0.1 Klinger, a., & Wronkovich, m. (april 2011). replicating  (Page 7/9)

The second research group consisted of graduate students enrolled in administrative preparation programs in the Educational Administration department at Ashland University. Nearly all were teachers with undergraduate degrees in education. The simulation was administered in exactly the same manner as the experienced administrators from ALAS.

The simulation introduction and instructions were captured on digital video and imbedded into the administration of the study so that every participant received exactly the same explanation directly from the researchers in the same fashion. Participants were given an online link to the simulation and simply needed to click on the appropriate icon to begin the simulation. Completed response documents were anonymously mailed to the researchers for data compilation.

The last section of the response questionnaire gathered two pieces of qualitative information from respondents that were used in the study findings:

1. The participants’ reactions to and reflections on the decisions they made as a result of moving through the simulation.
2. The participants’ judgments on the software, simulation production, and the overall experience of participating in this type of virtual decision making.

Study population

The study population consisted of 111 experienced and pre-service administrators (66 graduate students and 45 practicing administrators). Based on data reported by respondents in the preliminary sections, the graduate student sample consisted of 28 males and 38 females with an average age of 34 years. As a whole the graduate student group reported an average of 8.98 years of teaching experience with individuals ranging from no experience to 33 years of experience. The experienced administrators sample consisted of 27 males and 18 females with an average age of 50 years. The group reported an average of 15.7 years of administrative experience.

The demographics of both study groups combined indicates an almost even gender distribution (55 males, 56 females), and a fairly wide distribution of ages from 24 on up. Both groups report adequate exposure to educational experiences, although not necessarily administrative experiences.

Findings

After participating in the simulation, participants were asked to reflect on the decisions they made as a result of completing the simulation and on the simulation experience itself.

The simulation decisions

Both graduate students and experienced administrators alike reported similar feelings about the decisions they made throughout the simulation. A vast majority of participants felt that the decisions they were forced to make were realistic and effectively simulated the actual conditions of educational administration:

“The situation was something that could happen at any high school – very realistic!

“The simulation provided an administrative situation (scenario) that has a high probability of occurring. “

“The situation was definitely a tough one that was very feasible. That could definitely happen in any school system. You (as an administrator) can’t please everyone, all of the time!!”