Dissertation Abstract

A Study of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Selection Criteria for Students in Community College Radiologic Technology Programs (Student Selection)

Scope and method of study. The scope of the study was limited to the 199 community college radiologic technology programs in the United States, as recognized by the 1990 edition of the Allied Health Education Directory. The primary purpose of this national study was to assess and analyze perceptions of community college radiologic technology program directors' and their usage of selection criteria for prospective students through the use of a likert-scale survey entitled The Survey of Recruitment, Admission and Selection Criteria for Radiologic Technology Programs.

Findings and conclusions. The instrument(s) most frequently used by community college radiologic technology programs to screen prospective applicant's were the American College Test, ACT Assessment and Scholastic Aptitude Test. The four selection criteria most frequently used were: college grade point average, interviews, high school grade point average and individual course grade point average. Thus, a standardized test--most often the ACT--in combination with cognitive and non-cognitive criteria, were most frequently used to select radiologic technology students at community colleges. The findings revealed that high school grade point, are a cognitive selection criteria, and interview(s) are a non-cognitive selection criteria, are used despite the size and location of the community college radiologic technology programs and the educational background of community college radiologic technology program directors.

Analysis of the items showed no consensus among radiologic technology program directors regarding how to deal with minority students and the use of testing in selecting minority students to enter community college radiologic technology programs. According to the Essentials, the profession of radiologic technology demands that graduating students be highly skilled and technically qualified by education to perform imaging procedures, as well as to be compassionate health care providers, supporting the need for focus on cognitive as well as non-cognitive selection criteria.

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