FORECASTING THE AIMS, CONTENT, AND ORGANIZATION OF COLLEGE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS: A DELPHI STUDY
Abstract
The purpose of this Delphi study was to compare the perceptions of academic administrators in institutions classified as Research Universities, Doctorate-Granting Universities, and Comprehensive Universities and Colleges regarding subdimensions of three dimensions of college general education programs in the future period 1985-2005. Moreover, the study sought to determine if there were significant differences in the ratings of academic administrators in the three institutional categories. The subjects for this two round study included 66 academic administrators in the first round and 62 in the second round. The subjects for the first round included 15 academic administrators from Research Universities, 19 from Doctorate-Granting Universities, and 32 from Comprehensive Universities and Colleges. The second round included 12 academic administrators from Research Universities, 18 from Doctorate-Granting Universities, and 32 from Comprehensive Universities and Colleges. The Delphi questionnaire Forecasting the Aims, Content, and Organization of College General Education Programs: A Delphi Study was developed by the researcher. The questionnaire consisted of three dimensions of college general education programs: The Aims, The Content, and The Organization and 70 subdimensions. Participants submitted 26 subdimensions for Round II. The statistical procedures included medians, semi-interquartile ranges, interquartile ranges, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The findings and conclusions of this research have the following practical implications for curriculum planning regarding college general education: (1) Programs should aim to: provide learning skills that will facilitate understanding new ideas; develop an attitude conducive to life-long learning; and develop an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving. Opportunities should be provided for learning about other cultures and the shared cultural heritage. (2) Four content areas were considered essential: critical thinking, communication skills, ethics and values, and history. (3) Various organizational modes were considered appropriate. (4) Further use of the Delphi technique is recommended to assess consensus regarding curriculum matters.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
IRVINE, ILEANA, "FORECASTING THE AIMS, CONTENT, AND ORGANIZATION OF COLLEGE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS: A DELPHI STUDY" (1986). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8616823.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8616823
