A follow-up study of the doctoral graduates from the Department of Vocational-Technical Education, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

1. Collect, organize and analyze demographic data on the graduates.

2. Determine the professional activities and responsibilities of the graduates.

3. Obtain and present feed back from the graduates regarding their opinions of the effectiveness and relevance of their doctoral program experiences.

4. Obtain and present the graduates' suggestions for improvement of the doctoral program.

5. Determine characteristics of the typical graduate from the doctoral program.

Method. The study included 77 individuals who had received their Doctor of Education degrees from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, between 1973 and 1979. All graduates were included in the study population and 72 graduates, or 93.5 percent of the total, participated in the study.

A tentative list of questionnaire elements, compiled from literature and research, was submitted to a campus panel for review. Additional elements were added to the list based on suggestions from the campus panel members. The final draft of the questionnaire utilized in the study was constructed consisting of only the items the campus panel deemed important and relevant to the study. A copy of the questionnaire was then mailed to the graduates.

Frequencies and percentages were used widely in the study and t-test analysis was used to determine any significant differences between responses of early graduates (1973-1975) (n=36) and more recent graduates (1976-1979) (n=36).

Findings. Analysis and interpretation of data indicated the following findings:

1. There were slightly more male graduates than female graduates from the doctoral program.

2. The majority of graduates were located in the southeastern United States upon completion of their degrees. Moreover, one-half of the doctoral graduates were found to be employed in Tennessee.

3. The most frequently practiced professional duty of the graduates was teaching, followed by administration.

4. Since receiving their doctoral degrees, many more male graduates (73.2 percent) had spent time in administrative work than female graduates (29.0 percent).

5. More students (27.8 percent) had entered the doctoral program with a major area of concentration in Business Education than any other single area.

6. The vast majority of graduates (84.7 percent) were either already employed or had no difficulty in obtaining employment when they completed their doctoral degree requirements.

7. The vast majority of graduates (88.0 percent) were working in an institution or organization related to education and the majority were working in four-year colleges or universities.

8. The majority of graduates were involved in internships during their doctoral programs, and they believed that internships contributed significantly to their professional development.

9. Approximately one-half of the graduates had published since receiving their doctoral degrees.

10. The vast majority of graduates believed that the doctoral program should prepare students to write publishable materials and familiarize students with methodologies for getting materials published. The majority of graduates were dissatisfied with the degree of training received in these areas.

11. The majority of graduates had been involved in research proposal writing and had worked on research grants since completing the advanced degree. The vast majority of graduates believed that the doctoral program should prepare students for writing proposals for funding. Only a small number of graduates believed that this area was covered adequately in their doctoral programs.

12. The majority of graduates were satisfied with the training received in the area of curriculum development.

13. Overall, the graduates were well pleased with the training received and the vast majority of graduates (84.7 percent) indicated they would return to The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, if they were beginning their doctoral programs over again.

14. Only about one-third of the graduates believed that they would have benefited from having more courses in their service areas included in their doctoral programs.

15. The major obstacles in the doctoral program were identified by the graduates as selecting a dissertation topic and completing the dissertation.

16. Graduates felt strongly that placement services should be offered by the Department to its graduates.

17. Early graduates from the program (1973-1975) and more recent graduates (1976-1979) had similar views concerning the effectiveness of the doctoral program and the quality of professional development they received by being in the program.