| The dissertation is a required element of doctoral programs and is intended to provide a guided research experience for the author. It is expected to be original inquiry that can make a distinctive contribution to the field. This study examined elements of doctoral preparation in health education and the relationship of those factors to the establishment of careers that contribute to strengthening the knowledge base of the field. Specifically, it analyzed the relationship between doctoral program characteristics (degree type, Carnegie institution type, disciplinary orientation), dissertation characteristics (topical area, research focus, research orientation, relative rigor), and professional research activity (publication record, publication of dissertation work). Also, changes in these variables by time period (1987-91; 1992-96) were evaluated.; Two theoretical frameworks guided this study. Professional socialization provided the outline for investigating the factors of doctoral program preparation which influenced graduates from doctoral programs to continue as active researchers within the field. Diffusion of innovation was used to review the extent to which dissertation authors chose topics that addressed established health priority areas and disseminated their dissertation work through the journal literature.; The study analyzed all abstracts of health education dissertations completed at U.S. institutions from 1987 through 1996. A total of 1007 were reviewed. The chi square statistic was used to examine the relationship between variables. Hypotheses found to be significant included those comparing differences by time period for dissertation characteristics and publication record. These findings suggested that dissertation authors in health education have increasingly chosen to address national health priorities and to conduct research that views health issues from a socioecological, rather than individual, perspective. The percentage of authors who had published decreased, indicating more attention to professional socialization is needed within doctoral programs.; Based on the results, the development of health education as a field of study does seem to be progressing. Suggestions for future research include using qualitative methods to explore more fully the professional socialization process for doctoral students in health education. Also, a tighter format for the preparation of abstracts would provide potential users of this literature better information upon which to decide whether to pursue obtaining the dissertation full-text. |
