Date of Award

2003

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Larry McNeal, Ph.D.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine public school Alternative Language Program coordinators' knowledge of the legal and evaluation requirements for Alternative Language Programs in the state of Arkansas. Their current knowledge was investigated in this study. A non-experimental research design was used for this causal-comparative study. The survey instrument used was developed by the researcher and it included all of the 138 Alternative Language Program coordinators in Arkansas, except the researcher. A non-probability sample of 90 coordinators completed and returned the survey at a return rate of 65.7 percent. Part I of the survey was used to collect demographic data on the respondent and their school district. Part II of the survey consisted of questions related to knowledge of the legal requirements and knowledge of the evaluation requirements. Part III of the survey consisted of three open-response questions which related to the two topical knowledge areas. Descriptive statistics were used to define the current knowledge profile of the Alternative Language Program coordinator. Inferential statistics, such as multiple regressions, were used to answer each of the four research questions posed in this study. Testing for assumptions was also conducted in this study — specifically tests for normality, linearity, and homoscedasticity. The open-response questions were also analyzed using qualitative techniques for categorization. The statistical significance of all data was examined using an alpha level of .05. Findings and conclusions of this study are discussed and recommendations for future study noted.

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