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Perceptions of Florida's superintendents and school board chairpersons regarding the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

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Date Issued:
1994
Summary:
The problem investigated in this study was the comparison of the perceptions of Florida's superintendents of schools with those perceptions held by public school board chairpersons toward AIDS with respect to six particular variables of concern: (a) knowledge of the subject of AIDS, (b) personal biases, (c) students' rights, (d) employment policies, (e) operational guidelines, and (f) curriculum. The evaluation instrument was a 40-item questionnaire constructed using a five point Likert-type scale. A numerical weighting of 1-5 was used to determine the strength of the responses. A high score revealed a negative perception about a question, while a low score indicated a positive perception. A questionnaire packet was mailed out to each of Florida's 67 superintendents of schools and 67 public school board chairpersons. Completed questionnaires were received from 19 of the state's 20 appointed superintendents, from 38 of the state's elected superintendents, from 17 Republican chairpersons, and from 37 Democratic chairpersons. Analysis of data revealed: (a) appointed superintendents were more willing to work in close proximity to someone with AIDS than were elected superintendents; (b) appointed superintendents were less willing to send students with AIDS to a special school comprised of other students with AIDS-related symptoms than were elected superintendents; (c) Republican board chairpersons had a stronger belief than did Democratic chairpersons that their knowledge of the causes and spread of AIDS was sufficient to allow them to converse with parents who may at times address the school board at meetings; and (d) school board chairpersons from small and medium sized districts felt more strongly than did the chairpersons from large districts that all students should be tested for the AIDS virus before being allowed to enroll in public school each year. The following conclusions were reached. A pyramidal diagram of the hierarchy of political vulnerability and issue voting astuteness possessed by school board members, appointed superintendents and elected superintendents, revealed that school board members are at the apex, the elected superintendents in the middle and the appointed superintendent at the base of the pyramid. Elected superintendents from small and medium sized districts are more politically conscious of their decisions and perceptions than are elected superintendents from large school districts. Recommendations for future, related investigations are presented.
Title: Perceptions of Florida's superintendents and school board chairpersons regarding the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
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Name(s): Hobbs, Leon Temples.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Urich, Ted R., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1994
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 272 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The problem investigated in this study was the comparison of the perceptions of Florida's superintendents of schools with those perceptions held by public school board chairpersons toward AIDS with respect to six particular variables of concern: (a) knowledge of the subject of AIDS, (b) personal biases, (c) students' rights, (d) employment policies, (e) operational guidelines, and (f) curriculum. The evaluation instrument was a 40-item questionnaire constructed using a five point Likert-type scale. A numerical weighting of 1-5 was used to determine the strength of the responses. A high score revealed a negative perception about a question, while a low score indicated a positive perception. A questionnaire packet was mailed out to each of Florida's 67 superintendents of schools and 67 public school board chairpersons. Completed questionnaires were received from 19 of the state's 20 appointed superintendents, from 38 of the state's elected superintendents, from 17 Republican chairpersons, and from 37 Democratic chairpersons. Analysis of data revealed: (a) appointed superintendents were more willing to work in close proximity to someone with AIDS than were elected superintendents; (b) appointed superintendents were less willing to send students with AIDS to a special school comprised of other students with AIDS-related symptoms than were elected superintendents; (c) Republican board chairpersons had a stronger belief than did Democratic chairpersons that their knowledge of the causes and spread of AIDS was sufficient to allow them to converse with parents who may at times address the school board at meetings; and (d) school board chairpersons from small and medium sized districts felt more strongly than did the chairpersons from large districts that all students should be tested for the AIDS virus before being allowed to enroll in public school each year. The following conclusions were reached. A pyramidal diagram of the hierarchy of political vulnerability and issue voting astuteness possessed by school board members, appointed superintendents and elected superintendents, revealed that school board members are at the apex, the elected superintendents in the middle and the appointed superintendent at the base of the pyramid. Elected superintendents from small and medium sized districts are more politically conscious of their decisions and perceptions than are elected superintendents from large school districts. Recommendations for future, related investigations are presented.
Identifier: 12368 (digitool), FADT12368 (IID), fau:9269 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): College of Education
Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1994.
Subject(s): School superintendents--Florida
AIDS (Disease) in children--Florida
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12368
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.