Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

May 1989

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to explore the influence individual and organizational factors exerted on technological innovations, programmatic innovations and combined technological and programmatic innovations. Student affairs divisions in Comprehensive I colleges and universities constituted the administrative unit examined. The two types of program innovations examined were substance abuse prevention/education programs and retention/academic support programs. The technological innovations examined were financial aid computerized award calculation and computerized career counseling. The individual factors examined were professionalism, gender and age of the chief student affairs officer. The organizational factors were vertical, horizontal and combined vertical and horizontal complexity, centralization and size. Size was measured as student body size, a combined staff size within the four units examined and combined student body and staff size. The method of study was survey. One hundred chief student affairs officers were surveyed for responses about their institutions' innovations and the factors of professionalism, age, gender, centralization, complexity and size. The findings were: (1) There was a significant relationship between professionalism and technological innovation. The more professional the chief student affairs officer was, the more technological innovation was reported. (2) There was a significant relationship between age and combined programmatic and technological innovation. The higher the age of the chief student affairs officer, the lower the level of combined technological and programmatic innovation was reported. (3) There was a significant relationship between complexity and programmatic innovation. The more complexity present, the more programmatic innovation was reported. This significance held across the three different measures of horizontal, vertical and combined complexity. (4) There was a significant relationship between complexity and combined technological and programmatic innovation. The more complexity, the more combined technological and programmatic innovation was reported. This significance held across vertical and combined measures for complexity. (5) There was a significant relationship between the size and programmatic innovation. The larger the size, the more programmatic innovation was reported. This significance held for staff size and combined size measures. The major conclusion was that different factors may impact programmatic innovation differently than technological innovation or combined programmatic and technological innovation. Future study of innovation should consider these differences.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

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