| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to determine, from principals' viewpoints, why art courses have or have not been offered in Newfoundland secondary schools. The underlying premise of the study is that if the reasons for non-implementation of secondary art programs are to be assessed, information needs to be collected on the extent to which relevant factors and groups actually influence the administrators in the process of art program adoption. The study employed an ex post facto research design using survey research procedures. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire which was administered to two hundred and fifty one secondary school principals in Newfoundland. The results of the study show that the principal is a key person influencing the decision making process involved in art program adoption. The unavailability of a trained teacher, the availability of funds and the principal's attitude toward the art program are the three factors with greatest influence in this decision making process. The findings also show that the adoption of art programs has been slowed by problems inherent in rural education. These problems are compounded by the structure of Newfoundland's denominational education system. Implications of these results for policy development and evaluation are discussed and suggestions for further research are outlined. Education, Faculty of Graduate
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