Browsing by Author "Matteson, Michael T."
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Item A comparison of an actuarial and a linear model for predicting managerial behavior(1976) Frank, Blake Allen; Osburn, Hobart G.; Sparks, C. Paul; Campion, James E.; Matteson, Michael T.The objective of the current research was to compare an actuarial and a linear model for predicting criteria related to managerial success. Two subject samples were involved, both of which contained managers and potential managers who were current or past employees of a large petrochemical company. Each sample contained 2,899 individuals, who had been tested in the company's ongoing managerial assessment program, and each sample was predominantly white and male, although females and minorities were present in both samples. One sample was a validation sample; the other served as a cross-validation sample. In the first step of the actuarial analysis, twelve homogeneous subgroups of employees were identified through the hierarchical and convergent clustering of the validation sample subjects on thirteen scores available from the company's managerial assessment battery. In the cross-validation sample the twelve subgroups were replicated through a minimum distance comparison of each subject and the twelve validation sample subgroup centroids. Cross-validation subjects were assigned to the subgroup they most closely resembled. In the second step of the analysis, the twelve subgroups were cross-tabulated against various descriptive and predictive criteria. In both samples subgroup membership was found significantly associated with ethnic group, age, education, occupation, manpower classification, employment status, and two factor analytically derived job performance scores. Descriptions of the subgroups were developed in terms of the thirteen assessment scores and the various descriptive criteria. In terms of the predictive criteria, despite the significant association, it was found that subgroup membership could not be used to predict employment status better than the base rate of the high frequency criterion category. However, knowledge of subgroup membership could be used to influence the base rate of the criterion. The job performance variables were observed to have differential affinity for the subgroups in both samples, and, thus, knowledge of subgroup membership could be used to predict job performance at better than the base rate levels. In the analysis of the linear model, the thirteen assessment scores were used as independent variables in predicting employment status and the job performance scores. Multiple group discriminant analysis was employed to predict employment status. Statistically significant results were observed; however, in both samples the model could not develop better than base rate predictions of the criterion and could not be used to influence the base rate of the high frequency category. Multiple regression analysis was employed to predict the job performance scores. In both samples significant multiple R's and better than base rate predictions of job performance were observed. In comparing the models the actuarial model was slightly superior to the linear model in predicting employment status since the model could be used to influence the employment status base rate and the linear model could not. In terms of predicting job performance, the models were found equal in the validation sample. On cross-validation the linear model was observed to be significantly more accurate than the actuarial model. However, this superiority was traced to an artifact of the coarse grouping of job performance, which was done to facilitate the presentation of the data. Therefore, the models were ultimately found equal in accuracy in predicting job performance.Item A comparison of the relative utility of several rational and empirical strategies for forming biodata dimensions(1975) Schrader, Alec Dean; Osburn, H. G.; Matteson, Michael T.; Campion, James E.; Sparks, C. PaulItem A study of the management systems of the junior colleges in the state of Texas(1971) Wheatley, Dee, 1932-; Atkinson, Gene; North, Stewart D.; Matteson, Michael T.This investigation was concerned with the behavior of the professional personnel within the junior colleges in the state of Texas. The purpose of the study was twofold: first, to ascertain the relationship of perception between the members of the Administrative Group (N=592) and the members of the Faculty Group (N=3,345), relative to the current and desired Likert management systems (SYSTEM 1: exploitive authoritative is management having no confidence or trust in subordinates; SYSTEM 2: benevolent authoritative is management having condescending confidence and trust in subordinates, such as master to servant; SYSTEM 3: consultative is management having substantial, but not complete, confidence and trust in subordinates; SYSTEM 4: participative group is management having complete confidence and trust in subordinates) of the junior colleges in the state; and second, to determine the statistical relationship of these perceptions to certain pre-determined institutional variables. The review of related literature, from industry and business, from educational organizations, and from leading management theorists, supported the concept that participation in the decision-making process is considered advantageous by, and for, those who will be affected by the decisions. Research does not refute this concept. A Likert 18 item questionnaire, in the form of a 20 segment continuum (FORM S), was mailed in the fall of 1970 to the members of the Administrative and Faculty Groups at fifty junior college campuses in Texas. Usable responses of 384 (65%) and 2,385 (71%), respectively, were received from these two groups. The forms were analyzed by correlational statistics, t-tests, and r to z transformations, which produced the findings below: [...]Item Age, pay importance and pay satisfaction for contingent and non-contingent groups(1974) Constantin, Stephen W.; Osburn, Hobart G.; Campion, James E.; Matteson, Michael T.The relationships among age, pay importance, and pay satisfaction were investigated for 180 female employees, with job and salary level controlled, in two organizations differing in the reward contingency system. Four previously used measures of pay importance, and four measures of pay satisfaction were used. Little agreement was found among the importance measures, while good agreement was found among the pay satisfaction measures. No relationship was found between age and pay importance, nor between age and pay satisfaction. Only a moderate negative relationship was found between pay importance and pay satisfaction. There were no significant age-importance-satisfaction relationships for either the Contingent or the Non-contingent group. Differences between the two groups were found for the pay satisfaction and perceived pay determiner relationships. The 'correct' perception of the organizational reward determiners was related to pay satisfaction.Item An analysis of educational needs as perceived by secondary school administrators in Hawaii(1977) Yee, James A. Y.; Waters, Eldred K.; Matteson, Michael T.; Forkner, William R.; Atkinson, GeneThe purpose of this study was to provide for a means of gathering data from secondary school principals in Hawaii relating to their perceptions of educational needs, and to provide for an analysis of their perceptions of needs. Such an analysis would provide a start in the decision making process that, hopefully, would lead to an upgrading of the educational environment in Hawaii and provide for a more meaningful, relevant, and quality education for the public school students of Hawaii. The findings of the study should give administrators an insight to the problems encountered by other administrators and eliminate duplication of effort in the decision making process in the planning for change in an effort to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the educational process. The problem in this study was to determine the educational needs in Hawaii as perceived by secondary school administrators of public schools in Hawaii based on their observations of the operations at their educational units. The entire population of secondary public school administrators were involved in this study. A four page questionnaire containing fifty questions that were answerable on a Likert type scale was sent to each of the administrators. The questionnaire covered pupil services and counseling, educational programs, school personnel, financing of education, courses and scheduling and comments. The response rate to the questionnaire was seventy-six percent. On the whole, school administrators perceived that their schools were above average in providing an educational program to meet the needs of students, parents, and community; but felt that change still needed to be implemented. They felt that the counselors were doing the best they possibly could, which was a fair job with an insufficient number of counselors, but that the job could be done better if there were more counselors. The administrators ranked absenteeism, class cutting, tardiness, insubordination, smoking, and fighting as the most pressing student problems in order of importance, respectively. They also ranked language arts, social studies, math, vocational education, fine arts, and science as needing to be upgraded, in order of importance, respectively. Some administrators whose schools used double periods perceived that periods were too long and needed to be shortened, and some administrators whose programs used single periods reported that the periods were too short and needed to be lengthened, especially for certain subjects. The use of a quarter system might be able to partially solve this problem and allow for longer periods because one or two less subjects could be taught during the same day. The administrators were perceived to be favorable to granting of credit for courses on a semester credit basis. Some administrators reported that instead of a strict adherence to the present teachers' contract and the present teacher-pupil ratio, with less strings and red tape and more teachers, a better job could be done by the administrators and teachers to provide for a better and quality education to the public school students in Hawaii.Item An exploratory investigation of a methodology for constructing homogeneous keys for a biographical inventory(1969) Matteson, Michael T.; Osburn, H. G.; Sparks, C. P.; MacNaughton, John F.; Campion, James E.; Rice, James A.; Champagne, Joseph E.The present research was an exploratory investigation of a methodology for constructing homogeneous keys for a biographical inventory. The methodology investigated was a computerized adaptation of a technique used previously by DuBois, Loevinger and Gleser (1952). The primary objective of the study was to determine whether relatively independent, homogeneous keys could be constructed with this technique. Of secondary concern was the relationship of the resulting keys with various criterion information. Computer programs were written to (1) compute a matrix of inter-item covariances, (2) select nuclei of three items having high covariances inter se, (3) add items to each nucleus so as to maximize the saturation of that key, defined as the ratio of the inter-item covariance to the key variance, and (4) compute the between*-key and item-key correlations. The biographical data source was a 55 item, 229 alternative background questionnaire which was administered with a selection battery of four cognitive tests. The applicant population consisted of 2590 men who had applied for operating jobs at a west-coast oil refinery. The keys were constructed on a random sample of 1000 non-hires drawn from the pool of 2590 applicants. Thirteen keys were generated which had an average saturation of .54 and an average intercorrelation of .10. The keys were labeled Academic Ability, Scientific Interests, Mechanical- Electrical Orientation, Athletic Involvement, Paternal Blue Collar Background, Maternal Employment History, Rural Background, Risk Taking Behavior, Social Aggressiveness, Upper-Middle Class Background, Parental Permissiveness, Favorable Self-Perception, and Musical Interests. The keys were scored on all 168 applicants who had been hired and who were still employed after 10 months. The resulting scores were intercorrelated with scores received on the cognitive tests in the selection battery, scores on a key which had been empirically derived from the same questionnaire, and on 2, 6, and 10-month criterion ratings. Although there was a severe restriction in range, various homogeneous keys related moderately well with the criterion measures and compared favorably in these relationships with the empirically derived key. It was concluded that (1) the methodology investigated did provide a practical means of generating relatively independent and homogeneous keys, and (2) the keys related to various criterion measures in meaningful ways. Suggestions for further increasing the utility of the computer programs, and several recommendations for additional research, were made.Item An investigation of the effects of survey appeals upon response rates and response bias in an organizational opinion survey(1978) Havis, Janet Gail; Rozelle, Richard; Baxter, James C.; Campion, James E.; Matteson, Michael T.This study investigated the effects of survey appeals upon response rates and response bias in an organizational survey of present and voluntarily terminated employees. Three types of appeals were examined: an altruistic appeal which emphasized how others would benefit from the subject responding; an egoistic appeal which emphasized the importance of the subject's opinion and that the survey provided an opportunity for him to state his opinions; and a selected sample appeal which described the subject as having a special role and responsibility in the survey since only a few individuals had been selected to participate. The three appeals differed in terms of the degree to which responsibility was attributed and the degree to which responding was made salient for the subject. The effects of individual appeals and combinations of appeals were examined. It was hypothesized that the selected sample appeal, because of its attributional component, would result in the highest response rate. This hypothesis was partially confirmed. The selected sample appeal, alone or in combination with the other appeals, was found to be significantly more effective in eliciting survey response from present employees. However, similar results were not obtained for the terminated employee sample. The present results lend some support to Miller, Brickman and Bolen's findings that attribution is more effective than persuasion in eliciting compliance. Other hypotheses regarding the interaction of appeals and subject satisfaction were not confirmed. Response bias as a result of nonrepresentative samples was also investigated. Both the present and terminated respondent samples were found to lack representativeness in terms of subject demographic characteristics. However, appeal letters which resulted in representative subsamples were identified. Potential sources of response bias in terms of subject satisfaction were found in both the present and terminated samples. The effect of this bias upon individual survey items was found to be minimal. The findings indicate that appeal letters are an effective means by which individuals may be motivated to respond to a survey. Moreover, the results indicate that when selecting an appeal the characteristics of the population of concern are an important consideration. This study attempted to address a heretofore neglected question in survey research — why a particular survey appeal may be effective. The findings suggest some possible answers; however, further investigation is needed.Item Determinants of pay satisfaction: a discrepancy model evaluation(1977) Dreher, George Frederick; Osburn, Hobart G.; Sparks, C. Paul; Campion, James E.; Matteson, Michael T.; Willems, Edwin P.Attitudes toward pay like other aspects of job satisfaction have been researched extensively. Deficiencies in this research area (e.g., little systematic theory building and single variable predictions of pay satisfaction) have contributed to confusion and a lack of knowledge in this field. The research reported here utilized a cross-regional sample of managerial, professional, and technical employees from a large national oil company (N = 692). Major components of a model of pay satisfaction presented by Lawler (1971) were evaluated, using a multiple regression approach to statistically control the effects of the variables measured. In the first phase of testing the model, data gathered from the company's personnel data system were used as predictors of the JDI pay subscale and four other measures of pay satisfaction. The predictors included age, service, educational level, sex, monthly salary, performance appraisal, potential estimate, job grade, time since last salary increase, and amount of last salary increase. Then the contribution of a set of perceptual variables was evaluated. Self-ratings of performance, job demands, comparative pay equity, and a set of nonmonetary job factors were added to the predictive models of pay satisfaction. These measures were obtained from a pay satisfaction questionnaire. The comparative pay equity factor, an advancement factor, a benefits factor, employee gender (females tended to be more satisfied with their salary), and self-ratings of performance were consistently correlated with the measures of pay satisfaction, and the correlations were in the direction predicted by the Lawler (1971) model. Model predictions concerning self-ratings of job demands, actual monthly salary, and actual time since last salary increase, were only partially supported. While the weighted composite of company maintained measures was correlated with pay satisfaction, the results show the importance of the perceptual variables, particularly the pay equity measure. Finally, while the Lawler (1971) model was shown to have utility, the results of this and other studies were used to develop a modified discrepancy model of pay satisfaction.Item Interviewer decision-making information processing by cognitively complex and cognitively simple raters(1977) Dailey, Patrick Reed; MacNaughton, John F.; Doughtie, Eugene B.; Matteson, Michael T.; Osburn, Hobart G.The advantages to decision making provided by a structured format in the selection interview has been generally acclaimed as beneficial (Hakeli, 1971; Wright, 1969). Many authorities who have studied the selection interview have argued for the use of some type of form or external guide for the interviewer to guide his evaluation. Alternately, cognitive.complexity is a theoretical concept that represents individuals' ability to conceptually structure situations into few to many dimensions. Specifically, in interpersonal situations cognitively complex raters are said to sort gathered information about another person into several to many dimensions or factors. Using the same individual as a target, the cognitively simple raters are said to conceptualize only along few dimensions. Cognitively simple raters have been studied evaluating targets in a global manner or under the influence of halo. Research investigating the selection interview and cognitive complexity converge over the issue of structure: the interview literature supporting the use of extrinsic formats, complexity literature supporting the intrinsic structuring abilities of raters. In order to assess the importance of cognitive abilities in making interview judgments, complexity was studied in a selection interview situation using hypothetical subject stimuli. A combined sample of 346 subjects were measured on complexity. These subjects received an applicant's resume and listened to an audio recording of the person being interviewed for a management position. Several variables were constructed from each subject's evaluation of the applicant. These variables provided the means to evaluate the effects of complexity in a selection interview. Generally, results showed that cognitively complex (CC) raters evaluate using more dimensions than the cognitively simple (CS) raters. Support was found showing that CC raters were less influenced by halo effects. Accuracy of evaluation was also of primary importance. Because of the low agreement among the experts conclusions in this area were inappropriate. However, ths untrained experimental groups did show a profile more similar to one another than to the expert profile. Additionally, the agreement of CC and CS raters within their respective groups was studied. Some support was found indicating CC raters display more interrater agreement than CS raters. The benefits of cognitive complexity were discussed and suggestions for interviewer selection and or training were made. The CC rater does seem to better structure the situation as requested by interviewing authorities.Item Major nonresident taxpayers' perceptions of the local public school(1971) Prensner, Steven; North, Stewart D.; Cox, John A.; Matteson, Michael T.; Sterrett, Marvin D.; Strevell, Wallace H.A four-part instrument, developed by the investigator, was used to obtain data relative to the two major purposes of this study. The major purposes were: (1) to examine the perceptions of public school superintendents and their major nonresident taxpayers with respect to factors relating to leadership, school operation, important tasks of the school, school finance, and communications, and (2) to further examine these perceptions for significant points of agreement or disagreement and possible relationships to school size and school bond election successes. The purposive sample consisted of the superintendent of schools and the major nonresident taxpayers (those listed in the top ten by the school district) of twelve selected school districts located in the Texas Gulf Coast area within a one hundred mile radius of the University of Houston. (The top ten taxpayers involved in this study paid approximately 50 percent of the local school tax and 90 percent of them were nonresident.) Two basic categories of schools were used. One group contained six districts whose taxpayers had approved all bond proposals during the past six years ("S" districts); while the second category included six districts that had experienced one or more bond failures ("F" districts) during the same period of time. Each category contained two small districts (with average daily attendance or ADA under 1,000), two medium sized districts (1,000 to 5,000 ADA), and two large districts (over 5,000 but less than 20,000 ADA). [...]Item Management competencies of educational administrators and industrial managers as perceived by professors of educational administration and professors of business administration(1982) Maher, Larry E.; North, Stewart D.; Carbonari, Joseph P.; Matteson, Michael T.; Sanders, Stanley G.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between competencies of educational administrators and industrial managers, as perceived by professors of educational administration and professors of business administration. The positions selected for study were the superintendent and principal in education and the middle level manager and lower level manager in industry. The research instrument, the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) questionnaire, contained fifty items previously validated in companion studies by Mahoney (1973) and Cobb (1974)- Descriptive statistics revealed that the highest priority of training need was assigned to the position of superintendent, followed by the middle level manager, principal and lower level manager. Factor analysis of the data collected revealed that competency items concerned with human relations, communications, employee performance and contract administration were represented in the first three factors for all positions studied. Selected findings from the development of factor comparisons (program Relate) showed that a strong relationship existed between the factor structures for the superintendent and principal, while a moderate to strong relationship existed between the middle level manager and lower level manager. A moderate relationship was found between the superintendent and middle level manager and between the principal and lower level manager. Based upon the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Administrators in education have a greater need for training in management related competencies than managers in industry; (2) Colleges of Education and Colleges of Business should share faculty and resources to develop incommon curricula for students of educational administration and students of management; (3) Colleges of Education and Colleges of Business should develop courses that include those competencies which received high ratings and were shared by the superintendent and the middle level manager and by the principal and lower level manager; (4) Further research should be conducted to evaluate the need for training in the major competency areas identified by this research from the perspective of managers or trainers of managers in organizational settings different from both education and industry.Item Racial bias in the use of work samples for personnel selection(1976) Brugnoli, George A.; Campion, James E.; MacNaughton, John F.; Matteson, Michael T.; Osburn, Hobart G.The purpose of this research was to determine whether racial bias is a factor in assessing performance on a work sample. Due to the work sample's focus on job behavior, it was purported to be relatively bias free until the research of Hamner, Kim, Baird & Bigoness, 1974 challenged this notion. The present study varied race of applicant (black vs white), representativeness of the work sample to the skills required to do the job (representative vs not representative), and objectivity of evaluation form used (global rating form vs Behavior Record Form (BRF) ). Two groups of 28 subjects viewed four videotapes. The tapes showed a black and a white applicant performing a representative task and a black and a white applicant performing a not representative task. The tapes were carefully equated on all relevant performance variables and physical characteristics except race. One group observed and scored the tapes using the BRF, followed by the global rating scale. The other group used only the global rating scale. Each group also made an employment recommendation for each applicant at the end of the session. The results indicated that racially biased performance evaluations occurred only in the not representative task, global rating scale condition. These conditions most closely resemble the conditions of the Hamner et al. study. However, bias did not occur when the BRF was used before global ratings were made, when a representative task was employed, or on the employment recommendation ratings. These results were interpreted as indicating that properly developed and utilized, the work sample technique is somewhat resistant to the elicitation of biased responses. The need for job and skill dimension analysis as well as the use of objective scoring techniques such as the BRF was stressed. Future research should investigate other conditions conducive to the elicitation of bias, other forms of bias (e.g. sex bias) and replications of such studies in other research settings.Item Some characteristics of teaching effectiveness as determined by student evaluators using a modified critical incident technique(1968) Matteson, Michael T.The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different instructions on student evaluator's responses of critically effective and ineffective instructor behavior. Of secondary concern was an attempt to determine the frequency and magnitude of student interaction with instructors outside the formal class meeting, as well as the relationship between such student-instructor interaction and the reporting of it as being critical. Two different sets of instructions were randomly distributed to 154 university undergraduates. 78 students in this sample received instructions written to provide a broader frame of reference for reporting examples of critical instructor behavior than the instructions the remaining 76 students received. In addition, all 154 students in the sample completed a three item questionnaire measuring specific aspects of student-Instruetor interaction. The obtained incidents were content analyzed according to a pre-existing classification system. Comparison was made between the results obtained from different sets of instructions in the present study, as well as between the present study and an earlier one. The distribution of responses to questionnaire items which indicated the level of importance assigned student-teacher interaction across certain subgroupings within the sample was computed. The following conclusions were made: (1) Instructions which provided a broader frame of reference elicited more behaviors concerning outside of class student-instructor interaction than did more specifically worded instructions. (2) A majority of students report student-instructor interaction outside of class to be desireable, while only a minority actually engage in such interaction. (3) Students who interact with instructors outside of class more frequently than the average are more likely to view such behavior as critical.Item Student attitudes and performance in a personalized system of instruction course in business administration : correlates of performance with personality traits(1975) Blasingame, John Wayne; Scofield, Robert W.; Matteson, Michael T.; Stafford, James E.; Campion, James E.This study investigated the effectiveness of a personalized system of instruction (PSI) approach to teaching organizational behavior and management. The PSI approach was compared to the traditional lecture approach in terms of student attitudes and student performance. The study also explored the potential association of student personality traits with student performance under the PSI system. Four sections of a business administration course in Organizational Behavior and Management at the University of Houston were used in the study. Two of the sections utilized the experimental PSI approach. The other two sections utilized a traditional lecture approach and served as comparison control groups. An attitude questionnaire was administered to the subjects in a pretest and posttest-only design. A comprehensive examination was given to the experimental and the control sections at the beginning and at the end of the semester to measure student performance. Students in the experimental PSI sections were given instruments to measure three personality variables potentially related to performance: (1) internal-external locus of control, (2) intolerance of ambiguity, and (3) preference for bureaucratic work environments. Student end-of-course attitudes toward the instructional method were significantly more positive in the experimental PSI sections. The PSI students viewed the instructional method as offering significantly more personal guidance as compared to students in the lecture sections. The PSI method was also perceived as offering more rapid and constructive feedback and more clearly stated goals and objectives and as being more innovative as compared to the conventional lecture approach. The study predicted that attitudes toward the PSI method would become more positive over the semester as students gained -more experience with the method. The data did not support this hypothesis. The negative results were explained in terms of a possible Hawthorne effect and increasingly negative attitudes toward the amount of work required as students gained experience with the method. Students in the PSI sections had significantly more positive attitudes toward the course content as compared to students in the lecture sections. The implications of the possible attitude generalization from instructional method to course content are discussed. Student performance was significantly better in the PSI sections. PSI students had mean final examination scores eight percent higher than lecture students' scores on an identical examination. The study predicted that the personality traits would serve as moderator variables and would be associated with student performance in the PSI sections. No significant relationship was found between student performance and the personality traits of locus of control and preference for bureaucratic work environments. A rationale for these negative findings is discussed in terms of the PSI contingency environment and the possible multidimensionality of the preference for bureaucratic work environment construct. The personality trait of intolerance for ambiguity was associated with student performance in the predicted direction. Students intolerant of ambiguous situations tended to have lower performance. The implications of this finding and the impact of personality traits as moderator variables is discussed. The conclusion is reached that the strength of the PSI contingency environment may reduce the impact of personality constructs and that more fruitful future research should focus upon the basic dimensions of the PSI method in controlled experimental designs. The study suggests that the PSI method is a viable approach to teaching introductory business administration management courses.Item Toward development of a theory of the structures underlying the roles of two specialization categories of dietitians: the hospital administrative dietitian and the hospital clinical dietitian(1977) Baird, Shirley Chaska; Croft, John C.; Atkinson, Gene; Frankiewicz, Ronald G.; Holcomb, J. David; Matteson, Michael T.The purpose of this study was to investigate the structures underlying the roles of two categories of dietitians—the hospital administrative dietitian and the hospital clinical dietitian. The rationale for the study rests on the proposition that the identification and description of the structures underlying the roles of dietitians, as perceived by practitioners of the dietetic profession, are essential precursors to the development of competencies. These explanatory structures form the basis within the profession for development of a theory of the specialties. The survey instrument encompassed an array of both administrative and clinical dietitian responsibilities, so as to permit the respondents to specify their perceived specialist role from a full range of dietitian duties. The degree of proficiency perceived to be required at two levels of experience —entry level and three-year experience level— also was an integral part of this instrument. The survey was mailed to a random sample of 1600 administrative dietitian specialists and to a random sample of 1600 clinical dietitian specialists. The response rates were approximately 33% and 31% respectively. The focus of data analysis was on dimensions delineated through factor analysis. The individual performance statements of the survey instrument were treated only in terms of their interrelatedness in constituting the factors. The scree test was applied in an attempt to determine the optimal number of factors to extract. Five distinct and unique dimensions were identified for each of the two specialties at entry level. Seven distinct and unique dimensions were delineated for each of these specialties at the three-year experience level. The strategy for analysis of data was based on a unique application of factor analytic procedure in which data from one group were mapped on to the perspective of another group, and vice versa. This method characterizes succinctly perspectives of two competing, yet equally valued groups. Initially, two-group discriminant analysis was employed to attempt the test of significant differences between the following: (a) the perspective of the administrative dietitian respondents and the perceptions of the clinical dietitian respondents mapped on to the administrative dietitian respondents' perspective; and conversely, (b) the perspective of the clinical dietitian respondents and the perceptions of the administrative dietitian respondents mapped on to the clinical dietitian respondents' perspective. Results indicated that the assumption of homogeneity of variance-covariance matrices did not exist in the groups tested, and thus it was not possible for the significance of differences in perceptions of the two groups to be computed through discriminant analysis. As an alternative, significant differences in perceptions of the two groups were identified through application of the t test to the correlation coefficients constituting the matrices of within-group intercorrelations of estimated factor scores in that aspect of the data analysis design where perceptions of one group were mapped on to the perspective of the opposite group. The specific conclusions of this study were as follows: 1. The tenets of the dietetic profession relative to specialization, as reflected in publications of The American Dietetic Association and in writings of leaders in the profession, are not in harmony with the perspectives of practitioners, or vice versa. 2. When the survey instrument is not delimited to a specific specialty orientation, both groups of dietitians in administrative and clinical specialty roles respectively define the roles of these specialties as generalists. 3. Within this generalist context, there are both similarities and differences in the perspectives of the two groups which are statistically significant. 4. The clinical dietitian practitioner perceived no future in that specialty role at the three-year experience level. The report closes with implications of the research and recommended next steps for theory building in the profession.