriculum directors to curricular practices, (2) the
relationship of a rating of usefulness of the communication
media by the curriculum directors to their orientation to the
curricular practices, (3) the relationship of the rating of
use of the communication media to the demographic character-
istics of the curriculum directors, and (4) the relationships
among the genera of communication media.

All findings are based on data collected from the
entire population as defined for this study.' Procedures
for data analysis are defined in Chapter iii. Special terms
used in describing statistical results are also included in
Chapter :12.

The interview schedule used to obtain the data for

this research is in Appendix A of this thesis.

l
See definition Chapter III, p lO-il.

 

97

98

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS COMPARED WITH
ORIENTATION TO PRACTICES

The demographic characteristics compared in this
study are age, sex, size of school system, professional pre-
paration, professional experience, professional involvement,
reputed knowledgeability, and reputed reliability in curricu-
lar matters.

Orientation to practices involves two elements,
attitude and participation. The attitude concerns the
feeling the curriculum directors have toward a practice,
that is, whether they favored it or did not favor it. Par-
ticipation indicates the use or non-use that the curriculum
directors made of each practice.

The practices are fully explained in Chapter 1.
Briefly, the first practice, designated as Practice A, is
described as the utilization of action research in the
deveiopment of the curriculum. The second practice, desig-
nated as Practice 8, is described as the acceptance within
the curriculum of a general education course for all youth
during their entire school experience. The third practice,
designated as Practice C, is described as the employment of
counseling throughout the various grade levels from elem-
entary through senior high school.

In this section each demographic characteristic
is compared for association with the attitude the curriculum
directors expressed toward each curricular practice and with

their utilization of each practice.

99
Relationship of Age to Attitude Toward Practices

As Table 29 indicates Practice A (actign research)
was favored by all respondents who knew this practice. Age
is not a determinant of attitude toward this practice.

Data presented in Table 30, reveal a moderately low

but,Cefimite~ association between Practice 8 (general educatigh)

 

and age. An examination of these data shows that eighty-three
percent of the older curriculum directors favor this practice
while fifty percent of the younger curriculum directors

favor it. Thus, older curriculum directors seem to favor a
formal general education course for all youth more than the
younger curriculum directors.

Table }l shows the relationship between age of the
curriculum director and the attitude toward Practice C
(counseling). An examination of the data reveals no signi-
ficant statistical relationship. Eighty-six percent of all

curriculum directors favored this practice.

Relatignshig of Age With Use of Practices

 

Data presented in Table 32 show no significant
relationship between the age of the curriculum directors and
their use of Practice A (action research). An examination of
the data reveals eighty-nine percent of all the curriculum
directors used this practice.

Findings presented in Table 33 indicate no signifi-
cant relationship exists between the age of the curriculum

director and the utilization of Practice 8 (general education).

Further examination of Table 3} reveals that sixty-one per-
cent of the older curriculum directors use Practice 8
(general education) while fifty-six percent of the younger
curriculum directors do not use this practice.

Table 34 shows no significant difference exists
between the older and younger curriculum directors in their
use of Practice C (counseling). These data reveal that

seventy-two percent of all curriculum directors use this

practice.

TAsLE 29.--Relationship between age and attitude toward
Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

‘—:——

 

 

 

Age Favor hon-Favor Total
Older 20 O 20
Younger l6 0 l6
T01?” 36 5‘.)

 

i‘_: L;.-—#elationship between age and attitude toward
Practice 8 (general educationi

 

 

 

Age Favor Non-Favor Total
alder l5 3 l-
younger E d is
Total 2} " 3“

 

A : 2.4lg- l G.f. .L34LP41-C

 

iOl

TABLE 3i.--Relationship between age and attitude toward
Practice C (counseling)

 

 

 

 

 

Age ' Favor Non-Favor Total
Older I? 2 l9
Younger l4 3 l7
Total 3i 5 36
2
x = .443 l d.f. .504P 4.70

 

TAdLE 32.--Helationship between age and use of Practice A
(action research)

 

 

Age Use Non-Use Total
Older l7 3 20
Younger l5 l l6
Total 32 4 36

 

I d.f. P = .39l25

 

|02

TABLE 33.--xe|ationship between age and use of Practice 8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(general education)
Age Use Non-Use Total
Older ll 7 l8
Younger 7 9 l6
Total l8 i6 34
x2 = .446 l d.f. .50<:P<L.70
TABLE 34.--Relationship between age and use of Practice C

(counseling)

 

 

 

 

 

Age Use Non-Use Total
Older l4 5 l9
Younger l2 5 l7
Total 26 l0 36
2
X = 0027 I def. 080<P4090

 

n7

 

Relatignshigof'the Sex of the Curricuigm Director to the
AttLtgde toward Practicgs

The sex of the curriculum director did not affect

 

the attitude toward Practice A (action research). As
Table 35 indicates all the curriculum directors who knew
the practice favored it.

Table 36 reveals a moderately low but definite
association exists between the sex of the curriculum director
‘and the attitude toward Practice 8 (general education).
Further examination of these data shows that sixty-one per-
cent of the males favor Practice 8 (genegai education) and
eighty-two percent of the females favor it. Thus the women
curriculum directors seem more likely to favor a general
education course throughout the school than the men.

Data presented in Table 37 indicates no significant
association exists between the sex of the curriculum director
and attitude toward Practice C (counseling). An examination
of these data reveals that eighty-five percent of all males
favor this practice and that ninety percent of all the
females favor it.

The Relationship of the Sex of the Curriculum Director to
the Ut ization of the Practices

A

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 38 reveals an extremely significant associa-
tion exists between the sex of the curriculum director and
the utilization of Practice A (action research). Data
presented indicates that one hundred percent of the male

curriculum directors make use of Practice A (action researan

‘2'

in curriculum work while sixty-four percent of the female
curriculum directors use Practice A (action research). Thus
it is very strongly indicated that male curriculum directors
use action research more than the female curriculum directors.

Table 39 indicates that a very low but definite
association exists between the sex of the curriculum director
and the use of Practice 8 (general educatign). Further
examination of these data reveals fifty-six percent of the
male curriculum directors did not use Practice B (genegai
education) and seventy-three percent of the females did
use Practice 8 (gengtai educgtiog). Thus, it seems to be
indicated that the female curriculum directors use Practice
8 (genergl education) more than the male curriculum
directors.

Data presented in Table 40 reveal no significant
association exists between the sex of the curriculum
directors and their use of Practice C (counseling).
Examination of data presented reveals that seventydtwo per-

cent of the curriculum directors regardless of sex use

Practice C (counseling).

IOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 35.--Relationship between age and attitude toward
Practice A (action research)
Sex Favor Non-Favor . Total
Male 25 O 25
Female ll 0 ll
Total 36 O 36
TABLE 36.--Relationship between sex and attitude toward

Practice B (general education)

 

 

 

 

Sex Favor Non-Favor Total
Male l4 9 23
Female 9 2 ll
Total 23 ll 54

 

‘ I d.f. P = .204

 

|06

TABLE 37.--Relationship between sex and attitude toward
Practice C (counseligg)

 

 

 

 

 

Sex Favor Non-Favor Total

Male 22 4 26

Female 9 ' l lO

Total 3i 5 _‘ 36
I d.f. P = .570

 

TABLE 38.--Reiationship between sex and use of Practice A
(action research)

 

 

 

 

(Sex Use Non-Use Total
Male 25 O 25
Female 7 4 ll
Total 32 4 36

 

l d.f. P = .005

 

[I‘ll ‘..ll!l‘ It'll-‘1'.“ ll.lll.lll ll alllltlil‘ I'll-l l1‘.l 1.! III: l,‘| I'll-ti

l07

TABLE 39. --Relationship between sex and use of Practice B
(general education)

 

 

 

 

 

Sex Use Non-Use Total
Male IO I} —r‘23
Female 8 3 ll
Total l8 l6 34
x2 = l.5l6 — l d.f. .2o<P<.3o

 

TABLE AO.--Relationship between sex and use of Practice C
(counseling)

 

 

 

 

Sex Use Non-Use Total
Male l9 7 26
,Female 7 3 IO

Total 26 IO 30

 

X = .53 l d.f. .3041P<:.50

 

The Relationship of the Size of the School §ystem to the
Attitude 'oward Practices

 

All curriculum directors irrespective of the size

of the school System favored Practice A (action [esegrch)

 

as Table A: indicates.

Table A2 indicates no significant association exi:es
between the size of the school and the attitude toward
rractice B (general education). Data presented reveals that
fifty-six percent of the curriculum directors from schools
with a high student population rating favored Practice B
(general education) and seventy-seven percent of the curri-
culum directors from school systems with a low student pop-
ulation rating favored Practice 8 (general education).

Data presented in Table 43 indicates that a highly
significant association exists between the size of the
school system and the attitude toward Practice C (counseling).
Further examination of these data reveals that seventy-four
percent of the curriculum directors from school systems
with a high student population rating favor Practice C
(counseling) and one hundred percent of the curriculum
directors from school systems with a low student population
rating favor Practice C (counseling). Thus, it is strongly
indicated that those curriculum directors from small school
'Jstems, based on the size of the student population, favor
the use of counseling throughout the elementary and secon-
dary grades more than the curriculum directors from large

school systems.

:99

-lng_figi§;i nshi Between the Size of the School System
and the Utilization of Practices

 

Table 44 indicates that no significant association
exists between the size of the school system and the utili-
zation of Practice A (action research). An examination of
these data reveals that eighty-nine percent of all the .

curriculum directors use Practice A (gction research).

 

Data presented in Table 45 indicate no significant
relationship exists between the utilization of Practice B
(general education) and the size of the school. Further
examination of these data reveals fifty-five percent of the
curriculum directors from large school systems do not

utilize Practice 8 (general education) and sixty-three

 

percent of the curriculum directors from small school systems
do use this practice.

Table #6 reveals that a highly significant associa—
tion exists between the size of the school and the utiliza-
tion of Practice C (counseling). Data presented indicate
that fifty-five percent of the curriculum directors from
szrzol systems with high student populations utilize
Fractice C (counseling). Thus, it is strongly indicated
that the size of the school system is a significant deter-
minant of the use of counseling throughout the elementary

and secondary grades.

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 4i.--Belationship between size of the school System
and attitude toward Practice A
(action research)
Size Favor Non-Favor Total
High l9 0 l9
Low l7 0 l7
Total 36 O 36

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 42.--Belationship between size of the school system”
and attitude toward Practice B
(genera! education)
Size Favor Non-Favor Total
High 9 7 l6
Low l4 4 l8
x2 = .944 l d.f. .30<P<.50

 

TABLE 43.-—Reiationship between size of the school System

and attitude toward Practice C
(counseling)

"

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE

Size Favor Non-Favor Total
High l4 5 l9
Low l7 0 l7
Total 3| 5 36

l d.f. P = .03084

44.--delationship between size of the school System
and use of Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

 

Size Use Non-Use Total
High l7 2 l9
Low l5 2 l7
Total 32 A 36

 

d. f.

P = .7388

 

I [III l I! {‘IHHIIKI i‘l

Illitl 11 l 1"! Illillllli I w

ll2

TABLE 45.--Relationship between size of the school System
and use of Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

 

 

 

Size Use ‘ Non-Use Total
High 8 l0 l8
Low lO 6 l6
Total l8 l6 34
2
X = 057' I def. ojo<P<050

 

TABLE 46.--Relationship between size of the school system
and use of Practice C (counseling)

 

 

 

 

Size Use Non-Use Total
High l0 8 l8
Low l6 2 l8
Total 26 l0 36

 

' def. P = 0046

 

I! ‘l!llll..lll.ll|'llll\lll il.iil 1.1.

ii1

I

The Relationship of the Professional Pregaration of thi
CurrlcUTgm Directors and the Attitgge .oward the PFact

 

 

MW
0
ID

All curriculum directors favored Practice A (action
research) who were knowledgeable of it as Table a? indicates.

Data presented in Table LS reveal no significant
association between the professional preparation of the
curriculum directors and the attitude toward Practice B
(gglgggi education). An examination of these data indicates
that seventy percent of the curriculum directors with high
:rofesslonal preparation and seventy-one percent of the
curriCulum directors with low professional preparation favor
Tractice 8 (general education). I

Table 49 indicates that no significant association
exists between the professional preparation of the curricu-
lum directors and the attitude toward Practice C (counseling).
Further examination of the data presented reveals that
eighty-nine percent of the curriculum directors with.high

prcfessional preparation favor Practice C (counseling) and

 

eighty-two percent of the curriculum directors with low
professional preparations favored Practice C (counseijgg‘.
Thus, eighty-six percent of all curriculum directors regard-
less of professional preparation favored Practice C

(counseling).

H4

The Relationshig Between the Professional Preparation of the
Currngium Director and the Utilizat on of the Practices

 

 

 

 

 

Table 50 indicates no significant association between
the professional preparation of the curriculum director and
the utilization of Practice A (action research). Data pre-
sented reveal eighty-nine percent of all curriculum
directors regardless of professional preparation use
Practice A (action research).

Data presented in Table El reveal no significant
association between professional preparation of the curricu-
lum directors and the utilization of Practice 8 (general
education). Further examination of these data presented
indicates that fifty-five percent of the curriculum directors
with high professional preparation and fifty percent of those
with low professional preparation use Practice 8 (general
education).

As Table 52 indicates no significant association
between professional preparation of curriculum directors and
utilization of Practice C (counseling) exists. Examination
of these data reveals that seventy-eight percent of the
curriculum directors with high professional preparation and
sixty-five percent of those with low professional preparation

use Practice C (counseling).

liS

TABLE A7.--Relationship between professional preparation

and attitude toward Practice A
(action research)

 

 

 

 

Preparation Favor Non-Favor Total
High 20 0 20
Low l6 0 l6
Total 36 O 36

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 48.--Relationship between professional preparation
and attitude toward Practice 8
(general education)
Preparation Favor Non-Favor Total
High l4 6 20
Low IO 4 I4
Total 24 IO 34
2
x = .O6l i d.f. .80<P<.9O

 

.TABLE

ll6

49.--Beiationship between professional preparation
and attitude toward Practice C
(counseling)

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation Favor Non-Favor Total
High l7 2 l9
Low l4 3 l7
Total 3i 5 36
2
X = 0443 i def. OSO<P<070
TABLE 50.--Relatlonship between professional preparation

and use of Practice A (action research)

1 ‘-

 

‘-

 

 

Preparation Use Non-Use Total
High l8 2 20
Low l4 2 ' l6
Total 32 » 4 36

 

i def. P = 078

 

ll7

TABLE 5l.--Relationship between professional preparation and
use of Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation Use Non-Use Total
High ll 9 20
Low 7 7 l4
Total l8 l6 34
2
X = 00.7 I def. 080<P4090

 

TABLE 52.--Belationship between professional preparation and
' use of Practice C (counseligg)

m

 

 

 

Preparation Use Non-Use Total
High l5 4 l9
Low ll 6 l7
Total 26 l0 36

 

X2 2 .3'7 | def. 050<P<070

 

il8

The Relationship Between the Professional Experience of
the Curriculum Directors and the Att tude toward the
Practices

 

 

 

 

Table 53 shows that all curriculum directors regard-
less of professional experience favor Practice A (action
[esearch).

Data presented in Table 54 shows a very low but
definite association between the professional experience of
the curriculum directors and the attitude toward Practice 8
(general education). These data upon further examination
indicate that seventy-five percent of the curriculum direc-
tors with high professional experience favor Practice 8
(general education) and fifty percent of those with low
professional experience favor Practice B (general educatign).
Thus, the direction that might be indicated is that curricu-
lum directors with high professional experience favor
Practice 8 (general education).

According to the data in Table 55 no significant
association exists between the professional experience of
the curriculum director and the attitude toward Practice C
(counseling). Data presented reveal upon further examination
that eighty-four percent of those curriculum directors with
high professional experience and ninety-one percent of those
with low professional experience favor Practice C

(counseling).

ii?

The Relationship Between the Professional Experience of the
CurricuTum Director and the Utillthion of the Curricufg;
Practicgg

 

 

 

 

Data presented in Table 56 reveals a moderately low
but definite association between professional experience of
the curriculum director and the utilization of Practice A
(action research). These data show that eighty-four percent
of the curriculum directors with high professional experi-
ence and a hundred percent of the curriculum directors with
low professional experience use Practice A (actign research).
The direction that seems to be indicated is that curriculum
directors with low professional experience use Practice A

(action research) in curriculum development more than the

 

curriculum directors who have high professional experience.

Table 57 presents data which indicates that no sig-
nificant association exists between the professional exper-
ience of the curriculum director and the utilization of
Practice 8 (genergl education). Examination of these data
reveals that sixty percent of the curriculum directors with
high professional experience and thirty-four percent of
those with low professional experience utilize Practice 8
(general education).

The data in Table 53 reveal that a significant
relationship exists between the professional experience of
the curriculum director and the utilization of Practice C
(ggyflggling). Examination of these data discloses that
sixty-three percent of the curriculum directors who have

high professional experience rating utilize Practi:e C

(counseling). Ninety-two percent of the curriculum directors
who have a low rating of professional experience utilize

this practice. -The association that is indicated is that
curriculum directors who have a low rating of professional
experience utilize Practice C (counseling) more than those

curriculum directors who have a high rating.

TABLE 53.--1elationship between professional experience and
attitude toward Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

Professional

 

 

Experience Favor hon-Favor Total
High 25 t 25
Lo» ll 3 ll
Total ’ ‘ ‘

.- Lu.‘ “, -u-u- - as»- -«c~.--m.—_ _ ---. “x.“m—x‘n.

 

ABLE 54.--%elationship oetween professional experience and
attituse toward Practice B (ggneral education)

 

 

 

 

---—.-..- "~—-“.- --o-~ .nr‘-

 

u..- _ .- m- —. .- -~-—--..- -~'— ~~-—-z.t—

 

 

r. .- ¢-—-. -. -—m

Professional

 

 

 

Experience Favor hon-Favor Total
high 15 o as
L0“ 5 5 lo
i019) E} ii 34

 

 

l2l

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 55.--fielationship between professional experience and
attitude toward Practice C (counseling)
Professional
Experience Favor Non-Favor Total
high 2| 4 25
Low lo I II
Total 3| 5 36
l d.f. P = .509
TABLE 56.--Relationship between professional experience and

use of Practice A (action research)

 

 

Professional

 

 

Experience Favor Non-Favor Total
High 2i 4 25
Low l0 i ll
Total 31 5 30

 

' def. P = 02|4

I22

TABLE 57.--Relationship between professional experience and
use of Practice B (general education)

 

 

Professional

 

 

 

Experience Use Non-Use Total
High l5 l0 25
Low 3 6 9
Total l8 I6 34

X2 = .970 l d.f. .BOALP¢<.50

 

TABLE 58.--Relationship between professional experience and
use of Practice C (counseling)

 

 

Professional

 

 

Experience Use Non-Use Total
High l5 9 24
Low ll l l2
Total 26 IO 36

 

I def. P = .073

 

h)
be

The Relationship Between the_firofessionai Involvement of
the Curriculum Directors and Their Attitude Toward the
Curricular Practices

Table 59 indicates that all curriculum directors
who knew Practice A (action research) favored it irrespective
of their professional involvement.

The data in Table 60 reveal that no significant
association exists between the professional involvement of
the curriculum directors and their attitude toward Practice
B (general education) Upon examination of these data one
finds that seventy-five percent of the curriCulum directors
with a rating of high professional involvement favor
Dractice 3 (general education). Sixty percent of those
curriculum directors with a low rating of professional

involvement favor Practice 8 (general education).

 

A low but not quite significant association
eaéstz between the professional invoivement of the
curriculum directors and their attitude toward Practice C
(counseling) as Table 6! indicates. These data reveal that
seventy-eight percent of the curriculum directors with a
high professional involvement favor Practice C (counseling)
Ninety-four percent of those with a low professional involve-
ment favor Practice 0 (counseligg). The direction that
tends to be indicated is that those curriculum directors
who have a low professional involvement favor this practice

more than those with a high professional involvement.

[2&1

The Relationship Between the_§:ofessional Involvement of
the Curriculum Directors and Their UtiTization of
Curricular Practices

The data in Table 62 reveal no significant associa-
tion exists between the professional involvement of the
curricuim directors and their utilization of Practice A
(action research). Examination of these data shows that
almost ninety percent of all curriculum directors use
Practice A (action research).

Table 63 reveals that no significant association
exists between the professional involvement of the curricu-
lum directors and the utilization of Practice 8 (general
education). These data indicate that sixty-one percent of
the curriculum directors with high professional involvement
utilize Practice 8 (general education). Forty-four percent
of the curriculum directors with low professional involve-
ment use this practice.

No association is indicated in Table 64 between
professional involvement of the curriculum directors and
their utilization of Practice C (counseling). Examination
of these data reveals sixty-three percent of the curriculum
directors with high professional involvement use Practice
C (counseling) and eighty-two percent of the curriculum
directors with low professional involvement use this

practice.

I25

TABLE 59.--Relationship between professional involvement and

attitude toward Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

 

Involvement Favor Non-Favor Total
High i9 0 l9
Low l7 0 l7
Total 36 O 36

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 60.--Reiatlonship between professional involvement and
attitude toward Practice 8 (general education)
Involvement Favor Non-Favor Total
High l4 5 l9
Low 9 6 15
Total 23 ll 34
2
X = .228 l d.f. .502:P<1.7O

 

l26

TABLE 6l.--Relationship between professional involvement and
attitude toward Practice C (counseling)

 

 

 

 

 

Involvement Favor Non-Favor Total

High i4 4 i8

Low I? i l8

Total 3| 5 35
l d.f. P = .l68

 

TABLE 62.--Re|atlonship between professional involvement and
use of Practice A (action research)

 

w

 

 

 

Involvement Use Non-Use Total
High l8 2 20
Low l4 2 l6
Total 32 4 36

i d.f. P : .778

 

l27

TABLE 63.--Relationship between professional involvement and
use of Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

Involvement Use Non-Use Total

 

 

 

High ll 7 i8
Low 7 9 l6
Total l8 l6 , 34
X2 = 0446 ‘ def. ‘ 050<P4070

 

TABLE 64.--Reiationship between professional involvement and
use of Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

 

 

Involvement Use Non-Use Total
.High 12 7 19
Low l4 3 l7
Total ' 26 l0 36

 

x2 = .830 i d.f. .30<P<.50

 

l28

The Relationship Between the Egputed Knowledgeability of
Curriculum Directors and Their Attitude Toward the
CurriCular Practices

 

All curriculum directors who knew Practice A
(action research) favored it as seen in Table 5;.

Table 66 shows no significant association exists
between the reputed knowledgeability of the curriculum
directors and their attitudes toward Practice 8 (general
education). Examinationzfi‘these data reveals that sixty-one
percent of those curriculum directors with high reputed
knowledgeability favor Practice B (general education).
Seventy-five percent of those wizn low reputed knowledge-
ability favor this practice.

The data in Table CT reveal that a highly signifi-
cant association exists between therenutedxnowledgeability
of the curriculum director and his attitude toward Practice
C (counseling). Further examination of these data indicates
that the seventy-one percent of the curriculum directors
with high reputed knowledgeability favor Practice C
(counseling). One hundred percent of the curriculum

directors with low reputed knowledgeability favor this

r5

practice. The direction strongly incica ed by this table
is that curriculum directors with low reputed knowledge-
ability favor this practice more than those with high

reputed knowledgeability.

The Relationship Between the Reputed Knowledgeability_of
the Curriculum Directors and—Their UtiTization of the
Curricular Practices

Data in Table 68 indicate no significant associa-
tion exists between the reputed knowledgeability of the
curriculum directors and their utilization of Practice A
(action research). An examination of the data reveals that
the same number of curriculum directors with high reputed
knowledgeability use Practice A (action research) as with
low reputed knowledgeability. A similar condition of
equality exists between high and low reputed knowledgeability
in the non-use categories.

Table 69 shows no significant association exists
between the reputed knowledgeability of the curriculum
director and the utilization of Practice 8 (general education).
The internal cells contain almost the same numbers.

A low definite, but not quite significant associa-
tion, exists between the reputed knowledgeability of the
curriculum directors and their utilization of Practice 0
(counseling) as shown in Table 73. These data reveal that
fifty-nine percent of the curriculum directors with high
reputed knowledgeability utilize Practice C (counseling).
Eighty-four percent of those curriculum directors with low
reputed knowledgeability utilize this practice. The direc-
tion of the association that tends to be indicated is that
those curriculum directors who have a low reputed knowledge-
ability utilize this practice more than those who have a

high reputed knowledgeability.

l30

TABLE 65.--Relationship between reputed knowledgeability and
attitude toward Practice A (action research)

 

L—W— .—
w ‘r

 

 

 

 

Know Favor Non-Favor Total
High i8 0 l8
Low l8 0 ' l8
Total 36 O _ 36

 

TABLE 66.--Relation5hip between reputed knowledgeability and
attitude toward Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

 

 

Know Favor Non-Favor Total
‘High ll 7 id
Low l2 4 l6
Total 23 ll 34

 

X = .02 l d.f. .8'O<P<,.90

 

l3l

TABLE 67.--Relationshlp between reputed knowledgeability and
attitude toward Practice C (counseligg)

 

 

 

 

 

Know Favor Non-Favor Total
High l2 5 i7
Low l9 0 '9
Total 3i 5 36
l d.f. P = .Ol64l

 

TABLE

68.--Relationship between reputed knowledgeability and
use of Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

 

Know Use Non-Favor Total
High l6 2 l8
Low l6 2 l8
Total 32 4 36

 

I d.f.

P = .797

 

I32

TABLE 69.--Relationship between reputed knowledgeability and
use of Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

 

 

 

Know Use Non-Use Total
High l0 8 l8
Low 8 8 l6
Total l8 l6 34
x2 = .OOO4I9 l d.f. .984P4.99

 

TABLE 70.--Reiationship between reputed knowledgeability and
use of Practice C (counseling)

4

 

 

 

Know Use Non-Use Total
High IO 7 l7
Low l6 ' 3 l9
Total 26 i0 36

 

X = .0755 I def. O'O<P<020

 

l3}

The Relationship Between Reputed Reliability and Attitude
Toward Curricular Practice

All curriculum directors who knew of Practice A
(action research) favored it as Table Tl indicates.

Table 72 indicates no significant association exists
between the reputed reliability of the curriculum director
and the attitude toward Practice 8 (general educgtion).
Further examination of these data reveal that seventy-one
percent of the curriculum directors who have a high rating
of reputed reliability favor this practice. Sixty-five
percent of those with low reputed reliability favor this
curricular practice.

The data presented in Table :3 reveal that a highly
significant association exists between reputed reliability
and the attitude of the curriculum director toward Practice
C (counseling). Sixty-nine percent of those curriculum
directors with high reputed reliability favor this practice.
a hundred percent of those curriculum directors with low
reputed reliability favor this practice. The direction is
strongly indicated that those curriculum directors with low
reputed reliability favor the use of counselors throughout

the grades more than those with high reputed reliability.

The Relationship of the Reputed Reliability‘of the Curriculum
Director to the Utilization of Curricular Practices

 

 

 

 

 

Data in Table ?4 shows no significant association

between the reputed reliability of the curriculum director

and the utilization of Practice A (action research). Further
examination of the data reveals a balance between high and
low reputed reliability as to use or non-use. About ninet)
percent of both categories use this practice.

Table E3 indicates that no significant association
exists between the reputed reliability of the curriculum
director and the utilizationcfiracticeB.(general education”.
An examination of these data reveals that all internal cells
are practically equal. As many of the curriculum directors
with highreputed reliability utilize Practice 8 (general
education) as do those with low. The curriculum directors
with high reputed reliability have almost equal use and non-
use. The curriculum directors with low reputed reliability
derive the same relationship.

The data presented in Table R; reveal that a low,
definite but not quite significant association exists be-
tween the reputed reliability of the curriculum director and
the utilization of Practice C (counseling). These data show
fifty-six percent of the directors with high reputed reli-
ability use Practice C (counseling). Eighty-five percent
of those with low reputed reliability utilize this practice.
The direction of the association tends to be that those
curriculum directors with low reputed reliability use
Practice C (counseling) more than those with high reputed

reliability.

'35

TABLE 7l.--Relationship between reputed reliability and

attitude toward Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

 

Reliability Favor Non-Favor Total
High l7 0 l7
Low l9 0 l9
Total 36 O 36

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 72.--Relationship between reputed reliability and
attitude toward Practice B
(general education)
Reliability Favor Non-Favor Total
High ll 6 .l7
Low l2 5 l7
Total 23 ll 34
x2 = 0.537 l d.f. 30094.50

 

l36

TABLE 73.--Relationship between reputed reliability and
attitude toward Practice C (counseling)

 

 

 

 

 

Reliability Favor Non-Favor Total

High ll ' 5 l6

Low 20 O 20

Total 3i 5 36
l d.f. P = .Oll

 

TABLE 74.--Relationship between reputed reliability and use
of Practice A (action research)

 

 

 

 

Reliability Use Non-Use Total
High i5 2 l7
Low l7 2 l9
Total 32 4 36

 

l d.f. P = .053

 

‘37

TABLE 75.--Relationship between reputed reliabilit and use
of Practice 8 (general education)

 

 

 

 

 

Reliability Use Non-Use Total
High ' 9 8 l7
Low 9 8 l7
Total l8 l6 34
2 __=
X : Jl8 i mf. 3504P2Q7O

 

TABLE 76.--Relationship between reputed reliability and use
of Practice C (counseling)

 

 

 

 

Reliability use Non-Use Total
High 9 7 l6
Low l7 3 20
Total 26 l0 36

 

X2: 20369 ' def. olOAP<o2O

 

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The communication media in this study are classified
under three generic terms: £332.33g13, grougs gg’mggig and
individuals g§.mggig, These general classifications function
as bases for comparison.

Orientation to practices, as indicated in a previous
section involves attitude toward three curricular practices
and the utilization of these practices in the curriculum
by the curriculum directors.

-A description of the curricular practices may be
found elsewhere.l

In this section each of the genera of communication
is compared for association with the attitude the curriculum

directors expressed toward each curricular practice and with

their utilization of each practice.
Relationship of Mass Media and Attitude Toward Practices

As Table 7? indicates all respondents who knew
Practice A (action research) favored it.

Data presented in Table 78 show no significant
association between the utilization that curriculum directors
make of mggg’mggig and the attitude toward Practice 8
(general education). These data reveal, upon examination,
that fifty-seven percent of those curriculum directors who

have a high mass media rating favor this practice.

 

l
See Chapter 2, cage ll.

l39

Seventy-nine percent of the curriculum directors with low
Eggs Egg}; rating favor it.

Table 79 indicates that no significant association
exists between the utilization of mass media by the curricu-
lum directors and the attitude toward Practice C (counseling).
An examination of these data reveals that eighty-six percent
of the curriculum directors with either high or low utiiiza-

tion of mass media favor this practice.
Relationship of Mass Media With Use of Practices

The data presented in Table EC reveal no significant
association between the utilization of mass media and the
utilization of Practice A (action research). it can be seen
by inspection that most curriculum directors utilize this
practice.

Table 8i presents the data which indicate that no
significant association exists between the utilization of
m§§§.m£glg and the utilization of Practice 8 (general egggaf
3123. Examination of these data reveal that fifty-five per-
cent of the curriculum directors with high utilization of
ma§§,mggla use this practice and fifty percent of those
with low utilization of mass media use this practice.

Table 82 reveals no significant association exists
between the utilization of mass gggLa and the utilization
of Practice C (general education). Examination of these data

reveaksthat seventy-seven percent of those curriculum direc-

tors with high utilization of mass media utilize this

4:“
(1.)

practice. Sixty-four percent of those curriculum directors

with low utilization of mass media utilize this practice.

_’"_ media and
attitude toward Fract e A

TABLE 77.--Reiationsnip between use of mass
is
(action research)

 

 

 

 

 

sass vedia Favor hon-Favor Total
High 22 C‘ 22
Low i4 0 l4
Total 35 0 ‘ 36

TABLE 7E.--delationship between use of mass media and
attituoe toward Practice 6
(ceneral education)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mass tedia Favor hon-Favor Total
Low ll 3 l4
Total 2E ll 3%

 

 

l4l

TABLE 79.--Relationship between use of mass media and

 

attitude toward Practice C
(counseling)

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE

Mass Media Favor Non-Favor Total

High l9 3 22

Low l2 2 l4

Total 3i 5 36
l d.f. P = .7ll

80.--Relationship between use of mass media and
use of Practice A
(actiOn research)

 

 

 

 

Mass Media Use Non-Use Total
High l9 2 2|
Low l3 2 '5
Total 32 4 36

 

I d.f. P: .8'3

 

I42

TABLE 8l.--Relationship between use of mass media and use of
Practice 8 (general education) '

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mass Media Use Non-Use Total
High l2 l0 22
Low 6 6 l2
Total l8 I6 34
2 .
X = 00" | def. 090<P<095
TABLE 82.--Relationship between use of mass media and use of
Practice C (counseling)
Mass Media Use Non-Use Total
High. l7 5 22
Low 9 5 l4
Total 26 l0 36
x2 = .217 i d.f. .50<.P<.70

 

M

Relationship of Groups as Media and Attitudes towarg

Curricular Practices
0

Table 83 indicates that all curriculum directors who
knew Practice A (action research) favored it.

Data presented in Table EA reveal that a moderately
low but definite association exists between the use of orougs
gg‘mggig and the attitude of the curriculum director toward
Practice-B (general education). An examination of these
data denotes that fifty-five percent of the curriculum di-
rectors with a high rating of use of grougs g§_ggglg favor
Practice 8 (ceaeral education) and eighty-one percent of the
curriculum directors with low rating of use of grgups £3
33313. The direction that seems to be indicated is that
those curriculum directors with low rating in the use of
grgups gg’flggig favor this practice more than those with a
high rating.

Table 85 presents the data whiCh indicates a very
low but deficite association between the use of grougs gg
mgglg and the attitude of the curriculum directors toward
Practice C (counseling). These data reveal that ninety per-
cent of the curriculum directors with a high rating in the

use of crgugs 5 media favor Practice C (counseling) and

 

eighty-one percent of the curriculum directors with a low
rating in the use of groups ggflgggig favor this practice.
The direction that might be indicated is that these curricu-
lum directors with a high rating in the use of grougs gg

media tend to favor counseling at all grade levels more than

those with a low rating.

Reiationshig of Grogps as Media and of the utilization of
Curricular Practices

Data presented in Table 86 indicate that a mederately
low but definite association exists between the use of groups
ggflmgng and the utilization by curriculum directors of
Practice A (action research). An examination of these data
reveals that ninety-five percent of the curriculum directors
with a high rating in the use of orougs 33 magi; utilize
this practice and eighty-two percent of those with a low
rating utilize the practice. The direction that seems to be
indicated is that those curriculum directors with a high
rating in the use of grgugs 33 ggglg utilize action research
in building curriculum more than those with a low rating in
the use of grougs 33 mgng. V

Data presented in Table E7 indicate no significant

association exists between the use of grgugs 33 media and

 

the utilization by curriculum directors of Practice 8
(general education). Further examination of these data
reveals that forty-seven percent of those curriculum direc-
tors with a high rating in the use of grougs 33 mgfiLg
utilize this practice. Sixty percent of those curriculum
directors with a low rating in the use of groups 33 flggig
utilize the practice.

Table 55 indicates that no significant association

exists between the use of groups 23,339Lg by curriculww
directors and the utilization of Practice C (counseling).

An examination of these data reveals that seventy-nine per-
cent of the curriculum directors with a high rating in the
use of groups 33 mggig utilize this practice and sixty-five
percent of the curriculum directors with a low rating in the
use of groups g§_mgglg utilize counseling throughout the

grades.

TABLE 55.--Relation5hip between use of groups 33 media and

attitude toward Practice A
(action research)

 

 

 

 

 

Groups as Media Favor Non-Favor Total
High l9 0 l9
Low l7 0 l7
Total 36 O 36

 

TAdLE 54.--Relationship between use of crourc a_ media one

attitude toward Practice 8
(ggneral education)

 

 

 

 

beu s as iedia Favor hon-Favor Total
High IO o lo
Low :3 3 lb
Total 23 ll 1%

 

x = new i d.f. .2o<e<,.33

 

l46

TABLE 85.--Relationship between use of groups 33 media and
attitude toward Practice C
(counseligg)

 

 

 

 

 

Groups as Media Favor Non-Favor Total

High l8 2 20

Low i3 3 l6

Total 3| 5 36
l d.f. ( P = .389

TABLE 86.--Relationship between use of grouos pg media and
use of Practice A (action research

 

 

 

 

Groups as Media Use Non-Use Total
High l8 l l9
Low l4 3 l7
Total 32 ’ 4 36

 

' d.f. P :- .259

 

:47

TABLE 87.--Re|ationship between use of croups pg media and
use of Practice B (general education)

 

 

 

 

 

Groups as Media Use Non-Use ' Total
High 9 lo i9
Low 9 6 '5
Total '8 l6 ‘ 34
2
X : 0'49 I dofe 070<P<080

 

TABLE 88.--Reiationship between use of groups as media and
use of Practice C (counseling)

 

 

 

 

Groups as Media Use Non-Use Total
High - l5 4 l9
Low ll 6 ' l7
Total 26 lo ' 36

 

2
X Z 0336 i def. 050<P<o70

 

l48

Relationship of Individuals as Media With Attitudes Toward
Curricular Practices

 

 

As Table 89 indicates all respondents who knew
Practice A (action research)favored it.

Data presented in Table 90 show that a moderately
low but definite association exists between the curriculum

director's use of individuals 3p media and attitude toward

Practice 8 (general education). An examination of these

 

data reveals that sixty-one percent of the curriculum

directors with high rating of use of individuals pg media

 

favor this practice and seventy-five percent of those with

low rating of use of individpals pg media. The direction

 

that seems to be indicated is that curriculum directors who

do not use individuals pg media tend to favor general

 

education in the schools more than those with high scores.
Table 9i shows that no significant association exists

between the use of individuals pg media by curriculum

 

directors and attitude toward Practice C (counseligg).

 

These data reveal that eighty-six percent of the curriculum
directors with either high or low rating of use of indivi-

duals gg media favor this practice.

 

 

Relationship of Individuals as Media and Utilization of
Curricular Practices

 

Data in Table 92 reveal'that a very low but definte

association exists between the use of individuals 33 media

 

we

and the utilization of Practice A (action research). An
examination of these data reveals that ninety-four percent
of the curriculum directors with a high rating in use of
individuals pg ggglg utilize this practice and eighty-four
percent of those with a low rating utilize Practice A
(action research). The direction seems to be that those
curriculum directors who have a high rating of use of ingl-
viduais g§_pgplg utilize this practice more than those
curriculum directors with low rating of use of individuals

_3 media.

 

Table 93 shows that no significant association
exists between the use of individuals 33 mgpig_and the
utilization of Practice 8 (general education). Further
examination of these data reveals that the internal cells
of the table are approximately equal indicating no discrim-
inating factors.

Table 94 presents data which reveal no significant
association between the use of individuals as media and the
utilization of Practice C (counseling). These data indicate
that sixty-eight percent of the curriculum directors with a
high rating of use of individuals as media utilize this
practice and seventy-six percent of those with low ratings

utilize the practice.

TABLE

l50

89.--Relationship between use of individuals pg media
and attitude toward Practice A
(action research)

 

 

 

Individuals

 

 

as Media Favor Non-Favor Total
High i7 0 l7
Low I9 0- l9
Total 36 O 36

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE 90.--Relationship between use of lgdividuals pg media
and attitude toward Practice 8
(general education)

Individuals
as Media Favor Non-Favor Total
High ll 7 l8
Low l2 4 l6
Total 23 ll 34

2

X = '0344 ‘ def. 020<P4030

 

 

lSl

TABLE 9l.--Relationship between use of individuals pp media

and attitude toward Practice v
(counseling)

 

 

.- I
f I

 

 

Individuals

 

 

 

as Media Favor Non-Favor Total

High l8 3 2i

Low l3 2 '5

Total 3| 5 ' 36
I d.f. P : .66l

 

TABLE 92.--Relationship between use of individuals as media
and use of Practice A (action research)

 

‘—

 

Individuals

 

 

as Media Use Non-Use Total
High l6 l - l7
Low l6 3 l9
Total 32 ‘ 4 36

 

I def. P = 0344‘

 

 

'—.. -_~..-— ALHA‘?‘

|52

TAajl93.--Relationship between use of individuals pp media
and use of Practice 8 (ggneral education)

1—:—
j

Individuals

 

 

 

as Media Use Non-Use Total
High l0 8 is
Low 8 8 - l6
Total i8 l6 34
2
X = 0004' I def. 090<P<095

 

TABLE 94.--Relationship between use of individuals pp media
and use of Practice C (counseligg)

 

E
I W‘LJ

 

Individuals

 

 

 

as Media Use Non-Use Total
High l3 6 V I9
Low l3 4 l7
Total 26 lo 36

 

x2 = .027 l d.f. .80<P<.9O

 

i. )1
\fl

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS COMPARED
WITH COMMUNICATION MEDIA

The communication media, as in the previous section,

arecmmpared on the basis of general classifications.

The demographic characteristics of the curriculum

cfirectors include age, sex, size of school system, profes-

sionalpwepartion, professional experience. professional

humflvement, reputed knowledgeability and reputed reiiability.

In this section each communication general classi-

fication is compared with the demographic characteristics

of the curriculum director.

Relationship of Age to Communicption Medip

The data presented in Table 95 indicate no signi-

ficant association exists between age of the curriculum
director and the use of mass communication media. An exam-

ination of these data reveals that more than fifty-eight

percent of either the older or younger curriculum directors

have Ell1lgh rating in the use of mass media.

The data presented in Table 96 indicate a moderately
ion EMJt definite association between the age of the curricu-
iuni<jirector and the use of groups pp media. The data

reveal that forty percent of the older curriculum directors

have a high rating in the use of groups pg

that sixty-five percent of the younger curriculum directors

have a high rating. The direction that seems to be indicated
is 'thzrt younger Curriculum directors make more use of groups

as media than do the older curriculum directors.

Table 9? indicates a highly significant association
exists between the age of the curriculum director and the
use of individuals as mggig. Further examination of these
data reveals that thirty percent of the older curriculum
directors use individuals 33 mggla and seventy-one percent
of the younger curriculum directors use indivicuais as mgglg.
The direction of the association is strongly indicated to be
that the younger curriculum directors use individuals as

media more than the older curriculum directors.

TABLE 95.-—Relationship between age and use of mass me

 

 

 

 

Age High Low Total
Older l2 Q 20
Younger l0 7 '7
Total "2 l5 1/

 

l55

TAm£I96.-~Relationship between age and use of groups 3g media

 

 

 

 

 

Age High Low Total
Older 8 l2 20
Younger ll ‘ 6 ’ l7
Total i9 l8 37
2 _
X = '0365 ‘ def. 0204P4030

 

TABLE 97.--Helationship between age and use of individuals gg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

93.9.1.6;
Age High 1::w ~_T Total
Older 6 l4 2O
Younger l2 5 l7
Total l8 l9 3?

 

x2 = 14.54} l d.f. .024P4.05

 

|56

Relationship of Sex to Communication Media

Table 98 presents data which indicate that no sig-
nificant association exists between the sex of the curriculum

director- and the use of mass media. These data reveal that

 

sixty-two percent of the males have a high rating in the use
of mass media and that fifty-five percent of female curricu-
lum directors have a high rating.

The data presented in Table 99 reveal that a low,
but not significant association exists between the sex of the
curriculum director and the use of groups gg mggig. This
table indicates that sixty-two percent of the male curricu-
lum directors have a high rating in the use of groups gg
mgglg and that twenty-seven percent of the female curriculum
directors have a high rating. The direction of the associ-
ation tends to indicate that male curriculum directors use
groups 33 ESELE more than female curriculum directors.

The data presented in Table iOO indicate that no
significant association exists between the sex of the curri-
culum director and the use of individuals gg'mgglg. These
data reveal that fifty-three percent of the male curriculum
directors have a high rating in the use of indixiduals gg
gggig and that thirty-six percent of the females have a high

rating.

 

|57

TUAEH_E 98.--Relationship between sex and use of mass media

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sex High Low Total
Male l6 l0 26
Female 6 5 ll
Total 22 IS 37

2 x

X : .00088 i d.f. .9541P41.96

 

TABLE 99.--Relationship between sex and use

of .q__e_rou s esteem

 

1
1

 

 

 

Sex High Low Total
Male l6 i0 26
Female 3 8 ll
Total l9 i8 37
2 I d.f. .l04P4.2O

X = 2.390

 

l58

TABLE iOO.--Relationship between sex and use of individuals

 

 

 

 

 

 

as media
Sex High Low ' Total
Male l4 I2 26
Female 4 7 ll
Total i8 l9 37
2 222
X = .375 | def. 050<P<07O

 

Relationshipgof Size of School with Communication Media

Table iOl presents data which indicate that no
significant association exists between the size of the school
and the use of mass media. These data show that sixty-three
percent of the curriculum directors from large school systems

have a high rating in the use of mass media that fifty¢five

 

percent of those curriculum directors from small school
systems have a high rating.

The data in Table lO2 show that no significant
association exists between the size of the school system
and the use of groups pg flggig. An examination of these
data reveals that sixty percent of the curriculum directors
from large school systems have a high rating in the use of

groups gg media and that forty-one percent of the curriculum

 

directors from the small school systems have a high rating.

The data presented in Table IO} indicate that no

'59

significant association exists between the size of the school

system and the use curriculum directors make of individuals
33 mgglg. An examination of these data reveals that fifty-
three percent of the curriculum directors from the large
school systems have a high rating in the use of individuals
gs mggig and forty-four percent of the curriculum directors
from the small school Systems have a high rating.

TABLE iOl.--Relationship between size of the school system
and use of mass media

 

 

 

 

 

Size High Low Total
High l2 7 l9
Low l0 8 l8
Total . 22 IS 37
2
X = .OIB ' def. 080<P<090

 

TABLE lO2.--Relationship between size of the school system
and use of groups pg media

 

 

High 12 B 20
Low 7 l0 l7
Total l9 l8 37

 

x2 = .658 l d.f. .40<P<.50

 

I60

TABLE l03.--Belationship between size of the school system
and use of individuals as media

 

 

 

 

 

Size High Low Total
High IO ' 9 . l9
Low 8 10 i8
Total l8 l9 37
x2 = .028 l d.f. .80<P<.90

 

Relationship of Professional Preparation with Communication

Data presented in Table l04 show no significant
association between the professional preparation of the
curriculum director and the use of mg§§.mggla. An examina-
tion of this table reveals that seventy percent of the
curriculum directors have a high rating ha the use of ma§§_
,flggig and that fifty-three percent of those curriculum
directors with a low rating for professional preparation
have a high rating in the use of ma§§_mggla.

Table lOS presents data which indicate no signi-
ficant association between the professional preparation of
the curriculum director and the use of groups a3 mggig.
These data show fifty-five percent of the curriculum
directors with a high professional preparation rating have
a high rating in the use of groups 22.22212 and forty-seven

percent of those curriculum directors with a low professional

l6l

preparation rating have a high rating in the use of groups

_2 media.

 

The data presented in Table l06 shows no signifi-
cant association exists between the professional preparation

of the curriculum director and the use of individuals as

 

media. These data reproduce the exact scores of Table lOS.
Fifty-five percent of the curriculum directors with high
professional rating have a high rating in the use of indivi-
duals as media and forty-seven percent of those curriculum
directors with a low professionai preparation rating have a
high rating in the use of individuals gs_media.

TABLE i04.--Helationship between professional preparation
and use of mass media

 

I L! L
—-—— 1 if ‘—

 

 

 

Preparation High Low Total
High I4 6 20
Low 9 8 l7
Total 23 IA 57

2

x = .527 l d.f. .40<P<.50

 

l62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE l05.--Reiati0nship between professional preparation
and use of groups as media
Preparation High Low Total
High ll 9 20
Low 8 9 l7
Total l9 l8 37
x2 .. .022 i d.f. .80<P<.9O
TABLE l06.--Beiationship between professional preparation
and use of individuals as media
Preparation High Low Total
High ll 9 20
Low 8 9 l7
Total l9 l8 37
x2 = .022 l d.f. .80<P<.90

 

l6}

Relationship of Professional Experience to Communication
Media

Data presented in Table 107 snow no significant
association between the professional experience of the

Curriculum director and the use of mass media. Further

 

examination of these data reveals that sixty—three percent
of the curriculum directors with a high rating in profeec

sional experience have a high rating in the use of mass media.

 

F'ifty«-one percent of the curriculum directors with a low
professional experience rating have a high rating in tne use

of ness media.

 

Table IOB indicates that a highly significant
association exists between the professional experience of

the curriculum director and utilization of crcups as media.

 

Examination of the data reveals that forty percent of [H9
Curriculum directors with a high rating of professional ex-

perience have a high rating in the use of groups 5 mecifi

 

1

Liu

no seventy-five percent of the curriculum directors witn a
low rating of professional experience have a high ratirg of
use of grOups aa media. The direction of the association is
strongly indicated to be that those curriculum directors
who have a limited professional experience are more iixely
to utilize urOupS aa media than are the curriculum directors
with extensive professional experience.

The data presented in Table IO; show no signifi-
cant association exists between the professional experience

of the curriculum director and use of individuals aa media.

 

l84

The table indicates that forty-eight percent of the curricu-
lum directors with a high rating in the use of individuals

3 media and that fifty-eight percent of the curriculum

 

directors with a low rating of professional experience have

a high rating in the use of individuals aa media.

 

TABLE l07.--Re|ationship between professional experience and
use of mass media

 

 

Professional

 

 

 

Experience High Low Total
High I5 . 9 24
Low 7 6 I}
Total 22 IS 37
x2 = .025 i d.f. .80<.P<.9O

 

TABLE l08.--Helationship between professional experience and
use of groups aa media

r

 

Professional

 

 

Experience High Low Total
High l0 l5 25
Low 9 3 12
Total l9 I8 37

 

X 25.5 ld.f. .OléPé.

C)
m

 

l65

TABLE l09.--delationship between professional experience and
use of individuals aa media

 

 

 

__ A“‘—‘“‘

Professional

 

 

 

Experience High Low Total
High l2 i3 25
Low 7 5 l2
Total l9 l8 37
2 fl,, 2 ,
x : .u‘u I d.f. .uo4P<.yo

 

Relationship of Professional Eaperience to Communication
Media

 

Table llO indicates that no significant associa-
tion exists between the professional involvement of the

Curriculum directors and the use of mass media. An examina-

 

tion of these data reveals that sixty-thre percent of the
curriculum directors with a high professional involvement

have a high rating in the use of mass media in curriculum

 

work and that fifty-six percent of the curriculum directors
with a low rating of professional involvements have a high

rating in the use of mass media.

 

The data presented in Table lli show no signifi-
cant association exists between the professional involvement
of the curriculum directors and the use of uroups aa media.
These data further indicate that fifty-seven percent of the

curriculum directors with a high professional involvement

T66

rating have a high rating in the use of groups aa media
and that forty-four percent of the Curriculum directors with
low professional involvement rating have a high rating in
the use of groups aa media.

Data in Table ll2 indicate that no significant
association exists between the professional involvement of

the curriculum director and the use of individual§_aa media.

 

These data show that fifty-eight percent of the curriculum
directors with a high professional involvement rating have

a high rating in the use of individuals aa media and that
thirty-nine percent of the curriculum directors with a low
rating of professional involvement have a high rating in the

use of individuals aa media.

 

TABLE llO.--Relationship between professional involvement
and use of mass media

 

 

Professional

 

 

Involvement High Low Total
High l2 7 l9
Low lO 8 lb
Total 22 IS 37

 

x2 = .Ol8 I d.f. .s0<P<.90

 

 

l67

TABLE lll.--Relationship between professional involvement and
use of groups aa media

 

 

Professional

 

 

 

Involvement High Low Total
High ll 8 l9
Low 8 l0 l8
Total l9 l8 37
2
X Z 0239 i def. 050<P<O7O

 

.--Heiationship between professional involvement and
use of individuals aa media

to

TABLE II

 

 

:— t.‘
7. -___-‘ w 1‘

Professional

 

 

Involvement High Low Total
High ll 8 l9
Low 7 ll l8
Total l8 T9 37

 

X : .683 l d.f. .40<P<.50

 

l68

Relationship of Reputed Knowledgeability to Communication
Media

Table II} reveals no significant association
exists between the reputed knowledgeability of the curricu-

lum director and the use of mass media in curriculum. The

 

data presented reveal that sixty-one percent of the curricu-
lum directors with a high rating of knowledgeability have a
high rating in the use of mass media and that fifty-eight
percent of those curriculum directors with a low rating of

knowledgeability have a high rating in the use of mass media.

 

The data presented in Table lie indicate that no
significant association exists between the reputed know-
ledgeability of the curriculum director and the use of
uroups aa_media. These data further show that fifty percent
of the curriculum directors with a high rating of knowledge-
ability have a high rating in the use of groups aa media
and that fifty-three percent of the curriculum directors
with a low rating of knowledge ability have a high rating in
the use of groups aa media. I

The data presented in Table il5 reveal no signifi-

cant association exists between the reputed knowledgeability

 

of the curriculum director and the use of individuals aa
media. Further examination of these data reveals that
fifty-six percent of the curriculum directors with a high
rating of knowledgeability have a high rating in the use of

individuals aa media and that forty-two percent of the

 

curriculum directors with a low rating of knowledgeability

have a high rating in the use of individuals aa_media.

i69

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE ll3.--Relationship between reputed knowledgeability
and use of mass media

Knowledge High Low Total

High ll 7 l8

Low ll 8 l9

Total 22 i5 57

 

TABLE ll4.--Reiationship between reputed knowledgeability
and use of groups aa media

 

 

 

 

Knowledge High Low Total

High 9 9 l8

Low IO 9 l9

Total 19 l8 37
2 ._

 

l7O

TABLE ilE.--Relaticnship between reputed knowledgeability
and use of individuals aa media

 

 

 

 

 

Knowledge High Low Total
High l3 8 l8
Low 8 ‘ ll i9
Total l8 l9 37
x2 = .239 I d.f. .50<P4.70

 

Relationship of fieputed «eliability to Communicaticn Media

The data presented in Table iié indicate that no
significant association exists between the reputed reliability

of the curriculum director and the use of mass media. These

 

data further show that fifty—nine percent of the Curriculum
directors with a high rating of reliability have a high
rating in the use of mass media in Curriculum and that sixty
percent of the curriculum directors with a low rating of
reliability have a high rating in the use of mass media.
Table ll7 indicates that no significant associa-
tion exists between the reputed reliability of the curriculum
director and the use of Groups aa media in curriculum. An
examination of these data reveals that forty-seven percent
of the curriculum directors with a high rating of reliability
have a high rating in the use of groups aa media and that
fifty-five percent of the curriculum directors with a low

rating of reliability have a high rating in the use of

groups aa media.

The data presented in Table il8 reveal no signi-
ficant association exists between the reputed reliability

of the curriculum director and the use of individuals aa

 

EEQLE° These data further indicate that fifty-three percent
of the curriculum directors with a high rating of reliability
have a high rating in the use of individuals aa magla and
that forty-five percent of the curriculum directors with a
low rating of reliability have a high rating in the use of

individuals aa media in curriculum.

TABLE ll6.--Relationship between reputed reliability and
use of mass media

 

 

 

 

Reliability High Low Total
High IO 7 l7
Low I2 8 20
Total 22 l5 37

 

2 , f
X = .000 | def. odO<P<090

 

l72

TABLE ll7.--Reiationship between reputed reliability and
use of groups aa media

 

 

 

 

 

Reliability High Low Total
High 8 9 l7
Low ll 9 20
Total l9 l8 37
X2 : .022 i d.f. .80<LP<1.%3

 

TABLE ll8.--Relationship between reputed reliability and
use of individuals aa media

 

 

 

 

Reliability High Low Total
High 9 8 l7
Low 9 ll 20
Total l8 I9 37

 

X2 = .022 I def. OBO<P<090

 

l73

COMMUNICATION NEOIA COMPARED

The three genera of communication media as defined
for this study are compared for association.

The data presented in Table ll9 indicates that a
low, but not significant association exists between the use
of mass media and the use of groups é§.fl£2lé° Examination
of these data reveals that sixty-four percent of the curricu-
lum directors with a high rating in the use of maaa EEELE
have a high rating in the use of groups aa flaaia and that
thirty-three percent of the curriculum directors with a low
rating in the use of maaa media have a high rating in the
use of groups aa flfifllé- The direction of the association
tends to indicate that those curriculum directors who use

mass media more in their work in curriculum will also use

 

groups aa media more.
Table l2O indicates that a significant association

exists between the use of mass media and the use of indivi-

 

duals aa media. The data show that sixty-four percent of
the Curriculum directors with a high rating in the use of

mass media have a high rating in the use of individuals aa

 

media and that twenty-seven percent of the curriculum
directors with a low rating in the use of mass media have a
high rating in the use of individuals aa media. The
direction of the association is indicated as, those curricu-
lum directors who have a high rating in the use of maaa

media have a high rating in the use of individuals aa media.

:74

Data presented in Table l2l show an extremely
significant association between the use of individuals aa
media and the use of groups aa media. The data further
indicates that seventy-eight percent of the curriculum
directors who had a high rating in the use of individuals aa
media and that twenty-six percent of the curriculum directors
with a low rating in the use of individuals aa media have a
high rating in the use of groups aa media. The direction
of the association is strongly indicated that those Curricu-
lum directors who use individuals aa media more will make

more use of groups aa media.

TABLE ll9.--Reiationship between use of mass media and use
of mass media

 

 

 

 

 

Mass Media High Low Total
High is 8 22
Low 5 i3 i5
Total l9 l8 37

 

x2 : 2.l77 I d.f. .Io <P<.20

'75

TABLE I20.-~Relationship between use of mass media and use
of individuals aa media

 

 

 

 

 

Mass Media High Low Total
High l4 8 22
Low 4 ll l5
Total l8 l9 )7
,2 -
A :_m5H ldfi. £5<P<.m

 

TABLE l2l.--Relationship between use of groups aa media and
of individuals aa media

 

 

Individuals High Low Total
High l4 4 l8
Low 5 i4 l9
Total l9 l8 37

 

x - 7.847 I d.f. .OOl<P<.Ol

 

I76

Summary of Findings

A summary of the noteworthy findings of this study
are presented in this section.

Each hypothesis will be restated and those associa-
tions that are important will be reported.

In the final three sections, each factor is studied
as a separate element and a profile of associations is

described.
DemOgraphic Characteristics and Curricular Practices

The data testing the hypothesis, the demographic
characteristics of the curriculum directors are related to
their orientation to three curricular practices, are pre-
sented in Section I. In this chapter the data which have a
noteworthy association, described as being about the twenty
percent level of significance, are summarized. The data
outlined in Table I22 indicate those demographic character-
istics which have a noteworthy significance when associated
with the three curricular practices. In examining more
Closely these data, the characteristics of the curriculum
directors to be reported are age, sex, size of school,
professional experience, professional involvement, reputed
knowledgeability and reputed reliability. The only charac-
teristic which does not seem to have an association of
sufficient significance to be reported is that of profes-
sional preparation. ‘

Table I22 indicates that the variable, age, has a

l7?

low, but not quite significant association with Practice B.
The older Curriculum directors favor general education for
all youth more than the younger curriculum directors. Age
has only this somewhat significant association with either
the orientation or the use of the curricular practices.

Sex, as shown in Table l22, also has some association
with Practice B. The fact that female curriculum directors
favor general education for all youth is reported at the
association level of low, but not quite significant. The
female curriculum directors also use this practice more than
the male curriculum directors, but this latter relationship
is at a lower level of significance.

Not only the level of significance, but other related
factors seem to offer some explanation for the fact that
age and sex seem to have a degree of association with
Practice 8. It may be noted that seventy-three percent of
the female curriculum directors are judged as older according
to the classification of the data for this research. The
relatedness between age and the female curriculum directors
seems to be further accentuated by the fact that these two
characteristics are not related to any other practice in the
same way. Another element which must be considered in this
discussion, is that the practice, general education, is one
which has been advocated for several years and the older
curriculum directors would be more likely to have had con-
tact with it. This line of reasoning might be construed to

indicate a commonality of causal factors to associate age,

i78

sex and Practice 8.

Table l22 reveals that sex has a relationship to
Practice A. It may be noted that male curriculum directors
use Practice A at an extremely significant level of associa-
tion. The reasoning used in regards to sex and Practice B
is still appropriate in explaining the association of

Practice A and sex. Practice A, action research, is a more

 

recent development in curriculum. The ageof the male
curriculum directors is more equitably distributed along the
dyadic continuum of older to younger. The conclusion that
may be suggested here is that when Practice 8 is related to
sex, the age of the female curriculum directors and the time
of popularity of Practice 8 are more directly related to age
than to sex. Practice A, on the other hand, is related to
the male curriculum directors where the currency of the
practice and the uniformity of distribution of the ages of
the curriculum directors strongly indicate that sex is a
discriminating variable with a predictor value.

Another variable related to Practice A is profes-
sional experience. Table l22 indicates that curriculum
directors with a low rating of professional experience have
a moderately low association with the use of Practice A.

The relatively inexperienced person is more likely to use
Practice A than the curriculum director with long experience.
In as much as it was indicated in Chapter V that all curri-
culum directors who knew Practice A favored it, these

results may be an indication that inexperienced curriculum

l79

directors are more willing to try new ideas than those Curri-
culum directors who have an established system of curriculum
development.

There are more demographic characteristics related
to Practice C than to any other practice. It may be noted
that age and sex which have some pertinence to Practice A
and Practice 8, have no association of importance with
Practice C. Table l22 reveals upon examination that curricu-
lum directors from small schools favor and use Practice C
more than the curriculum directors from the large schools.
The level of the association is highly significant in both
relationships when school size is considered. The subse-
quent associations which have a variance in levels of signi-
ficance are all related to this practice as a low rating
of the characteristic. Curriculum directors with a low
rating of professional experience use Practice C signifi-
cantly more than those curriculum directors with a high
rating. A low, but not quite significant association exists
between the rating of professional involvement of the curri-
culum directors and their attitude toward Practice C. Table
l22 reveals that those curriculum directors with a low
rating in professional involvement favor this practice more
than those curriculum directors with a high rating. Reputed
knowledgeability as a characteristic shows an extremely sig-
nificant association with attitude toward Practice C. Those
curriculum directors with a low rating of reputed knowledge-

ability favor this practice. The Curriculum directors with

a low rating of reputed knowledgeability are consistent by
using this practice, but not at the same level of significance.
In Table l22, it may be noted that reputed reliability has a
highly significant association with the attitude toward
Practice C. Those curriculum directors with a low rating of
reputed reliability favor this practice. The Curriculum
directors with a low rating of reputed reliability are con-
sistent with their attitude and use the practice. The chart
reveals a low, but not quite significant association.

In summary, it may be noted that many of the demo-
graphic characteristics of noteworthy significance for this
study have the low rating of the Characterisitcs as being
definitely related to the practices. It may be posited that
the Characteristics themselves are not discriminating vari-
ables but that they contribute to a constellation of factors
which belie the non-acceptance of the group of curriculum
directors described by these characteristics. Further, the
curriculum directors as a whole do not accept Practice A
and Practice 8 as important objectives of curriculum develop-
ment.

Before analyzing the kinds of associations that are
revealed for individual practices, in this section, it may
be well to review the original selection criteria for the
practices. Two prerequisites were established: I) that the
practices were widely accepted as practices which should be

included in the school program, but 2) had not been practiced

l8l

l
generally. If one were to place these practices in a tine

sequence, Practice 8, would be considered as being advocated
for the longest period of time, Practice A next in time and
Practice C as being in the initiatory phase of acceptance
during the research period.

If the presentation of data is considered releveant
to the practices according to the time dimension, Practice 8
would be reviewed first. Practice B seems to be consistent
with its placement in the time sequence, that is, the older
curriculum directors support it. The fact that female curri-
culum directors favor and use this practice brings further
support to the time sequence concept. It was noted earlier
that female curriculum directors are predominantly older.

Practice A, which is next in time placement, has two
noteworthy associations with demographic characteristics.
Male curriculum directors, it may be noted in Table l22,
have an extremely significant relationship with the use of
this practice. The other characteristic, professional
experience, which has some association is described as having
a moderately low relationship. The results also seem to
indicate that this practice is used by curriculum directors
with a low rating in professional experience. Because male
curriculum directors have an equitable distribution along the
age continuum and, further, because most of the female curri«
culum directors are Classified as older, the dem0graphic
characteristics outlined abovehave at least a consistency

I
See Appendix A, section A

l82

occurence. That is, the curriculum directors with a low
rating in professional experience would tend to be younger
males. This would be compatible with the time sequence con-
cept.

Practice C is not only the most recent of the prac-
tices in curriculum development, but is also the most dis-
criminatory of the practices. The various associations may
indicative of these two factors. Curriculum directors from
small schools favor and use this practice, as revealed by
Table l22, more than the curriculum directors from large
schools. Those curriculum directors who have a low profes-
sional experience rating use the practice more than those
with a high rating. Professional involvement as a descrip-
tive variable has the same direction of association, low
professional involvement favoring the practice.

Thus, it may be assumed from a study of Table l22
that curriculum directors who enjoy a high status position
tend to oppose counseling throughout all the grades by
trained counselors. This pattern, which has emerged in the
above description seems to indicate that those curriculum
directors who are inexperienced, represent small systems and
are not accepted by their colleagues are more willing to
accept counseling by trained counselors at the elementary
and secondary levels. Furthermore, it might be gleaned from
the above data that new ideas, in general, are not as
acceptable to the curriculum directors in the larger schools

who hae gained the esteem of their colleagues. If this

l83

extrapolation is correct, then perhaps the leaders are not
providing theleadership to test new ideas. Rather,
leadership is being assumed by those curriculum directors
who are not reCOgnized as leaders.

Data presented as related to the first hypothesis
indicate that thirteen of the possible forty-eight relation-
ships have noteworthy significance and support the hypo-

thesis.

O)
J“:-

~TABLE l22.--Data indicating associations of demographic

characteristics to curricular practices

 

—_ #M‘ '—M _—

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variables of Direction of Significance Description of
Relaionship Association Level Significance
Age older lOW,not
attitude toward favor .lO<P 4.20 suite
Practice 8 signifizant
Sex female low, not
attitude toward favor .i3<P<.20 Cults
Practice 8 sigoificant
Sex male extremely
use of use P:.’CE. significant
Practice A

Sex female moderatelw
use of use .20<CP<<.30 iow
Practice 8

size School small highly
attitude toward favor .Oi41P«<s05 significact
Practice C

cize School small highly

use of use .Ol4P4.05 significant
:iactice C

Professional low moderately
Experience Sow

use of use .20<1P<<.30

Practice A

Professional low

Experience

use of use .054P4.l0 significant

Practice C

 

(D
U“

TABLE i22.--Contlnued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variables of Direction of Significance Description of
Relationship Association Level Significance
Professional low
Involvement low .iO<LP<:.2O not quite
attitude toward favor sign ‘ucant
Practice C

Reputed Know- extremely
ledgeability low .OOI<ZP<:.OI significant
attitude toward favor

vractice C

Reputed Know- low,
ledgeability low not Culte
use of use .lO<LP<:.2O significant
Practice C

Reputed

Reliability low highly
attitude toward favor .Ol<iP‘<.05 significant
Practice C

Reputed low
Reliability low not quite
use of use .IO<P<.2O significar:

Practice C

 

s‘ z)
(A

Communication Media_and Orientation to Practices

Data testing the hypothesis, the kinds ofgchannels
of communication that curriculum directors use 1L1
Lglg}ed to their orientation to three curricglar_practices,
are summarized in Table I2}. Two of the three genera of
communication media are reported in thissection as having

a noteworthy association with two of the practices.

(‘4-

The leve! of significance, mod

«1)

rs eiy ice, deszribe

the four relationships. Mass media as a category does not

 

have a sufficient level of association to be reviewed.

Table l2} reveals that curriculum directors who
have a low rating for grouos éé.fl£212 favor and use Practice
8 more than those curriculum directors who have a high rating.
Upon examining the table further, the data indicate that
those curriculum directors with a high rating for grgugs a;
mgglg use Practice A. The results posted in Table l2}
indicate that curriculum directors with a low rating for
_individugL§‘g§,mggLa favor Practice 8.

In summary it may be noted that Practice A is the
only practice which commands a high rating of media.
Practice 8 seems to be associated in favor and use with
those curriculum directors who have a low rating in the use
of groups 22.232L2 . Practice 8 also seems to be favored by
those curriculum directors with a low rating in individuals

media.

»3
—

 

Practice C does not have a sufficient level of

association hit“ any media to be reported in this section.

TABLE I23. --Data indicatin;

\

~:"l‘itai’ acsr"z;ti""

3 i

:3

communication media to curricular tractices

 

 

Variables of
Relationship

Direction of
Association

Significence
Level

Description of
Significance

 

 

 

 

Groups as moderately
Media is. .204?<.30 low
attitude toward ‘a“’
Practice 8
Sroups as moderately
Media ii"; .20<P<.30 low
use of use
‘ astice B
roots as moderatei
Jedia high low
.- of use .20<P<.30
’ :tice A
gal ifiucis mfi"€’fi‘
,3 Media low low
i favor

ude toward
i

t
t ce 8

.204P<.30

 

m
(D

Data testing this second hypothesis indidate that
out of the eighteen possible relationships, only four attain
the minimal level of significance to be supportive of the
hypothesis. Then tcc,these associations should be considered
in light of the level of significance and liriief T"?-
dence be given this relationship. it should be noted also
that if any relationship at all exists between the use of
groups §§_mggl§ and incividuais as mggla_and the acceptance
of general education, it is the exact reverse of what was
predicted. That is, the less involved with these networks
of communication, the more likely the curriculum directors
are to accept general education.

TABLE iffa--Data indicating associations of demographic
characterisitcs to channels of communication

 

 

 

 

Variables of Direction of Significance Description of
Relationship Association Level Significance
Age older moderately
use of and 5 .ZOCPéJO low
Groups as use
Media -
Age younger highly
use of and .Ol<P<.05 significant
Individuals use
as Media
Sex male '9." .,
use of and .1049420 i‘f-ij- 5;: ,
Groups as use "<“* i 7“
Media

 

Professional

Experience low highly
use of and .Ol<iP<<.05 significant
Groups as use

Media

 

(D
\L)

Demographic Characteristics and Communication Media

Data testing the hypothesis, the demographic charac-

 

 

teristics are ”ciatei is 1‘? ”521': f :’ : ‘“JTiTPIiT“
—— V- 1.—
they use, are Cuhharizec in Tails lie. A: in: crass:-

 

teristlcs of the curriculum directors are compared with the
use of communication media four associations emerge as impor-
tant for review. Age, sex and professional involvement have
varying levels of relationship with groups gg‘gggia and iggir
viduals as mggia.

The data presented in Table lEA reveal that the older
curriculum directors use, at the minimal associational level,
groups EE 5331; more than the younger curriculum directors. On
the other tend, the younger curriculum directors use individuals

_§ media more than the older curriculum directors. This latter

 

relationship is at a highly significant level of association.

«4* i
Cuti' u

tel of association

0
(D

At a low, but not Quite signi‘i

U)

male curriculum directors tend to use or

:r s med 3 more

._ _.

t,

than the female curriculum directors. It is strongly indicated
that curriculum directors who have a low rating of profession!
experience use groups gg_mgglg.

In twenty-four possible areas of association, four have
noteworthy significance. Of the four relationships which have
been reported in this section, three are concerned with groups

5 media. Age and professional experience are related to

 

media at a highly significant level of association.
Data testing this third hypothesis is shown to be

supportive of the hypothesis in four associations.

ion

ix.-

TABLE l2§.--Data indicating associations among communication

 

 

 

 

 

media

Variables of ‘ Direction of Significance Description of
Relationship Association Level Significance
Mass Media .
use of high .054P4.l0 significant
individuals

as Media high
Mass Media low
use of high .l04P<.20 not quite
Groups as significant

wedla high
Individuals extremely

as Media high ' .OOI< P4.0l significant
use of
Groups as high

Media

 

Communication Media Compared

Data testing the hypothesis, any indivigpalghannel
of communication that the cu:riculum_dlrectors use is

related to the cther crannels they use, are summarized

 

in Table l23. Those associations having noteworthy signifi-
cance are reported. '

The genera of communication media are associated with
each other at various levels of significance. it is indi-
cated by a significant level of the association that curricu-
lum directors who have a high rating in the use of gggg mgplp
have a high rating in the use of individuals 1pm.

Curriculum directors who have a high rating in the use of

V. 1:)

Egg; mgiig tend to have a high rating in the use of groups
gpimggig. An examination of the data presented in Table l2S
strongly indicates that curriculum directors with a high
rating in the use of individuals 33 mpplg have a high

rating in the use of groups pp mgpip.

The data reveal that the results in this section
are consistent, in varying degrees, with the hypothesis
stated above. Only three possible associations exist and
all display a noteworthv level of significance supporting
the hypothesis. '

Curriculum Practices Related to Media and Demographic
Characteristics

 

The elements of the curriculum directors' profile
which bear some association with Practice A are sex, profes-
sional experience and the use of groups pg mppip. The
curriculum directors who are male, have a low rating of pro-
fessional experience and a high rating in the use of groups

3 media are more likely to use this practice than others.

 

Those curriculum directors who are older, female,
have a low rating in the use of groups pg EEELA and a low
rating in the use of individuals g§|mgglg favor Practice 8.
The female directors and those with a low rating in the
use of groups g§_m£glg use Practice B.

Practice C is the only practice which has no signi-
ficant association with the communication media. However,
demographic characteristics of size of school, professional-

experience, professional involvement, reputed knowledgeability

and reputed reliability give a higher number of associations
with Practice C than in the combined summaries of character-

istics and medlafor either Practice A or Practice 8.
Communicgtion Medig:Belated to Practices and Chargcterigtigg

M233 mpglg has no significant association with any
variables other than other media.

Curriculum directors who have a high rating in the
use of groups g§,mpdlg have a high rating in the use of
map; $3113 and individuals pg mgng. Those directors who
have a high rating of groups g§_mgng use Practice A. On
the other hand, those curriculum directors who have a low
rating in the use of gpgupp pg mpglg favor and use Practice
B. Then, too, curriculum directors who have limited profes-

sional experience use groups 5 media more than those with

 

extensive professional experience. The use of grppp§_g§
Mg rating will be lower among the older and female curri-
culum directors.

The data when examined reveal that curriculum direc-

tors who have a high rating inthe use of individuals pp

media have a high rating in the use of mass media and groups

 

,gp media. Those curriculum directors who have a low rating
in the use of individuals pp media favor Practice B. And
the younger curriculum directors use igdividuals g3 media

more than the older curriculum directors.

Demog;aphig_9haracteristics Related to Practices_and Media

In summarizing the relationships of the demographic
characteristics with the curricular practices and communica-
tion media three characteristics show some association to
both practices and media.

It was reported that the older curriculum directors
favor Practice 8 and use grgups pg mggia more than the
younger curriculum directors. The younger curriculum direc-
tors, on the other hand, use lgplxiggglg,g§.mgglg more than
the older curriculum directors.

The second characteristic that has some relation-
ship between the practices and media is sex. it seems
female curriculum directors favor and use Practice 8 more
than male curriculum directors. Male curriculum,directors
use Practice A and groups pg mgglgDmcre than female curricu-
lum directors.

The last characteristic with mutual association is
professional experience. Professional experience may be
described as having a negative effect inasmuch as a low
rating is the predictor of the relationships. Curriculum
directors with a low rating of professional experience use
Practice A, use Practice C and use groups §§_mggig_more
than those curriculum directors with a high rating.

The other characteristics, size of school, profes-
sional involvement, reputed knowledgeability and reputed
reliability, express the same relative associations, that

is, low ratings relate significant associations with other
variables.

I94

The data presented in this chapter specify the rela-
tionships which are significant for this study. In the next
chapter these findings will be studied for their implications

for educational change and research.

 

I] i
$.11. 5'! ill!‘ 4. .r

CHAPTER VI
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This final chapter contains a restatement of the
problem, a summary of the findings, an examination of the
hypotheses in light of these findings and the implications
of this examination for educational communication and for

future research.
Pugpose of this Study

The purpose of this research was to investigate se-
lected factors of the communication process in the context
of public education.

Three factors'were selected for study from a four-
factor model used in communication research. These factors
were: (l) the receiver of a message, (2) the channel over
which the message was transmitted, and (3) the message. No
effort was made to investigate the initiator of the message,

the fourth element of the communication model.
Procedure

The three communication factors were then translated
into the educational setting. The receiver was studied by
investigating certain distinguishing demographic character-
istics of the curriculum director. These characteristics

included age, sex, size of school system, professional

I95

l96

preparation, professional experience, professional involve-
ment, reputed knowledgeability and reputed reliability.

The channel was researched by examining the specific
utilization and degree of utilization of the media available
to the curriculum director. These media were categorized
under three generic captions, mass media, groups as EEQLE
and individuals 33 mgng.

The message was tested as three curricular practices.
The practices were described as action research, a method
of curriculum development; general education, a program for
all youth; and counseling, a practice for all youth through-
out all the school grades, kindergarten through grade twelve
by trained counselors. These practices were compared on the
bases of attitude and use.

Hypotheses were formulated to specify relationships
of the basic communication factors. Described in the educa-
tional setting, they were: (I) the relationship between the
curriculum director and the curricular practices, (2) the
relationship between the curriculum director and the commun-
ication media, (3) the relationship between the curricular
practices and the communication media, and (4) the relation:
ships among the several media.

An interview schedule was developed to obtain the
data through an.individual, personal interview.

Procedures used to classify and analyze the data are
explained in Chapter 111. It may be indicated here that

the descriptive data were reported by means of percentages.

'97

The hypothesized associations were assessed by applying the
chi-square test of significance. Because of the small sample,
data with low levels of association are reported to avoid

the type 11 error of probability.
Results

Significant associations were found between the
receiver and the message; the receiver and the channel; and
among the channels. The relationship between the message and
the channel did not reach a significant level of association.

The data as reported in Chapter v indicate signifi-
cant associations supporting the relationship between cer-
tain demographic characteristics of the receiver and the
attitude toward, as well as, use of specific messages.

A low, not quite significant level of association
shows that the older curriculum directors favor general
education for all youth in the schools.

The same level of significance is appropriate for
the relationship between sex and attitude toward general
education, that is, female curriculum directors favor a gen-
eral education program. Female curriculum directors also
have general education courses for all youth in their curricu-
.lar patterns, although at less significant level of associ-
ation. On the other hand, male curriculJm directors use
action research more in the development of curriculum. This
relationship bears an extremely significant level of associ-
ation.

The size of the school system in which the curriculum

/

'98

director is employed bears a highly significant relationship
to the attitude and the use made of counseling for all stu-
dents throughout all grades. The small schools favor and use
counseling more than the large schools.

Professional experience of the curriculum director
has a moderately low level of association with the use of
action research as a means of curriculum improvement. Those
curriculum directors who do not have extensive professional
experience use action research. Then too, the curriculum
directors who have a low professional experience are engaged
in counseling for all youth with professional counselors
more than the curriculum directors with high professional
experience. i

The relationship between professional involvement
and attitude toward counseling bears a low, not quite signi-
ficant level of association. Those curriculum directors who
are not professionally involved favor counseling by profes-
sional counselors for all youth.

An extremely significant relationship exists between
reputed knowledgeability and counseling. Those curriculum
directors with low reputed knowledgeability favor counseling
for all youth. Although not at the same level of significance,
the curriculum directors with low reputed knowledgeability
have a low, not quite significant association with counsel-
ing. Thus, curriculum directors with law reputed knowledge-
ability not only favor counseling, but tend to use counseling

in their curricular programs.

l99

A highly significant association exists between re-
ported reliability and counseling. Those curriculum directors
who have low reputed reliability favor counseling. The
curriculum directors with low reputed reliability tend also
to use counseling more in their curriculum work than those
‘ with high reputed reliability.

The data tend to support the hypothesis that direct
relationships exist between the demographic characteristics
of the receiver and the attitude toward and use of the
message.

The data indicating the relationships of certain
types of communication media and the attitude toward and the
use of specific curricular practices reveal only a low
significance level. Those curriculum directors who have a
low rating of utilization of groups as media favor general
education courses for all youth. The curriculum directors
with a low utilization rating of groups as meng also tend
to use general education courses for all youth in the school.
On the other hand, those curriculum directors with a high
rating in the utilization of groups as mggig use action
research in the development of curriculum.

The curriculum directors with a low rating of utili-
zation of individuals as mggia favor general education
courses in the school curriculum.

The second hypothesis predicting significant asso-
ciation between the utilization of certain channels and the

attitude toward and use of specific messages is only

200

supported at a low level of significance.

The third hypothesis that relationShips exist between
the demographic characteristics of the receiver and the use
made of certain channels is supported by associations
ranging from highly significant to moderately low signifi-
cance. .

The relationship that exists between sex and commun-
ication media is low, not quite significant. The male
curriCulum directors tend to utilize groups more in curri-
cular work than the female directors.

- The relationship that exists between professional
experience and communication media is highly significant.
Those curriculum directors with low professional experience
utilize groups more in their curricular activities than
those curriculum directors with high professional experience.

The third hypothesis that relationships exists between
'the demographic characteristics of the receiver and the
utilization made of certain channels is supported.

The final hypothesis that relationships exist among
the media concerning their utilization is supported by
associations ranging from extremely significant to low,
not quite significant levels.

Those curriculum directors who use media for mass
consumption in developing curriculum tend to use individuals

and groups as sources of information.
The curriculum directors who use individuals as

sources of infromation also tend to make use of groups and

20l

mass communication media in developing curriCulum.

The curriculum director who finds groups useful as
a source of ideas also finds individuals and mass communica-
tion media useful as sources of ideas.

Thus, all three possible relationships are suppor-
tive of the hypothesis. Curriculum directors who use any

one channel extensively tend to use all channels extensively.
Implications of the Study

This research has shown that associations exist
between the receiver and the message, the receiver and the
channel, and among the various channels. Because of the
exploratory nature of this project there is need to further
specify these relationships through a more rigorous empirical
study.

The generalizations that seem appropriate may be
stated as: (l) the description of the receiver of messages
is related to the kind of message received, (2) the descrip-
tion of the receiver is also related to the kind of channel
used, and (3) the receiver who uses one channel extensively
tends to use all channels extensively.

From these generalizations, it may be inferred that
the criteria for selection of receivers should include spe-
cific characteristics which would encourage the reception
of appropriate messages and the use of suitable channels.

Furthermore, colleges of education should adjust

their curricula to foster the development of curriculum

202

directors who are oriented toward the use of channels of
communication. Also the colleges should expose their
students to a variety of media for the students' under-
standing and evaluation.

On the other hand, the initiator of messages who
needs to communicate with the curriculum directors should
study the patterns of receiving information used by the
curriculum directors in order to utilize the most effective

means.
Suggested Research

The limited population available within one state
warrants a more extensive research on a national level to
verify these results.

The receivers as placed in the educational setting
should be more exactly described and their relationships
studied with the other factors.

The messages should be further studied for content
and appropriateness of transmission.

The channels should be analyzed for their particular
characteristics. Then all the variables should be placed in
patterns of communications to be studied for maximal
effect in both the diffusion and acceptance processes.

A better understanding by educators of the means by
which ideas are relayed and accepted would add immeasurably

to the demonstrated effectiveness of the educator.

LITERATUPE CITED

Alberty, Harold. "Core Programs, Encyclopedia of Educational
Research. New York: Macmillan Company, lgoO.

Barr, Crvil 8., Davis, Robert A. and Johnson, Palmer 0.
Egucational Research and Appraisal. Chicago:
J.B. Lippincott Co., l953.

Beal George M., and Rogers, Everett M. "informational
Sources in the Adoption Process of New Fabrics”,
Journal of Home Economics. Vol. XLIV, October, l957.

, George M., Rogers, Everett and Bohlen, Joe M.
'Validlty of the Concept of Stages in the Adoption
Process", Rural Sociology, Vol. 22, June, l957.

Bereday, George 8., Lawerys, Joseph. Communication Media
and the School. New York: World Book Co., I900.

Berlo, David K. The Process of Communication. New York:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, inc., l900.

BOP'GC. J08 M. et al "Adopters of New Farm Ideas",
North Central Regional Extension Publication, No. 3,
October, l96l.

Brooks, Ropert C. Junior. "Word of Mouth Advertising in
Selling New Products", Jouihal of Marketing,
Vol. XXII, October, l957.

Burnham, Reba M. and King, Martha L. King. Supervision in
Action. washington: Association for Supervision
and CurrICulum Development, l96l.

Cartwright, Dorwin. "Some Principles of Nass Persuasion:
Selected Findirgs of Research on the Sale of C.S.
War Bonds", Homan Pelaticgs, Vol. II, l949.

, DOT‘Wir‘. "prinCiDIeS Of Mass Ferguasionn’ Human
Efiiatiofli. Vol. I, No. 3, l949. "“—'

Cocking, Walter. ”The Regional introduction of Educational
Practices in Urban School Systems of the United
States", New York: Columbia University Press,

i::’c

Coleman, James, Katz, Elihu, and Menzel Herbert. "The
Diffusion of an Innovation Among Physicians",
Scciometry, Vol. XX, hp. 4, l957.

, James, Menzel,Herbert and Katz, Elihu. ”Social
Processes in Physician Adoption of a New Drug",
Journal of Crronic Diseases, Vol. IX, No. l, I959.

Coiewsn, Lee. "Differential Contact with Extension Work in
a New York Community“, Rural Sociology, Vol. XV ,
No. 3, l95l.

, Lee and Marsn, C.P. ”The Relations of heighborhood
of Residence to the Adoption of Recommended Farm
Traztices", Rural Sociology, Vol. XVIV, No. 4,

95 .

Combs, Arthur W. Perceiving, Behavingg Becomigg. Washington:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum .
Development, National Education Association, I962.

0090. James H., Sill, Maurice L., and Brown, Emory J.
"The Function of Information Sources in the Farm
Practice Adoption Process", Rural Sociology
Vol. XXIII, No. 2, l958.

. ”Toward Generalization in Farm Practice Research",
Rural Sociology, Vol. XXIII, No. 2, l958.

. "Personal and Social Factors Associated with
Adoption of Recommended Farm Practices Among
Cattlemen", Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station,
Mnahattan, Kansas, Technigalggulietin 83, l956.

, Sill, Maurice L. and Brown, Emory J. "The
Function of Information Sources in the Farm Practice
Adoption Process", Rural Sgciology, Vol. XXIII, No.

 

 

46, I958.
Corey, Stephen M. ActigggResegrch to ImpgoveNSggool
Practices. New York: Columbia University Press,

 

I953.

Croxton, Frederick, Crowden, Dudley J., Applied General
Statistics. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., l956.

Department of Public Instruction, Michigan, Diregtpry of
Local_9urriculpm Prgg£§m§_1gpMicri an, Bulletin
No. 504, Lansing: Michigan, l960.

 

 

Dressel, Paul and Lorimer, Margaret, "General Education",
Encyclopggia of_§dugatignthRg§earch. New York:
Macmillan Co., I960.

Educational Policies Commission, National Education
Association of the U.S. and the American Association
of School Administrators, Mass Communicatiogwggg
Educatip_, Washington, D.C., l938.

Findley, Warren G., "Student Personnel Work - Elementary
and Secondary", Encyclopedia of Educational Research.
New York: Macmillan Co., l9 0.

Gebner, George, "The Individual in a Mass Culture", Satupgay
Review, 43:Il, I960.

 

Goode, William J., and Hatt, Paul R. Methods in Social
Research. New York: McGraw Hill Company, ”Inc., I952.

Gross, Neal, "The Differential Characteristics of Accepters
and Non-Accepters of an Improved Agricultural

Technological Practice", Rupal Sgcjglggy, Vol. XIV,
No. 2, I945.

, and Taves, Marvin J. "Characteristics Associated
with Acceptance of Recommended Farm Practices"
Rural Sociolooy, Vol. XVII, No. 4, l952.

Pass, Glenn, et al. Leadership for Improving instruction.

Washington: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Devel0pment, National Education
Association, l960.

fer, Charles R. "Social Organization in Relation to
Extension Service", §Pccial Bulletin 338, Michigan
AgriCulture Experiment Station, I946.

. "Acceptance of Approved Farming Practices Among
Farmers of Dutch Descent" Special Bulletin jio,
Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station, I942.

.and Stangland, Cale, "Farmers' Reactions to New
Practices“, Technical Bulletin 204, Michigan State
University Agricultural Experiment Station, I958.

Johnson, William H., "Techniques of Individual Conference",
School Review, Vol. 48, l940.

Katz, Elihu, "The Two-Step Flow of Communication -- An
up-to-Date Report on an Hypotheses", Public Opinion
Quarterly, Vol. XXI, I957

, and Lazarsfeld, Paul F. Personal influence.
Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, IETC.

Lazarsfeld, Paul F., Berelson, Bernard, and Gaudet, Hazel.
The Pe_ple' 3 Choice. New York: Columtia Press, I945.

Lionberger, Herbert F. Adoption of New Ideas and Practices.
Iowa: The Iowa State University Press, l9oT.

, "Sources and Uses of Farm and Home Information ty
Low-Income Farmers in Missouri", Bulletin 472,
Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, I95l.

, "Some Characteristics of Farm Operators as Sources
of Information in a Missouri Community”, Rural
Sociology, XVIII, No. 4, I955.

Mackenzie, Gordon \., "Role of the Supervisors", Educational
Leadership, Vol. XVIV, No. 2, l9bl.

 

NoNenar, Quinn. Psychological Statistics. New York: John
Wiley and Sons, Inc., l959.

Menzel, Herbert, Coleman, James, and Katz Elihu, "Dimensions
of Being 'Nodern' in Medical Practice", JCurnaI of
Chronic Diseases, Vol. IX, No. l, 959.

Nichigan Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop-
ment, Department of Michigan Education Association
and Associated with the Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, a department of the
National Education Association, Directory, l959-l960.

Nort, P. R., and Cornell, F. G. Agaptability of Public School
Systems. New York: Columbia University Teachers
College, I938.

Parsey, John M., ”Education Communication in a Social Setting",
( A copy of a presentation to the American Psycho-
logical Association, Cincinnati, Ohio, September
8’ .959).

Permenter, John A., ”Who Does What in Instructional Super-
vision?” Educational Leadership, Vol. XeI, No. 8,
I ‘J "i 3 .

II":

N"

Rogers, Everett M. and Beal George M., neference Group
Influence in the Adoption of Agricultural Technology",
Ames: Iowa State University Press, I958.

, and Beal, George M., "The Importance of Personal
Influence in the Adopters of Technological Changes",
Social Forces, Vol. XXXV, No. 4, I958.

Ruesch, Jurgen, and Bateson Gregory. Communicationy_The
Social Matrix of Psychiatry. New York: w.w. Norton
and Company, Inc., l95l.

 

Ryan, Bryce and Gross Neal, “The Diffusion of Hybrid Corn
Seed in Two Iowa Communities", Rural Socioloo',
VIII, I943.

20'

g. f“ ’ -~ A f‘

v and GrOSS. Neal. Axxettance and 12“:bixn c‘
:rig Care See) :n Two Iowa Q="1unlifec",

3.5: rfh Pulletin fiTé, Ames, Iowa, A3"icui’lre

 

 

EXCPTIIPHI crazion, [953.

Nogparametric Statistics for the ehaviorlal

Siegel, we . E
enceg. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Compan y, inc.,

 

Subcommittee for ths study of Diffusion of Farm Practices,
Adoption of New Farm Ideas, North Central Regional
Extension Publication No. I}, I9ol.

Subcommittee for the study of the Diffusion of Farm Practices,
How Farm People Accept New Ideas, Nortn Central
Regional Extension Publication No. l, I955.

Symonds, Percival. Securinngapport in Integyiewing. Teachers
College Record, New York: Columbia University Press,
I938.

“What They Don’t Know Can hurt You", Administrators Nozenook.
Vol. II, No. 3, onIJersity of Chicago, I953.

Wiles, Kimball. Sup er -ision fo Be tter Schools. New York:
Prentice- Ha II Inc., I‘

Wilkening, Eugene A., "Roles of Communicating Agents in
Technological Change in Agriculture”, Social Forces,
VO‘O XXXIV, N00 4, '9560
, "Sources of Information for Improved Farm Practice",
Rural Sociology, Vol. XVI, No. 3, I952.

, "Informal Leaders and Innovators in Farm PFaCIiCESH
Rural Sociology. xv, No. l.

 

Wilson, M. C., "Extension Methods and Their Relative
Effectiveness”, Tecnnical Bu'letyn, No. IOb
United States Department ofwg icuiture, I929.

[U
C)
0)

APPENDIX A

FINAL CHART or re: SCLRCES

1. Mass Media

A. Listening

I.
ft
Co

Radio
Television

8. Reading

\JO‘JJIJ—‘K-JI‘O-
o o o o o o 0

Books

Professional journals
Bulletins and notices
Newspapers
Advertising brochures
Lay magazines
Displays

11. Groups as Media

A. Within the community

I.
2.
3.
4.

Committee meetings in
Faculty meetings
School board meetings
Teacher Institutes

8. Outside the community*

U'TbWRD"

Undergraduate courses
Graduate courses
Conferences
Professional meetings
Seminars

III. Individuals g§_Media

A. Specialists

I.
2.
3.
4.

and posters

the system

Curriculum directors (other)

Curriculum consultants

Superintendent
Teachers

FINAL CHART - CONT'D

B. Non-specialists

I. Friends

2. Family

3. Book salesmen

4. Audio-visual salesmen
5. School board members

it

All activities listed under this category were
considered outside the community although some were held
within a community. This gave equal status to answers from
all respondents.

CURRICULUM DIRECTORS IDENTIFIED WITH SCHOOL SYSTEMS

 

SYSTEM CLASS NAME

I. Allen Park A John Wysocki

2. Albion B Gertrude Petch

3. Alma B Harold Edwards

4. Ann Arbor A Russell West

5. Battle Creek A Ben Alschwede

6. Harper Creek (Battle Creek) 8 Fern E. AcMoody

7. Berkely A Ralph F. Tyndall
8. Birmingham A Daniel A. Nesbitt
9. Dearborn A Herschel Bennett
IO. Detroit A Paul T. Rankin

II. Detroit-Redford Union A James Mathieson
I2. Detroit-South Redford A Charles Eastwood
I3. Ecorse B Rose E. Dill

I4. EIkton-Pigeon C Russell F. Tyndall
I5. Farmington A Marinus Van Ameyde
I6. Flint A Ola Hiller

I7. Flint-Carmen _ A Gladys Dillon

I8. Galesburg C Harold Sauser

l9. Grand Haven A Stephen Need
20. Grand Rapids A Marcillene Barnes
2|. Grosse Pointe A Leroy Selmeier
22. Jackson A Mildred E. Sommers

SYSTEM

CURRICULUM DIRECTORS - CONT'D

NAME,

 

25. Kalamazoo

24. Lansing

25. Livonia

27. Mt. Clemens {L'Anse Creuse)

29. Pontiac (Waterford TownShip)

2 . Monroe

. Niles

30. Port Huron

3|. Portage

. Royal Oak

3}. Saginaw Township

4. St.Clair Shores (Lakeview)

350 Troy

36. Vicksburg

37. Wyandotte

Summary of school

28 - A's

7 - r-’
I

‘J

-Ilm

classifications

Theral T. Herrick
Russell Gilson
Paul E. Johnson
M. Elna Hansen
Desmond Buzzell
LaRue G. Baxter
Chandos Peid
Gerald Degrow
Robert Vermuelen
Maud Price
Burton K. Thorn
Lucille Beacom
Boyd R. Larson
Kenneth J. Otis

Fred P. Davenport

SUMMARY SHEET OF RATING INVENTORY OF PRACTICES

The category seed to des crate :eoiraoiiity of
practices was used to expedite the selection of the most
favored practices. This was accomplished by rating Ira:-
tices in the category designated as (I) desirable and signifi-
cant.

When the rating inventories were tabulated, the

cllowing weights were assigned each rating of rank orde;:

A rating of (I) one was given six points

A rating of (2) two was given five points

A rating of (3) three was given four points
A rating of (4) four was given three points
A rating of (5) five was given two points

A rating of (6) six was given one point.

The following practices received the designated

rating scores:

 

Total
No. Practice Description Score Rank
I9. Action research carried on in the school 29 I

 

 

 

-— wa-‘fi- ——+ - _

 

I. A general education program organized as a

core class for all youth._ ,_~Hgg ,_g_
8. Acounseling system starting in the elemen-

tary grades and extending through all the

 

grades. ,__ g I: i3_
20. A central curriculum council for coordination
of instruction I2 4

 

 

25. A neighborhood association which includes
both parents and non-parents working for
impgpvedyprogram.
I3. New schedule of classes each year based on
decisions of pupils,teachers,parents
and administrators. (Provides for both
flexibility and continuity). 9
28. A material center located in each building 7

I6TTA work experTence program for all the
students. 5 8

h:
In

\IO\

 

SUMMARY SHEET - CONT'D

 

 

Total
No. Practice Description Score Rank
22. An extension of the school period from
nursery school through community
college 9

 

27. School being utilized after regular
hours for communitxepurppses
2. A summer school program that provides .
both remedial and advanced, broadening
experiences ___
9. A twelfth grade social studies class
using the problem-centered, core
approach to consider general
problems of our societ1_todav
l7. Planned discussion meetings on student
problems during homeroom period, as
(group therapy
2i. Scheduling practice which facilitate
pupils continuing with the same
teacher for longer periods of time,
_, ..... taoaalears. ._ ,
2o. Teacher-parent conferences at which the

pupils_are presegt,

 

 

’3
C

“JIA

l5

It was agreed upon to use the first three practices

in the research. This decision was considered appropriate

for the research.

SPECIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR PRACTICES

Alberty, Harold. Reorganizing the High School Curriculum.
New York: The Macmillan Company, I956.

 

Anderson, Vernon E. Principles and Procedures of Curriculum
Development. New York: The Ronald Press Co., I956.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
gearning and the Teacher. ASCD, l959.

Conant, James B.The American High School Today. New York:
McGraw-Hill Co., Inc., l959.

Educational Policies Commission. Education for All American
Youth - A Further Look. NationaT'Education Association,
and the American Association of School Administrators,
Washington, 0.0., I952.

Faunce, Roland C., and Bossing Nelson L. Developingthe
Core Curriculum. New Jersey: Prentice-HaIT, Inc.
I958.

Herrick, Virgil E., Goodlad, John 1., Estvan, Frank J.,
and Eberman, Paul w. The Elementary School.
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., I955.

Kenworthy, Leonard 8. "Education for the Community of I985",
Educational Leadership, May, I960.

Korn, Orville. "Teacher-Pupil-Laymen Plan for Curriculum
Improvement", The Bulletin, National Association of
Secondary School Principals, February, I959.

Parrish, Louise and Waskin, Yvonne. Teacher-Pupil Planning
New York: Harper and Brothers Publisher, l959.

Trump Lloyd C. Images of the Futurg. National Association
of Secondary School Principals, l959.

Warner, Ruby H. The Child and His Elementary School World.
Prentice-Hall, I957.

Wiles, Kimball. Supervision for Better Schools. New York:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., I955.

Wright, Grace 8. Block-Time Classes and the Core Program.
U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare,
I958.

APPENDIX B

 

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4.

7.

PART ONE
BASIC DATA SHEET - I

Where did you obtain your bachelor's degree?

 

What were your majors and minors? Major:

 

Minors:

 

Do you hold the master's degree? Institution:

 

Major: Minor:

 

Do you hold the doctor's degree? Institution:

 

What were your areas of specialty?

 

 

What are the total number of years you have been in
education?

How many years do you have of classroom teaching?

What educational experiences have you had since you left

the classroom?

 

 

How long in each position?

 

Could you tell me which educational organizations you
belong to? I have listed some general categories which
could serve as a guide:

A. Local

 

8. Regional
C. State

 

 

0. National

 

E. Other

 

 

.I. I! ' ll}; 1 l'l ’ I. I o .I III

9.

IO.

l2.

l3.

BASIC DATA SHEET - 2

Do you hold/or have you held any office in these
organizations? Could you give me the organization first,

then the office?

 

 

 

 

Have you served on any educational committee outside of
your school system? On any of the following levels?

A. Local

 

8. Regional

 

 

C. State

 

 

0. National

 

 

E. Other

 

 

Would you check this list of state and national publi-
cations and mark those which you read regularly. Please
add any that are not listed.

Have you written any educational articles for state or

national magazines?

 

 

 

What newspapers do you read regularly?

 

BASIC DATA SHEET - 3

l4. What conferences do you attend regularly?

A.
B.

C.

D.

E.

I5. What is the date of your birth?

Local

 

Regional

 

State

 

 

National

 

 

Other

 

 

 

l6. On this card you find a list of characteristics for

ranking a good curriculum director. Will you please read

them over and then place them in rank order?

How would you rank the Importance of these
characteristics In recognizing a good

a.

b.

C.

d.

curriculum director?
The respect in which he ls held by the
staff (teachers and administrators) in
his own school system.
His general standing in the community.

The recognition given him by other
curriculum directors.

The research and publications he has
to his credit.

STATE PUBLICATIONS AND SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

State Level Publications

2.

3.

7.
8.
9.

l0.
ll.
l2.
l3

l4.

Bulletin
Bulletin
College of Education

Quarterly

Educational Leadership
in Michigan

Elementary Principal

Forward

Letter to Schools
MEA Journal

Michigan Parent-Teacher
Bulletin

Michigan School Board
Newsletter

News of the Week
Quarterly Review

School of Education
Bulletin

Sponsoring_Organizations

2.

3.

6.

7.
8.

9.

l0.
ll.
l2.
I}.

I4.

Mlch.Assoc. of Secondary
School Principals

Mich. High School Athletic
Association

Michigan State University

Mich.Assoc.of Sch. Admin.

Mich.Dept. of Elem. School
Principals

Mich. Assoc. of School
Librarians

University of Michigan
Mich. Education Assoc.

Mich. Parent-Teacher
Association

Mlch.Assoc. of Sch. Brds.
Mlch.Assoc. of Sch. Brds.
009010

University of Michigan

University of Michigan

N TIONAL PUBLICATIONS AND SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

Publications

l.
2.
3.
A.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
IO.
ll.
I2.
l3.
l4.
i5.
l6.
l7.

l8.
l9.
20.
2!.
22.

Adult Leadership
Agr. Ed. Mag.
Arithmetic Teacher
A-V Comm. Review
A-V Instruction
Bus. Ed. Forum
Childhood Ed.
College English

Ed. Digest

Ed. Leadership

Ed. USA & Scope
Elem.Sch.Sci.BItn.
Elem. English
English Journal
Exceptional Children
Journal of Geography

Journal of Health,Phys.
Ede, and Rec.

Journal of Teacher Ed.

Math. Teacher
Music Journal
Natl.Elem.Prin.

Natl. Parent-Teacher

SponsorinQVOrganizatlons

l.
2.
3.
A.
5.
6.
7.
8.

l8.
I9.
20.
2|.

22.

Adult Ed. Assn. of USA

Interstate Pub. Co.
Math. Teachers (NEA)
(NEA)

A-V Instr.

A-V Instr. (NEA)

Bus. Ed. Assn. of USA

Assn. for Chilchood Ed.
NatI.Councll Eng. Teachers
Pub. House - Ann Arbor
ASCD
NatI.Sch.Pub.ReIations Assn.
NatI.Sci.Teachers Assn.
NatI.Council Eng. Teachers
Natl.Council Eng. Teachers
Exceptional Children (NEA)
Geo. Ed.

Natl.Councll for

Health,Phys.Ed. and Rec.
(NEA)

Teacher Ed. & Prof.Stand Com.
Math.Teachers Dept.
(NEA)

Music Ed. Natl. Conf.

EIem.School Prin. (NEA)

Natl. Parent-Teacher Assn.

NATICNAL

Publications

37.
38.
39.
40.
Al.
42.

 

 

Nations Schools

NEA Journal
NEA Research Bulletin
"Overview"

Pers.&Guld. Journal

Phi Delta Kappan

PR Guide
Pub.Sch.Adult Ed.

Quar.JournaI of Speech

Review of Ed. Research

Rural Educational

School Management
Social Education

The Amer.Sch.Bd.Journal

The Bulletin of NASSP

The sch. Admin.

The School Bell Packet

The Science Teacher
The Speech Teacher

Vocational Guid. Journal

PCBLICATIONB AND SP”

.r~",-‘..‘ ? . ‘ . —: 7* K :7 I ’. .5 .."‘- .r‘ \INF‘_:.' —‘
I‘VDL'FIIINQ c.l-.ea.5.,iaz_rt '1 I‘LL-hr) " Lb'i' LJ

Sponsoring_Organl;atjgns

23.

24.
25.
26.
87.
28.
29.

Nations Sch.Div.Mod.Hosp.
Pub.Co.

National Ed. Assoc.
NEA Research Div.
Buttenhelm Pub. Corp.N.Y.
Amer.Pers. & Guid.Assn.
Phi Delta Kappa
NatI.Sch.Pub.Rel.Assn.
Pub.Sch.Adult Ed (NEA)
Speech Assn.of Amer. (NEA)
Amer.Ed. Research Assoc.

Rural Ed. (NEA)
School Management Mag.Inc.
Social Studies (NEA)

The Bruce Pub. Co.

NASSP

Amer.Assoc. of Sch. Admin.
Natl.Sch.Pub.ReI.Assn.(NEA)
Sci. Teachers Assn (NEA)
Speech Assn. of America (NEA)

Amer.Pers.&Guid.Assn(NVGA)

 

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Practize A: Action research carried on In the school.

 

Checklist of sources

 

Television

Newspaper

Seminars

Faculty meetings
Curriculum consultants
Lay magazines
Conferences

School board meetings
Friends

Professional journals
Superintendent
Meetings

Audio-visual salesmen
Teachers

Notices and bulletins
School board members
Book salesmen

Members of the family
Advertising from commercial
Radio

Teacher institutes

SOUI‘CQS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART TWO (Section 2A) - Cont'd

Practice A: Action researcn carried on in the school.

 

 

Checklist of sources

 

22. Colleges courses (undergraduate)

 

 

23. College courses (graduate)

24. Public school curriculum director
(other than self)

 

25. Books

 

26. Commercial displays

 

27. Committee meetings within school system

 

PART TWO (section 28)

Practice B: A general education program organized as an

 

‘———-_-

Integrated class for all youth

 

Checklist of sources

 

l.
2.

3.
4.

l2.
l3.
i4.
I5.

Television

 

Newspaper

 

Seminars

 

Faculty meetings

 

Curriculum consultant from college

 

Lay magazines

 

Conferences

 

School board meetings

 

Friends

 

Professional journals

 

Superintendent

 

Meetings

 

Audio-visual salesmen

 

Teachers

 

Displays by professional organizations

 

Notices and bulletins within school system

 

 

School board members

Book salesmen

 

Bulletins from educational organizations

 

Members of the family

 

Advertising from commercial sources

 

PART TWO (section 28) - Cont'd

Practice B: A general education program organized as an

integrated class for all youth

 

Checklist of sources

 

Radio

 

Teacher institutes

 

College courses (undergraduate)

 

College courses (graduate)

 

Bulletins from national office of education

 

DPI consultant

 

Public school curriculum director
(other than self)

 

Books

 

Commercial displays

 

Committee meetings within school system

 

Consultant from county education office

 

Other (specify)

 

PART TWO (section 20)

Practice C: A ggugsejjng system starting lnthe elementary

oo-w- .v

grades and extending through all the grades
using qualified guidance personnel

 

Checklist of sources

 

l0.
ll.
l2.
l3.
l4.
l5.
l6.
l7.
I8.
I9.
20.

2|.

Television

 

Newspaper

 

Seminars

 

Faculty meetings

 

Curriculum consultant from college

 

Lay magazines

 

Conferences

 

School board meetings

 

Friends

 

Professional journals

 

Superintendent

 

Meetings

 

Audio-visual salesmen

 

Teachers

 

Displays by professional organizations

 

Notices and bulletins within school system

 

School board members

 

Bulletins from educational organizations

 

Book salesmen

 

Members of the family

 

Advertising from commercial sources

 

PART TWO (section 2C) - Cont'd

Practice C: A.£99£§3[1R9.5X$iem starting in the elementary
grades and extending through all the grades
using qualified guidance personnel

 

Checklist of sources

 

22. Radio

 

23. Teacher Institutes

 

 

24. College courses (undergraduate)

25. College courses (graduate)

 

26. Bulletin from national office of education

 

27. DPI consultant

 

28. Public school curriculum director
(other than self)

 

29. Books

 

30. Commercial displays

 

3i. Committee meetings within school system

 

32. Consultant from county education office

 

33. Other (specify)

 

PART THREE (section I)

I. To what persons within your community do you go for help
when you are faced with making a decision about curricu-
lum matters? When I say community, I mean the school
community and the community in which the school is

located.

2. To what persons outside of our community do you go for
help when faced with making decisions about curriculum
matters? Because of their accessibility to the entire

state, all local colleges are considered outside the

community.

 

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Date

 

Dr. Leroy Selmeier
389 St. Clair
Grosse Point 30, Michigan

Dear Dr. Selmeier:

The Department of Public Instruction has compiled a directory
of curriculum directors of public schools. Some of these
curriculum directors have been selected for an exploratory
study concerning curriculum matters. This research will
provide insight into the channels of communication used by
curriculum directors in this state. In the long run it may
also assist the curriculum movement of the state and nation.

Members of the staff of the College of Education and the
Department of sociology and Anthropology at Michigan State
University believe that this research could make a sub-
stantial contribution not only to the area of curriculum but
also to all of education as it could provide some notion as
to how ideas are communicated within the public schools.

Mr. Peter P. Wallus has assumed responsibility for the
project. The data will be gathered by personal interview.
Mr. Wallus will contact you personally at an early date. I
would like to urge each of you to assist us in this project.

Cordially and sincerely,

George Myers
College of Education
Michigan State University

DEFINITIVE CRITERIA OP TERMINOLCGV ‘TILIZED

GENUS, ensues AS MEDIA

The criterion which was used to distinguish between
"regular meetings" and "conferences" was the length of tne
session. The specific, minimal requirement for a conference
was a session of at least one day's duration. Regular
meetings were sessions of less than one day's duration.

The criterion which was used to differentiate
"regular meetings” from'beminars” was the modus operandi.
Seminars were delineated by these characteristics: (I) parti-
cipants and staff planned the sessions as a group, (2)
focused on the problems of members of the group, and eval-
uated the sessions in terms of solving the problems of the
participants. Regular meetings were described as being
planned by the staff, focused on problems that were deter-
mined appropriate by the staff and the staff being respon-

sible for the evaluation.

——...——~—‘—- ¢ c—A-v——‘ '—

Characteristic
or
Behavior

Sunmary of Characteristics and

. __._

Innovators

—- V——v

Early
adopters

 

l. Time of adoption
adoption

2. Attitudes

3. Abilities

A. Group

5. Social
status

6. Farm

7. Sources of
information

First 2.5 per
cent to adopt
new Ideas

Scientific and
venturesome

High level of
education;
ability to
deal with
abstractions

Leaders in
county wide

or state
organizations;
travel widely

Highest social
status, but
their farming
practices may
not be accepted

Largest, most
specialized,
and most
efficient

Scientists;
other Innova-
tors: research
bulletins

‘status;

Next l3.5 per
cent to adopt

Progressive

Above average
education

Leaders in
organizations
within the
community

High social
looked
to by neighbors

as "good farmer'

Large farms;
slightly less
specialized
and efficient

Highest contact
with local
change agents;
farm magazines;
extension
bulletins

Communication Behavior of Adopter Categories

Majority
Early

fi—I—‘m.

 

 

Late

Late adopters

 

Next 34 per
cent to adopt

More conserva-
tive and
traditional

Slightly above
average educa-
tion

Many informal
contacts within
the community

Above average
social status

Slightly larger
than average
sized farms

Farm magazines;
friends and
neighbors

Next 34 per
cent to adopt

Skeptical of
new ideas

Slightly below
average educa-
tion

Little travel
out of com-
munity; little
activity In
formal organ-
izations

About average
social status

Slightly
smaller than
average sized
farms

Friends and
neighbors

Last l6 per
cent to adopt

Agricultural
magic and folk
beliefs; fear
of debt

Low level of
education;

have diffuculty
dealing with
abstractions
and relation-
ships

Few member-
ships in formal
organizations
other than
church; semi-
isolates

Lowest social
status

Small farms;
low incomes;
seldom farm
owners

Mainly friends
and neighbors;
radio farm
shows

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