A systematic analysis of dissertation research on stress in educational administration, using a sample of 44 dissertations completed from 1969 to 1982, inventoried these studies' topics, evaluated their conception, design, and methodology, and synthesized their findings. It was found that the bulk of the dissertation literature has focused on the causes of stress, and while a few recent studies have examined coping strategies, other themes have been largely neglected; it was also found that principals have been much more frequently studied than other administrators. The vast majority of the dissertations were correlational studies gathering data through mail surveys; convenience samples were the rule, and most studies chose the most readily available instrument, not the most appropriate one. Although a number of significant findings can be listed, the dissertation literature has not translated these into theory. Researchers should deemphasize variables shown to be unproductive, and adopt more varied research design and more sophisticated techniques. More fundamentally, however, they must develop a common language and a more practical perspective that draws on organizational theory; their work should emphasize responses to stress. Such research will contribute to the theory of both administration and stress. (MCG)