A Descriptive and Exploratory Study of the Emerging Field of Educational Policy Studies with Emphasis on Selected Organizational Cases
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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1991 A Descriptive and Exploratory Study of the Emerging Field of Educational Policy Studies with Emphasis on Selected Organizational Cases Marian M. Schuller Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Schuller, Marian M., "A Descriptive and Exploratory Study of the Emerging Field of Educational Policy Studies with Emphasis on Selected Organizational Cases" (1991). Dissertations. 2908. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/2908 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1991 Marian M. Schuller A DESCRIPTIVE AND EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE EMERGING FIELD OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES WITH EMPHASIS ON SELECTED ORGANIZATIONAL CASES VOLUME I by Marian M. Schuller A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Loyola University of Chicago in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 1991 Copyright by Marian M. Schuller, 1991 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A project of this magnitude could not have been completed without the assistance and encouragement of many kind individuals. Uppermost among those that I have to thank are my family, my husband, James, and my sons, Andrew and Daniel. They have been very supportive of my work. Obviously, I am grateful to all of those who have contributed to making me who I am and instilling Christian social values. Without a doubt, my dissertation committee deserves a lot of credit for their patience and perseverance in reading and critiquing my work. My major advisor, Steven I. Miller, has been an intellectual inspiration. And, my advisors, Marcel A. Fredericks, Gerald L. Gutek, and John M. Wozniak, have provided encouragement and professional expertise. Obviously I am grateful to the many individuals who participated in the case studies and to the departments and particularly the faculty members that graciously cooperated with this research. Additionally, many individuals generously provided information and assistance which was most helpful. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii Chapter 1. EMPIRICAL QUESTIONING OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES AS A SUBDISCIPLINE AND AS A STRUCTURAL ENTITY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION • . • • • • • • . • . 1 Underpinnings of Educational Policy studies: Democracy, Control, and Intellectual Potential • • • • • • . • • • • . • • . 2 Empirical Questions Addressed by this study 8 Operationalization • . • • • • • . • • . • . 11 Methodology of the study . • • . • . 15 Historical Analysis of the Development of Educational Policy Studies . • • • • 22 Review of the Literature of Educational Policy Studies . • . • • • . • . 34 2. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES . 58 The Disciplinary Designation • • . • • • . 59 sociological Theory • • • • • . • 63 Sociology of Education • . • . • • • 71 The Usefulness of Mainstream Sociology for the Study of Educational Systems • • • 74 The Distinctiveness of Educational Systems Theory . 7 6 Structural and Cultural Analysis of Educational Policy Studies . 90 Application of Theoretical Perspectives • 107 3. ORGANIZATIONAL CASE STUDY NUMBER ONE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES . 113 Data Sources • • • • • • . • . • • 113 Background Information • . • . • • • . • 115 Historical Development •...••.•.•.. 117 Structural/Organizational Conditioning • . 118 Cultural/Disciplinary Conditioning . • . • . 121 Action/Interaction . • • • • • • • . • . 125 Domination patterns • • . • . • . 125 Assertion patterns • • • • • • . 126 Contemporary Structural Elaboration • 128 contemporary Cultural/Disciplinary iv Elaboration . • • • • • • . • • . • 132 Present Action/Interaction • • • . • . • . 135 Summation of Case Study Findings as Regards Research Questions . • . 14 7 Content • • • • 147 Scope . • . 155 Methodology • • • • • 157 Theory • . • • • • • . • . 160 Contributions to teacher education . • 162 Broad educational implications • • 167 4. ORGANIZATIONAL CASE STUDY NUMBER TWO AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES . 175 Data Sources • • • • • • • • • • • . • . 175 Background Information • • • • • . • • • 177 Historical Development • • • . • . • . 180 Structural/Organizational Conditioning • . 181 Cultural/Disciplinary Conditioning • • • • 186 Action/Interaction • • . • • • . • . 190 Domination patterns • . • . • . 190 Assertion patterns • • • • • • . • . 193 Contemporary Structural Elaboration • . • . 196 Contemporary Cultural/Disciplinary Elaboration . • • • • • • • • . 203 Present Action/Interaction • • • • . 206 Summation of Case Study Findings as Regards Research Questions • • . • . • • . 214 Content • . • • • • . • . • . 214 Scope . • • • • • . • . • . • 224 Methodology • . ••.•.•. 226 Theory . • • . • • • • . • 229 Contributions to teacher education . 232 Broad educational implications . • . 236 VOLUME II 5. ORGANIZATIONAL CASE STUDY NUMBER THREE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES . 247 Data Sources • • • • . • . •.. 247 Background Information • . • • • . • . 249 Historical Development • . • . • • . • . • . 256 Structural/Organizational Conditioning • . • • 256 Cultural/Disciplinary Conditioning . • .. 258 Action/Interaction . • . • • • • . 263 Domination patterns • • • . • • . 2 64 Assertion patterns . • • • • . • 268 Contemporary Structural Elaboration . 273 Contemporary Cultural/Disciplinary Elaboration . • • • . • • . • . 284 v Present Action/Interaction . • • • . • 292 summation of Case Study Findings as Regards Research Questions . • • . • . • • 304 Content • • • • • • • • . • . 305 Scope • • • • • • • • . 318 Methodology . • • • • . • . 320 Theory . • • . • • • . • . • • . • . 326 Contributions to teacher education . • 331 Broad educational implications . • . 336 6. COMPARISON OF CASE STUDIES . 344 Structure of Educational Policy Studies Departments Within Graduate Schools of Education • • • . • • • . • . 347 Culture of Universities and Departments of Educational Policy Studies • . • • . 360 structure of the Field of Educational Policy Studies at the Various Sites . 380 Culture of the Field of Educational Policy studies at the Various Sites . • • 396 Implications for Education and Society • . 409 Connecting with Theory • . • • • • 411 Comments and Conclusions • . • . • . 418 Suggestions for Further Research • 426 Appendix A. STRUCTURED INTERVIEW SCHEDULE • . 428 B. PROGRAMS AND COURSES . 440 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 451 VITA . • 467 vi CHAPTER ONE EMPIRICAL QUESTIONING OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES AS A SUBDISCIPLINE AND AS A STRUCTURAL ENTITY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION Educational policy studies is an emerging intellectual discipline. As such, it is rather elusive and undefined. The term is utilized variously to designate academic departments, divisions, programs, and courses within colleges and schools of education. There is some suggestion that besides being an intellectual discipline and an academic unit, it is also a new applied field of work or preparatory to such. This investigation will describe and analyze educational policy studies (EPS) as a discipline and as a structural entity. It will seek to clarify what is meant by educational policy studies, what it involves, its purposes and implications. This chapter will provide background and introductory material relevant to the understanding of educational policy studies at a general level and at a level particular to this investigation. The underpinnings of educational policy studies, founded upon the elements of democracy and control, are examined as background to our emergent hypothesis which suggests the "intellectual potential" of the field. The empirical questions addressed, operationalization of terms, and methodological approach utilized are then provided. This is followed by an examination of the historical development of the field. Finally, a review of significant literature concludes the introductory chapter of this work. Chapter two focuses on theoretical approaches useful to the methodological and analytical phases of this investigation. Chapters three, four, and five will each focus on a specific case study of an academic unit which utilizes the educational policy studies designation. chapter six will compare and contrast the cases, utilizing theoretical constructs developed in chapter two and constructs and patterns which emerge from the data. Additionally, chapter six will provide a summation of the cases, conclusions drawn from the data analysis, and implications for education and, more specifically, for teacher education. This investigation is expected to contribute to the understanding and clarification of educational policy studies as an intellectual discipline and as an organizational structure. Underpinnings of Educational Policy Studies: Democracy, Control. and Intellectual Potential The democratic ideal is the common thread which unites the polity and interest groups of this nation. This ideal implicitly provides for democratic operation and control of schools, school systems and even of teacher education. Democratic ideals, which are the basis of our expanded 2 system of education, were founded