An analytical study of requirements for top positions in personal administration

This study concerns itself with the educational preparation of undergraduate college students in Southern California for professional personnel positions in the same area. The views of personnel administrators and educators were elicited on this vital issue. The hypothesis in this thesis is: personnel administrators perceive educational job requirements for their positions differently than educators in the field of personnel management. Data were collected by questionnaires mailed to 1.035 personnel administrators and 148 educators instructing in the personnel field. A response of approximately fifty per cent was realized from each group. ln addition to the questionnaire, seventy administrators and twenty educators were interviewed in order to validate the results of the mail study. A comparison of the responses from the two groups was made, using the "z" test. This statistical technique compared the importance attached to specific educational subject areas by each group to deter.!ne whether or not they differed. The analysis in this investigation revealed significant differences between the perceptions of the two groups notably, personnel management subjects were considered more important to the undergraduate students by personnel administrators. while educators placed more emphasis on general education subjects. Tests for relationship between certain characteristics of the respondents in eaeb sample and their opinions regarding curriculwn content were conducted. Chi-square was used for this purpose, and in moet cases relaticmships did not exist.