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(10) Cost-Utility Studies: A Means Toward Public Accountability for Educational Expenditures

Richard H. P. Kraft
Florida State University

Henry F. Raichle
Pinellas County Schools
Clearwater, Florida

Abstract: Cost-utility analysis can be defined as the process by which costs and certain benefits associated with program outputs are related and studied by the decision-maker in the determination of priorities and the allocation of resources. Most of the educational cost-utility work in the past has been concentrated upon the costs of education. The main problem area, however, is the obtaining of adequate, quantifiable data on facets of education other than costs.

In view of increasing student enrollments, increasing demands by employers tor their occupational skills, and the necessity of allocating scarce educational resources, several important questions can be raised.

1. Do the existing vocational-technical education programs provide positive cost-utility relations?

2. Can a cost-effectiveness analysis be used to develop optimum utilization models in terms of human resources (staff) and facilities?

3. Can a cost-utility analysis be an effective technique for educational plan- ners at local school system level to develop a Planning, Programming, Budget System?

If educational resources were unlimited, the necessity for careful evaluation and planning of programs in order to assure optimal allocation of resources would be non-existent. However, educational resources are scarce and require a high degree of accurate cost and utility estimation as decisions regarding the expendi- ture of these scarce resourcesare made.

This study used data from a representative vocational-technical education program (electronics technology) collected at a vocational-technical education center located in a large Urban FlorIda county. There are four main phases developed by this cost-utility study.

The first phase identified direct and indirect costs related to the electronics technology program. Algorithms were developed for the retrieval and assign- ments of program costs from actual expenditure records.

The second phase established criteria for determining marginal program utility in terms of marginal income increases for individual graduates of the pro- gram and marginal tax increases received by society as a result of the income gain of program graduates.

The third phase related the public and private costs to their respective utility values In terms of marginal monetary return on investment.

Finally, a cost-utility planning model was developed for use as a conceptual model for Implementing a Planning, Programming, Budgeting System. The cost-utility model is presented as being essential to the concept of PPBS – that of designing programs in terms of optimizing human and monetary resources to achieve short and long-range objectives.

Citation: Kraft, R. H. P., & Raichle, H. F. (1971). Cost-utility studies: a means toward public accountability for educational expenditures. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 13(1), 92-105.

Download:  Kraft.131.pdf (1070 downloads )

(7) Transposed Factor Analysis as a means of Typing Educational Philosophies Across Cultures

Wilson H. Guertin
University of Florida

Abdallah Omar Naser
University of Jordan

Abstract: Female teachers indicated degree of agreement with 83 philosophy of education items. The 25 Jordanian Arab and Florida Americans were intercorrelated to disclose similarity of responding. The resulting intercorrelation matrix with communality estimates in the diagonal was factor analyzed. The Varimax rotated factor matrix revealed three type-factors; a major American factor, a major Arab, and a minor Arab factor. A profile of contrasting differences between the two major types is given. Only one of the 50 subjects could not be identified from loadings on the two major type-factors. National stereotypes may be useful and the view of Westerns and non-Westerns as “brothers” seems to have a better basis in humanism than in science.

Citation: Guertin, W. H., & Naser, A. O. (1971). Transposed factor analysis as a means of typing educational philosophies across cultures. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 13(1), 106-111.

Download:  Guertin.131.pdf (1619 downloads )

(6) Student Writing Interests and Teacher Expectation

Newell T. Gill
Florida Atlantic University

David Geneivive
Florida Atlantic University

Abstract: This study explores student writing interests and the accuracy with Which teachers perceive those interests. Ninth grade student~, grouped by sex and ability selected and rated theme topics. Selected topics were then rateed by teachers in accordance with their perceptions of the average student. Data interpretation involved factor analyses by sex for the average ability group and analyses of variance for investigating difference.s. by sex between: 1) teachers and students of average ability; and 2) student ability levels.

Topics selected were relatively independent and differed somewhat by sex. Teachers were less effective judges of the writing interests of students of their own sex. Sex and ability grouping significantly contributed to variance In writing interests. Results should interest teachers involved with this age group.

Citation: Gill, N. T., & Geneivive, D. (1971). Student writing interests and teacher expectation. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 13(1), 65-91.

Download:  Gill1.131.pdf (981 downloads )