Date of Award

4-1980

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Uldis Smidchens

Second Advisor

Dr. Carol Sheffer

Third Advisor

Dr. Ken Simon

Fourth Advisor

Dr. John Rizzo

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to propose a plan for guiding the ongoing standard-setting process in educational evaluation. The strategy used was to identify standard-setting issues, consider how other fields that have been successfully engaged in the standard-setting process have dealt with these issues, and propose how the field of educational evaluation might deal with these issues.

The experience in standard setting by the fields of accounting and auditing provided the structure for the study. These fields were chosen because they have been successful in setting and using standards for self-regulation, the function of standards which is perhaps most difficult to achieve. An additional reason for choosing these fields is the generally analogous relationship of accounting and auditing within the economic system to evaluation and meta evaluation within the educational system.

The procedure used in the study included the following steps: (1) identify issues through content analysis and interviews within the accounting and auditing fields and convert these issues into a logical framework; (2) validate issues by checking with accountants and auditors involved in the standard-setting process; (3) characterize accounting and auditing responses to these issues; (4) identify past work and current plans of the Project to Develop Standards for Educational Evaluation and determine how, if at all, the validated set of issues is being dealt with; (5) propose recommendations for guiding the ongoing standard-setting process for educational evaluation; and (6) summarize findings and discuss general implications for those undertaking standard setting.

An outcome of the study was a framework for planning or assessing professional standard setting. This framework has four components: Evaluating the Professional Standard-setting Context, Structuring the Standard-setting Process, Generating the Standards, and Employing the Standards. Other outcomes included a review of standard setting in accounting and auditing over the last five decades; recommendations for guiding the ongoing standard-setting effort in educational evaluation; and a synopsis of considerations for professional standard-setting which has self-regulation as its goal.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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