A Study of Selected Variables Associated with Idiosyncrasy Credit
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 8-1971 A Study of Selected Variables Associated with Idiosyncrasy Credit Brent Malcolm Knight Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons Recommended Citation Knight, Brent Malcolm, "A Study of Selected Variables Associated with Idiosyncrasy Credit" (1971). Dissertations. 3016. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/3016 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A STUDY OF SELECTED VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH IDIOSYNCRASY CREDIT by Brent Malcolm Knight A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Doctor of Education Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August, 1971 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I received assistance from a number of sources in conducting this research project. I am pleased to have an opportunity to acknowledge the sources from which assistance was received. Dr. Harold W. Boles served as chairman of my doctoral advisory committee and was a source of in spiration throughout ray doctoral study. Drs. Theodore L. Ploughman and William D. Goats generously offered their advice regarding statistical models. Dr. Cameron W. Lambe guided me throughout my graduate study and offered needed suggestions in the preparation of the final report. The grant of the United States Office of Education, Bureau of Research, was sincerely appreciated for without it this study would have been a fin a n c ia l burden. The generous stipend of the C. S, Mott Foundation made my final year of graduate study feasible. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Donna for her assistance, encouragement, and perseverance, and my sons, Blake and Tobin, for tolerating my limited availability during my doctoral study. Brent Malcolm Knight 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7 1 - 3 0 ,0 1 9 KNIGHT, Brent Malcolm, 1946- A STUDY OF SELECTED VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH IDIOSYNCRASY CREDIT. Western Michigan University, Ed.D., 1971 Education, administration University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: Some pages have light and indistinct print. Filmed as received. UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................. v i CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1 Problem Statement ..... 2 Significance of the Study ......................................... 3 Purpose of the Study ...................................................... ^ Assumptions ....................................................................... 5 Limitations ..... 5 Definitions of Terms ...................................................... 6 Organization of the Dissertation ........................... 8 I I THE THEORY OF IDIOSYNCRASY CREDIT AND RELATED RESEARCH...................................................... 10 The Theory of Idiosyncrasy Credit ...... 10 Research on the Theory ................................................ 14 I I I DESIGN OF THE STUDY........................................................... 21 Overview of Procedure ................................... 21 Hypotheses and Questions Explored ...... 22 Sources of D ata ......................................................... .... 25 Methods of Gathering D a t a ........................................ 28 Instrumentation ............................................................... 32 Methods of Analyzing D a t a ....................................... 37 IV REPORT OF THE FINDINGS.................................................. 42 Analysis of Instrumentation .................................... 43 Research Hypotheses ...................................................... 45 i i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER page Research Questions .......................................................... 53 Summary..................................................................................... 75 V SUMMARY, DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS.................................... 77 Summary ....................................................................... 77 Discussion of the Findings ........................................ 80 Conclusions ...................................................................... 87 Implications ....................................................................... 89 REFERENCES................................................................................................... 92 APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 96 A. Definitions of the Scales and Indices Yielded by The Adjective Check L ist ...... 97 B. Instrumentation. .............................................................. 106 Nomination Form ......................................................... 107 Form R ...................................................................................................108 Adjective Check L ist. ....... 109 Demographic Information Form ..................................................I l l C. Communications ......................................................................................112 Reminder Notice 1 ........................................................................113 Reminder Notice 2 .................................................................. 114 Introductory Letter to the Target Subjects. 115 Introductory Letter to the Non-Target Subjects. 116 D. Idiosyncrasy Credit Nominations ...................................................117 Social Science Division, College Alpha ............................118 Science D ivision, College Alpha .................................... 119 Humanities Division, College Beta ............................... 120 Mathematics Division, College Beta .....................................121 Social Science Division, College Gamma ............................122 Mathematics Division, College Gamma ........................... 128 E. Number and Per Cent of Subject Responses ............................124 "Form R Packet" Research .......................... 125 Adjective Check L is t............................................ 126 Demographic Information Form ...................... 127 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDICES (C o n tin u e d ) PAGE F. Supplemental Analyzed Data .......................................................... 128 Form R Inter-Correlation Matrix ........................................ 129 Form R Factor M atrix ................................................ 130 Form R Analyzed D ata .............................................................. 131 Demographic Information Form Analyzed Data .... 13^ Adjective Check List Analyzed Data ................................ 138 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1 Number and Per Cent of Subject Responses for the Idiosyncrasy Credit Nomination Form ....................30 2 Rotated Factor Matrix of Form R ....................................................44 3 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Perceived Task Competency .................................................46 4 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Perceived External Status ................................................. 4? 5 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Idiosyncratic Behavior ..........................................................49 6 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Duration of Group A ffilia tio n .......... 50 7 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Need for I n tr a c e p tio n ..........................................................51 8 R elationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Need for Affiliation .............................................................. 52 9 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and A g e ..................................................................................................54 10 R elationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Earned College Degrees ..........................................................55 11 R elationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Number of Academic Honors ................................................. 56 12 Relationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Membership in Professional Organizations. .... 57 13 R elationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Number of Published Joiu'nal A rticles ...........................58 14 R elationship Between Idiosyncrasy Credit and Number of Published Books