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Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms international A Beil & Howell information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 CURRICULUM WORK AS IDENTITY AND DIRECTION: LESSONS AND INSIGHTS FROM HOOD COLLEGE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Lisa Layne Koogle, B.A., M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1995 Dissertation Committee: Approved Mary Ann D. Sagaria Vdvisor/ Mary S. Leach Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Laurel W. Richardson College of Education UMI Number: 9526047 Copyright 1995 by KOOGLE, LISA LAYNE All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9526047 Copyright 1995, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Lisa Layne Koogle 1995 Memory of Evelyn Lloyd Webber ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I extend great appreciation and affection to Dr. Mary Ann Sagaria who has served faithfully and well as my advisor, mentor, and friend. To Drs. Mary Leach and Laurel Richardson, who provided essential guidance and encouragement in my research and writing, I also offer heartfelt gratitude. My sincere thanks goes to the women and men at Hood College whose participation made this study possible. In particular, I thank President Martha Church and former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Hetrick who granted permission to use Hood as the site for the study and provided access to documents and publications. The greatest measure of my gratitude is extended to my parents, Barbara and Ernest Koogle, whose faith in me never waivered, even when mine did. I felt their love and support throughout the completion of this degree as I have throughout my life. Special thanks goes to my sister, Erin, and brother, Eric, for their love and support, and to my uncle, Roland Webber, whose kitchen proved a productive place in whch to write. Jane Fullerton, Mindy Walker, and Merrily Dunn have supported and sustained me through this lengthy process, sharing with me the gift of unconditional and abiding friendship. Each in her own unique and wonderful way has brought a greater measure of meaning and happiness to my life~and a little reality when I needed it most. In the final hours, technical assistance and needed comic relief were ably provided by Dave Bonner and Deb Lawrence. I am much in their debt. Finally, many other persons—family, friends, and colleagues—were instrumental in helping me complete this document. I have neither space nor words to thank them adequately. VITA March 11, 1961 Bom - Brunswick, Maryland 1983 . B.A., English Hood College Frederick, Maryland 1983-1985 Director of Residence Life Hood College Frederick, Maryland 1985-1987 . Graduate Administrative Assistant The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1987 . M.A., Student Affairs in Higher Education The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 1987-1992 Graduate Research and Administrative Assistant The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1992-Present . Assistant Dean of the College Russell Sage College Troy, New York 1994-Present . Assistant to the President The Sage Colleges Troy, New York FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................... iii VITA ............................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE ...................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER PAGE 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 6 Statement and Purpose of the Research.................................................. 6 The Institutional Setting............................................................................ 8 The National Higher Education Context ................................................ 9 Conceptual Framework and Relevant Assumptions................................. 10 Statement of the Problem.......................................................................... 13 Competing Discourses..................................................................... 13 Complex Process.............................................................................. 14 Holistic Perspective......................................................................... 16 Research Design............................................................................................ 18 The Research Questions............................................................................. 18 S um m ary ............................................................................................................ 20 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE.................................................................... 21 Introduction..............................................................................*...................... 21 The Context of Curricular Reform.......................................................... 23 The Legacy of the 1960s.......................................................................... 28 Critique of the Reform Movement.......................................................... 32 Beyond Curricular Content ....................................................................... 34 Theoretical Conceptions of Curriculum.................................................. 35 Origins of Curriculum Study ....................................................... 35 Contemporary Views...................................................................... 36 Feminist Perspectives.................................................................... 39 Institutional Characteristics....................................................................... 41 III. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................... 46 Introduction...................................................................................................... 46 Elements of the Inquiry.............................................................................. 47 v The Setting ...................................................................................................... 50 Design Overview and Research Questions .............................................. 52 Data Sources................................................................................................... 54 D ocum ents........................................................................................... 54 In terv iew s............................................................................................ 55 Data Gathering............................................................................................... 56 Participants....................................................................................................... 59 Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 62 D ocum ents........................................................................................... 62 In terv iew s............................................................................................ 64 Establishing Trustworthiness ..................................................................... 66 Credibility ............................................................................................ 66 Transferability .................................................................................... 67 The Role of the Researcher...................................................................... 67 IV. HOOD COLLEGE: CURRICULUM CHANGE IN HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT.............................................................. 72 Introduction...................................................................................................