An Empirical Study of Spencer's Conflicting Philosophies in Higher Education

This study reports an empirical assessment of the typology of merit, contract, and right as operative philosophies in higher education proposed by Martin Spencer in The American Sociologist. Scales were developed from the Spencer essay that reflected the dimensions of each of the three operative philosophies. In terms of applicability to students, the scalability of the items was not supported. Our data do suggest that grades, student voice, and employment, as well as intellectual development, are concerns among students in 1980.