, and Sample Selection
A descriptive research design was employed in the conduct of the study. The research population consisted of the approx imately 300 assistant superintendents included in the 1989 1990 Education Directory of North Caroline Public Schools. The research sample consisted of those assistant superintendents who responded to the data collection survey conducted as a part of this study. Responses were received from 211 assistant superintendents, a participation rate of 70.3 percent. Responses to individual questionnaire items ranged from 208 (95.6 percent of those responding, and 69.3 percent of the population of assistant superintendents) to 211 (100 percent of those responding, and 70.3 percent of the population of assis tant superintendents.
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Data required for the study were collected through the mail administration of a survey questionnaire developed by Rago (1973). The questionnaire author established both the validity and reliability of the instrument. The reliability coefficient was 0.93.
The professional profile of the responding assistant superintendents was developed and assessed through the use of simple percentages, as was the analysis of the perceptions by the responding assistant superintendents of their organiza tional roles and relationships. Assessment of the functional responsibilities of the responding assistant superintendents was accomplished through the application of analysis of vari ance analysis (ANOVA) to the appropirate data. The statistical significance of the variances was established through the use of F ratios, in conjunction with a significance criterion of p<.05.
The data collected through the administration of the sur vey instrument are presented and assessed in this chapter. Questionnaires were provided to the population of 300 assistant public school superintendents in the State of North Carolina. R...