Examining the Diversity of Academic Qualifications and Practitioner Experiences of Faculty to Enhance Practitioner-Based Preparation Programs

Presentation given at the Georgia Educational Research Association (GERA) Conference.

The purpose of this research was to examine professional attributes to include academic qualifications and practitioner experiences possessed by faculty. This research was two-fold and first examined doctoral faculty of educational leadership to illustrate the professional attributes of the faculty that develop students in educational leadership preparation programs to be scholarly-practitioners and future educational leaders. Second, to further understand the professional attributes of faculty, a quantitative study surveyed upper-level management students to determine their perceptions of the importance of faculty attributes. The goal of this research was to aid those leading practitioner-based preparation programs in examining the diversity of the academic qualifications and practitioner/professional experiences of their faculty and develop strategies to enhance their programs with these complimenting skill sets. This research may provide insight into the faculty attributes that students deem important in faculty in an effort to support student success and prepare them for practitioner-based work in their respective fields.