APPLICATIONS OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES OF MANAGEMENT IN ADMINISTRATIVE/ACADEMIC DECISION-MAKING IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA by Carlos A. Valero

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in Educational Administration APPROVED: ______________________ Don G. Creamer, Chairman
__________________________________ ____________________________

Karl T. Hereford _________________________ Stephen R. Parson January, 1997 Blacksburg, Virginia

David J. Parks ____________________ John W. Dickey

APPLICATIONS OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES OF MANAGEMENT IN ADMINISTRATIVE/ACADEMIC DECISION-MAKING IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA by Carlos A. Valero Educational Administration Don G. Creamer, Chair Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the status and extent to which administrators of colleges and universities in the state of Virginia apply qualitative and quantitative techniques of management in planning, directing, reporting, and controlling activities for enhancing their administrative and academic decision-making capability. The study was directed to the top and operative organizational levels in two categories of administrators (nonacademic and academic) to determine the types of managerial techniques used, degrees of familiarity with these techniques, frequency of use, managerial benefits and constraints, and individual and organizational factors involved in using such techniques. The qualitative and quantitative techniques were selected from diverse sources of related literature. The study followed guidelines of exploratory and descriptive research. Data were collected through a questionnaire mailed to 288

administrators of twelve randomly selected