The characteristics and theoretical orientations of the knowledge base of educational administration in journal articles, 1965-1987: A content analysis study

This study addressed the issue of the knowledge base of educational administration. More specifically, it examined the characteristics of the knowledge base of educational administration as defined by one of the leading scholarly-descriptive journals, i.e., the Educational Administration Quarterly. The theoretical orientations of the knowledge base were identified as well as the influence of other disciplines and professional fields on the knowledge base in educational administration.;Using content analysis as the research method, 438 articles in educational administration which were published from 1965 to 1987 were examined. These articles were written by 641 authors representing 173 colleges and universities and allied educational institutions. In this study, content analysis is a quantitative and qualitative method for obtaining descriptive data on content variables from the journal articles.;The purpose for examining the characteristics of the knowledge base of educational administration and the nature of its theoretical orientations is anchored on the need to systematically define the disparate body of knowledge in the field of educational administration. Criterion variables such as subject-matter content, the nature of inquiry used by the authors, the "knowledge centers" of educational administration, types of citations and the "gaps" of the knowledge base were used to content analyze the articles.;This study found out that the knowledge base of educational administration in the Educational Administration Quarterly is defined. Within its parameters are three areas: organization and general administration, school and school-related topics and organizational behavior. This knowledge base is oriented towards logical positivism. But a trend towards the qualitative theoretical orientations is evident. The knowledge base is influenced heavily by the social sciences and other professional fields, particularly public administration, sociology and psychology. Finally, the knowledge base has been predominantly produced by academicians with the practitioners contributing very minimally.