3.4 Attraction and selection of applicants for a doctoral program  (Page 2/7)

Doctoral Applicant Attraction

Research in general as well as research addressing potential applicants for a doctoral program in educational leadership has shown that individuals can be characterized by different types of orientation perspectives and by unique sources of motivational factors. Most notably, potential applicants can be characterized as economic beings, psychological beings, or rationale beings. Further differentiating among these orientations are the salient motivators driving decision making of potential applicants given alternative choices.

To illustrate, the object theory of decision making indicates that applicants are economic beings who are motivated by fiduciary choices (Behling, Laborita&Gainer 1968). In contrast, the subjective theory of decision making views individuals as psychological beings driven by their affective needs within the decision making context (Judge&Bretz, 1992). Still different, the contextual theory defines individuals as rational beings seeking specific information (Winter, 1996) about demand requirements associated with choice (Young, Rinehart,&Place, 1989).

Each of these different theories has been explored within the doctoral recruitment process for students contemplating applying to a doctoral program in educational leadership. More specifically, Young, Galloway, and Rinehart (1996) developed recruitment brochures with each brochure emphasizing a single theoretical orientation, and certain salient motivators unique to each orientation were nested within each booklet. The brochures contained the economic incentives and psychological aspects associated with attending and with graduating from a doctoral program in educational leadership, and the admission and selection criteria used for acceptance and for graduation in this context (see Figure 1).

These brochures were administered to independent groups of practicing educators contemplating applying to a doctoral program in educational leadership. As potential applicants for a doctoral program in educational leadership, these individuals were requested to evaluate the attractiveness of the program described in the brochure, and their attraction to this program as depicted within a recruitment flier.

Results from this casual study indicated that applicants are attracted most by the context perspective addressing admission and graduation requirements than by those experimental conditions addressing economic or psychological advantages. These findings failed to be moderated by the gender of those taking part in this study.

Potential applicants sought information about“what does it take to be admitted”and“what does it take to graduate.”With respect to these fundamental inquiries for specific information as requested by potential applicants, most doctoral programs in educational leadership provide little information about the former request (specific admission considerations) and when doing so only from a procedural perspective (what should be submitted [procedural]and not what outcomes are expected [substantive]).