Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1982

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Kerensky, Vasil M.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the role participation and other selected variables (i.e., age, sex, race, education, etc.) play in an individual's attitude toward the public schools. The research was conducted in the community of Dade County, Florida, utilizing forty-one of the fifty-eight school centers designated as Community Schools. Hypotheses. (1) There is no significant difference in the mean attitude scores based upon participation groups at the .05 level of significance. (2) There is no significant difference in the mean attitude scores of Community School groups by years of Community Education implementation at the .05 level of significance. (3) There is no linear relationship between attitude scores and the stated demographic variables at the .05 level of significance. (4) There is no significant differences in the perceived influence of participation between the defined participation groups at the .05 level of significance. Results of the Study. Hypothesis Number 1 - the null hypothesis was rejected. Hypothesis Number 2 - the null hypothesis was not rejected. Hypothesis Number 3 - the null hypothesis was rejected. Hypothesis Number 4 - the null hypothesis was not rejected. The significant demographic variables are: race, children in school, marital status, and occupation. An R('2) test of significance discloses that 12.25 percent of the variability in the dependent variable can be accounted for by the demographic and participation variables. Conclusions. (1) Residents within Dade County, who participated in the Community Education registration of September 1981, generally have positive attitudes toward the public schools. (2) The more positive attitudes were found among respondents who had had some sort of K-12 related participation experiences. (3) School related participation, whether it was Community School or K-12 types of experiences, produces positive attitudes toward the public schools. (4) Private school parents have significantly lower attitudes toward the public schools. (5) Skilled laborers have significantly more positive attitudes toward the public schools. Implications. (1) The research results and the review of the literature suggest the need for additional attitudinal change strategies once participation has begun. (2) The process of Community Education holds the promise of attitudinal change. Programs alone hold very little hope for positive attitude gains.

Extent

153 p.

Comments

Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1982.|College of Education|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1982.

Identifier

FADT11813

Format

pdf

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