Administrators' Descriptions of Cultures of Assessment

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: AERA 2016 Division J Section 3: Organization, Management, and Leadership Posters

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how U.S. college and university administrators’ described cultures of assessment at their institutions. Constant comparison and content analysis were used to analyze numerous (n=302) and extensive narrative responses to two open-ended items on a mixed-item survey, Administrators’ Survey of Assessment Culture, which was administered to a national random sample (n=424) of mid-level assessment administrators. Several rounds of analysis and interpretation revealed two primary meta-themes – Organizational Structure and Organizational Culture, along with related sub-themes suggesting perceived elements of cultures of assessment. Significance of this study in informing further research are discussed, along with recommendations for organizational leadership practices related to cultivating and sustaining institutional cultures of assessment in varied higher education contexts.

Authors

• Rebecca McBride Bustamante, Sam Houston State University

• Margaret Holzweiss, Sam Houston State University

• Matthew Bryan Fuller, Sam Houston State University