Master's Theses

Department

Advanced Education Programs

Degree Name

Education Specialist (Ed.S)

Abstract

The scarcity of women in top-level administrative positions does not seem to be compatible with the number of women who are qualified and who aspire to such positions. A study of the differences in background characteristics, perceived constraints on career progress, career aspirations, and career expectations of a selected group of female and male building level administrators in Kansas was conducted. A 22 item questionnaire was used for this study. The items were grouped in the following way: level of educational attainment, years of professional experience, years of administrative experience, internal selection, years in current administrative position, age, school enrollment, number of staff members, perceived constraints, career aspirations, and career expectations. Copies of the questionnaire were mailed to 120 randomly selected Kansas public school administrators. A total of 99 of the 113 (87.6%) usable questionnaires were returned. The results of the survey indicated that female and male Kansas public school administrators differed, statistically, in the following: 1. amount of formal education, 2. types of undergraduate specialization, and 3. number of years of principalship experience. The researcher tested 24 hypotheses. Hypotheses 1, 3, 11, 13, and 14 were rejected. The t-test for inferences about differences between population means using independent samples and the chi-square test for inferences about the independence of classifications were employed. The comparison of female and male administrators according to formal education, in hypothesis 1, was tested employing a t-test, and was significant beyond the .05 level. In hypothesis 3 a comparison of female and male junior high/middle school principals who had undergraduate specialization in secondary education was tested and the calculated chi-square was significant beyond the .05 level. The comparison of years of principalship experience for female and male school administrators employing a t-test was investigated in hypothesis 11. The calculated t-ratio was significant beyond the .05 level. Hypothesis 13 contained a comparison of female and male junior high/middle school principals in terms of number of years of junior high/middle school principalship experience. A t-test was employed and the t-ratio was significant beyond the .05 level. For hypothesis 14 a comparison of female and male elementary principals according to number of years of elementary principalship experience was investigated. A t-test was employed and the calculated t-ratio was significant beyond the .05 level.

Keywords

Education Administration

Advisor

Bob L. Chalender

Date of Award

Summer 1985

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Rights

© The Author(s)

Comments

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