Darwin D. Hendel

Emergence and growth of professional doctorates in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia: a comparative analysis

This article examines the development and growth of professional doctorates in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It provides an overview of the development of the doctoral degree from its establishment at the universities of Paris and Bologna, and highlights the emergence of new forms of doctorates that have challenged the PhD. The examination indicates that similar growth patterns for applied doctorates have occurred in the United States, the UK and in Australia, but contrasting forces in Canada have reshaped existing PhD programs to meet changing external requirements. For each of the countries studied, the relative difficulty in obtaining consistent definitions of professional doctorates, and reliable statistics on the numbers of students enrolled in and graduating from such programs, suggests the need for continuing discussions within and across countries concerning these emerging professional doctorates.

Ranking the International Dimension of Top Research Universities in the United States

This study presents an analysis of the relative internationalization of 77 research universities in the United States. Institutions enrolling undergraduate students were selected from the 2003 national report, The Top American Research Universities . Data were collected from publicly available sources for 19 indicators of internationalization pertaining to student characteristics, scholar characteristics, research orientation, curricular content, and organizational support. Data were standardized, weighted by a panel of experts, and summed to yield an overall internationalization index score for each institution. Index scores were then used to rank the 77 institutions. A sensitivity analysis yielded a significant positive correlation (.97, p < .001) between the ranking based on the weighted indicators and a ranking derived from unweighted indicators.

Efficacy of Participating in a First-Year Seminar on Student Satisfaction and Retention

Improving the first-year experience has been part of a broader set of initiatives to respond to concerns about undergraduate education (Astin, Keup, & Lindholm, 2002). This research examined the efficacy of a first-year seminar on student satisfaction and retention at a Research Extensive, urban and public land-grant university. This study used survey data to compare satisfaction levels from a random sample of first-year students with those of students who had enrolled in a first-year seminar. A logistic regression model (e.g., Xiao & House, 2000) was used to determine if seminar participation affected retention. Results indicated statistically significant differences at p ≤ .05 for 15 of the 92 satisfaction items; more positive responses came from students enrolled in a first-year seminar. Results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that participation did not increase the probability of retention; only high school rank was a significant contributor to the prediction of freshman-to-sophomore retention.

Experiential and Affective Correlates of Math Anxiety in Adult Women

Mathematics anxiety has been discussed as one of the factors contributing to poor mathematics performance, especially among women. Although many programs have been developed for its treatment, little research has been conducted concerning its correlates. The present study examines correlates of mathematics anxiety among the 69 female participants in a program designed to help individuals overcome their fears and become more competent in mathematics. Results indicate the following: (a) that mathematics anxiety in program participants is highly correlated with other academically relevant anxiety scales, (b) that test anxiety and self-estimated mathematics ability are the most important variables in the prediction of mathematics anxiety, and (c) that mathematics anxiety and high school mathematics preparation are the most important variables in the prediction of arithmetic performance.

Evidence of Convergent and Discriminant Validity in Three Measures of College Outcomes.

The present study examined the correlations among three measures of college outcomes: The College Outcome Measures Program, the Academic Profile, and the Defining Issues Test. Results indicated statistically significant (p <.001) correlations among the three measures that ranged from r = .41 to r = .62. All three tests correlated more highly with admission test data (e.g., ACT- Composite, PSAT-M, and PSAT-V) than they did with indicators of experiences in college (e.g., college grade point average and student satisfaction). Evidence of convergent validity suggests that commonly used measures tap similar outcome dimensions, al- though support for discriminant validity is less clear.

The Relationship Between Academic Life Conditions and Perceived Sources of Faculty Stress Over Time

SUMMARY Many assertions have been made that the changing landscape of postsecondary education has resulted in a higher level of occupational stress, thereby presenting a potential problem for the recruitment and retention of individuals in academe. However, it has yet to be empirically demonstrated that stressors for faculty have in fact changed by nature or intensity during the last decade of the 20th century. The present study compares the dimensions and correlates of faculty stress using national survey data collected in 1989 and 2001. A factor analysis of 16 stressor items was conducted to construct five stress scales, comprising work overload, role conflict, faculty interaction, academic advancement, and aging considerations. Multiple regression, using four blocks of variables (i.e., demographics, faculty status, work life, and cohort), explained between 6 and 21 percent of the variance in the stress scales. Results indicated that sources of stress have remained relatively stable between 1989 and 2001.

Individual Inconsistency and Reliability of Measurement.

THE concept of reliability of measurement is clearly not as simple and static as standard definitions often imply. Reliability is not an all or none criterion which, if once satisfied, is invariant for a given measuring instrument, for different groups, or for different testing conditions. Reliability may also be examined in relation to a given measure for a given individual, thus implying the relevance of examining specific individual factors contributing to unreliability. Unreliability, Thorndike’s “error variance” (1951), can be seen as being composed of two classes of elements: (1) characteristics of the observer and the environment; and (2) characteristics of the individual. The first group is composed of such factors as poor testing conditions, careless investigators, inaccurate calculations and numerous other factors which are external to the individual being examined. Included in individual characteristics are aspects such as test-taking ability, response sets, response styles and guessing habits. Reliability of measurement implies more than consistency of response over a time interval. Rather, reliability can be discussed in two different framemorks-test-retest reliability (stability) and internal consistency reliability. Test-retest reliability refers to the stability of measurement across some time interval. Stability de-

Mathematics Anxiety and Attitudes Toward Mathematics

Little is known about the nature and measures of mathematics anxiety or the characteristics of participants in math-anxiety treatment programs. This study reports, the relationship among measures o...

A Comparative Analysis of Higher Education Ranking Systems in Europe

According to Altbach in 2004, “everyone wants a world-class university”. Corresponding developmental efforts undertaken by higher education institutions are very often referenced to improvements in ranking results. Surprisingly, there is relatively little analysis of variations in higher education ranking systems across countries regarding how “world-class” is defined, measured and benchmarked. Due to the limited number of systems included in existing comparative analyses of ranking systems, it remains uncertain whether ranking results are “largely a statistical fluke” (as noted by Usher and Savino in 2006) or a reflection of “higher education systems and cultures, and the availability and reliability of data” (as noted by van Dyke in 2005). With this first comprehensive and comparative analysis of 23 higher education ranking systems published in 11 European countries, we show that certain components and characteristics of ranking systems can indeed be systematized along national boundaries. However, it also becomes obvious that no holistic distinctions can be identified between a set of rankings in a particular country in comparison to rankings in other countries.

Performance Indicators as a Foundation of Institutional Autonomy: Implications for Higher Education Institutions in Europe

There has developed moderate discussion in European higher education about the use of performance indicators for both accountability and evaluation purposes. This paper begins by summarizing governmental expectations, institutional objections, and several of the controversies surrounding performance measures. We then report on using performance indicators for both external accountability and strategic planning in a case study of a public research extensive university in the United States, including how the flows of resources and students have changed following the use of institutional performance measures in strategic planning.