Relationship between faculty characteristics and research productivity.

The purpose of this research was to identify the characteristics of the active research producer within dental schools. A survey was mailed to 4,901 full-time faculty members in 53 U.S. dental schools, of which 1,481 (31 percent) were returned. Faculty Research Productivity (FRP) was defined as the number of publications generated by a faculty member during his or her academic career, as reported in response to a survey question. Seventeen characteristics of faculty members also were obtained from responses to survey items. Using stepwise multiple regression, five variables predicted 38 percent of the variance in FRP: Interest in Research, Earned Ph.D., Number of Journal Subscriptions, Consulting Time Per Week, and Research Time Per Week. While the relationship between FRP and student contact time was linear (the more articles produced the less student contact time), time spent in teaching per week did not enter the prediction equation.

Development and utility in externship of a questionnaire on attitudes toward professional roles of the pharmacist.

A sixty-six item questionnaire was developed to measure students' attitudes toward pharmacy as a profession, professional principles, and their preparation for the profession. It was administered to three consecutive year graduating classes (1978, 1979 and 1980) both pre- and postexternship so that changes in attitudes during the eight week experience program might be examined. Factor analysis was used to select items which could be combined to form scales (factors). The questionnaire yielded stable responses. The responses of the three classes to the scales were positive both before and after externship in regard to students' adherence to professional values. Mean responses on the scales showed some change during the 1980 externship; the most significant being that students felt better prepared for the profession after their externship.