Date of Award

1991

Degree Name

EdD Doctor of Education

Dissertation Committee

Edward Kujawa Jr., PhD, Director; Patricia Lowry, PhD; Lyle Crabtree, EdD

Keywords

attitudes, curriculum, Center for Christian Studies, Church of God, education, evaluation, model, northwest Mexico, perception, theological education by extension

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the program of theological education by extension (TEE) at the Center for Christian Studies of the Church of God in Northwest Mexico. This evaluation looked at the original sixteen courses in the basic curriculum and considered the impact which this program has had. This evaluation identified strengths and weaknesses in the Center's TEE curriculum and revealed the attitudes of participants toward the TEE program. It also provided information regarding how the TEE program was perceived as an agent of change, impacting or contributing to the work of the Church of God in Mexico. Finally, this study considered whether the TEE program of the Center for Christian Studies could serve as a valid TEE model for use by churches in other countries in Latin America. Ten specific research questions guided the direction of this evaluation. These research questions were organized into four categories: (A) assessing the needs, (B) building the curriculum, (C) carrying out the program, and (D) describing the results. These ABCD categories were used to organize the data of this evaluation. This methodology reflected the influence of Stufflebeam's Context/Input/Process/Product (CIPP) model. This evaluation was not a pure CIPP model but borrowed from that concept and combined it with ideas from other evaluation models to produce a practical methodology for organizing this research study. Various tools of evaluation were used to collect and analyze data for this research project. Data were collected from three primary sources: an opinion survey, follow-up interviews and institutional records. The data collected in the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The responses to the interviews were placed on a matrix of key concepts and compared. The results of this study provided answers to the ten research questions and led to certain conclusions and recommendations which can be of value in planning future educational programs for the Church of God in Mexico. This study led to the conclusion that the TEE program evaluated here is seen as a valid model which can serve as a resource in the development of other similar TEE programs throughout Latin America.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Education

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