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Productivity of university educators Brown, Daniel John

Abstract

This survey investigates some of the social determinants of educational productivity. A theory with its basis in the sociology of small groups is presented in an attempt to explain how leader behavior and colleagueal relations in a university department might affect the productivity of professors. A sample of university social scientists was selected and variations of Halpin's LBDQ and OCDQ along with a quantitative assessment of productivity were administered by interview. The data were subjected to regression analysis and 39% of the productivity variance was found accountable to the predictors. The variables of aloofness (a leader's bureaucratic behavior), consideration (the leader's tendency to treat his staff ''humanly''), thrust (the leader's tendency to set an example), hindrance (group feeling that they required to do ''busywork''), intimacy (the social dimension), and production emphasis (the leader's behavior which is focused on production), the number of student assistants, and the orientation towards teaching emerged as significant predictor's of productivity. Other predictors, such as research orientation, travel fund availability, degree, degree date, rank, approximate age, morale, stimulation, initiating structure, and publication emphasis were not significant but in the predicted direction. Five exploratory analyses were conducted. The results accounted for less productivity variance but tended to support the above findings.

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