Graduate School Programs and Doctoral Research in Curriculum Studies in Twenty-Five Leading Research Universities in the United States of America. a Report of a Post-Doctoral
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 379 282 SP 035 833 AUTHOR Rosales, Carmen Leonor TITLE Graduate School Programs and Doctoral Research in Curriculum Studies in Twenty-Five Leading Research Universities in the United States of America. A Report of a Post-Doctoral Fellowship Research Study. PUB DATE Sep 94 NOTE 678p.; Post-Doctoral Fellowship Research Study, Pennsylvania State University. PUB TYPE Dissertations/Theses Undetermined (040) Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MF04/PC28 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Curriculum; *Curriculum Research; *Doctoral Dissertations; *Graduate Study; Higher Education; Postdoctoral Education; *Program Descriptions; Program Evaluation; *Research Universities; *Schools of Education ABSTRACT This post-doctoral study was conducted to investigate selected features of graduate schools, including graduate schools of education, and graduate programs in curriculum studies in 25 leading research universities in the United States. This document describes the unique features of each of the graduate schools in the universities in regard to enrollment, faculty and student groups, tuition rates, school programs, degrees offered, academic requirements for admission and graduation, doctoral degrees awarded, student services and housing, finaacial aid, library and computer facilities; features of the graduate programs in curriculum studies in regard to enrollment, name of the unit, head and/or faculty contact, graduate programs offered, entrance and degree requirements, graduate degrees awarded, goals and strengths of the graduate degrees; unique research features about each of the 25 programs in curriculum studies in regard to curriculum research, availability of research courses dealing with forms of curriculum inquiry, methods of preparing graduate students in curriculum inquiry, faculty research, research problems, and forms of curriculum inquiry employed in 1,547 doctoral dissertations published from January 1993 to June 1994. Graduate programs at the following colleges or universities were included: Boston College (Massachusetts), Cornell (New York), Harvard (Massachusetts), Indiana. Louisiana State, Michigan State, Ohio, Pennsylvania State, Purdue (Indiana), Rutgers (New Jersey), Stanford (California), Teachers College/Columbia (New York), Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Southern California, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vanderbilt (Tennessee). Five appendices provide the following: (1) letters and survey questionnaires;(2) glossary of terms;(3) research questions and list of selected universities;(4) descriptions of the 25 universities, unique features of graduate schools and graduate programs in curriculum studies, graduate curriculum research, and synthesis of each of the 1,547 doctoral dissertations published from January 1993 to June 1994; and (5) author's curriculum vitae. (LL) "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY U II DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OM c* 01 Eduoabonal Researchand Improvement _C or, --pale,t.-- EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) O This document has beenreproduced as reC.ved from the person or (nano/M.0n OngmatingII O Mtnor changes have beenmade to unprove TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES reproduction Quamy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) " Pants of vrew or °protons statedm trim docu mant do not nacessanty reptesentoltiotat OERI pOttibOn orpOhCy B AVA : GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS ANDDOCTORAL RESEARCH IN CURRICULUM STUDIES IN TWENTY-FIVE LEADINGRESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A Report of a Post-Doctoral FellowshipResearch Study By CARMEN LEONOR ROSALES, Ph.D. Associate Professor The National Open University (UNA) The Catholic University Andres Bello (UCAB) Financial Sponsors: Fundayacucho LASPAU (affiliated with Harvard University) and Organization of American States I grant the Organization of American States-OAS/OEA,the Venezuelan Foundation Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho- FGMA, the Latin AmericanScholarship Program of American Uni versifies LASPAU (affiliated with Harvard University), and ThePennsylvania State University (USA) the non- exclusive rights to use thiswork for these institutions' own purposes and tomake single copies of the work available to the public on anot-for-profit basis if copies are not otherwise available. Carmen Leonor Rosales, Ph.D. September, 1994 3 2 Acknowledgments This research project was conducted under a grant from the Organization of American States (OAS OEA) and the Venezuelan Foundation "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (FGMA) through the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAUaffiliated with Harvard University) with faculty assistance, support,and the use of facilities of The Pennsylvania State University where the project was based and where the project director, Dr. Carmen Leonor Rosales, held a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship during 1993-1994. I want to thank the above mentioned organizations and especially Dr. Carlos Paldao (OAS) and Dr. Leopoldo Lopez Gil (FGMA), for their support. I am very grateful to my mentor-friends at The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Edmund C. Short, Professor of Curriculum; Dr. William Toombs, Professor Emeritus of Higher Education; Dr. Diane L. Common, Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Dr. Francis DiVesta, Professor of Educational Psychology; and Dr. Francis R. McKenna, Professor Emeritus of Educational Theory and Policy, for all they have taught me about academic life in American Higher Education and for their hospitality, their unconditional support, and assistance given to me during my residence at The Pennsylvania State University. I would also like to thank Professor Socorro Peraza, Rector, Dr. Arturo Banegas, Coordinator of the Rectorate, and Professor Edgar Ramirez, Coordinator of the Metropolitan Local Center of the National Open University, (UNA, Venezuela) as well as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education Professor Orlando Alvarez, the Director of the School of Education, Professor Rafael Estrada, and the head of the Pedagogical Sciences Department, Professor Aida Noda from the Catholic University Andres Bello (UCAB, Venezuela), for approving my leave of absence and the facilities provided so that I might be able to come to the United States of America to conduct this study. Recognition is also made to the participants of this study: Curriculum Department Chairs, Professors, and Admission Officers from 25 leading research Universities throughout the United States of America: Boston College, Cornell University, Harvard University, Indiana University, Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, Ohio University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, Teachers College- Columbia University, University of Georgia, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Illinois-Urbana, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, University of Southern California, University of Texas, University of Virginia, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin, and Vanderbilt University. I would also like to acknowledge especially Dr. Edmund C. Short, The Pennsylvania State University, for his assistance in reviewing the plan for the study and in editing this report. The contents of this study represents the work of the author and endorsement by the institutions and individuals mentioned in it should not be assumed. Carmen Leonor Rosales September, 1994 3 Abstract This study investigated selected features of graduate schools, including graduate schools of Education, and graduate programs in Curriculum Studies in 25 selected leading research universities of the United States of America. The primary purpose of this study was to describe the unique features or strengths of graduate programs in Curriculum Studies, research courses offered by them, ways of preparing graduate students in research, and research problems and forms of curriculum inquiry employed in doctoral dissertations published from January 1993 to June 1994. Answers to the following research questions were sought in order to address the general purpose of the study: (1) What are the selected 25 leading research universities which include graduate schools of Education and graduate programs in Curriculum Studies? (2) What are some of the unique features about each of the graduate schools in these universities in regard to: enrollment, faculty and students groups, tuition rates,school programs, degrees offered, academic requirements for admissions and for graduation, doctoral degrees awarded, student services and housing, financial aid, library and computer facilities for the period 1993-94? (3) What are the unique features about each of the 25 graduate schools of Education and graduate programs in Curriculum Studies in these universities in regard to: enrollment, name of the unit, head and/or faculty contact, graduate programs offered, entrance and degree requirements, graduate degrees awarded, goals, and strengths that characterize these? (4) What are the unique research features about each of the 25 graduate programs Curriculum Studies in regard to curriculum research, availability of research courses dealing with forms of curriculum inquiry, ways of preparing graduate students in curriculum inquiry, faculty research, research problems and forms of curriculum inquiry employed in the published doctoral dissertations during 1993-94? (5) How do these unique features (same as listed under 2, 3 & 4) compare with each other