Superintendents of Public Residential Facilities for the Mentally Retarded: A Task Analysis.

This investigation was designed to study the tasks performed by the chief executive of public residential facilities for mentally retarded persons in their day-to-day jobs. A survey questionnaire was developed, verified, and mailed to a random sample of sixty superintendents of public residential facilities drawn from a national directory. Each participant was requested to rate each task in terms of both frequency with which it was performed on the job and in terms of its perceived importance. A total of twenty-eight questionnaires were received, representing a 46.7 percent response rate. Tasks were evaluated according to frequency of performance and perceived importance. Implications for the development of preservice and in-service education are discussed.