Weppner, Daniel B.

The purpose of this study was to identify and empirically validate a
list of essential teacher competencies for a beginning Health Occupations
teacher in Virginia. Items for the instruments were derived from the
literature. Revised and edited, the items were submitted for validation
to a jury of experts comprised of teacher educators and Health Occupations
teachers, supervisors and practitioners. A condensed list of 116 competencies
was developed for participants to rate as to the time needed by
beginning teachers. An ordinal scale with a range of one to five was
designed to measure the participant•s perception of each item. Instruments
were mailed to all identified beginning Health Occupations teachers
and their supervisors (N=105). There were seventy-nine respondents for
a 75 percent response rate. Some conclusions made based upon the analysis of data were:
1. Teachers and administrators agree that there are competencies determined
essential by the first week, first month and first three
months of teaching.
2. Essential professional teaching competencies can be ranked by the
period of time they are needed in the classroom.
3. Teachers determined 112 competencies to be essential in the first
three months of teaching; administrators determined ninety-eight
competencies.
4. Teachers perceived that all program planning and clinical teaching
competencies are essential in the first month of teaching.

For 306 twelfth grade students, secondary science
achievement by sex, race, and socioeconomic status (SES) was
compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the
relationship of a set of 22 predictor variables to science
achievement was investigated using multiple linear
regression. That the reduced regression model with its primarily
cognitive characteristics exhibited the highest significant
correlation coefficients in predicting science achievement
for low SES, black students is a finding that is at odds with
much of the current literature, as is also the finding that
females outperform males in science achievement. These
anomalies, along with the implications of differences in
science achievement based on sex and race, are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to describe the implications
and impact of impartial due process procedures on planning,
programming and staffing by exceptional student education
divisions within the Florida school system. A questionnaire
was developed by the author, and validated by three
directors of exceptional student education. Items for
the questionnaire were drawn from the literature related to
the effects of P.L. 94-142 on departments of special education.
The questionnaire was distributed to the sixty-seven
directors of exceptional student education in Florida. There
were fifty respondents, or a 75 percent return .
Tables were developed to indicate the percentage
of responders within each category on the questionnaire.
Tables of rank order were developed to detail types of
problems encountered by responders, solutions utilized by
responders, and particulars of policy changes and staff
development plans. In summary, this study provided data which
indicated the areas of impact and concern to directors of
exceptional student education in Florida. General and
specific recommendations for remediation strategies are
outlined.

A preliminary list of ten competency and forty-six sub-competency statements derived from literature and consultation with experts and based on the general areas of clinical performance defined by the National Board of Medical Examiners were the concern of Phase I of this study. Forty-eight experts in nuclear medicine, radiology, radiotherapy, health physics, medical physics, radiation biology, public and occupational health, surgery, and emergency medicine and nursing considered this preliminary list of competencies and sub-competencies to determine which were essential for health professionals who may be caring for radiation accident victims in hospital emergency departments. These experts responded to a questionnaire on which they rated each competency and sub-competency as Essential, Supplemental, or Non-essential for emergency care of the radiation accident victim. A scoring system was utilized that facilitated consideration of each consultant's rating. Eight competencies and thirty-three sub-competencies were rated as Essential competencies. Competencies dealing with establishing priorities in patient care and initiating treatment, assessment, contamination control, and decontamination were highly rated. They were followed closely by competencies in referral, psychological care and legal, ethical and public health responsibilities. Competencies in health physics vocabulary and background knowledge of radiation biology were given lower ratings and were placed on a list of Supplemental competencies. In the second part of this study, the Essential competencies were utilized in the development of an original evaluation instrument designed to identify deficiencies and continuing education needs during radiation accident drills or exercises. Evaluation criteria based on the Essential competencies were divided into three time frames: the preparatory period, the treatment period, and the post-emergency period. Criteria adaptations were used to evaluate competence during the treatment period in order to facilitate a more objective evaluation. The instrument was designed for use in sixteen possible patient care situations in which the radiation accident victims have varying medical and radiological conditions. Development of the evaluation instrument was described.

This study examined a model to predict success on the Advanced Placement Computer Science (APCS) examination. The sample included all students (N = 423) who participated in the APCS program in the Palm Beach County Public School System from 1985 to 1994. Predictor variables consisted of the number of courses taken in specific content areas at the secondary level, semester grades in the APCS course, grade point average, and gender. Multiple regression analysis indicated the significance of these variables in predicting the score on the APCS examination (F (12,280) = 5.848, p $<$.001). Further discriminant analysis identified the most accurate subset of predictors. All students were divided into two groups based on their scores on the APCS examination (pass/fail). The variables that occurred most frequently in the best subsets included the number of semesters taken in advanced mathematics; overall high school grade point average; gender; the grades achieved in both first and second semester in Advanced Placement Computer Science; and the semesters in computers. A model based on these six predictors had the highest (p $<$.01) predictive accuracy of all models studied (67.6% hit rate). Additional study of other independent variables that contribute to success on the APCS examination is needed.

This research study investigated the relationship between the public's knowledge about and attitudes toward year-round education. The variables investigated included the participants' gender, race, age, number of school-age children, marital status, family income, educational level attained, and sources of information about year-round education. The subjects of this study were 418 adults of Southeastern Florida. Palm Beach County is one of the fastest growing school districts in the country with the addition of approximately 5,000 students each year. There is a need to restructure the educational system with year-round education as one of the possibilities. This study examines the effect of year-round education information on community attitudes. The findings showed that demographic variables appeared to have no significant relationship to attitudes toward year-round education and that the treatment had an ineffective influence on participants' attitudes.

Computers are becoming an integral part of our high school curriculum. Students use computers for computer-assisted instruction (CAI), word processing, spreadsheet and database applications, and computer programming. It is important to know the cognitive effects of each mode of computer use. The purpose of this study was to investigate transfer effects of a high school BASIC programming course on students' skills in mathematical modeling, procedural comprehension, and verbal problem solution. The sample consisted of 44 BASIC I students, 44 computer literacy students, and 44 students who had no computer training. Groups were matched on years of mathematics and on the grade received in the last mathematics course taken. Pretests and posttests were administered. Results indicated no significant differences in scores among groups for mathematical modeling or procedural comprehension; however, a significant difference was found among groups for verbal problem solution. The BASIC group scored significantly higher than the computer literacy group and the group with no exposure (p < .01). Auxiliary hypotheses examined possible interactions of group with gender, student level, prior grade received in mathematics, and years of high school mathematics. Significant main effects were found for both prior grade (p < .05) and years of mathematics (p < .05) with achievement directly related to excellence of grades and magnitude of coursework. Neither gender x treatment interaction, nor gender alone was found to be a significant source of score variance. Although the variance caused by student grade level was not significant, a significant interaction was found between group membership and grade level with respect to verbal problems. Sophomores in the literacy group scored higher than did sophomores in the nonexposure group; juniors in the nonexposure group scored higher than juniors in the computer literacy group. Suggestions for future research include studying effects (a) over an entire district, (b) on lower level mathematics students, and (c) on lower socioeconomic groups. Recommendations for computer education include teaching algebraic problem solving by computer and exposure of programming coursework to a wider population.

Predictive discriminant analysis model testing was used to test alternative screening models for selecting administrative interns for the School Board of Broward County, Florida. The current screening process includes 43 scores based on job dimensions that are gathered from performance ratings and evaluations of written behavioral examples. The job dimensions include the 19 Florida Principal Competencies. The 273 subjects (171 females and 102 males) included all applicants for the administrative intern program at the elementary (121), middle (81) and high (71) school levels. Minorities comprised 36.6% of the sample. Clusters of scores were examined to determine which, if any, could be eliminated without significantly reducing the classification accuracy of the model for elementary, middle and high school intern administrator candidates. McNemar's test statistic was used to compare the difference in classification accuracy between the full and various reduced models for both calibration and leave-one-out cross-validation accuracy estimates as recommended by Morris and Huberty (1991). Model performance relative to proportional and maximum chance expectations also was examined. Analyses revealed that at some school levels as many as three of the five score clusters could be eliminated without significantly (p <.05) reducing classification accuracy. These analyses, as well as parallel analyses of reduction possibilities of other selection strategies, could save significant resources devoted to collecting statistically redundant, therefore unnecessary, information. Estimates of resulting cost reductions are included.

Tenure has long been a debated issue. Does tenure protect academic freedom or does it protect the incompetent? Declining enrollments, increasing tuition, plus curriculum changes have caused the issue of tenure to be scrutinized. The purpose of this study was to survey the attitudes of faculty members at Florida's community colleges regarding tenure/continuing contract related to age, gender, rank, years of employment and tenure/continuing contract status. A review of related literature includes an introduction to the tenure issue and history of tenure. Relative research and the pros and cons of tenure are also presented. Finally, the status of tenure in Florida is summarized. Eight hundred and seventy-nine faculty members composing a stratified random sample from 21 of Florida's 28 community colleges were asked to complete and return a Likert scaled survey. Six hundred and seventy surveys were returned, comprising a 76 percent response rate. Survey results were analyzed using five separate one-way analyses of variance, for the measuring of attitude as related to age, gender, rank, years of employment, and tenure/continuing contract status. Of the five hypotheses tested there were significant differences in attitude regarding tenure as related to rank and tenure/continuing contract status. Results of this survey were then compared to a 1971 survey on tenure published by the Commission on Academic Tenure. Upon this comparison, it was found that in this community college survey as well as the survey conducted in 1971, faculty displayed significant differences in attitudes regarding themselves and their institutions depending on their tenure/continuing contract status. This community college survey compared to the 1971 survey produced findings indicating that a greater sense of freedom to express ideas was related to faculty rank. Community college faculty and administrators may find this study useful as they evaluate academic freedom in the classroom versus job security.

Students from Indian River Academy and Palm Vista Christian Schools were compared to determine what relationships and interactions existed among attitudes, values, personality traits, critical thinking skills, interests, and demographic characteristics such as grade level, socioeconomic status, and gender. Results of Study of Values, Junior/Senior High School Personality Questionnaire, Kuder General Interest Survey-E, Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, and the Critical Thinking Appraisal were utilized to assess a sample of two hundred fourteen (214) pupils attending seventh through twelfth grades at Indian River Academy along with a sample of the one hundred twenty-five (125) students enrolled in seventh through twelfth grades at Palm Vista Christian School. A 2 x 2 x 2 ANOVA was employed to examine the differences between groups by age, socioeconomic status, and gender on attitudes, values, personality traits, interests, and critical thinking skills. No significant interaction occurred among socioeconomic status, grade level, and gender in values, attitudes, personality traits, interests, or critical thinking skills. None of the dependent variables proved to be significant when socioeconomic status was considered to be the main effect. Only the Critical Thinking Appraisal and selected subtests from the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes revealed scores that were significantly different based upon grade level. Differences in study skills and attitudes were clearly evident between middle school and senior high school students with female middle school students dramatically outscoring the male middle school students and middle school students, in general scoring significantly higher than senior high students. Differences in critical thinking skills were also evident between middle school and senior high school students with senior high males and females outscoring those students in middle school classes. Univariate F tests indicated a highly significant difference exists between male and female responses with respect to affective characteristics. Further research should be performed to assess behavioral character and other affective characteristics to identify instructional implications of learner differences.