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The process of revising general education curricula in three private baccalaureate colleges: A grounded theory study

Georgianne Mastera, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

This study developed a grounded theory that identified the process of change that occurred in revising the general education curricula on three private baccalaureate campuses. The participation in the process by the president and the chief academic officer as well as faculty was of special interest. The constant comparative method, an inductive approach to generating theory, was used to study the process of curricular revision on three campuses that changed their general education requirements after completing a comprehensive review. Three private baccalaureate colleges from three states in the Midwest were purposefully selected to maximize diversity of church affiliation and student enrollment. Thirty-four faculty and administrators participated in the study through semi-structured interviews being conducted at each campus site. These interviews guided the data collection and analysis throughout the study. Additional telephone interviews were conducted to develop further the emerging theory. The final outcome of this study was a theory of the process of change presented in narrative form with a visual model capturing the essence of the theory and propositions suggesting how phenomena may be related to one another. The model attempted to explain the complex relationships among internal circumstances and external pressures that influenced not only the process itself but the impetus for starting the process. The specific conditions in which strategies for forging a curriculum were imbedded were incorporated into the model alongside the cultural, political, and financial conditions that facilitated or constrained the way ideas were presented, hammered out, and moved along. The impact of predictable stages on the actions of those participating in the process was represented in the model. The depth and breadth of faculty ownership, the power of the participants, whether acting individually or collectively, and time factors were all found to impact the process of curricular change. The logical outcomes, including a revised general education curriculum closely aligned with the college's mission statement, completed the paradigm.

Subject Area

Higher education|Curricula|Teaching|School administration

Recommended Citation

Mastera, Georgianne, "The process of revising general education curricula in three private baccalaureate colleges: A grounded theory study" (1996). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9720841.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9720841

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