Date of Award

10-11-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Thomas Barrett

Abstract

Arkansas ranks toward the bottom of the nation in educational degree attainment. Barriers to degree attainment in Arkansas may be identified, in part, by the examination of four-year institution administrator viewpoints toward two-year college education. Examination of administrator attitudes toward two-year college education areas such as faculty, students, programs, administrators, facilities, and transfer/articulation processes may lead to a better understanding of the difficulties surrounding degree attainment. A modified version of The Junior College Attitude Survey was used to survey 255 higher education administrators from 11 Arkansas public four-year institutions of higher education about different areas of two-year college education. Overwhelmingly, administrators surveyed held generally favorable views of two-year college faculty, students, programs, administrators, facilities, and transfer/articulation processes. When comparing attitudes by administrative level, university deans compared to vice-presidents for example, very few differences were found to exist. Survey respondent results were also compared to a study conducted two decades ago in Arkansas on attitudinal viewpoints. A longitudinal comparison revealed a significantly more favorable and positive viewpoint toward all areas of two-year college education except in the surveyed area of facilities. The majority of public four-year college/university higher education administrators in Arkansas have favorable viewpoints toward two-year college education. Over the past two decades, these viewpoints have become even more favorable indicating that administrative viewpoints are not acting as barriers to degree attainment in Arkansas.

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