Beyond accreditation: What defines a quality funeral service education program? An investigation of the relationship between educational correlates and program quality in funeral service education

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: This study sought to determine what defines a quality funeral service education program beyond accreditation. The study examined the opinions of funeral service education chairs (N=45, representing 80% of the population) who are leaders of funeral service education programs accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Participants completed a self-report online survey which assessed their perspectives regarding the importance of a collection of educational correlates related to funeral service program quality. Survey responses were statistically analyzed using standard multiple regression.

Findings and Conclusions: The results indicated that 89% of program quality variance may be predicted by the set of predictors utilized in the study. These results, coupled with the semipartial correlations, facilitated the development of the Funeral Service Education Program Quality Model. This study also resulted in the creation of a survey instrument related to program quality in higher education. The results highlight critical elements of funeral service education program quality and add to the body of empirical research aiding those charged with assessing program quality in higher education.