MANAGERIAL NEEDS AND AWARENESS OF THE EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS IN WEST SUMATRA

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to answer thirteen questions concerning four aspects of the practicing educational administrators in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The four aspects were (a) the amount and the content of the administrators' management training, (b) the administrative experience of the administrators, (c) the methods and the criteria used to select the administrators for their positions, and (d) the administrators' awareness of the need for formal management training.;Findings. The major findings were: (1) The majority of the administrators under study did not have formal management training either prior to the obtaining of their first administrative position or when they were in the position. However, of those who had formal management training, the majority had their training experiences in content areas related to management covering the management skills suggested by the literature. (2) Two methods were employed to select administrators. "Election by faculty" was used mainly in higher education while "selection by authority" was used in primary and secondary education. No differences were perceived among the criteria commonly used and desirable criteria that should be used to select administrators. (3) All respondents were aware of the need for management training regardless of the variables examined in this study.;Conclusions. As a result of the investigation, the following conclusions were drawn. (1) There is a need for the educational administrators in West Sumatra to have formal continual management training and the current practicing administrators are aware of the need. (2) In selecting the administrators to participate in any continual management training, the considerations should be based upon the amount of management training an administrator has had. Those who have never had formal management training should be given first opportunity. (3) It was concluded that the selection of administrators was made without regard to prior management training probably because a shortage of properly trained administrators in West Sumatra exists. (4) For a long-range manpower plan, there is a need for a formal preparation program to prepare administrators.;Recommendations. It is recommended that: (1) The Provincial Office of Education and Culture in West Sumatra take an immediate step to provide formal continual management training for the current practicing administrators of primary and secondary education. (2) Higher education authorities in West Sumatra take an immediate step to encourage the current practicing administrators who have never had formal management training to participate in continual management training. (3) Both higher education and primary and secondary education authorities in West Sumatra provide a systematic continual management training for their administrators who are now in the administrative position. (4) Both higher education and primary and secondary education authorities provide an administrative mechanism which will result in the production of more personnel properly trained in management.;Procedure. From a sample of 190 administrators, 172 (91 percent) returned the questionnaire sent to them. These sample administrators were selected through a combination of quota and random sampling techniques representing administrators from all levels of education in three selected municipalities and three selected counties in the Province of West Sumatra. The data gathered from the respondents were treated and analyzed using three different procedures: percentage and collective rank computation, Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (rho), and Chi-square Test.