Marshall University Doctoral Student Survey. Jill Wood

Transcription

1 Marshall University Doctoral Student Survey Jill Wood Research Paper submitted for EDF 711 Survey Research in Education at Marshall University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction Ronald Childress, Ed.D., Professor & Brenda Tuckwiller, Ed.D., Professor Graduate School of Education and Professional Development South Charleston, West Virginia 2013 Keywords: Doctoral Programs, Surveys Copyright 2013 Jill Wood

2 Abstract The Marshall University EdD Program consists of both cohort and regular students. The purpose of this survey was to determine how both previous graduates and current students felt about various components of the EdD program. The survey results will provide direction to the faculty for program revision and continuous improvement. Overall, students were positive in nature about all components of the EdD program and would recommend the program and enroll in the program again if they began over. The key components surveyed concerned chairs, committee members, program climate, coursework, communication within the program, barriers and challenges to academic progress and doctoral program choice. ii

3 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Methods... 2 Type... 2 Population... 2 Delimitations... 2 Limitations... 3 Target Populations... 3 Instrument... 3 Data Collection Process... 4 Findings... 4 Description of Respondents... 4 Findings by Question... 5 Rate the extent to which each statement influenced your decision in selecting your chair:... 5 Rate the extent to which you agree with statements about your chair:... 6 Rate the extent to which each statement describes your relationship with your chair:... 6 Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about your committee members:... 7 Rate the extent to which your agree with the following statements about the climate of the Marshall EdD program:... 7 Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about the coursework in the Marshall EdD program:... 8 Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about communication in the Marshall EdD program:... 8 Rate the extent to which the following factors were or are barriers or challenges to your academic progress:... 9 Rate the extent to which you would do each of the following, if you were to start your doctoral program again:... 9 Conclusions Discussion/Implications/Recommendations iii

4 Marshall University Doctoral Student Survey Introduction Marshall University Graduate School of Education and Professional Development Doctoral Program is located in South Charleston, West Virginia. The school currently offers one doctoral degree in Education. The doctoral degree consists of either Curriculum and Instruction or Educational Leadership as the possible majors. Most students enrolled in the College of Educational and Professional Development have already began their careers and are seeking to advance themselves through increased education. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate the Marshall University EdD Program. The study investigated current and previous student perceptions about the components of the doctoral program. The survey results will allow faculty of the Marshall University EdD Program to determine if any components need to be revised or reviewed for both efficiency and quality. A secondary goal was to gain current student and graduate perceptions of the program. A researcher-developed online survey instrument, created and adapted from previous graduate school surveys, was used in this study. The survey gathered information related to the following topics: 1. Student Demographics 2. Advising and Mentoring Roles 3. Program Climate 4. Coursework 5. Program Communication 1

5 6. Barriers and Challenges to Program Completion 7. Closing Comments and Recommendations Methods Type A one-shot survey was chosen as the method for information collection. This method is appropriate when trying to gain insight into feelings and perceptions, values, habits, and personal background or demographic characteristics such as age, health, education, and income (Fink, 2009, p. 4). The data that was obtained describes perceptions of doctoral students at Marshall University EdD Program. Participants of the online, self-administered survey utilized Survey Monkey that was formatted and analyzed by Elbert Davis of MUGC. The online format made it possible to survey numerous participants from different geographic areas. Participants accessed the survey from a link provided in an concerning the survey. The online format made it easy to send reminders, obtain data instantly, and download the data into a spreadsheet for data analysis. Population The population includes current students and graduates of Marshall University EdD Program. The participants were either regular or cohort students. Delimitations The participants had to be either current doctoral students or past graduates of the Marshall University EdD Program. 2

6 Limitations The survey was self-administered so the responses were subject to the respondents that participated. The clarity of the questions may have influenced the ability to gain valid responses. The survey link was provided in an sent to the participants. The addresses were obtained from Marshall University EdD Program. If the addresses were inaccurate or the potential participants no longer used the provided addresses this could be a limitation to the study. Target Populations The target population was approximately 250 subjects. The subjects were either current students or previous graduates that were either regular or cohort students in the doctoral program. Instrument A survey instrument (Appendix C) was developed by Elbert Davis using the Survey Monkey online program. Survey questions included both forced-response questions as well as open-ended questions. The forced-response questions were created using an ordinal scale, specifically a Likert-type scale. Utilizing this type of scale allowed participants to choose how closely they agreed or disagreed with statements in the survey. The demographic data collected only gave specific options to choose from. The open-ended questions within the survey allowed students to provide additional reasons they could not express using the ordinal scale. In addition, the closing section asked for students to list their best and worst 3

7 experiences, any recommendations, and lastly, any opinions of the Marshall University EdD Program. Numerous Marshall University EdD Program faculty members reviewed the survey to ensure language clarity and relevance. Data Collection Process The Marshall University Institutional Review Board provided informed consent and granted Exempted approval on February 20 th, Elbert Davis sent an to 194 potential participants that contained a link to the survey and the informed consent. The was resent several times throughout the survey period. The survey was closed on September 3 rd, The survey received 132 responses, including 8 partial completions and 124 complete responses. Findings Description of Respondents All previous and current Marshall University EdD students were eligible to participate in the survey. Only students that had a current address available to the staff at Marshall University were accessible. The participants were comprised of 73 previous graduates since May 2005 and 121 current students. The participants were 78 % female and 22 % male. Fifty-six percent were Curriculum and Instruction majors and 44% were Leadership Studies majors. Twenty-three percent of the survey respondents were either currently or previously members of a cohort. As shown in Figure 1, the response rate was 68.04% 4

8 with 132 responses out of 194 possible participants. Par$cipants 62 Responded Did Not Respond 132 Figure 1 Response Rate of Participants Findings by Question The survey consisted of a Likert-scale for each section of questions with 1 representing strongly disagree, 2 representing disagree, 3 representing agree, and 4 representing strongly agree. All of the following figures display means aligning with the above-described scale. Rate the extent to which each statement influenced your decision in selecting your chair: According to Table 1, the main reason students selected a chair was the willingness to accept the student with a mean of Two other selections that were 5

9 important were that the chair had a good reputation, with a mean of 3.29, and they had matching intellectual interests, with a mean of Rate the extent to which you agree with statements about your chair: As shown in Figure 2, students seemed to agree that chairs were approachable, were available for informal consultation, were prompt responders to work, and willing to spend time on advising students concerning academic matters Important Chair Traits 3.82 Means Approachable Informal ConsultaBon Willing to Spend Time Prompt Response Figure 2 Marshall EdD Program Chair Traits Rate the extent to which each statement describes your relationship with your chair: According to Table 3, students agreed that their chair cared or cares about their success in the doctoral program, with a mean of The students also agreed that communication with their chair was satisfactory, with a mean of Most students felt they had or have the chair they wanted, with a mean of

10 Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about your committee members: According to Table 4, most students agreed that their committee members were approachable and available for informal consultation, with a mean of 3.62 for both statements. Rate the extent to which your agree with the following statements about the climate of the Marshall EdD program: According to Figure 3, most students agreed that the climate of the program was a positive one. All of the means were higher than 3 indicating agreement on a positive program climate. Program Climate Means PosiBve InteracBons Willing Faculty Rapport Overall Climate Treated with Respect Intellectual Community Figure 3 Marshall EdD Program Climate 7

11 Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about the coursework in the Marshall EdD program: According to Table 6, students felt qualified faculty, with a mean of 3.57, taught coursework. The students also felt that the coursework provided a broad foundation of knowledge in their areas of study, with a mean of Rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about communication in the Marshall EdD program: According to Figure 4, students felt that the communication within the EdD program was positive in nature. Program Communica$on Means Figure 4 Marshall EdD Program Communication 8

12 Rate the extent to which the following factors were or are barriers or challenges to your academic progress: Participants of the survey were asked to rate varying factors on whether they were barriers or challenges to academic progress. The Likert-scale was represented by 1 not a barrier/challenge, 2 a minor barrier/challenge, 3 a moderate barrier/challenge, and 4 a major barrier/challenge. As illustrated in Figure 5, all selections were determined to be in the range of not a barrier or challenge or only a minor barrier/challenge. Family obligations and financial challenges were the most frequent barrier to academic progress. Factors Affect Academic Progress Financial Issues Family ObligaBons Health Concerns Coursework CompleBon Scheduling PorQolio CompleBon Faculty Availability Chair Availability Figure 5 Barriers or Challenges Rate the extent to which you would do each of the following, if you were to start your doctoral program again: The Likert-scale used for this section was represented by 1 meaning probably not, 2 being maybe, 3 being probably, and 4 being definitely. As illustrated in Figure 6, most 9

13 students would probably or definitely recommend the program and begin the same program again. Doctoral Program Choice Means Select Marshall University Again Select the Same Major Program RecommendaBon Figure 6 Doctoral Program Choice Conclusions Overall, survey respondents were positive about the components of the Marshall EdD Program. Both the chair and committee members sections revealed that student respondents were satisfied with their availability, qualifications, and interactions concerning academics and informal consultation. Survey respondents also felt that the climate of the program and communication within the EdD program was positive in nature. The coursework section indicated student respondents felt the EdD program was a good foundation for independent research and taught by qualified faculty. The most frequent barriers and challenges for student respondents were family obligations and financial challenges. The majority of student respondents, more than 85 %, would recommend the program and more than eight of 10 would probably or 10

14 definitely select Marshall University and the same major if they began their program again. Discussion/Implications/Recommendations Overall, the responses provided in the Marshall University EdD Program survey were positive in nature. Some responses within the communication section and coursework section of the survey indicate that some research into these components of the program could be beneficial. Specifically, students responded lower than expected on opportunities for student-faculty interactions and the helpfulness of doctoral seminars in the communication section. Concerning coursework, students responded lower than expected on the flexibility, tailoring to students, and on the quality of teaching within the courses. These responses provide faculty with student perceptions that could lead to meaningful reviews and revisions within the EdD program. All of the data provides information that is necessary for continuous program improvement. 11