ABSTRACT WORK EXPERIENCES OF MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL GRICULTURE AND THEIR RELATION TO OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL PLANS by Homer Virtes Judge Purpose. To determine relationships existing between five selected measures of work experience engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture and their relation to: (1) selected student characteristics, (2) occupational plans and aspirations, and (3) educational plans and aspirations. Method. Work experience schedules were developed and used to collect data from 421 high school students of vocational agriculture in grades nine through twelve from a dairy and general farming type of farming area in south cen- tral Michigan. Five selected measures of work experience were used in the study: (1) hours of farm work experience, (2) hours of farm work experience with owned projects, (3) composite farm work experience score, (4) hours of off-farm work experience, and (5) total hours of work experience. Chi-square was used to determine the existence of signifi- cant relationships. _§ingings andImplications. Five student character- istics as follows: (1) class in high school, (2) place of residence (farm or non-farm), (3) farm operation by father, 1 . n‘-' :T“’ 3'. Lu; ‘ ‘ ...‘.b.- “. .1 ] *'\v-: #3 :23“ .~Mu UV .O'os‘ surfi" q—C‘ '1‘ bio-ll. 'IAbV v : 01—. ‘p‘rgr ‘4' ' "“: .5“... nu. . “ - I o ’F‘- "D‘D a ‘:'“ 'v.v ‘. Q“:.o~‘ "van... I\ a ‘ ." q§v~4§v4.;.- S , n: . q -a.‘ O ‘J D- I ‘ . ‘~ :Zuyfl‘" "0 V a - . k'.§.v J. v..: /~\ ‘ \r«{ ‘ . ,q/ ’3. .-.-‘ v. .“'e ~‘: 4-. 362. !-\ .‘dt' ~ ‘ o V“U, 4/ fi‘ \k ‘ t“ 1| A 'I‘ " ‘ \u t-q‘ Uv: L,’ I _ «1-1“ 2‘; I N». ‘5’ 4““ “ r ‘ VV'A":.. \ .. ‘ Q i. ‘5“!- .'A .‘ ‘I“ “JV". :- § U; .'_“} i ..‘ A“ -1 ‘ "*9“ :. A. . §‘V‘-~- “:€. :"‘~V‘.c.rfi b§¥;.'c .- v v I’V A “A ‘ ‘~ . “n“;nf ‘0” '1 a. Homer Virtes Jud:e (4) farming status of father, and (5) size of farm were each found to be significantly related to a majority of five measures of work experience. Living on a farm, having a father who operated a farm, having a father who was a full- time rather than part-time farmer, and coming from a larger farm were all found to be related to increased measurements of farm work experience and decreased amounts of off-farm work experience. Occupations which the 421 students in the study in- dicated that they were most apt to enter were as follows: farming - 110, non-farm agricultural occupations - 45, non- agricultural occupations - 156, and no occupational choice made — 110. Positive relationships were found between a :najority of the five measures of work experience used and (1) choice between agricultural and non-agricultural occu- jpations, (2) choice between farming and non-farm agricul- ‘Mxral occupations, (3) certainty of occupational choice, sun: (4) occupational level of aspiration. Increased amounts of':farm work experience and decreased amounts of off-farm word: experience were related to choice of agricultural in Preference to non-agricultural occupations and choice of farming in preference to non-farm agricultural occupations. Higher-level of occupational aspiration (measured by the NQFUJ -Hatt scale) was associated with larger amounts of fawn work experience. None of the measures of work exper- ience used were significantly related to students' choices V' A. :' ~”.1 . cadvav. . . u 3"“ '4‘ our he” \ C h p. k» g“ '..o‘--\'\ x .4 .:. u.“ v . ..«;a ..\»y' .o o :s -v‘ U. ho“- ' .3 '- ... u a >- D (P. our 'P' ~' ' ~ 3‘ “ ,- § . ~-~\ '- n H a r F ~¢av.avO"“ ‘- "‘ ..v'_( —. , .i gin.” vfi‘af I», \ . s V .v‘ 5“... . (I) Homer Virtes Judge between non-agricultural and non-farm agricultural occupa- tions. Significant relations were not found between any of the five measures of work experience and (1) amount of con- sideration students had given to post-high school educat« ional plans, (2) certainty of plans to participate in post- high school education, or (3) amount of post-high school education planned. Some of the more important conclusions and implica- tions of the study were: 1. Consideration needs to be given to meeting effect- ively the individual needs in agricultural education of students of varying backgrounds, opportunities, and interests. 2. The composite farm work experience score developed and used in this study appears to have value as an instru— znent for measuring work experiences of high school students (Df vocational agriculture. 3. Farm work experience with owned projects has a EMJSitive association with choice of agricultural occupa- ticuns. Students from small farms whose fathers are only Part-time farmers do have opportunities to gain work experience with projects they own. 4. High school students of vocational agriculture ‘WN3 spend large numbers of hours doing farm work are as likelqy to plan to continue their education beyond high sdmool as students who do less work. All ‘5‘- oup-0 -‘ a» f. . b- a. .u.~- “‘05 .- 0 ‘ O > I "‘C'C “r -. ._....., 8V. ..4. .‘ . A . w.— .. fi . ‘ I : . V“ "‘\A' no » . . . I a: D“ “ "u in» .- o a...“ O;---.J. 'QA:A'_‘ u a ,- u A 'q 4' . ’flup..v a‘..‘v1 .‘, . ’ ~., \ AA A ~.. - ' A‘ h‘ Homer Virtes Judge 5. Consideration should be given to off—farm as well as farm work experiences in planning work experience pro— grams for high school students of vocational agriculture. 6. Opportunities of high school students to engage in work experiences are associated with environmental factors. 7. Consideration needs to be given to the effects on academic achievement of long hours of work engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture. -V. do :Hx 13 {-2 WORK EXPERIENCES OF MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE AND THEIR RELATION TO OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL PLANS BY Homer Virtes Judge A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY College of-Education 1962 V°'~ .... I .‘ ..¢.U .4“: THIS WORK IS DEDICATED To MY WIFE, ANN AND DAUGHTER, SHERRY WHOSE ASSISTANCE, 'ENCOURAGEMENT, AND SACRIFICE HAVE MADE ITS COMPLETION 'PCSSIELE ii V “'P_ .,“. a. 8 it- A Q .- '." ‘3”1q‘flv‘ C‘- n‘ . ‘5'-Uv.. p“: f‘~’ 2‘5“"- ’~l d:~-~0‘w6v. N ‘.V‘fi5v’ U-“Vd‘ _ O"; ‘u': . nr‘ -‘ ~ ' I ‘“' "‘-‘-‘ ‘1-"4’1 s. .3 "V ...' I'-‘ V 59:.‘Jnv “a ‘ In.‘§§~.a.. V - i.‘ '. Cf.‘~‘.. ..- “VAC. - u . (f) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation to all persons who have given him encouragement, guidance, and assistance in the conduct of this study. Sincere appreciation is expressed to the members of the guidance committee, Dr. Harold M. Byram, Dr. William A. Faunce, Dr. Carl H. Gross, and Dr. H. Paul Sweany for their suggestions and guidance throughout the course of this study. The writer is especially grateful to Dr. Byram, chairman of the guidance committee, under whose supervision this study was conducted. Thanks are also expressed to Mr. Harry Nesman, Chief, Michigan Agricultural Education Service for his encourage- ment and advice in planning the study. A debt of gratitude is also owed to the high school officials, teachers of vocational agriculture, and students who c00perated in supplying data on which this study was based. iii ’9 ‘3' “‘ Q Q‘. “-n ‘ Chapter TAB E OF CONTENTS I::TRODUCTIOII o o o o o o o o o o o o o o ement of the Problem . . . . . . round of the Problem . . . . . . Purposes of the Study . . . . . . . . T " ALT, F. , f1”! pd UL18L5L38 o o o o o o o o o o o o o e and Limitations of the Studv . Definition of Terms . . . . . . . . . OF IiIIEPKATTJRE o o o c o o o o o 0 Experiences of Youth . . . . . . Occupational Plans and Aspirations . Theories of Occupational Choice . Occupational Choices of Former Vocational Agriculture Students . Occupational Choices of High School Youth . . . . . . . . . . Occupational Aspirations of Youth Educational Plans and Aspirations . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7-3 V)‘\ qv-lw—u Y“! r‘ h flvvv‘ (Wfi-~\~,' w . p ‘4 , av ‘ J N u g ' — ‘ :“ fi‘AOH ‘ ka)\/‘Ll&' |\/;L k’ub .‘—-A.—J «J... K—‘y'Jh . . . Data for the Study . . . . . . . . . Development of Instrument . . . . . . iv Page H O\ CO 9 12 12 19 19 25 31 35 4O 42 44 ..... ~.~V“ l ‘-‘l- IV V Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . Aula1:fses Of Data. 0 o o o o o o 0 Measurements Used . . . . . Taoulating De.t (‘0 o o o o o 0 Testing Hypotheses . . . . . . . Sumr:1ary............ CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOUTH STUDIE 1 Background Characteristics . . . Work Experience . . . . . . . . Occupational Plans and Aspirations Post- High School Educational Pla Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . FINDINGS RELATED TO YORK EXPERIE NOE Relation Between Wor‘ Experience S 111 High. SC‘IIOO]. o o o o o o ‘5 Relation hetween Work Experience Place of Residence . . . . . . . Relation Between Work Experience Fathers Operation of a Farm . . Relation Between Work Experience Farming Status of Fathers - - - Q Relation Between Work Experience Size of Home Farm . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . ... . Y"! C" &.U C '11 k 45' b {a U1 U! (I) U1 0\ 0\ U1 -C F4 .c O\ \O 77 73 87 93 99 106 111 (D v:. .4 ..-.- ... q. a- u lot as ‘.. t s.- 90.. ‘ -b '5‘. . can ..- ‘5 I ‘ “,. s. Chapter VI. VII. VIII. FINDIHC—S RELATED TO OCCU PATIOTDAL CHC 3433 113:1) IXSPIRATIOIES o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 Occupational Choices Hade b7 Students . Students' Choice of Agricultural or Non—Agricultural Occupations . . . . . Students' Choice of Agricultural Occupations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Students' Choice of Non-Farm Occupations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Certainty of Occupational Choice . . . Occupational Levels of Aspiration . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FINDINGS RELATED TO EDUCATIONAL PLANS . . Consideration Given to Post-High School Educational Plans . . . . . . . Plans to Participate in Post-High 8011001 13d dllca tion 0 O O O O C O O O O 0 Amount of Post-High School Education ' P18311186. o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o SUSIE? aI‘y o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o S UIE'IARY AIS-ID CO 1‘... C LUS IO 133 o o o o o o o o o o Kethod and Procedure . . . . . . . . . unaraCteristics of the Youth Studied . Findings of the Study - - - . . . Work Experiences . . . . . . . . . vi ’U Q) ( 1 Kb 117 117 125 131 139 140 147 155 159 167 174 180 182 [.4 UO 4:. 3...: CD U"! 185 ,wofl‘ ...; r14. . ‘u "“ I "~— . ., . .5 .é.~..A‘ _..“ Chapter Page Occupational Choices and Aspirations . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Educational Plans . . . . . . . . . 190 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191 Implications of the Study . . . . . . . .193 Suggestions for Further Study . . . . . .196 LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193 APPEIWICES O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 205 vii C. ad. Q... «Q, 1“. 'IC‘Y I.“. .... In. I ‘5‘. or.‘ 6"“. ., ‘ f Y a.‘~‘. N | . Q: Hi...) 1 7 ’2 h- 1 b-.. .. -.y\ :1’ ‘ J LIST OF TABLES Table I. Distribution of Students According to Hirn SChOOl Class O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 II. Distribution of Students According to Years Enrolled in Vocational Agriculture . . . III. Distribution of Students According to Size Of Home Farm 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 IV. Distribution of Students According to Farm— ing Status of Fathers . . . . . . . . . . . V. Distribution of Students According to Time Fathers Spent Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . VI. Type of Work Experience Engaged in by StUdeL’ltSo O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O VII. Hours of Farm Work Experience Engaged in by Studellts O I O O O O O O I O O O O O O O O 0 VIII. Hours of Off—Farm Work Experience Engaged in bsf Students 0 O O O O O O C O O O O O O O O 0 IX. Total Hours of Work Experience Engaged in by Students 0 C O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O X. Occupations Students Believed They Were Eost Apt to filter 0 O O O O O O O O I O O O O O O XI. Certainty Students Expressed of Entering Their Chosen Occupation . . . . . . . . . . . XII. Consideration Students Gave to Education Beyond Hi £11 Sch001 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O XIII. Certainty Students Expressed of Continuing Education Beyond High School . . . . . . . . XIV. Post High School Educational Plans of Stud ellts O O O O O O O I O O O O O O O I O O XV. Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experi- ence and Class in High School . . . . . . . viii O\ 10 O\ W U\ U1 0 \ O\ "9'9? .10 ... w-v- II ..c..&. nv'.' define. .l.’ A”. 0 0'" § , . fus‘ . ' '9’ v -u‘..‘. ~~".” ‘Hu.‘$. 'V~os I c~.". .., (my I“... ‘1’?"1. 4‘... V". ,‘T.’ C ..., ‘*. v.‘ ~ I ,~r . ‘tl‘. 7‘. V eu'~/.. . n 4; a.. e .- - ,a Table XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experi- ence With Owned Projects and Class in High 8011001 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O 1- “"k Relation Between Composite Farm Work Expe- rience Score and Class in High School . . . Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Class in High School . . . . Relation Between Total Hours Work Experi~ ence and Class in High School . . . . Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experi- ence and Place of Residence . . . . . . . . Relation Between Hours of Farm Work With Owned Projects and Place of Residence . . . Relation Between Composite Farm Work Expe- rience Score and Place of Residence . . . Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Place of Residence . . . . . Relation Between Total Hours of Hork Experi- ence and Place of Residence . . . . . . . Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experi- ence and Farm Operation by Father . . . . . Relation Between Hours of Work Experience With Owned Projects and Farm Operation by Fatller O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Relation Between Composite Farm Work Expe- rience Score and Farm Operation by Father . Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Farm Operation by Father . . Relation Between Total Hours of Work Expe— rience and Farm Operation by Father . . . . Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Expe- Pare 90 91 92 \O O\ ‘C) .q rience and Farming Status of Fathers . . . . 100 ix ......o . {unlit ‘ i O O."... O. 'l Jam. 5 X A . nu.- v.. 11‘ lhub.l . ‘H-. ’7 £M~§‘. 'N'rv-I . ' y . ‘Nus I ‘. v... _ II‘WIT ......,.‘. I’vvl"'.'.’- ‘1 ukolg1.“. if“. .', T v ' ‘ A “"H ~A. o .', I o§~. V " Ag... ‘ - “ a.~;L' V's J I“ c ‘1‘; I! «h k" x l.’ '3’ Table XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. XXXVII. XXXVIII. XXXIX. XL. XLI. XLII. XLIII. Relation Between Hours of Work Experi- ence on Owned Projects and Farming Status of Fathers . . . . . . . . . . Relation Between Composite Farm Work Experience Score and Farming Status of Fathers 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 0 Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Farming Relation Between Total Hours of Work Experience and Farming Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Expe rience and Size of Farm . . . . . . . Relation Between Hours of Farm Work rience With Owned Projects and Size of Farm 0 I O O O I I O O O O O O O O O O 0 Relation Between Composite Farm Work Expe- rience Score and Size of Farm . . . . . Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Size of Farm . . . . . . Relation Between Total Number of Hours of Work Experience and Size of Farm . . . . Relation Between Whether or Not Occupat- ional Choice Has Been Made and Hours of Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . Relation Between Whether or Not Occupa— tional Choice Has Been Made and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Relation Between Whether or Not Occupa- tional Choice Has Been Made and Composite Farm Work Experience Score . . . . . . . Relation Between Whether or Not Occupa- tional Choice Has Been Made and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . Expe- Status of Fathers . Status of Fathers . Pa L9 101 102 103 104 106 107 108 109 110 119 121 122 4' «no .....b 0 vy'yyf I «a! k. 7'."’T aeuuQ‘. I 'Q" “ ”‘J‘; c ’C 5;... s" ~‘*. .7“? I «L’ I Table Page XLIV. Relation Between Whether or Not Occupa— tional Choice Has Been Wade and Total Hours of Work Experience . . . . . . . . . 123 XLV. Relation Between Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . 126 XLVI. Relation Between Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 XLVII. Relation Between Occupational Choice and Composite Farm Work Experience Score . . . 128 XLVIII. Relation Between Occupational Choice and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . . . . 129 XLIX. Relation Between Occupational Choice and Total Hours of Work Experience . . . . . . 130 L. Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience . 132 LI. Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience Iith Owned Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 LII. Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Composite Farm Work Experience Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l35 LIII. Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experi- ence e o e o o o o o e o o e o o e o o e o 136 LIV. Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Total Hours of Work Experience . 133 LV. Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience . 141 LVI. Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience 111th 013180. PrOJBCtS o o o o o o o o o o o o 143 LVII. Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Composite Farm Work Experience Score 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 144 xi ’ ... I a -‘o- O ..' I uh. ’~’r? ‘u... “0..-; . -.'I?.T l ~11“; . ‘ '.'Tn I ~‘.“. ‘ ‘u~.T o. . ‘. \~"”’ ~» T ¢.'*‘. 'ti 5 I it, ’11 I. 'A ... (I; :x" 0‘, Table LVIII. LIX O LX. LXI. LXII. LXIII. LXIV. LXV. LXVII. LXVIII. LXIX. Relation Between Certainty of Occupa- tional Choice and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . Relation Between Certainty of Occupa- tional Choice and Total Hours of Work Experience 0 O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Hours of Farm Work Experience 0 C O O O O O O O O O O 0 Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects . . . . Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Composite Farm Work Experience Score . . . . . . . . . . . Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Total Hours of Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amount of Consideration Given to Post- High School Educational Plans According to Hours of Farm Work Experience . . . Amount of Consideration Given Post-High School Educational Plans According to Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Amount of Consideration Given Post-High School Educational Plans According to Composite Farm Work Experience Score Amount of Consideration Given Post-High School Educational Plans According to Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . Amount of Consideration Given Post-High School Educational Plans According to Total Hours of Work Experience . . . xii Page 145 145 149 150 154 160 162 163 165 -r~v' v . -Jus.. -.h'- -..“... ’~9 ".. 1.1. I “1“.-“. .""’o' ‘h‘nfi o g . "H. O. A ~‘~e~ I . .§>~"" . A ' 5.... I .. . ‘n,w" ‘ ~a‘u., ‘-. .v.‘..‘ ‘ , V v Q“. l ‘1 "f :1- Table LXX O LXXI. LXXII. LXXIII. LXXIV. LXXV. LXXVI. LXXVII. LXXVIII. LXXIX. Pare Plans to Participate in Post-High School Education According to Hours of Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Plans to Participate in Post-High School Education According to Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects . . . 169 Plans to Participate in Post-High School Education According to Composite Farm Work Experience Score . . . . . . . . . . 170 Plans to Participate in Post—High School Education According to Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Plans to Participate in Post—High School Education According to Total Hours of Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Amount of Post-High School Education Planned According to Hours of Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Amount of Post-High School Education According to Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Amount of Post-High School Education Planned according to Composite Farm Work Experience Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Amount of Post-Hi:h School Education Planned according to Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Amount of Post-High School Education Planned According to Total Hours of Work Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 A xiii F— \ (f3 - - \ ~. “M .? ,_.‘ *3 ,‘ .» ,_ ..-. -. A ‘I. 73‘" ‘ : __ ‘ r 3813 10118111132) yethcli tfol-‘l. u;.PBI‘.LOI-.C€S cilld Selected Characteristics of High School Students of Vocational Agriculture . . . . . .113 Relationships Between Work Experiences and Occupational Choices and Aspirations of High School Students of Vocational Agriculture . . 156 xiv Appendix A. List of Schools . . . B. Instructions to Students C. Work Experience Schedule D. Work Experience Scores . E. Lists of Occupations . LIST OF APPENDICES q. .0 A.:,, I -.» . -. - _. ‘.4 '—.o. ., . . . .‘." - §\.. nevi-a.4. : A.- . u v ... 1 ‘ . ‘M ‘ u - ‘ n a. ‘C « \ . " G D “~ .“ ~ ~. ‘. a. .‘g “ (L' l‘) o. v . 7" '-¢-. ._ ‘-‘ -..V‘~ n .. . e - On. Q .. ‘ ‘H v . \ .“ ‘ A- s_.~ -‘ u R‘~ ‘ -. - V-J y Au H . “-1,; 5-: .2 A . h . - ‘.. ~ -.' I .‘.' J §‘_- .~- A ‘1: v“ 0- - .. - “,G' s « § v ‘4 . ‘ A . «.4 h v ~.IA l P ‘ - V.'.. v .‘ 1“ ‘Q . 4" Vt... 4 ,‘, . r \- - F. ‘ -. INTHU’UCTION Statenent of t'e Problem The problen of this studv was to detaining; two "or: ‘ experience engaged in by hixh school students of vocations agriculture and to determine the relationships which exist between the work experiences of these youth and their occu- '0 ational and educational plans aid aspirations. Background of the Problem Work experience has always been an intefiral part of high school vocational atriculture programs. fork exper- iences in the form of supervised farniné prOgrams in order to allow the students to put int practice facts learned in the classroom, are p) n important part of a pro tional education in agriculture. Occupational choice and adjustment are complex pro— cedures influenced bv manw factors and made up of a number of decisions on the part of the individual. In addition to the students who prepare themselves for and enter farminf as a life's occupation a n mber of student“ of vocational agriculture enter off-farm occupations on graduation from high school. These off-farm occupations may be either agricultural or non-agricultural in nature. The field of nerican agriculture is undergo'ng vast change. The anount l O ,. ‘ ~—. fi’ Jug on w | | a r-n' -v~>- ‘ « I - n' 9“».- A... a----a--- .“ . 'J ; “ ‘ .aa Au 1-. 40-04 . ‘ I“ .O ‘. -... _A_,‘ ' 1 :- ~-‘ .. . v- - ‘ yen fi.~..\-.r.~y.} ... _ ‘ a .4 “--r d Ql‘ ' V‘e a“ . 'e--.. -\‘ - w-L. - . ‘ r "Me—..z- . I ‘ ‘ Q -V ‘M s- Q a. ,.J“ .. ‘ e N f‘ . .‘ . "'4... fl . I, m “ ..~ ‘ .. ._ . ... . ~A ‘ ‘. s‘“ .J.e ". :- . I“ '3‘ ‘«.. V C‘ .- Q “d. u § '- 9 4*... ‘~-. “.-., ‘- .5.. s- .A«.,- . ‘_ .‘r‘v s t(‘~ ‘\.'~ V-‘i‘ A - n U 1 ‘I ‘- U V . . ‘4ng V.‘ “’5‘. .... . . .‘-" .-.‘ ..w .. ,‘ A . V ‘. ‘1 .‘ . . “\ Pu- .. 1 -~ ~1 _. . ,4 a “‘.~— A a ‘. ‘ «“u .P ,1. ~ I . § ,0 '4 .- I‘. P '. . - '\ N I . ._ ‘e .-‘ h“ l . \- .. x _ ‘ \ . - ‘ . ‘v "r. § Ka \‘ . I“) of agricultural work which is be rforr ed at off-farm loc~ ations is continually increas irr The role of high school pr03rams in vocational agriculture is chanéing. Continuous ‘J adjustments will need to be made in high school programs of vocational agriculture if they are to meet the future needs of students who enroll in high 3chool clas of vocatior a1 agriculture. The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, the original act pro- viding for federal reimbursement to high school pregrams of vocational arriculture specifies that public high schools in order to receive such reinburseme ent; shall provide for directed or supervised practice in agriculture, either on a fa m provided by the school r other farm, for at least six months per yea .1 High school youths enrolled in vocational agricul- ture often obtain work experience in agriculture in th fort of supervised farming prosrans composed of producti"e enterprise projects, improvene t projects and supplementary farm jobs carried out on farms operated by their families. Many vocational agriculture departments are placing in— creased empl asis on supplementing home farm work experience 0f high school students by greater utilization of farm placement and land laboratories as methods of provid ing 1United States Jonjress Public gags of the United §$fi£§§ pi A .erica Pas r,ed o~ the Sixty-Fourth Congrggg, 1315- lJlT, Jolune 39, Part 1,.asH1iijton: United States Sovern~ Lent Pr inti ina_: Office, 1917. ,‘ .-- ... .o. a - u -' ‘ U. . , .3 '. . . -0 ..i . . . 'n’ 7‘" r. .v . . . . _ u ‘ ' . ' ."-r- - an ‘ “‘ "th‘ I j- .‘A- "f" . 4‘ ' ~.‘.‘.,. ‘0 "“ r u-A ‘0 . -~4 I "“ i.-. V . . ..‘ '7“, -_ ‘ (”H“ ~.IA - l ‘ ‘ ] ‘f‘ Q _‘ 'I l 'J'.b..»‘ r- , ,._' ‘ RI' ,- ’.’, x, . .. . d ... ‘ '. -.. .v‘ ‘ ‘ I «'1: t .' c ‘ .A.. .u,_’ y‘.‘ 1 . ’ ~.‘.~ .: ‘ "v‘V\-.~ --- ‘ I ‘*‘.‘ ‘ .‘ .t. ..‘ . . 1 -- ‘- ... N -. V‘ . L“i “y ‘L 'kfi ’4 . ._ _ . p. . ‘ . ,. - v l " . .V '. . ..‘ , .’-: . « . ."‘U ‘ -§ . \‘ ‘5 c : . ....h k. ‘ »‘ c — H ' ‘ . .fi' § ‘ ‘ a Q '~‘ ’ -'I i v V‘ ‘. : ‘ r ‘A‘ V C ‘ o _ PM,_ «‘. a. - I 'y‘ .‘. . ‘ ‘ 6 ~ \i Q“ r P E V‘ V a I . - As ._ s I , "4, -~ ‘- 4 A. ~ ' v ., _ , ' .r. .. u,. 4? 7' .m“ a I H x 0 V D 1‘ 71‘- "q “- 1’“ r‘" ‘ 'fl 'V“ '2 7‘. ‘\ *4 P! , D f - \V‘: - f A ‘r N , r A ~ .... '_;- ,1...-’3\A 81“» QMLJEA \fASe ~ t’l‘a‘ira-JC) C); afuc ..I'Orik v.15 L)(3lr:.-LJ‘;1C. Hi_h school students of vocational e~riCJ1 ure often engage in work experiences in add itionvto supervised farm— ing programs planned as part of their educational program in vocatio1tel a ric culture. The nature of thes work exper— iences may range from performance of farming operations to jobs almost wholly unrelated to farming. What effect may these rork experiences have on occupational choice and edu— cational plans of these high school students? Many former students of vocational avriculture are »J ‘40 enga; ed in occupations other than farn n3. Not all students presently enrolled in high scliool vocational agriculture classes will nece ssarilv have well formulated plans to enter U , . ° '1 1... 1 r ‘--- ' .s‘ ~ 1 a 1.. ‘r 1.1. farming. 1he vocr1M1na1 Jca1s o1 nifil school SulC331c even tk1r';]1 ‘f‘ Llfir‘x'fi? Woj‘w‘ ‘ (3 1"" «1‘5" pd "‘ 7‘ Llnf r"“‘. ‘17 \ ‘0 ' ‘f r 4‘13 'r fi ‘V “‘31 LL A 1", 4—0 ’1" L J C,“ ”E a ’ I .1 A“ U-‘ «no. :3 LI UflL J C) J. ‘IU L; d ‘J \Jl 0,; > 4- ‘ ~ -_q, 4- 1’" fl a‘ q - Ann...“ ‘ — r 9‘... ects, are uOb alwa's fully 3p11ulated. Vocational course CA. 1-. . nigh school level can play an important role in occu— Q1 rt cf— he pational guidance. Occupational choice and educational plans of high school students are important from the stand— point of student metivation. During recent years many hirh school departments of vocational agriculture haVe tern plac- ing an increasing emphasis on the fact tiat there is a wide variety of agricultural jobs, in addition to farr inc, which Slfir students may enter following high school graduation. 1 hucn emphasis nas been placed on work experience, in the \. h 1 ‘ I W" i, l -. U‘ L . --- r “v" H: e . v ’- .. -*.r oh 0 Q .: .-._. ,‘ A .....z..' .- 2.. - !‘ a!“ r H. £. . .vU‘U-L. -1 ' n . ‘1- -—'. O ~ ‘ -. "ov u»- v A. .' - ‘rn. -.. L J.“ '. ’vl. . ‘ o 'h“"‘. ~I“- -A. .l’ - . ‘ 1 . ., ‘ 2'“ '01.. ..-o4 4... --.. V. ‘. - - ' -51. ru' 5‘. i. .~ . n ‘ . .. ‘ P _.“ ‘. -Q.____- 2. .‘v ' i 1 ‘ 1 .-‘h' ’r‘ . 1 h”. A vwvAys.u‘. v . . . ‘ ‘ ‘Q.. I..' ... -... “f x: .. C. “‘ V‘ " . . 5‘. v. s‘ ‘ ~ : n1» ' 'H' "a' , H ‘ ‘ O“ .3 ’1" ‘l '4‘“ . .v a ‘ rs ,. I "‘45 1‘ _ , ~‘ ‘ ' x “‘ . 7“,. A ,- ~ "~1_‘ ... l p“.A . u- ‘ ‘V l “"4. . . -‘s¢. .‘ ‘l «.A“‘ ‘ 9 Vs (\ J" . . a‘“‘ A. u. F. "“u.. “"_‘ I ‘4 a'nl‘h‘" 1 “ “1.,\-_ ‘C ‘V '5 ~h .‘ -~‘ U‘_~ - “H 1 ‘ 0 - .1 ‘ 1 e‘ ‘ ~ ‘ V...‘ , ._ , ‘ u- form of supervis:d farming programs, in vocational agricul- ture as a means of preparation for farming. An equal anount of consideration has not been given to other work exper~ iences in which high school students of vocational agricul- ture may engage. Supervised farming pregrams are commonly used as a part of educational programs in vocational agriculture. Farming programs have been the means by which many boys have developed the resources with which to start farming. Not all students enrolled in high school classes of voca- tional agriculture will have an opportunity to success ully establish themselves in a farming occupation. Neither are the work experiences of high school students limited to work of the farm. Kany of these students engage in non- farm work experiences. Info nation is needed concerning the total work experiences of high school vocational agri- culture students. What relationships exist between work experiences of 1m{fi1 school vocational agriculture students and their edu- cational and occupational plans? A determination ant under— S"Ganding;ofrelationships which exist between the work experiemces enfiajed in by high school students of vocational afiricnllture and occupational choices and educational plans (‘9 a ‘ . 1 ‘ o “* 1Silese students would enaole workers in the field of aFjI‘loultural education to plan more effective educational A b J.. .-.. ..- , I 4 ,—~ -..- . .‘ a .u - uu.-‘ pr03rans to I: et Chang 1113 needs. 1n undcrstandir“ of these relati xmslips should help develop prea3 ra11 Jhich "ill better meet the unique needs of individual students. Such an understanding would also help clariiy problems encounte m,d in helping individual students in developin3 interest s, attitudes, and abilities to effectively aid the en in makin3 and carrying out their post—high school educational a; i occupational plans. Purposes of the Stud; The principal purposes ofthis study were: (1) To determine work experiences, occupa- tional choices, and ed ucational plans of high so 001 stud nts of vocational agri— culture. (2) To determine some of the variable factors which are related to work experiences engaged in by h'gh school students of vocatior1al a3riculture. (3) To determine the relatior sl1ips which exist between work ex perien es of hish scnocl stud mite of vocational agriculture an their occupational plans. (4) To determine the relationsnipr thicn exist ‘9‘ .. 5 a... -_ - ‘0 ~ .. . - ~. '- ‘ .- _-\ ... . DAVWH "V .ucv - - i . - ‘ \eA . . 4 ’ ,_ _ ... - . 'nV-n ._.,. - J _A_ “' *-'¢-_ . . .. .. _ . ... 2W! __ a.-.,_”- .‘ _ . vv ‘sx- ' h . I . ., , ' v. . . -_ '4‘ ‘ .-- . , . . -‘1*~.°__, ‘ “~‘.“’U-l.| ‘ r . ' ) . ..w’ ‘ ~-1_ , ..“u i V i...‘ ‘ c g -. 5“” ..- ... , . .__“ .- . . ‘RA r VJ". ~~ ‘ ' 1L " 1. -:~ ‘v“ k u q - . O ‘, _ ‘~~ u; . . ..., . 9-. . ‘¢ " "‘ :. . s’A‘ Ir) Cg. , v “.I "‘ ‘3 Is .‘vdw, | . I ‘l H ~ ‘4 . .‘A _ a“ .. 1V ‘ ‘ N ‘ .,_ . h- “-. 5"». 2 v4. 1‘ .55 c‘ Q "‘ . ~r y: :M.‘ _' u. | 5‘... _ ‘ .. . .Q ‘- ~ — s. ‘-’fi‘. Q J~J~ .. .. ’Q " ‘4. ‘ v v." ,1 A. ’ W‘ ‘ t '.-n c ‘ h. . . 1* \AA I‘-. ~.- 2‘ ‘ ”-l I C: \ I *‘=e1‘ (“5+ 7'“ M“ finlwfi-“l ""j‘ “"J'. ""07 1 "a U-qu-I-r pJA; U~~Al ”7‘1 IJULLVQ ‘LKLdb(JaUlObA<.L-v< p- a;&s3. The first of the four principal PUTPOSGS 0f t3“ study listed above was fulfilled through a descripti‘n of the factors involved. In order to realize purposes number _- ‘ , . . +L " '1‘! . '3 .‘ w.‘ .. -3 _ - - t.o, tar e, and four the lollouin3 three 3eneral hypotneses work experiences of hich school students of voca~ tional agriculture are related to the following student characteristics: (1) class in hi3h school, (2) place of A ~ \. 4.» i . Mix”: n a o ‘5‘”. I) f' 4-‘»»-.~'~ esiee-.ce, (3) father s Obelq'ulOu. 04. a rail, (4 lather :e, W ‘ a, ‘L 0 rr\ - .. ‘~ C . r- - R ‘ \ tine penv larsin , and (J) else of home farm. Occupational plans ard aspirations of high school students of vocational afirieulture are related to the fol- lowin3;measures of vork experience: (1) hours of farm work exPerience, (2) hours of farm work experience with owned Projects, (3) composite farm work experience score, (4) hours of‘off-farm work experience, and (5) total hours of 7:0 rk experi enc e . General.}mjmthesis Number Three: Post-hi:h school plans of high school students of . ‘WNNItional agriculture are related to the following measures 0 0L‘WOrkzexperience: (1) hours of farm work experience, (2) ‘ 1 ”-n “nova“ .' 'o'I v..."-r-- 9 ~ I O“ y, . .. ' ..n sq;- -_.. "'o ..‘A‘ - ‘ A. . -.. 1 . ' , Q a. a“ Q . . V‘. as -‘ i .. ‘ . ~ 9‘s ‘ , U 4V . \ J." ~ .. 4 4 - ‘ ,1 } “« n7 nours of farm work experience with owned projects, (3) com— posite farm work experience score, (4) hours of off—farm work experience, and (5) total h urs of work experience. In testing the first general hypothesis of the study the following measures of work experience were used: (1) Hours of farm work experience (2) Hours of farn wort exp-rience with owned projects (3) Composite farm work experience score (4) Hours of off—farm work experience (5) Total hours of work experience In testing general hypothesis number two the follow— in3 classifications of occupational choices and aspirations were used: or non-agricultural occupation} (3) Certaintv of occupational choice (4) Occupational level of aspiration (measured by th, North—Hatt scale) In testin3 general hypothesis number three the fol- -J‘V l T“? ‘ s -° 0 w 1 OwiJhg classifications of post—hign scnool plans were used: (1) Amount of post—hi3h school education .-‘~'~ ..n. . J ‘4‘ - .n-.a ... ~ -- n . .... < H ... . 5 M- ,~ _ .... V"-u-...' . .‘ Ho'wg‘.‘ "l 4 ’- fin . do. “ 5-1 .".‘vv.._ ‘ ~ - 9 -- . ._-4 T 6 "V . an»... . .' .. : ‘I‘A “ x ‘it‘ v ' V ‘4 pa - . ‘ . «x . ~‘x . ~ w . ...... ‘-’ fih" ., . ‘ l""§ - . v.1 ‘.“‘v v. I :,r a: 4.3" a‘. .‘es u ( I D ( ( ,.. ~._ u‘ _* “ “ .§ .3 ‘ I- ‘A u - Q“ ‘. “ ‘ ‘A. w» . ‘ ‘..: fi-k ’ s “"1 .t - 3 " ..‘u . ' v . ._, .‘~ s I.) - ‘vv M'A‘ ' ‘ ‘4 1‘s .~ .‘ -\'_‘ . a; 1,‘ -_\ J n F s ‘1 : - ‘*.- J .n "‘3‘ 1' '- .“‘~."‘ .~ '- 4‘. ‘. o " ‘. " “ '. 4 .‘r 3 3 “'-A ',‘ ~ ‘ A ‘4 _Y.- A -;" R. e 33 A. \ 3 I a ‘ 't '. ‘ | ‘ . u A. .. A u g 4 a (2) Degree of consideration 3iven to educal tional plans (3) Certainty of Educational plans Scope and Limitatigns of th 3§tudv “D This studv had as its principal purpose a study of work experiences of high school students of vocational a3ri- culture and relationships existin3 between these work experiences and the students' occupational and educational plans. It is re003nised that factors which affect decis— ions of people, such as determination of occupational choice and educational plans are many and varied. It was necessary to limit this study to a few selected measures of work experience of high school students of vocational a3riculture and their relation to selected characteristics of occupa- ‘tional and educational plans. *1, 7 "" 4 ' . as bfle norm experience P3 LL (D S: U} (D O H: r... rq' *— kl ('f *1! f... l.) \D h ,2 d- U) 1...“. O )— 3 schedule developed and used in this studv involves certain lhTterpretation on the part of both the individual student Ifik) completes it and the individual who classifies and compiles the data. This study was further limited to a specific 3e0— graifiric area in south central Michigan made up of the 00turties of Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Jackson, and Washtenaw. This limitation of (I) 5“ O t area allowed the study to be conducted in a sin3le type of fara n3 area. The ei3ht county area inc.1 has been classified by the department of n'llc ultural 3co— noaics of Iichi3aa State University as a dairy and general farting area.C This lim tation of area also permitted per~ .C‘ sonal vis ts to each of the high school departments of vocational a3rieulture included in the study. A random sample of ten high school depart nezits of vocational a3ri- culture ”is tak en from the list of all hi 13h school depart— V ! a ments of vocational a3riculture in the area selected for the study after those schools where known teacher changes would occur during the coming summer were eliminated from the 1ist. This study included a total of four hundred twenty—one students of vocational a3riculture from these ten high schools. This study is also linited in relation to time. Laformation in regard to plans, choices, and decisions of _ it the students of vocational a3riculture is limited to one Specific time at which tlies e studer ts completed the work L rience schedules used in t1' L) .1. . ‘ S ill/(aye C The follow n3 definitions are given in order to \) Clarily'terms frequently used in this study. a‘- * G—‘—- A ' 1-1 \. CElton R. Hill and Russel G. havoy, Tvpes g; Earnig3 égvfiichiran, Michijan A3ricultural Experifieflt Stabi3n ‘5‘331a1 Bulletin 236, (East Lansing, lichi3an, 1934) P. 2o. x e. .. -‘ .->- - -..-v- |'\4_. 0 u .... . l ‘ _. .- h) ... .. Li-, a . .__,.L.. ,1 ‘--.av--'¢.,.‘ q - ~ I“. O \ . Hug-.w - o "h"-r“-- n“ ~'.. . ‘ . . ¢ J» \" ‘ .p-sss "~‘« . u—.—.—... A u 1 ‘r'\- .‘ ,- “ O‘-x.. _ ‘4 A'fw-p-X ... .'¢‘--y.. I a .5- I. ‘Q - _ M—« ”I“. .. 1 . -A-'.. r~“‘ u A‘_ 3‘. a, w'. l'-vv. “ l . . | "~..‘ . — P~\‘: - r. 5‘ a.._ . V-‘V"‘-u “f: \ I" “ L _. fl ‘ .‘fi‘. . ~A ‘Y‘ .' ‘4 U, ... HA \.‘ t ‘ v‘ ... K. . 2‘ ~ ‘ . ' Q ‘fipal ‘va. u.-‘. . ‘. *1 . «..e u .. v V.) NF, V- x. t-._ .. iv -“ O . ... ‘:"Q ‘C s a VV ‘ ' .... ‘5 ‘:"h. ‘«. ."_“‘ my . b ‘A‘ ,J' a y. , Eggatiqgal.nsrigmlt;re - This term ap lies to hifih school vocational education programs in agriculture whicn are el3ihle for reimbursemen under terns of the National Vocational Education Acts. Eullzfline Farmer — Refers to a person who spends a majority of his working time in the operation of a farm. Part-Time Farmer - Refers to a person who operates a farm but spends more time at another job than in the operation of the farm. Agricultural Occupations — Refers to all occupations which require a knowledge of farming in the performance of duties. HganarmingpAgricultural Occupations - Refers to all agricultural occupations other than farm operation. On—Farm Work - Refers to all work performed on a farm in the normal course of farm Operation. Off-Farm Work — Refers to all work which is performed at a location other than on a farm. Owned Projects - Refers to farm enterprises operated by the student in which he has an ownership interest. Composite Farm Work Experience Score — Refers to a COmEMDSite score developed in this study as a measure of farm.1¢ork experience. Details of scoring are given in Chapter III. Occupational Level of Aspiration - Refers to the .A. ‘p" yev“‘~"" 5 .AF A .'« -‘ ..VMV, ‘ y- -..... .g ”.ng a; V w- F‘ ‘ . J..A . aun‘nqp .' ' h b. VO%VF\.V. A. I V" w‘»: -- .. ’. _. ......4. ad - Q! ‘. ¢~..... ‘~ -‘f ....--“ C. '1‘ C" A‘r"' and. v_“‘ ~ “A... -6 -d\“gg u g, Q : »‘Pn .a-_.'“ .- - 4‘ V ‘ a». ‘. r" -11- occupational prestige rating, according to the North-Hatt scale, of the occupation the student listed as the one he is most apt to enter. Chapter II which follows presents a revi w of lit— erature. A review of previous investigations and writings related to this study was made. Methods, techniques, and findings of these studies were examined to lend direction and continuity to this study as well as to discover the results of previous investigations on the same and closely related subjects. aspirant; 30:}: Elie: \— Stu . ‘ x“ 31"] S‘\ VJk . ”A CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE This chapter presents a review of literature in areas related to this study. It was h0ped that this review of literature would lend direction and clarifica— tion of purpose to the present study as well as present findings of other researchers in the general area of the study. This review of literature is presented in three main parts to coincide with the three general areas of this study: (1) work experience of youth, (2) occupational choices and aspirations, and (3) educational plans and aspirations. WOrk Experiencesgof Youth Studies which measure the amount of work done by high school students of vocational agriculture are rather limited. Straus in a study of eleventh and twelfth grade ‘boys in Wisconsin found that farm boys were assigned work zwales earlier in life and spent more time working than non-farm boys. He reported that most farm boys do not have outside employment, but they work at least twenty hOurs on the family farm per week. Sixty-one per cent of tale farm boys in this study were found to be working twenty or more hours on the home farm and only four per cent of them were found to be doing no work on the home -12- ”I." 0;- m“. .hibv.ug tiznal agri‘ far: mi: 9: m exper ‘ 'rccatianal : tural wzrk ‘ H,V v313‘ 'r 44 w . S n “‘L’ V311 ,‘u‘b 17.3. 'v ‘ ~‘ farm.1 Sutherland and Thompson in a state-wide study in California found that eighty per cent of high school voca- tional agriculture students were obtaining some form of farm work experience. Another ten percent were obtaining work experience in the field of agriculture but not in farming. The remaining ten per cent of the high school vocational agriculture students were receiving no agricul- tural work experience.2 Couch used man hours of labor spent by students on their supervised farming programs as a measure of size and scope of their programs. He found that high school voca- tional agriculture students from families who owned their farms spent 1,091 man hours per year on their supervised farming programs. This was much more labor involved in farming programs by students from owner families than from ‘tenant families. Students from tenant families spent only 229 man hours of labor per year on their supervised farm-— 111g programs. He also found a similar relation between lMurray A. Straus, "Work Roles and Financial Respon- sibility in the Socialization of Farm, Fringe, and Town Boy's," Rural Sociolo , Volume 27, Number 3, (September 1962) pp. 257-27 . 2Sidney Sampson Sutherland and Orville Eugene Tluompson, "Characteristics of the Pupils Enrolled in the 4A341-Day Classes in Vocational Agriculture in California," (Chapublished Non-Thesis Study, University of California, Davis, California, 1955), Summaries 2; Studies in Agri- 1 Education, Supplement No. 9, BuIIetIn'553, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1956). p. 31. A ‘ —u< .wr— -.., ‘ , -.'~ 1 Q ‘ .1. -- . . .. . ”.“o , a ,3 ...-n av... - gri2.~ lr-- ' y .‘.._-A.. .- L“ $1.... .. I .4 ~ .4‘. v --. ‘ ‘:~."-~ 1‘“ , u . -J*‘4-evlq .- ..." fi‘ “\ ‘- .~A.4 4.. I“, A\.- ~¢.V ‘ “Von . ...: g. t- O 0“- a ..F urs c § "FA- “W“‘e‘n‘. V" -~' ‘gy‘ C : ...” ” 51“]. . ‘09 ‘ w“. Lang .8" cuv -(; ‘ C a mtfinfifi “9. 2*”: "s.g.:'-‘ ] ‘ . 'r r v .. .. 1'; H .‘~.. In.‘ b:“~ S . r A ‘ Q 2 . ‘ JV. “ Va V, . ~._, :2.“ . e .u,. h. “ \\.,‘ V»_. ~. n '“u. ...“ 1‘ L, V " ' A. ~ .- l‘- ~“v N ‘ . «y“ .F‘ UV‘ I 5‘5 ‘ ‘C‘n. I". «H. a. \,‘~ ‘ ,_ 4“ . »‘:. ‘N _n V U ‘ Anh‘ ‘ 4“ .s._ . Va VA ‘ “J. 5.; \.‘.'7“‘" ‘ ‘1 I J ._ ‘g‘ JV ,- a “u «an. ‘7 \ -14- farms operated on a full or part—time basis and amount of work done by the students in carrying out their supervised farming programs. Students from families who operated farms full-time spent approximately five times as many hours as students from families operating farms only part-time. He found that size of the farming Operation on the home farm was a vital factor affecting the amount of time devoted to 2 ,/ student's supervised farrin: program Fuller in a study in New York state found that farm- ing programs of junior and senior pupils enrolled in agri- culture three (junior year) and four (senior year) were of sufficient size and scope to provide experience that could be related to the whole farm in all areas except farm record Deyoe, in a Michigan study, found that amount of farm work on the home farm while attending high school was zassociated with farming status of the young farmer in his astudy. He reported that performing considerable work on tflae home farm while attending high school was significantly associated with likelihood of farming and that young men in ‘ 3Kenneth Odell Couch, "A Study of the Effect of Home 4811d Farm Conditions Upon the Supervised Farming Program of Ilrird Year Vocational Agriculture Students in Spartanburg ‘3CHanty, South Carolina,w (Unpublished Master's Thesis, <3lJemson College, Clemson, South Carolina, 1953) 4Gerald R. Fuller, "The Characteristics of Farming :PITDgrams of Junior and Senior Pupils Enrolled in Vocational Aegriculture 3 and 4 in New York State for the School Year 15957-58" (Unpublished Master's Essay, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1960) “A ..- dd , ..2 ‘ VG. v-. f l r, .c i ‘1 U ¢ H, 4 J ‘02:.” 7 U.. ‘.V‘ 10... . .6 V Jr _‘:hen 3; a vom- 4- 4 A‘V-‘H ; '1“. havd" 3 WW!” .%5 dw- ‘qu ’ D .5» n’. V q v.‘ .Vl‘ocd d "In" ~ '- .“ 'dw.“ ‘7. r.“- U ‘| .w. .m a .. . . . e ‘ ... o..\ 3 ..C 2 . 2. at «13 «C e H; s s .a u 9 C in... b. e D. \ a. 1 an nu. Re TV“. a e O» \l h“ .b “A is A i u “A I. bJ/ ~xvn.\1l«:.‘z.s w. ..i..u....a pant...“ m. 3.3..” New other types of farming performed considerably more work on the home farms while attending high school as compared with young men farming as laborers.5 Youmans, in a study of sixteen and seventeen year old rural youth from low income farming areas in Kentucky, found that about one-third of the boys worked for pay dur- ing their last year of school. Socio-economic status didn't appear to affect the number of these youth who were working for pay. Approximately equal proportions of the students from low, middle and high socio-economic status families reported working for pay. No significant differences were found in this study between farm and non-farm youth in either the amount of paid work done or amount of money earned during the year.6 The importance of work experience was stressed by .Anderson who concluded, from a study of 1,242 high school :students in rural community high schools of Pennsylvania, that the opportunity to experience the essential elements C>f a vocation was the most important influencing factor in _ 5George Percy Deyoe, Ypunngen From Michigan Farms - A Study 2;: Farm Reared gen flh__g Attended Certain Michigan High Schools Which Maintain pepgrtments 9; Vocational Agri- .cn11ture, State Board of Control for Vocational Education, Ehilletin 256, (Lansing, Michigan, 1939) pp. 10 - 12. 6E. Grant Youmans, The Educational Attainment ggd .Elggngg Plans 9; Kentucky Rural Youth. Kentucky Agricultural EXperiment Station Bulletin Number 664, (Lexington, Kentucky, 1959) pp. 25 - 26. N A - '~ '. re we“; I e. ‘- saw-ale: An I A ‘ hematite; was Buff :1 eII-k‘rieezce. 34" “MAe‘ districts 1‘ the development of vocational interest.7 Farm work experience was found by Butler to be important in agriculturally related occupations. He found farm experience required of employees for approximately sixty-eight per cent of the Jobs in agriculturally related occupations. Farm experience with no additional training was sufficient for twenty-eight per cent of the Jobs with forty per cent of the Jobs also requiring high school vocational agriculture training in addition to farm work experience.8 Edlefsen,in a study of students in four high school districts in the state of Hashington,found that the reason most frequently mentioned by the students for their choice of occupation was actual work experience in the field of their choice.9 Hensel found that experience on the Job was the 7Clarence Scott Anderson, "Vocational Interests of Plural High School Pupils in Pennsylvania. (Unpublished lion-Thesis Study, Pennsylvania State College, State College, JPennsylvania, 1938) Summaries 2; Studies in A ricultural LEkiucation, Supplement Number 1, Bulletin 180, (DanviIIe, JIIlinois, Interstate Printing and Publishing Company),p.27. 8Jimmy Joe Butler, "Some Guidance Concerns in Voca- . tional Agriculture." (Unpublished Master's Thesis, Univer- sity of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1959), Summaries Lit Studies in ricultural Education, Supplement Number 13, Bulletin 282, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1960). p. 147. 9John B. Edlefson and Martin Jay Crows, 3§gg;§ggg§' Shacumational As irations, washington Agricultura Experi- ngpnt’IStagion Bulletin 18, (Pullman, Washington, 1960) i 1 & | p I nova "- k “vs V“ L F511? .dv‘vua o‘f ‘ :uaeVS FE AIIA. ‘- “ Vrfivtrvut. I. - 1‘“ *lvvlC-n ~ ‘qu‘ ivv"' ‘V ‘A ..d AU \i~\1t‘ NV source of information having the greatest influence on the occupational choices of farm-reared senior boys who chose farming and non-professional occupations. Books and pam- phlets tended to be a more important source of information 10 for the senior boys who selected professional occupations. Nearing concluded from a study of vocational agricul- ture students in New York that farms operated on a full-time l basis provided adequate Opportunity for a boy to learn farm- ing whereas farms operated part-time presented practically no opportunity.11 Gerdeman in a study of farming programs of vocational agriculture students, from farms where the families were full-time and part-time operators, concluded that the teacher of vocational agriculture should not expect his stu- ¢ients from farms operated part-time to complete as many pro- ciuction projects, grow as many acres of crop projects, work as many hours on their projects, or make as much money from ‘tlieir supervised farming programs as the students from full- time farms.:12 -‘ 10 James W. Hensel, "High School Influences on the Occupational Choices of Farm Reared Senior Boys," Agricultural lgddacation Magazine, Volume 32, Number 11(May, 1960) pp. 256. 11Frank H. Nearing, "Bases For Making Changes in Pro- grams of Vocational Education in Agriculture in Central Rural Schools in New York State, (Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1954) 12Ear1 John G d "F 1 Pr Iiiigh School Studentsegfeggn' arm ng o rams Of Selected cation 1 A ricu tur — Tilne and Part-Time Farms in Ohio" (ngublisheg gggfiegvél “Diesis, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1955) 9 Ha. pp " v ~o 0». bndbb .A5 v A “'Qu‘I‘a‘ Fae. vaoo"tob VA e'v- ~ h.L-.“ Se 0 | chN " «”12“qu 2.1 \ ‘VkQ‘NLA AAI‘t ) “A u ‘ ‘ “hat a I 'n A. n) r)‘ p I ('D_ ¢+ ( D 3‘4 “‘3 :3 ”new “ 52,0;st 0“ a ‘9'?- 1' " —18- Fortune found in a study of vocational agriculture students at East Bend, North Carolina that these students were making only a few of the decisions regarding the carrying out of practices in their supervised farming pro- grams as indicated by their Opinions and the amount of specific practices which were followed in their enter- prises.l3 Hemp,in a study of developmental tasks of present and prospective farmers in Illinois,found the young-farmer level to be the one at which the greatest number of respon- sibilities was assumed. He found that high school students of vocational agriculture were assuming responsibilities but to a considerably lesser extent than young farmers. He reported that the first year of farming was the year in which the farmers in his study had assumed the most new :responsibilities. A majority of the cooperating teachers Cuf vocational agriculture in his study reported that most kuigh school boys were willing and able"to learn something about thirty-six per cent of the activities in his study sand that a majority of the young farmers were'willing and and able" to learn something about sixty-one per cent of ‘ 13Charles ware Fortune, "A Study of Who Makes the Decisions Relative to Supervised Farming Programs of Stnidents of Vocational Agriculture." (Unpublished Master's IPIwbblem, North Carolina State College, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1961) 1,... ..l A". ‘2. ha; 0. “LA U..\ u 'J‘P ‘n'wv:p A R‘J.‘ U“. 7‘“ A‘. ( net‘s V. H‘s" .J 3: mm ex;- relatlv ~H ‘ . “ U‘O‘ the activities}!+ Marinaccio, in a study of work experiences and 1.0. of high school students found that 251 out of a total of 629 boys, forty per cent, worked more than two hours per day with their fathers at a common task. He found the boys with abundant work experience with their fathers had sig— nificantly lower mean I.Q.'s than the boys with little or no work experience with their fathers. No cause and effect relationships were shown between lower mean I.Q.'s and larger amounts of work experience.15 Occupgtional Plans and Aspirations Theories 2; Occupational Choice Choice of an occu- pation is one of the most important decisions a person makes. It is generally agreed that occupational choice is knot completed at one specific time but is more or less a continuous process. Shartle describes the choice of a 'vocational career as a long process rather than ‘ single :incident. He also describes vocational decisions as often lacing compromises between the aspirations and preferences —— 14Paul E. Hemp, "Developmental Tasks of Prospective amid Present Farmers in a Selected Illinois Community," (thapublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. 1955) pp. 105-107. 15Lawrence V. Marinaccio, "Relationships Between 'Wtrrk Experience and Intelligence Quotients of Secondary School Pupils," (Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of cOnneticut, Storrs, Conneticut, 1961) f‘ aa \I) we. v-v r. g. a: d . \ r" L: 0".» A‘ v.3 ‘ 1 3‘ me in» excise is 1 39213132 .3 .. .‘ I use 2.5a a} e V versicle 4.1., 5.1,, extend ‘er‘ ~.“r‘ we 3. 18a.- of the individual and the realities of the world or work.16 Ginzberg draws the conclusion that occupational choice is a developmental process which is not a single decision but a series of decisions over a period of years. Each step in the process has a meaningful relation to those which proceed and follow it. He generalizes further that the process of occupational choice is largely irre~ versible as later decisions are limited by previous deci- sions. His theory also includes compromise as an essential aspect of every choice. He divides the process of occupa- tional decision making into three periods: fantasy, tenta- tive, and realistic choices. These three periods normally extend from pre-adolesence to early adulthood.17 The realization that occupational choice and adjust— ment is a continuous process is emphasized by Seibert as follows: Guidance workers have come to realize that occupational adjustment is a continuous life long process and that it is a matter of growing into an occupation. lie also refers to the inadequacy of an early "philosophy of‘ guidance" by which it was considered a matter of serious consequence if a pupil had not reached a voca— k l6Caroll L. Shartle, Occupational Information, Its Development gag Application, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1959)7PP- 3-4- l7Eli Ginzberg, and Others, Occupational Choice, Ag Approach 39 g General Theory. (New York: Columbia Univer- sity Press, 1951) pp. 26-72. bxnr ‘ his!“ « , ..é “ $ a, K8543 Urea)!" . www‘ww 'Ivaiv“a&‘ VA. ‘. ‘ P I‘ 3.5.358 Char; ‘Q’. ‘Mfifi.-~ "‘V :4.va.._ «0' A....‘. ...: ‘vlvd-vr'- “"fl.fin n“ :“’VvCD V." . 1c ‘- Ouv "AAFL‘AV 1 :v‘y‘u-..‘.a& K .Cfi‘ ‘V' fi.‘ ‘ adv“ L.‘C~|v L "QW.‘ we... ‘ ‘Viv‘v I...e:. - ”NAN \. ‘ _ q a, \‘..R V‘ ‘- ~"‘e~vs ‘ ‘e I a”: . Sue? to a a U a. {7- is- «5.. ...." h.“ ’Jl t» 2+"; ”'44‘23 ... . I o D ’t! 1 l. \7‘\ (f) 7 ‘~ () 3 ) ’r a tional decision by the time he entered senior high school.18 Super, in his theory of occupational behavior, sug- gests that: (1) people differ in abilities, interests, and personalities, (2) each person is qualified by virtue of these characteristics for a number of occupations, and (3) the process of vocational development is essentially that of developing and implementing a self concept through the process of compromise.19 Anderson attributed the degree of permanency of vocational interest remaining as high as it does to the fact that interests of each pupil go through a genetic development within a relatively narrow range of vocations.20 Occupational Choices of Former_Vgcationa1 Agpiculture Students Many follow up studies of occupations of former students of vocational agriculture have been made. Kitts in 1957 reviewed and compiled results from sixty-six studies made in twenty—five different states. He found that about forty-seven per cent of all former students of vocational agriculture included in these studies were k 18Earl W. Seibert, "Growing Into an Occupation," 2215 School Review, Volume 1, Number 9, (November, 1942) pp. BEA-850. ' 19Donald E. Super, "A Theory of Vocational Develop- ment,’ American Psychology, Volume 8 (1953), Pp. 185-190. 2OAnderson, loc. cit. “"1".Y‘ 3" :V‘lv“ - 1 l . nu ‘3 ”" “‘0 a _‘ LA vyu -u. .r law...” c‘ V. .U‘.." U Can‘t-‘2‘.“ .1 ‘ e... “a! b‘ ‘ Q ”“I r-vn 1‘4 . U ... 3 ‘e. ,, "‘ ‘1‘ ‘ . 2......“ V%‘ v I .f ‘q‘ ‘1 a .e «V‘_e‘ S _. . "new (EN- le'I e aa““ a Q “\‘ ”‘. C 9. A ..G‘ \ 1‘ V A ~ ‘ .‘nvkb Cf q“ ‘ .\ 5,. \- \ Asked .1 r-” "a O“ ‘ .mwoesct ‘1 ‘z‘u. ' i 5‘4) r 'N‘. ‘~.§’ \ y‘ N V“L‘ ‘Au‘.“ ‘ ‘ "'~§.“I“‘f‘l. ‘ ,._ -_ J ‘ “1- ff. a sky I— . .\". ‘1‘ '4 tr; ‘ . "es ea 9 r ‘ ' ‘ ‘§~\ O“ s Q“ ~’ \ \- " N ‘,“\An ”R‘I a. Vv‘ engaged in farming.21 A number of researchers have presented data to indicate that approximately one half of former students of vocational agriculture were engaged in farming and occupations related to agriculture. Wyse in a study of former students found approximately forty-one per cent farming, eight per cent in occupations related to agricul- ture and fifty per cent in occupations not related to agriculture.22 Wood in a follow-up study of former vocational agri- culture students reported an almost identical percentage of former students engaged in agricultural occupations with forty per cent engaged in farming and almost eight per cent engaged in related occupations.23 It appears that boys who live on farms while they are enrolled in vocational agriculture are much more apt to become farmers than boys who are urban residents. Kitts I I 21Harry N. Kitts, A Resume of Studies on Occupational Status of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture,’ (Unpub- lished Non-Thesis Study, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1957), Summaries pf Studies 1p gggicultural Edu- cation, Supplement Number 11, Bulletin 272, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1958), p. 43. 22Jacob F. wyse, "The Occupational Status of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture of Johnston High School, Johnston, South Carolina," (Unpublished Master's Thesis, Clemson College, Clemson, South Carolina, 1954) 23Eugene S. Wood, "A Followup Study of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture in Illinois," (Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1958) Summaries pf Studies gp Agricultural Education, Supple- ment Number 13, Vocational Division Bulletin 282, (Washing- ton: Government Printing Office, 1960) p. 85. ".....ADJ 9.4.: v- A».- ‘ .‘A “"5‘ v0 Lle‘l «to ~ ‘l-l. " «.- v.,al-___. 4-! -y 7 "J. .. ¥ N *‘r‘l‘ h- ‘ A‘-‘ ... ‘ofe c4 “. Ni V reported that approximately fifty—five per cent of former students of agriculture who lived on farms while enrolled in vocational agriculture were farming compared to only eleven per cent of the boys who were urban residents at the time of their enrollment in vocational agriculture.24 wyse found that one hundred per cent of the sixty-nine former students of vocational agriculture in his study who were farming had lived on farms at the time they were taking vocational agriculture in high school?5 Bachman, in a study of former students of vocational agriculture at Holdrege, Nebraska,reported that seventy-five per centof the grad— uates whose fathers were farming had remained in farming and that graduates whose parents were not on a farm tended to find employment in other occupations.26 Size and ownership of home farms appear to have influenced former students of vocational agriculture to farm. Both Bachman27 and Kitts28 reported size of farms and ownership by parents positively associated with former students who were farming. 24Kitts, loc. cit. 25wyse,loc.cit. 26Vernon w. Bachmann, "Factors Influencing Occupa- tional Choices of Vocational Agriculture Graduates of Holdrege High School" (Unpublished Master's Thesis, Univer- sity of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1957) 27Ibld. 28Kitts, log, cit. v“— uv-‘V g?‘ 1.2“" ‘EA- ‘-‘ v P'H‘ .‘oe‘ '. .¢ afar—“fl " ‘~.QAV \. 1 .fi“‘ “!V“ ‘4..y‘4- nu- ' § l -“ A .r Ir-flp“-u lv'au—sv--. .5. a ‘0 V- v-av‘ce are V -24- Gretebeck also reported finding farm ownership by parents related to establishment in farming of former high school students.29 Both Harrington 30and W'yse31 found that larger farms were significantly associated with the choice of farming as an occupation by former students of vocational agriculture. Wood32and Bachmanjjboth reported that more training in vocational agriculture in high school was related to choice of farming by former students. However, Harrington reported from his study that he found little relationship between amount of vocational agriculture studied and occupations chosen.3" 29Sanford Hilman Gretebeck, "A Career Pattern Study of Seventy-six Youth Farming Who Were 1957 High School Graduates in Five Selected Counties in Wisconsin," (Unpub- lished Doctor's Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1960) Dissertation Abstpacts, Volume 21 Number 6, December 1960, (University Microfilm Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1960) p. 1422. 30Ray A Harrington, "A Study of the Occupational Distribution of Former Pupils in Vocational Agriculture in Camden, New York, Central School and the Relationship of Such Distribution to Selected Background Factors," (Unpub- lished Master's Problem, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1954) Summaries pf Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 7, Vocational Division Bulletin 253, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1954) p. 26. 31W'yse, 100. C o it cit. 32Wood, loc. 33Bachman, loo. cit. 34Harrington, loc. cit. \."‘fi“ v.4. “ P 5 ‘l P " "" no '. 0.4g. U N fil‘qlfloc A. "‘J‘U\vu V- '1 . . ..~ n A.“ Ohna “‘:A. ‘3 ‘v‘ “;v ‘A (new. F“; U", "“t-u l .._‘ White, in a study of former students of vocational agriculture who were farming or ranching in La Salle County, Texas, reported from his data that farm enterprises carried by boys in high school had a definite bearing on enterprises carried on as the lifetime farming occupation.35 Occupational Choices pf‘gggp School Yppfip, A number of studies have been made which recorded the occupational choices of high school youth. Figures on percentages of high school students of vocational agriculture who expect to become farmers seem to center around the fifty per cent mark. Sutherland and Thompson reported that fifty per cent of the high school students in their Qfliflnnia study planned to farm and that an additional fifteen to twenty per cent planned to enter other agricultural work.36 mugm,ina study of high school vocational agriculture students in Michigan, reported that one-half of both freshmen and seniors aspired to and expected to enter farming.37 Krebs, in a state wide study in Illinois in 1959, 35Deryl White, "A Study of the Relationship Between Certain Boys Supervised Farming Programs and Their Present Farming or Ranching Occupations in La Salle County, Texas," (Unpublished Master's Problem, Texas A. & M. College, College Station, Texas, 1953) Summaries pf Studies ip Agri- cultural Educ tion. Supplement Number 8, Vocational Division Bulletin 256, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1955) p. 100. 368utherland and Thompson, 0p. cit., p. 31. 37William Herbert Knight, "Factors Associated With The Vocational Choices of High School Students of Vocational Agriculture," (unpublished Doctor's Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 1958) p. 72. ‘ t A é‘aaq O vgn r r, u . .y-rv-Uvd . . I Q ‘ .Iral 9‘” our...” 9‘.Aai ‘A A' . 1,73" J" ' ‘u;. .‘A‘ v 'PFA ‘fi‘n‘ 1 ...]. i Q Vagfio‘ ”V3- ‘9tv. R 957—33 ".14 l 'k;*“ "A I "ha. VFW reported that forty-four and a half per cent of the vocat- ional agriculture students had chosen the occupation of farm- ing.38 Fuller, in a New York study of third and fourth year vocational agriculture students, reported that fifty-eight per cent of the group of students studied by him intended to farm.39 Hensel reported that 91 out of a group fo 216 farm- reared senior boys, (43 per cent) gave farming as their first occupational choice.40 Straus reported that one-third of a group of farmers' sons gave farming as their preferred occupation.b'l Thompson reported, from a study conducted in twenty- seven California high schools in 1961, that most high school vocational agriculture students had made at least a 38A1fred H. Krebs, "Future Plans of Vocational Agri- culture Seniors in Illinois High Schools, Classes of 1959," (Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1959) Summaries 2; Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 14, Vocational Division Bulletin 291, (washington: Government Printing Office, 1961) p. 30. 39Gerald R. Fuller, "The Characteristics of Farming Programs of Junior and Senior Pupils Enrolled in Vocational Agriculture 3 and 4 in New York State for the School Year 1957-58," (Unpublished Master's Essay, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1960) zi‘OHensel, 2p. cit. p. 255. 41Murra " y A. Straus Personal Characteristics and Functional Needs in the Choice of Farming as an Occupation," Rur:é830ciology, Volume 21, Number 3, (September, 1956) p. . tentative vocational choice. He reported that between fifty and sixty per cent of the students enrolled in vocational agriculture were planning to enter careers in agriculture. He found that more of the students who planned to enter agriculture had fathers who were engaged in agriculture than did those students who planned to enter non-agricul- tural vocationsf+2 Cornett found in a study of vocational training choices of high school sephomore and Junior boys that ninety-two per cent of them preferred some type of voca- tional training in high school. He found that sixty-four per cent of the sons of full-time farmers desired voca- tional training in agriculture compared with forty-two and a half per cent of the sons of part-time farmers and only eight per cent of the boys from non-farm families. He grouped fathers' occupations and boys' training choices into thirteen areas. He found that sixty-two per cent of the sons of fathers in agriculture desired vocational training in the same area as their father's occupation.3 Butler reported from a study of guidance concerns in vocational agriculture that having made an occupational 42 O. E. Thompson, "What Are the Plans of Vocational Agriculture Students?", Agriculture Education Magazine, Volume 34, Number l2,(June, 1962) pp. 276-273. 43 Dallas Lee Cornett, "Vocational Training Choices of Sophomore and Junior Boys in the Marios County Rural High Schools", (unpublished Master's Thesis, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1957) n'rc" «g "r; "- don-‘vv ”Log ' fwuv’v 9 'fi.3&--¢-.s- I in... 5.2... 4 UAK Q9" r“.~ ,. L..' M v ‘ a ‘ u. choice was not a requirement for high school vocational training. He reported that ninety per cent of the voca- tional agriculture teachers in Tennessee help students develop skills and abilities helpful in occupations other than farmingffll Cushman in a study of pre-vocational training of seventh and eighth grade boys in Vermont presented evidence to indicate that such pre-vocational training does not greatly affect occupational choice as the former students of this pre-vocational training program entered the several major groups of occupations in about the same ratio as the total adult male Vermont labor force.45 Hensel also reported no difference between the occu— pational choices of senior boys who had received vocational agriculture training and senior boys who had not received vocational agriculture training.“S Reports of previous research do not agree on the importance of such factors as place of residence, size of farm, and family ownership of farm in influencing occupa- tional plans of youth. Griffiths found that one of the factors which 4 Butler,]th.cit. 45 Robert Harold Cushman, "In What Occupations Do Vermont Junior-Senior High School Boys Need Pre-Vocational Experiences?" (Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 1952) 46 Hensel, op. £13,, p, 255, “no: enovvu Q aug-A . I..." ,, h.),)).Hvll)[)er%llt1).)rll.||.|.l)..vflll.l|]|’fislwllll v t .4 . A -n 2 & .... . u t ..u .1. .... .... ,z .1 i It at. .e .yu #v 3% 3. .y L. .... .l. 8 av it I. .c n.“ at. ..u .u as .. .~ 3 a. a o 7.. 2. a. . .... TA “a we .su . a as o a: D. s . a ..u so v v. 2. d ...u o. v r14 no b 3 Ray Al. F v «‘5 5:. t. .T. L .t W a . mm a . ...“. m... .. w . 3v rn I. .v .v .y A; I. n . .s... influenced occupational plans of farm youth was size of farm.47 Apps reported no significant difference between either size of farm or farm ownership by parents and the number of boys who chose farming. He found lower educat- ional attainment of fathers associated with the son's choice of farming as an occupation. No relationship was found be- tween mother's educational level and occupational choice of son. 48 Hensel found no relation between choice of farming as an occupation and farming status of parents.49 Burchinal reported that boys who plan to farm had lower grades and less often planned for education beyond high school than did those boys who did not plan to farm.50 Haller, in a study of farm boys in Michigan in 1957, 4''John W. Griffiths, "Educational and Occupational Plans of riale Farm Youth at the Ninth Grade Level, (Unpub- 1ished Master' s Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1958) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 13, Vocational Division Bulletin 232 (Washington: Government Printing Office), p. 42. Q 4"Jerold W. Apps, "Characteristics of Youth Choosing Farming as an Occupation in Five Selected Counties in ‘Jisconsin," (Unpublished Master' 3 Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1957) Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 11,Vocaoional Division Bulletin 272, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1958) p. 5. 49Hensel,o _p. cit., p. 255. 50Lee G. Burchinal, "What's Your Son Going to Do?” The Iowa Farm Science, Volume 14, Number 9, (March, 1960) P- *1} -30- found that the boys who chose not to farm tended to have higher levels of educational and occupational aspiration and were more flexible regarding their occupational pre- ferences than were the boys who planned to farm. He also found that the parents of boys who planned not to farm tended to have higher levels of educational and occupational aspiration for their sons than did parents of those boys who ‘planned to farm. No difference was found in measured intelli- gence of the boys in this study between those who chose to .farm and those who chose not to farm. 51 Straus found no significant differences between :personal and social characteristics of farmers' sons who ckuase farming and those who chose non—farm occupations in 21 study of occupational choices of farmers' sons in Wash- iJlgton. He did find that the boys in his study unlexpressed a. preference for farming were much more certain of entering idle preferred occupation and had not considered alternative Cuzcupations to so great an extent as the boys who chose .ncni-farming occupations. He concluded from his study: There is little or no difference between the physical and intellectual ability of farmers' sons in the state of Washington who desire to farm and farmers' sons WES express a preference for non-farm occupa- tions. 51A. O. Haller, "Planning to Farm: A Social Psycho— logical Interpretation," Social Forces,Volume 37, Number 3, (March, 1959) pp. 263-268. SZStraus, op. cit. (Rural SociOIOgy, September, 1956) pp. 264-266. cf (“v-«s- C.“‘v_:v*c ' . ..vAA...-lu '-..\. “ “ 1 'A n-v. .0 II \, 5, : :v.Uv-op‘ A..|J O I n U) (D . J (I! J ( » (Ii 1 ’\ '\' -' 1'! (l' I 1 7w» V»; ‘0‘ , Jtc'iiyr‘ ( e I ~ Slocum found in a study of college students at Atate College of Washington that fifty-six per cent of all the students who had made an occupational choice considered personal interest developed through actual experience in the selected field as the most important reason for their choice of occupational field.53 Occupational Aspirations of Youth Slocum, in a study of high school seniors, found that occupational aspir- ations were generally high in relation to current employ- ment possibilities. Many of the seniors had apparently taken into account the fact that they probably would not be able to attain their desired goals and reported that they eXpected to enter lower status occupations than those ;preferred. Farm boys plans differed from non-farm boys in 'that a much higher proportion were planning to enter the cnzcupation of their father. However more farm boys were Planning to enter non-farm than farm occupations. About tuna-thirds of the senior boys had narrowed their occupa— tixxnal preference to a single occupational field.54 Edlefson and Crowe, in a study of the occupational aspirations of seventh through twelfth grade boys and girls 53Walter L. Slocum, Occupational Planning 31 Under— W at the State College 9.1; Washington, Washington A{51"1 cultural Experiment Station Bulletin 547, (Pullman, Washington, 1954), PP. 4-12. Pl 54Walter L. Slocum, Occupational and Educatiqggj ~_§££§i of High School Seniors rom Farm and Non-Farm Hones. eriment Station Bulletin 564, )(qashington Agricultural Exp 1man, Washington, 1956 ,pp. 31-32. 3 'u -2, y, n‘ a: “iyte. d- eate occufa' ‘~ A 'fi'ir‘ nm.6.““‘ ha‘J :'&v&v--. ”‘1‘? I V‘VNS fy‘a .. 1., i W ‘ “ ~39 :2 “l u ‘“ V‘lcal ’YAV‘. ‘. in Washington,found that most boys and girls prefered higher and middle status jobs, most children whose fathers were in higher and middle status jobs preferred to enter the same occupation as their fathers, and that many students who preferred higher status jobs did not expect to get them. He concluded in regard to the effects of residence on occu- pational aspiration: Residence may be an important factor in the occupational outlook of students. Students living on farms preferred a type of work with things. Students living in towns preferred work involving peOple. Residence apparently does not affectcpreference for work that principally involves ideas.“ Youmans,in a study of sixteen and seventeen year old youths from a low income farming area in Kentucky,found that the»socio-economic status of a youth's family was a signifi- cant factor in his occupational aspirations. The lower artatus youths tended to choose public work, a term meaning aJJnost any kind of non-farm wage work, farming, and factory work. The higher status youths tended to make a choice of clerical work. He found that farm youths differed very Bldlgfiatly from non-farm youths in their occupational aspira- tions although a slightly larger percentage of farm boys theun. of non-farm boys selected farming as their occupational choice. One-fifth of all the boys included in this study _-—_.~ r“5 J John B. Edlefson and Martin Jay Crowe, Teen-Agers Washington Agricultural Experi- °°°u ational As irations ment Stat on BuEIetIn EIé,(Pullman, Washington, 1960) p, 92, as $15,111 fit "Ah‘ I #4 ”‘7' 5"“: :3 4-x'q; :Au‘fi; +‘nh‘ .Vflgg“ JIOC‘L z.‘ ‘ ,‘VCS Nita ‘ ~ , + a 0031;341'421 .‘ ‘ 34.1 [CD'S Q" N. “fiv- “ in H . u‘vr ‘aQLLI‘ stag-1., V. '“ with '~¢ V. ‘1; '3 aspired to become farmers. Haller and Sewell found from a study of students who were completing their twelfth year of school that there was no significant difference between the levels of non-farm occupational aspirations of farm and non-farm boys. He found that boys living on farms desired to enter high level jobs with the same frequency as did1non-farm males. Non-farm occupations were the object of this study and it excluded all boys who were planning to go into farming.57 Sewell and Heller in a study of non-farm senior boys from high schools in Wisconsin found a positive relationship between high occupational aspiration and both social status and intelligence. They found that each of these two factors (social status and intelligence) influenced the occupational aspirations of the group of senior non-farm boys in their L273) study when the effects of the other variable were ruled out?” Haller and Wblff in a study of seventeen year old boys from farm, village, and urban homes attending schools in Lenawee County, Michigan in 1957, found that the boys 56Youmans. Jo (Li-.120! pp’ 40-41" 7 5 Archie o. Haller and William H. Sewell, "Farm ReSidence and Levels of Educational and Occupational Aspira- tion. " The Ame ican Jougnal of Sociology Volume 52, Number 4’ (Jaundiary, 1957) pp. 07- 11. ’ t=8 S J William H. Sewell and Archie o. Haller, "Social A11151843118 and Educational and Occupational Aspiration." e ixzan SociolOgical Review, Volume 22, Number 1, (February 1957 pp. 67—73. t'.’ 4-,, 3513(3)" Q“ 33 " a 4 :l‘ty Oa- UCQlai " b*0:\ from farms scored lowest on intelligence, and also on occu- pational and educational aspirations in comparison with the other two groups of boys. Burchinal reported from a study of farm, small town, and city boys in Iowa that he found farm residence nega- tively correlated with level of occupational aspiration. In both the tenth and twelfth grade he found farm boys had the lowest levels of occupational prestige aspirations, small town boys were in the middle, and urban boys tended to have the highest levels of occupational prestige aspira- tion. The author cautioned that inference drawn from his study should be limited to comparisons of farm and rural non-farm and small-town males living in an area of low / industrialization with males from a metrOpolitan community? Krippner found a positive relationship between level (if occupational choicescational Division Bulletin 272, Supplement Number 11, (ifiashington: Government Printing Office, 1958) p. 19. 70. Amous B. Rougeau, "Ten Year Study of Former Stu- dwsnts of Vocational Agriculture in Six Reorganized School Illstricts, 1946 Through 1955." (Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, LTniversity of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri) Summaries 9f Eftudies Lg Agricultural Education, Vocational Division Ehalletin 272, Supplement Number 11, (Washington: Government Ifirinting Office, 1958) p. 66. 71Lee G. Burchinal, "What's Your Son Going to Do?" 23;; Iowa Farm Science, Volume 14, Number 9, (March, 1960) pp. 18-18. . r cr‘“: 5“ w; 0- Lb‘v VAIV. . v V '3 u . Uuu ‘3 ~?~‘ .- "3'9 F ruler . “ vnn‘ J , ~“A. "‘59 candy“: ‘ h... 1 v V r r V" n. ' bits U A‘ o '1. 1 "WA 1 dwfi.“ a 8; ~.'-{ ...J. _ ~— e'. Ar. 4f 0 1.. , “w a“ J ‘a. .M 73.“: «want 233‘ V a :‘u‘“ u “" ' Service“ lo, a‘, \ Ui‘tb‘thQ az‘ * A ?‘\._ egg , 0 * gar: EC f ’3 a1 , A» “v"\,» “V,_~Qh v.. A v. '& r‘ J” h “:4: -ieqr t 3* ‘U of " ‘4. a ‘ " "—45 r “(V‘Vs‘ y ‘ 3‘ safi‘v- ‘WA‘ . s” G“ v. wake J). v‘ H “i"c. ‘ -r~4\ ‘ 9&1 '7. I 'v «3“»- I "'D In another research report Burchinal concluded that; Boys planning to fa m less often plan for education beyond high school. 2 Judge found in a study of boys who had attained the State Farmer degree in Oklahoma that sixty—eight per cent of‘that group of boys planned to attend college.73 Youmans reported only fifteen per cent of the farm 'boys in his Kentucky study planned to attend college. He .found a significantly higher percentage of non-farm boys ‘than of farm boys reported plans to attend college. No sig- Irificant association was found among the girls in this sytudy between their aspirations to attend college and farm or non-farm residence. 74 sahlstrom, in a study involving individuals in the tugper half of each senior class from twenty-six high scflaools in central Minnesota, found home background of the Students an important factor in determining their future Edllcational plans. He reported that students living in tcrwn.homes were more likely to attend college than those fIKDm farm homes. Other factors which he found important in __ 72Lee G. Burchinal, "Who's Going to Farm?" The Iowa Farm Science, Volume 14, Number 10, (April, 1960) pp. 263- 568‘: . 73Homer Virtes Judge, "Selected Environmental Factors Mich Appear to Have Contributed to the Success and Future Plians of Future Farmers of America Who Have Attained the State Farmer Degree." (Unpublished Master's Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 1958) 74Youmans, op. cit., pp. 38-39. v . v.‘“fi ~ ‘d‘-Je“b-§g. 1,91" ‘ \ 882301 ‘ '5‘, “"1 so." a; V .p‘ '9 chv‘ ( U 953 11 1 i t 01‘ 1. ~_ :3 “— ew» charact 55“ c .. .. e - a Q .Vlzv N\U u J h; a u +b uh no. No ‘nld , , ..NM .3 A" a 2 72w 0 are Airs *1 7 a. S ...U I .... . r Q.» AK. 8 0 DH N a II ‘2‘ ‘1‘ In “1‘ C V ,fi rl‘ “IN ‘1‘ AV «4 C» i A v .y x ‘. V N\U \Pnuo N; l \ l‘ -Z(‘-)-‘ /~' influencing a student's decision to attend college included high school rank, education of parents, and advice of high school counselors and instructors. He found that income level of a family influenced college attendance but that it was not a significant factor in itself.75 Haller and Sewell found that farm boys are apparently less likely to have high educational aspirations than are other boys. Non-farm boys tend to have higher educational aspirations than do farm boys. They concluded that inde- jpendent of intelligence, farm residence may inhibit a boy's ciesire for higher education.76 Sewell and Haller found that high level of educational zaspiration, as measured by plans to attend college, were Inost characteristic of high school students from high status .famulies and those of high intelligence. They found that Irinety per cent of the high school seniors in their study vflio were of high intelligence and came from high status families planned to attend college. Only thirty-two per cent of the students who were of low intelligence and came from low status families planned to attend college. They ‘ 75$tan1ey David Sahlstrom, "Factors Influencing COllege Attendance Plans of Capable Rural High School Semiors." (Unpublished Doctor's Dissertation, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1961) Dissertation Abstracts Vf>1ume 22, Number 8, February 1962 (University Microfilms, Illc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1962) PP. 2637-2638. 76Haller and Sewell, _p. cit., p. 410. ~--< V‘\\~~ A "' «wewae ’ . us 15!; A. V~( .- ”(Av S ‘ e g...Uv¢ .0“ v. \ fi"~ A - M q 5 N \, \fiw ~‘ on. A F ‘ .EXeS 8? met v.‘ “3 c" ' bvd' 35:55. .5: ..M3 \ 1 5 Wed Hril found each of the two factors, high intelligence and high social status, related to educational aspiration when the effects of the other one of the factors was accounted for?7 Summary This chapter has presented a review of literature in areas related to this study. Studies found which measured amount or variety of work experience engaged in by students were quite limited. Researchers have shown that most high school students of vocational agriculture acquire farm work experiences and that considerable numbers of high school students engage in varied forms of other work experiences. No studies were found which related measurements of work experience engaged in by high school students of voc- ational agriculture to either their occupational plans and aspirations or their post-high school educational plans. Several studies indicated that vocational agriculture students from full—time farms had better opportunities for complete programs of farm work experience than students from part-time or non-farm homes. Many follow-up studies of occupations of former stu- dents of vocational agriculture have been made. These studies tend to show approximately one-half of former stu- dents of vocational agriculture in farming, with students from farms more apt to become farmers than students from 77Sewell and Haller, op. cit., pp. 71—72. I. "G”. afi"? “ Ivgv o“"" 'L 4‘ HL":,'Y‘R - a \ L‘ U y .‘JLLA J~‘. ‘ I v-A”’ ..y- 'V“ “»‘A eA;’e.¢’: 0 fl ‘fiq!‘\\F“ 4“? f ('Vvd‘hay-\'.le"..- non—farm homes. Conflicting conclusions among researchers were found in regard to factors affecting occupational plans of students. Several research studies have indicated that actual work experience was one of the important factors affecting occupational choice and plans. A considerable variation was found among the groups of students in regard to educa- .tional plans and aspirations. A student's home background and family status appear to influerce the student's educa- tional plans and aspirations. Chapter III which follows describes the method and procedure used in this study. CHAPTER III METHOD AND PROCEDURE OF THE STUDY The methods and procedures used in this study includ— ing methods of securing data, development of an information ’4 schedule, analysis of data, and testin; of hypotheses are N \4 described in ‘his chapter. Data For the Study The data for this study were obtained from schedules filled out by high school students of vocational agriculture from ten high schools in south central Michigan. This study was limited to the dairy and general farming type of farming area composed of the counties of Ionia, Shiawassee, Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Jackson, and fiashtenaw. Ten schools from this area were selected at random. An alphabetical list, totaling forty—three schools, was firs made of all high schools in the area with departments of vocational agriculture. Schools where a known change of vocational agriculture teachers would occur during the summer of 1962 were eliminated from the list. Ten schools were then selected from the list of high schools using a 1 ~ 1 1 fl random taole of numbers. A list of the schools tnus se- ix. DJ lected and included in the study are given in the appen Each of the ten schools selected was visited during tion, The Mac— lMerle N. Tate, Statistics in Educ million Company, New York, 1955, pp. 5’ u .. rr-,-O. ' s - \' ~50 vuv H H Ufigv d ‘ Q Isrr‘ :AI'L“ . ..«v u‘... ...,A . Hv‘fl‘ soc—1 P\‘r§ A " Land “5“ v ‘:-"“ C7“;;vf° .. f h -'."VL4 5‘ ‘ ‘ C Qflr‘f“, . 3" UV-.»‘_‘ '4. q .. ' ,. cgv; no , C: "V vs... A- .4 9.. ‘1 N: I.k ‘_ “ “J I"... - “ I‘He- o _‘ ‘ ‘f VH~.,.‘.| H V‘. t‘t“v a ‘ . .A‘-A1 - “$1.- U.A.~v‘ V SAHAP“ _ . AM",- " y Vv._v the month of May, 1962. Each class of vocational agricul- ture was given instructions in filling out the work exper- ience schedules. It was believed that personal contact with and explanation to each class of vocational agriculture would elicit a higher degree of concern and cooperation in the completion of the work experience schedules and thereby provide valid information for the study. Four hundred twenty-one out of a total of four hundred twenty-three students of vocational agriculture, who were in attendance at school the day of the visit, filled out schedules which were complete enough for inclusion in the study.2 Visits to the ten high schools were arranged by tele- phone. First a telephone call was made to an official of the public school system. In eight of the schools the school principal, and in one case the director of vocational education was contacted. The nature of the study was ex- plained briefly to those officials and permission requested tional to contact the teacher of voc griculture. Perllsgiwv VAn. (D an F1. was requested of the teacher to visit each vocational (n 5r culturcclass for the purpose of having the students fill out the work experience schedules. Excellent cooperation was re- ceived from both the school officials contacted and the vocational agriculture teachers and visits were sch duled 200py of Work Experience Schedule in Appendix C. I l -zp;~ to each of the ten schools during lav, 1952. One day was spent at each of the high schools se- lected for the study. The nature and purpose of the study were explained and directions given to each class of voca— tional agriculture for completion of the work experience schedules.3 Schedules were checked for completeness of answers as they were finished by the students. Development of Instrument This study has been developed over a two-year period of study at Michigan State University. It had its begin- ning with a seminar in agricultural education during tne H) ...J VD winter term 0 31. The instrument for collecting data for this study was developed during the winter term of 195?. A work experience schedule was develOped for a study in a course in vocational education under the direction of Dr. Peter Haines. This schedule was used in a pilot study of work experience of high school students of vocational agri- culture at Sunfield, Michigan. The schedule was checked for clarity and understanding on the part of these pupils. The schedule used in this study was revised as a result of m its use in this pilot study. Revisions were also made s a result of suggestions from members of a seminar in agri— s e lite cultural education where the plan of this study was pr (D 3COpy of Instructions for completing schedules in Appendix B. Cb -45... during the winter term of 1352. Helpful suggestions from members of the guidance committee were also incorporated into the final revision of the schedule. Assumptions The following assumptions were made in regard to this study: 1. That students of high school vocational agricul- 9 ) ture would understand the qu\~tions on the work experience 1 L schedule and could give complete swers to them. 9; 2. That students would be truthful in answering questions on the work experience schedules. 3. That the measures of work experience used were valid measurements. 4. That the students included in the study would have given sufficient consideration to their future educational and occupational plans to provide meaningful information in regard to them. Analyses of Data Measurements Used Five measures of work experience were developed and used hithe study. Number of hours each of the students of the study spent working during the past year were calculated in four categories: (1) hours of farm work, (2) hours of farm work with owned projectS, (3) hours of off-farm work, and (4) total hours of work. Hours of farm work experience, hours of farm work experience with owned proyects, and hours of off—farm work experience were calculated from information given by each student in regard to n mber of hours worked in each of these categories during both the surmer period and the school term and the average number of hours worked per week during each of these periods. Total hours of work experience was calculated by adding totals of farm and off-farm work exper— ience for the past year. A composite farm work experience score was developed by adding scores for (1) amount of farm work, (2) variety of farm work, (3) management responsibility, (4) self appraisal of competency. Each of these four scores was developed by having the student rate himself on a one to four scale in each of ten areas of farm work for each of the four categories. The following measurements of student characteristics were used in the study: (1) class in high school (2) place of residence (farm or non—farm), (3) whether or not father operated a farm, (4) farming status of fathers (full-time or part-time farmer), and (5) size of home farm. The students in the study were classified according to class in high school by having them check whether they were freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Place of residence as farm or non-farm was determined by each of the students in the study. Determination of what constituted .I' M‘ *r r- ;- ‘w...¢ i..4. L v V. .. .xll ‘~ > 9 ‘c‘ . o ’ ‘ 1‘ .. 5. ‘~ ’Y" “ “d3 -.v.“ ‘ a " “A 5-...“ 4--.u ‘ .:l~- JV . D c . 7 Au}..- fi~, - ,‘n ‘1 -‘4~\-u. '- U ..'~h a,“ ‘ "NV «6-...-- fl } "a ‘I‘\\ »A uh.“ ‘ ‘- ‘ ?.'\I1nn'~ ‘, N ’- “vw‘v‘cvi; . ‘ n “a“. ‘u r" . k‘“ Juz“... _‘ ‘~ 3», ‘15 §.(“— QM “‘ «-‘3. v . - 'C‘fl‘~‘.~f3 . .a.., V--.. ‘ "9 e V' t": . "" and,“ 3““6-‘4, .- . , . “.QV*UCQ ~.. 3‘ Jr“, 'cm‘. H "\“§.‘. P ' .. u M ”-5 1.3-4“? 9" w“ ‘Pfi I : W‘ A A.- ‘sa‘x‘xi .‘~ ”A7_ a farm was left to the individual student who reported either yes or no in answer to the question "Do you live on a farm?" Occupations of fathers of the students were classi- fied from nformation given on the work experience sched— ules completed by the high school studen s of vocational agriculture, as follows: (1) full—time farming: (2) part- time farming, or (3) non—farm occupations. Full-time farm— ing included fathers of students who operated farms and who spent more than one-half of the working time in operation of the farm. Part-time farming included all fathers of students who operated farms but who spent more time at other work than in the operation of the farm. Classification of full—time and part—time farmers have been based on a number of different criteria. Whether a farmer was a full-time or part-time farmer in this study was determined on the basis of the amount of working time the operator spent in the operation of the farm in comparison with time spent at off- U farm work. From the standpoint of the effect it might hav; C on a high school student living on the farm this appeared a more 10gical basis for determination than either some division by source of income or a stated number of days worked off the farm. Non-farm occupations included all fathers whose only work was other than farming. The home farms of the students were placed in size '9‘ .....l .. '.‘ A L .4“ ‘Y‘ ..anA.- V. Nam-“Ge: 4. ‘vVv'~:.A..~. . ,v - “ «a A a J ‘0‘ V»: Way" “~ "f‘--. .. . A ‘>:.. : “ rt... “ A .'\. g x J“.’ . ‘ -§ “ - I - . _ e “3‘. W ‘ A ~“~/..‘ ‘ . £ 2‘ k 5! “KC". '5'. a. .r .. w u 1" ‘54 p . fl A s U “fir— ‘ ‘*«.. 1‘ 'N 1» a ‘»‘3 .'v .F - ‘x. u )\ ... v. -- o s_-‘ \‘ .\ ..‘ i L. \ "'. .1 ~. ~ J‘- \._‘ , ‘5. ‘s - ‘ 1.7. I I . \‘ ' ‘ ."‘ -43- categories from number of acres written in by the students in response to a question on the work experience schedule. The students in this study were asked to state whether or not they had made an occupational choice. If an occupational choice had been made they were asked to name the occupation wnich they were most apt to enter. Occupa- tional choices of the students thus obtained were classified as (l)farnin§, (2) non- farm in: a ricultural, and (3) non- arricultural occupations. Cccupational choices listed by he students were also classified according to the North—Hatt scale of occupational presti;e,4 The North-Hatt scale has bee nwidely used as a rat— ing of occupational prestige. This scale had its origin in 1947 when the National Opinion Research Center interviewed .-- * .2 ' a 1+ - n a nati01i ids sanple oi Americans in a ready to eirlJ: sage of the basic a‘tit.des rewarding accunaticns. The v fi“' group of people interviewed were asked to evaluate each of ninety occupations as eLcellent, good, average, somewhat below average, or poor. Scores were assisned for ratings of from one hundred for excellent down to twenty for voor. Average ratings were determined for each occupation studied. This initial scale rates only a small number of “..-w- --.-‘— 4Caroll L. Shartle, Occ_upa tional IiforJatlon, Its Dcv>13»' nt and Aiqplica t30% , (entle cod Cliffs, Net Jersev: m-..» on .” -—.-¢.’ - Prentice — Hall, Inc., 195 M) pp. 54- 57. _};9_ occupations In using this original scale some system of interpolation for unranked occupations was rejuired A list of occupations with interpolations of: Iorth-Hatt scale ratings was used to supplement the cri inal North-Matt scale in rating student's occupational choices. This scale was found in the apperdiee; of theses by both Hensel5 and Eittncr.£ Both f these authors credited axis unpu2lis ned list of interpolated occupations to Christen Jonass:n, Robert Bullock, Jerome Folkian, William Tonkel, Alfred Clarke, and Russel Dy.es. A rating of certainty of entering chosen occupations pas made by havin3 each student who listed an occupational choice check whether he was very certain, fairly certain, fairly uncertain, or very uncertain of entering that occu- pation. Cla Hsif cations of educational plans and aspirations were used as measurements in the following categories: (1) amount of post- high school education planned, (2) degree of consideration given to educational plans, and (3) certainty of educational plans. Amount of post high school education 5James William Hensel, "Relation Between Hi3h School Characteristics of Farm-Reared Senior Boys and Their Occu— pational Choices," (Master's Thesis, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa, 1939) SRichard Hummel Bittner, "Relation Between High School Characteristics and Status of Farm Reared Mal Graduates in Nonfarm Occupations." (Unpublished naster's Thesis, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa, 1953) was classified by having students check whether education or training beyond high school was most apt to be none, less than four years, or four or more years. A rating of con- sideration given to education beyond high school was made by having students check one of four categories of consideration. Certainty of educational plans was determined by stu- dents checking positively yes, probably yes, probably not, or positively not in regard to their plans to participate in any formal e ucational programs beyond high school. Tabulating Data Classifications were made of data and categories established for recording all information from the work experience schedules completed by the high school students of vocational agriculture. The information was coded by numbers and recorded on I.B.M. tabulation sheets. Information from the I.B.M. tabulation sheets was punched on I.B.M. cards for each of the 421 students in the study and verified for correctness by the data processing laboratory of the Michigan State University. Frequen y counts were made from the I.B.M. cards for all the combina— tions of variables that it was thought would contribute to the study. Testing_Hypotheses The hEPOtheses of r were tested by the chi— t square technique. The chi-square test of no as ociation & CO between various characteristics was made to determine where relationships existed. It was decided to accept each of the three major hypotheses of the study if all variable characteristics were found to be related to a majority of the five measures of work experience used in the study. Each of the factors was accepted as being related to a given measure of work experience when the chi-square value indicated significance at the five per cent level of con— fidence. Relationships in the various tables which were found to be significant at the one per cent level were so designated. I Each of the three general hypotheses was concerned with relationships existing between a number of variable factors and measures of work experience. It was recog— nized that a majority of the measures of work experience might be found to be related to some but not all of the variable characteristics tested under each hypothesis. In this case the hypothesis could not be either completely accepted or completely rejected. Designations were made of the characteristics found to be related and those where no relationships were found for any; firmnesls which could not be either completely accepted or completely rejected. Summary ' The data for this study were obtained from work ex- perience schedules completed by students from ten high schools in south central Michigan. Excellent cooperation ‘5’” 9 amvu" ~ ‘37 -, u .\ .A 5.; v 1r... ~‘*“v.. V, A was received from school officials, vocational agriculture teachers, and students of vocational agriculture. The stu— dents did not hesitate to answer any of the questions on the schedules. Four h ndred twenty-one of a total of four hundred twenty-three students of vocational agriculture who were in attendance at the ten high schools on the date they were visited returned work experience schedules filled out completely enO‘gh for inclusion in the study. Information from the work experience schedules was compiled, classified, and recorded on 1.3.M. tabulation sheets. Information from these tabulation sheets was punched on ILB.M. cards and verified by the data process- ing laboratory of Michigan State University. Frequency counts were then made of all combinations of variables which appeared likely to contribute to the study. The existence of relationships between various fac— tors in the study were determined by the chi-square tech- nique. Relations were determined to be significant at the five per cent level of probability. It was decided to accept hypotheses of the study when significant relations were found between the variable factor in question and a majority of the five measures of work experience used in the study. Chapter IV which follows pres nts information in regard to characteristics of the high school students studied. Information is presented in regard to their back- ground characteristics, their work experiences, their occu— pational plans and aspirations, and their post high school educational plans. CHAPTER IV CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOUTH STUDIED This chapter presents a descriptive analysis of the characteristics of the high school students in this study. Characteristics of the high school students are described under the following four categories: (1) background char- acteristics, (2) work experience, (3) occupational plans and aspirations, and (4) post high school educational plans. Background Characteristics Information for this study was obtained from sched- ules completed by 421 high school students of vocational agriculture from 10 high schools in south central Michigan. The distribution of youths included in the study by class in high school is shown in table I. There were 12,455 high school students enrolled in vocational agriculture in 230 high schools in the state of Michigan during the 1961-62 school year. Freshmen made up 30.6 per cent of all students enrolled in vocational agri- culture,smphomores 27.5 per cent, juniors 22.1 per cent, and seniors 19.8 per cent.1 In this study the sophomore, rather than the fresh- man as might have been expected, was the largest class 1(Figures supplied by Office of Agricultural Educa- tion Service, Dept. of Public Instruction, Lansing, Michigan) -54- group. Comparison of percentages in table I can be made with state averages listed on the preceding page. This large sophomore group was due in part to the fact that one of the high schools included in the study was a senior high school (grades ten through twelve), and had a large group of sophomores enrolled in vocational agriculture, and no freshman class. In the study there were 421 stu- dents of which 407 were boys and 14 were girls. The fourteen girls were all enrolled in vocational agriculture at one high school. Table I Distribution of Students According to High School Class Class in High School Number Percent Freshman 109 25.9 Sophomore 139 33-0 Junior 99 23.5 Senior 74 17.6 Total 421 100.0 Table number II gives the distribution of students in the study by number of years enrolled in vocational agriculture. Table II Distribution of Students According to Years Enrolled in Vocational Agriculture Year in Vocational Agriculture Number Percent First 184 43.7 Second 99 23-5 Third 81 19.3 Fourth 57 13.5 Total 421 100.0 A comparison of table II with table I reveals a considerably larger number of students enrolled in their first year of vocational agriculture than there are fresh- men, (184 compared with 109). Seventy-four of the persons included in the study were seniors but only fifty-seven were enrolled in their fourth year of vocational agriculture. These figures indicate that many of these students will complete less than four years of vocational agriculture in high school. A considerable loss of students between high school classes appears normal. Bittner, in a recent Michigan study of continued student enrollment in vocational agri- culture found a student loss in vocational agriculture from one year to the next of 15.25 per cent of the total enroll- ment. This loss was made up of 43.06 per cent freshmen, 35.83 per cent sophomores, and 21.11 per cent juniors.2 Two hundred fifty-six (60.9 per cent) of the four hundred twenty-one students included in the study lived on farms. The number of students whose parents operated farms were slightly larger than the number whose parents lived on farms. This indicated that a few of the families operated but did not live on farms. Two hundred sixty-four (62.7 per cent) of the youths had families who operated a farm. The size of the farms Operated by the families of the students included in the study can be seen in table III. Approximately three-fourths (74.6 per cent)of the home farms,of the two hundred sixty-four youths whose families Operated farms, were less than two hundred acres in size. Only sixty-seven (15.9 per cent) of the total group of students included in the study had home farms as large as two hundred acres. 2Richard Hummel Bittner, "Identification of Selected Characteristics Associated With Continued Student Enroll- ment in Vocational Agriculture" (Unpublished Doctor's Thesis Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1962) pp. 147—148 0 Table III Distribution of Students According to Size of Home Farm ”- Size of Farm Number Percent Less than 100 Acres 118 44.7 100 to 199 Acres 79 29.9 200 to 299 Acres 29 11.0 300 to 399 Acres 22 8.3 400 Acres or More 16 6.1 Total 264 100.0 — The average size of the home farms of the 264 youths in the study whose families operated farms was 138.6 acres. This compares with an average size of farm of 132.2 acres for the state of Michigan and an average size of 143.7 acres for the eight county area included in this study.3 The home farms of students in this study were slightly smaller than the average size of farms for the counties in the area of the study. It is likely that a few places were 3U. S. Census, U. S. Census 9; Agriculture 1959. Volume 1, Counties, Part 13, Michigan, (Washington: Govern- ment Printing Office, 1961) 1 k0 KO 8 classified by the students as farms which did not meet the requirements for classification as farms according to the 1959 census. In order to be classified as a farm in the 1959 census a place had to have estimated sales of at least two hundred and fifty dollars of agricultural products if under ten acres in size, or have at least fifty dollars of estimated sales of agricultural products if it was ten or more acres in size. In this study most of the families Who operated farms owned their land or at least a portion of it. Only 4.9 per cent of these families owned none Of the land they operated while 72.3 per cent of the families owned all of the land in their farms. The remaining 22.7 per cent owned a part of the land in their farms. The number of farmer and non-farmer fathers among the students in this study is indicated in table IV. It will be noted from this table that fifty-nine per cent of the fathers of the students in this study were Operating farms. Thirty-eight per cent were part-time farmers and twenty-one per cent were full time farmers. The fathers of forty-one per cent of the students were non-farmers. Two hundred forty-nine of the students had fathers who were operating farms. Of this number eighty-nine were full time farmers and one hundred sixty were part-time farmers accord- ing to the classification used in this study. Only thirty- five and seven—tenths per cent of those farming were full time farmers. This is lower than the average for this eight-county area according to the 1959 census of agricul- ture which shows fifty-four per cent who do not work off 4 the farm. As previously noted, part of the group of part- time farmers in this study would not be considered as farmers according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Table IV Distribution of Students According to Farming Status of Fathers Father's Farming Status Number Percent Full-time Farmer 89 . 21.1 Part-time Farmer 160 38.0 Non-Farmer 172 40.9 Total 421 100.0 The amount of time fathers Of the students in the study spent working on farms is given in table V. It indicates that a majority of the fathers of this group of vocational agriculture students did more non-farm than 4Ibid. farm work, The fathers of 332 of the 421 students in this study worked more time at off-farm work than they did in operation of farms. Fathers of 172 (approximately 41 per cent) of the students did not spend any of their working time in the operation of a farm. Table V Distribution of Students According to Time Fathers Spent Farming Father's WOrking Time Number Percent Spent On Farm Full Time 62 14.7 More Than % Time 27 6.4 i To % Time 64 15.2 Less Than s Time 96 22.8 None 172 40.9 Total 421 100.0 Work Experience Practically all of the high school students in this study (97.4 per cent) reported some form of work experience during the past year. Table VI shows the work experiences reported by these students for the preceding year. Table VI Type of Work Experience Engaged in by Students Type Of Work Experience Number Percent Both Farm and Off-Farm 211 50.1 Farm Only 174 41 3 Off-Farm Only 25 6.3 No WOrk Experience 11 2.6 Total 421 100.0 Work experiences reported by students in this study appear to be in line with what other researchers have found. Slocum found that ninety-three per cent of a group of high school seniors studied in washington reported that they had worked either full of part-time or both during a one year period.5 Sutherland and Thompson reported that ninety per cent of a group of students in California had obtained 5Walter L. Slocum, Occupational and Educational Plans_gf High School Seniors F? m Farm aEE“Non-Parm“Homes, ashington lgfIEfiIturaI ExperimentHStatIon BuIIetIn Number 554. (Pullman, Washington, 1956) Po 17. / “AKB- v agricultural work experience during the past year. Three hundred eighty-five of the four hundred twenty- one vocational agriculture students reported farm work experience during the past year. Approximately half of the group (50.1 per cent) reported both on-farm and Off-farm work experiences. Two hundred thirty-six (56.1 per cent) of the group reported off-farm work experiences. Table VII Hours of Farm WOrk Experience Engaged in by Students Hours of Farm Work Number Percent Under 200 108 25.6 200 to 999 143 34.0 1000 to 1799 95 22.6 1800 and Over 75 17.8 Total 421 100.0 6Sidney Sampson Sutherland and Orville Eugene Thompson, "Characteristics of the Pupils Enrolled in the All-Day Classes in Vocational Agriculture in California." (Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, University of California, DaViS. California. 1955), Summaries of Studies in Agri— cultural Education, Supplement Number 9. Vocational Division 283, (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1956). p. 31. Table VII gives the number of hours of farm work reported for a twelve-month period immediately preceding the time the schedules were completed. A wide variation was found in the amount of farm work performed during this period. Approximately one out of seven of the students (60 of 421) in the study reported two thousand or more hours of farm work during the twelve—month period. This is the equivalent of a full-time Job of forty hours per week for a year with allowance for a two-weeks vacation. Approximately one-fourth of these youths (108 of 421) reported one thousand or more hours of farm work. A thou- sand hours is approximately the equivalent of a half-time jOb. These figures appear to agree quite closely with what some other researchers have found. Straus in a study of eleventh and twelfth grade bOys in Wisconsin found sixty-one per cent of the farm boys working twenty hours or more per week on the home farm.7 This compares with over forty per cent Of the boys in this study, including town as well as farm boys, who reported one thousand or more hours for the year. This is roughly equivalent to twenty hours per week for the entire year. Couch found 7Murray A. Straus, "WOrk Roles and Financial Respon- sibility in the Socialization of Farm, Fringe, and Town Boys," Rural Sociology, Volume 27, Number 3, (September, 1962) pp 0 257- 2740 high school vocational agriculture students from families who owned their farms spending an average of 1,091 man hours per year on their supervised farming programs.8 Fifty-six per cent Of the vocational agriculture students in the study reported doing some off-farm work during the previous year. Of the 236 students reporting Off—farm work 124 reported 200 or more hours. The other 112 reported less than 200 hours. Table VIII Hours of Off-Farm WOrk Experience Engaged in by Students Hours of Off-Farm Work Number Percent None 185 43.9 l to 199 112 26.6 200 and Over 124 29.5 Total 421 100.0 The total number Of hours worked by the students in the study is presented in Table IX. All but eleven (less 8Kenneth Odell Couch, "A Study of the Effect Of Home and Farm Conditions Upon the Supervised Farming Program of Third Year Vocational Agriculture Students in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, ublished Master's Thesis, Clemson, South Carolina, 1958) Table IX Total Hours of Work Experience Engaged in by Students Total Hours Of Work Experience Number Percent None 11 2.6 l to 199 36 8.6 200 to 399 47 11.2 400 to 599 39 9.3 600 to 799 p 33 7.8 800 to 999 35 8.3 1000 to 1199 40 9.5 1200 to 1399 25 5.9 1400 to 1599 32 7.6 1600 to 1799 27 6.4 1800 to 1999 17 4.0 2000 or More 79 18.8 Total 421 ‘ 100.0 than 3 per cent of the groum reported some work experience during the past year. More than one-half of the group (220 of 421) reported working one thousand or more hours during the past year, roughly the equivalent of a half—time year- around Job. Seventy-nine (18.8 per cent)of the group reported working two thousand or more hours during the past year while they were attending high school. The median student in the group is in the 1000 to 1199 hour category. Occupational Plgps and Aspirations The high school students included in this study were asked to indicate whether or not they had made an occupa- tional choice. If they had made an Occupational choice they were asked to list the occupation they thought they were most apt to enter and to indicate the certainty of entering that occupation. Approximately three-fourths (73.9 per cent) of the students indicated they had chosen an occupation and approxi- mately one-fourth (26.1 per cent) indicated no occupational choice had been made. Sutherland and Thompson in a Cali- fornia study of vocational agriculture students reported a similar percentage (25 per cent) of all students undecided on their future occupations.9 Table X indicates the occupational choices of the 311 students who had made choices. Half of the students 9Sutherland and Thompson, loc. cit. (50.1 per cent)who made occupational choices listed a non- agricultural occupation as the one they were most apt to enter. Thirty-five and four tenths per cent listed farm- ing and fourteen and five tenths per cent listed non-farm- ing agricultural occupations. This agrees very closely with findings in a Michigan study of vocational agriculture students conducted by Knight in which he reported that fifty per cent of the students aspired to agricultural occupations.lo Table X Occupations Students Believed They Were Most Apt to Enter ' ‘ J A Occupation Number Percent Farming 110 35.4 Non-Farming Agricultural 45 14.5 Non-Agricultural 156 50.1 Total 311 100.0 Table XI shows the degree of certainty of entering lOWilliam Herbert Knight, "Factors Associated With The Vocational Choices of High School Students of Vocational Agriculture," (Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 1958) p. 72. the occupation listed as their choice by the students. The largest group of these students (45.4 per cent) indicated they were fairly certain of entering the named occupation, 22.5 per cent indicated they were very certain, and 32.1 per cent were either uncertain or had made no occupational choice. Table XI Certainty Students Expressed of Entering Their Chosen Occupation Certainty of Entering Number Percent Chosen Occupation Very Certain 95 22.5 Fairly Certain - 191 45.4 Fairly Uncertain 18 4.3 Very Uncertain 7 1.7 No Choice Made 110 26.1 Total 421 100.0 Post-High School Educational Plans The amount of consideration the students in the study indicated that they had given to post high school educational -70- plans is presented in Table XII. Seventy per cent of the group had given more than a little consideration to post high school educational plans with thirty per cent indicating a great deal of consider- ation had been given. Another thirty per cent indicated little or no consideration had been given to educational plans beyond high school. Table XII Consideration Students Gave To Education Beyond High School Consideration Students Gave to Post High School Education Number Percent A Great Deal 126 29.9 Some 169 40.2 A Little 89 21.1 None 37 8.8 Total 421 100.0 Approximately one-fifth (19.5 per cent) of the stu- dents reported that they had positive plans for post high school education. Approximately three-fifths (62.5 per cent) indicated that they either probably or positively -71- planned to continue their formal education beyond high school. Only thirty (7.1 per cent) of the students indi— cated that they positively would not participate in edu- cation beyond high school. I The certainty expressed by students of participating in education beyond high school is shown in Table XIII. Table XIII Certainty Students Expressed of Continuing Education Beyond High School Certainty of Continuing Education Beyond High School Number Percent Positively Yes 82 19.5 Probably Yes 181 43.0 Probably Not 116 27.6 Positively Not 30 7.1 No Answer 12 2.8 Total 421 100.0 Sixty-two and five-tenths per cent of the group indicated that according to their present plans they would at least probably participate in some form of post~high school education. This was somewhat higher than the per- centage of students having plans for continuing their edu- cation beyond high school as reported by some other re- searchers. Thompson found that forty-three per cent of a group of vocational agriculture students in California planned to attend college.11 Slocum in a study of high school seniors in the state of washington reported that forty-five per cent of the group planned to continue their education beyond high school,12and Sutherland and Thompson reported that forty-five per cent of the high school voca- tional agriculture students, in their study in California, planned to attend at least two years of college.13 Some researchers reported considerably higher per- centages of high school students planning post high school education than was found in this study. Burchinal reported seventy per cent of the farm boys in his study had plans for post high school education. The percentages of small town and urban boys with post high school plans were even higher, (84 and 88 per cent respectively).14 11O. E. Thompson, "What Are the Plans of Vocational Agriculture Students?"(A ricultural Education Magazin . June, 6 ) Volume 34, Number 12, 19 2 pit—276:278. l2Slocum, _p.lp;§., p. 14. 13Sutherland and Thompson,_lp§.pip. lI‘LLee G. Burchinal, "What's Your Son Going to Do?" The Iowa Farm Science, Volume 14, Number 9, (March, 1960) pp. 16-18. -73.. The students participating in this study were asked to indicate whether their education beyond high school was most apt to be none, less than four years, or four or more years. Twenty-one Of the group failed to answer the ques- tion. Table XIV shows 34.3 per cent of the 400 students answering none, 45.0 per cent answering less than four years, and 20.7 per cent indicating that their pOst high school education was most apt to be four or more years.’ Table XIV Post High School Educational Plans of Students Amount of Post High School Education Planned Number Per cent None 137 ' 3403 Less Than 4 Years 180 45.0 4 or More Years 83 20.7 Total 400 100.0 Summagy The data for this study were secured frOm schedules filled out by 421 vocational agriculture students attending 10 high schools in south central Michigan. These students represented all four high school classes. Sixty per cent -74- of the group lived on farms and fifty-nine per cent of the students' fathers engaged in farming operations. More of the students in the study were in the tenth grade than normally would be expected due in large part to one high school in the study with a large number Of tenth grade students of vocational agriculture and no ninth grade class. Most studies of high school students of vocational agriculture have included only boys. This study includes fourteen girls who made up 3.3 per cent of the students in the study. The size of home farms of students in the study ap- pears tO be representative of both the area of the study and the state of Michigan. Average size of farms of the students was approximately six acres larger than the average for the state and approximately five acres smaller than the average for the area. A higher percentage of students in this study lived in non-farm homes than was found for many other studies in— volving students of vocational agriculture. A rather high prOportion of the farm students in the study had fathers who were only part-time farmers and worked at non-farm Jobs. All of the students in the study lived in locations that were in driving distance for workers in automobile factories. Four hundred and ten (over 97 per cent) of the four hundred and twenty-one students in the study had engaged in some type of work experience during the past year. The fact that most all high school students engage in some type of work experience agrees with information reported by a number of other research studies. A total of 385 students had engaged in farm work and 236 students had engaged in off- farm work. The median student in this study worked the equivalent of one-half of a forty hour per week Job during the preceding year. Seventy-nine of the students (18.8 per cent) reported working 2000 or more hours during the year immediately preceding the study. Approximately three-fourths (74 per cent) of the students in the study indicated that they had made an occu- pational choice. This was an almost identical figure to that found by Sutherland and Thompson among a group of high school vocational agriculture students in California.15 One- half of the students who had made occupational choices expected to enter an agricultural occupation. This is sim- ilar to results reported by several other researchers and is almost identical with the number reported by Knight in a study of high school vocational agriculture students in Michigan.16 Approximately seventy per cent of the students who expected to enter an agricultural occupation planned to farm. One hundred ten students expected to become farmers and another forty-five expected to enter other agricultural 15Sutherland and Thompson, loo. cit. 16 Knight, loc. cit. -75.. occupations. Most of the youth studied indicated that they had given some consideration to post high school educational plans. Two hundred and sixty-three (62.5 per cent) of the students indicated they planned either positively or prob- ably to participate in education beyond high school. A wide range in percentages of high school students who had plans for post high school education was reported by other re- searchers. Reports from other research studies range from less than one—half of the percentage found here to approxi- mately fifty per cent more students who planned to continue their education beyond high school. Of the 263 students who indicated they planned some post high school education 180 indicated that their post high school education was most apt to be less than four years and 83 that it was most apt to be four or more years. This chapter has presented information on the charac- teristics of the high school students included in this study. It will be followed by chapter V which will present findings in regard to work experiences. It will present information regarding variable factors which were found to be related to kind and amount of work experience engaged in by these students. CHAPTER V FINDINGS RELATED TO WORK EXPERIENCE This chapter has as its purpose a determination of relationships existing between work experiences engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture and se- 1ected characteristics of the individual students. The results obtained by testing the first general hypothesis of the study, that there is an association be- tween work experiences engaged in by high school students- of vocational agriculture and selected characteristics of these students, is presented. It was decided to use five measures of work experience of the individuals in the study during the past year as follows: (1) hours of farm work experience, (2) hours of farm work experience with owned projects, (3) composite farm work experience score, (4) hours of off-farm work experience, and (5) total hours of work experience. A determination was made as to whether or not rela- tionships existed between each of these five measures of work experience and each of the following characteristics: (1) class in high school, (2) place of residence, (3) farm operation by father, (4) farming status Of father, and (5) size of home farm. It was decided to accept the hypothesis for each of -77- the characteristics for which a significant relationship was found with a majority of the five measures of work experience used. Tables presented in this chapter include both numbers and percentages. The percentage for each cate- gory is shown in parenthesis below the number. gplppipn Betweep;prk_Egpppience and Clggp in High School Table XV shows the relation between class in high school and number Of hours of farm work experience engaged in by high school vocational agriculture students during the past year. The chi-square value of the figures in table XV does not show a significant relation between class in high school and hours Of farm work experience engaged in by these high school students. However there is some indication that hours of farm work experience tend to be related to class in high school. A greater number of juniors and seniors (46.2 per cent) than of freshmen and sophomores (36.3 per cent) had acquired more than one thousand hours of work experience during the previous year. A slightly higher percentage Of the freshmen and sophomores (27.8 per cent) than of juniors and seniors (22.5 per cent) had en- gaged in less than two hundred hours of farm work during this period. Table XV Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience and Class in High School High Hours of Farm Work Experience School Class Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 Over Freshman 21 42 25 21 109 (19.3) (38.5) (22.9) (19.3) Sophomore 48 47 22 22 139 (34.6) (33.8) (15.8) (15.8) Junior 25 27 30 17 99 (25.2) (27.3) (30.3) (17.2) Senior 14 27 18 15 74 (18.9) (36.5) (24.3) (20.3) Total 108 143 95 75 421 (25.6) (34.0) (22.6) (17.8) (100.0) Chi-square = 15.6728 with 9 degrees of freedom; not significant. Table XVI indicates that there is a significant re- lation between class in high school and hours Of farm work experience with owned projects during the previous year. The percentages of students in the study who spent more than two hundred hours working with projects they owned were as follows: freshmen 44199per cent, sophomores 27.3 per cent, juniors 33.3 per cent, and seniors 44.6 per cent. It will be noted that almost an identical percentage of freshmen and seniors fall in this upper category of hours worked with owned projects. There is.a decrease from forty- five to twenty-seven per cent in this highest category from freshman to SOphomore year and then an increase in percent- age from s0phomore to junior to senior year. Table XVI Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects and Class in High School High Hours of Farm WOrk With Owned Projects School Class None 1 to 199 200 and Over Total Freshman 27 33 49 109 (24.8) (30.3) (44.9) Sophomore 44 57 38 139 (31.7) (41.0) (27.3) Junior 33 33 33 (33.3) (33.3) (33.3) 99 Senior 25 16 33 74 (33.8) (21.6) (44.6) Total 129 139 153 421 (30-5) (33.0) (36.3) (100.0) Chi-square : 141-5592 with six d35733575f""”‘ freedom; significant at five per cent level. A slightly larger percentage of freshman (75 per cent) reported farm work experience with projects they owned than did sophomores (68 per cent), juniors (67 per, cent), and seniors (66 per cent). A division of the stu- dents into upper classmen (juniors and seniors) and lower classmen (freshmen and sophomores) shows a larger percentage of upper classmen (48 per cent)than lower classmen (31 per cent) who reported more than two hundred hours of farm work with owned projects during the year. The relation between composite farm work experience score and class in high school is shown in table XVII. The chi-square value for the figures in table XVII indicate a significant relationship at the one per cent level between composite farm work experience score and class in high school. The composite farm work experience score was de- veloped to provide a comprehensive measure Of farm work experience. Four scores of farm work experience were devel- oped for each student as follows: (1) amount of farm work score, (2) variety of farm work score, (3) management responsibility score, and (4) self appraisal of competency score. Each of these four farm work scores was developed by adding the numbers circled on the work experience sched- ule indicating the student's self rating on a four—point scale for each of ten areas Of farm work. The composite farm work experience score was then developed by combining Table XVII Relation Between Composite Farm Work Experience Score and Class in High School Composite Farm Work Experience Score High School 20 and 21 to 41 and Total Class below 40 above Freshmen 3O 42 37 109 (27.5) (38.5) (34.0) Sophomore 57 42 40 139 (41.0) (30.2) (28.8) Junior 21 37 41 99 (21.2) (37.4) (41.4) Senior 14 31 29 74 (18.9) (41.9) (29.2) Total 122 152 147 421 (29.0) (36.1) (34.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 17.0195 with 6 degrees of freedom; Significant at 1 per cent level. these four scores for each student. Of the juniors and seniors 40.5 per cent had high composite farm work experi- ence scores (above 40) compared to 31.0 per cent of the 1Composite farm work experience scores of the stu- dents and also the four scores which were combined to develop the composite farm work experience score are given in Appendix D. freshmen and SOphomores. Only 20.2 per cent of the juniors and seniors had low composite farm experience scores (20 and below) compared with 35.1 per cent of the freshmen and sophomores. The amount of Off-farm work experience engaged in by the high school students in the study is presented in table XVIII according to class in high school. Table XVIII Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience AndClass in High School High Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience School Class None 1 to 199 200 and over Total Freshman 51 33 25 109 (46.8) (30.3) (22.9) SOphomore 66 34 , 39 139 (47.5) (24.5) (28.0) Junior 40 26 33 99 (40.4) (26.3) (33.3) Senior 28 19 27 74 (37.8) (25.7) (36.5) Total 185 112 124 421 (43.9) (26.6) (29.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 5.7348 with 6 degrees freedom; not significant. Two hundred thirty-six of the four hundred twenty— one students in the study (56.1 per cent) reported having engaged in off-farm work experiences during the previous year. Approxinately one-half of the students (32.5 per cent)wh had engajed in off-farm work reported two huzdred or more hours for the year and the other 47.5 per cent reported less than two hundred hours. When tested by the chi-square technique the figures in table XVIII do not show a significant relation between hours of Off-farm work and class in high school. However the figures in table XVIII do indicate that upper class- men engaged in more hours of off—farm work experience than did lower classmen. Sixty-one per cent of the juniors and seniors reporte' en; in off—farm work experiences cf- *— oonpared with fifty- O :1 U 1...] He w ci- H c 1, Ho sophomores. There was als her percentage . 1'. \J I O H: d :31 CD 5: *d '(3 (D H O H OJ L) 0) 1 CD e—w H 9 O H (D *‘d O '1' d- (D Q; DJ 8 <‘ Fe :3 (H d H W ('0 (L d O of the upper classnen compared with 21.3 per cent of the freshmen and sophomores. The total number of hours of work experience engaged in by the students according to class in high school is presented in table XIX. A relationship was found to be significant at the one per cent level between class in high school and total number of hours worked during the previous year. One thou- sand Or more hours worked was reported by 61.8 per cent of the juniors and seniors compared with 49.4 per cent of the freshmen and sophomores. Only 7.5 per cent of the fresh- men and SOphomores and 13.7 per cent of the juniors and seniors reported working less than 200 hours during the year. Table XIX Relation Between Total Hours Work Experience and Class in High School High Hours of Work Experience School Class Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 over Freshman 9 41 35 24‘ 109 (8.3) (37.6) (32.1) (22.0 Sophomore 25 6O 27 27 139 (18.0) (43.2) (19.4) (19.4) Junior 9 34 33 23 99 (9.1) (34.4) (33.3) (23.2) Senior 4 19 29 22 74 (5.4) (25.7) (39.2) (29.7) Total 47 154 124 96 421 (11.2) (36.6) (29.4) (22.8) (100.0) Chi- square freedom; significant at 1 per cent level. = 23.7740 with 9 degrees of -35- Total hours of work experience is a combination of all hours of both farm and off-farm work experience of the students. Neither of these two measures of work experience, farm or Off-farm, was found by itself to be related to class in high school. However, for both of these measures of work experience a higher percentage of upper classmen than lower classmen was found in the upper categories of work experience. Differences were not great enough to show significant relat- ions by the chi-square method for either of the measures alone. When the two measures of work experience were com- bined giving the total hours of work experience this total was found significantly related to class in high school. Total hours of work experience tended to increase with advancement by class in high school. Most of the students in this study engaged in work experiences during the year. Over one-half of them (52.2 per cent) reported working a total of over one thousand hours for the year. Only 11.2 per cent of the total group reported not having worked as much as two hundred hours during the year. It was decided to accept the portion of the first general hypothesis of the study which stated that a relation- ship existed between work experiences Of high school students of vocational agriculture and their class in high school. More than one-half of the measures of work experience were found to be significantly related to class in high school. For all five measures of work experience used higher percentages Of juniors and seniors than of freshmen and SOphomores were found in the larger amounts of work cate— gories. ‘Rglgpion Between Work Experience and Plgge_gf_Residence Hours of farm work experience according to farm or non-farm residence is presented in table XX below. Table XX Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience and Place of Residence - Place Hours of Farm Work Experience of Residence Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 over Farm 21 84 83 68 256 (8.2) (32.8) (32.4) (26.6) Non-Farm 87 59 12 7 155 (52.7) (35.0) (7.3) (4.2) Total 108 143 95 75 421 (25.6) (34.0) (22.6) (17.8) (100.0) Chi-square = 133.9452 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level The chi-square value of figures presented in table XX -83.. indicate a relation, significant at the one per cent level, between hours of farm work experience and farm or non-farm residence. One hundred fifty-one of the two hundred fifty- six students living on farms (59.0 per cent) reported one thousand or more hours of farm work experience for the year compared with only nineteen of the one hundred sixty- five students (11.5 per cent) from non-farm residence. Fifty-two and seven-tenths per cent of the non-farm boys reported less than two hundred hours of farm work exper- ience for the year while only eight and two—tenths per cent of the farm students reported less than two hundred hours. Eighty-two per cent of the farm youth reported work with projects they Owned compared with only fifty per cent of the non-farm youth reporting experience with projects they owned. Of the farm students forty-six and five-tenths per cent reported two hundred or more hours of farm work with projects they Owned while only twenty and six-tenth percent of the students from non farm residences reported this amount of farm work with owned projects. Table XXI on the following page shows relation be- tween hours of farm work with projects owned by students and place of residence. Sigmificant relation was found at the one per cent level when tested by the chi-square method. Relation Between Hours of Farm Work With Owned Projects and Place of Residence __ -_._____ Place Hours of Farm Work With Owned Projects of Resilence Zone 1 to 199 200 and Over Total Farm 46 91 119 256 (1?.0) (35.5) (46.5) Non-Farm 93 48 34 163 (50.3) (29.1) (20.5) Total 129 13‘ 153 421 (30.6) (33.0) (36.4) (100.0) Chi-square is 53.9804 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. It will be noted from table XXI above that a much higher percentage of the non-farm students (50.3 per cent) reported no work with owned projects than did students from farms (18.0 per cent). Table XXII on the following page shows a significant relationship between composite farm work experience score and farm or non-farm residence. A much higher percentage of the youth from farms had high composite farm work experience scores than did the non- farm youth. Only 18.2 per cent of the non-farm youth had -90- scores in the high category compared with 45.7 per cent of the farm youth. Over one-half of the non-farm youth had low farm work experience scores (20 or below) while less than one in seven of the farm youth had scores in the low category. Table XXII Relation Between Composite Farm Work Experience Score and Place of Residence Place of Composite Farm Work Experience Score Residence 20 and 21 to 41 and Total below 40 above Farm 33 104 117 256 ‘ (13.7) (40.6) (45.7) Non-Farm 8 48 30 165 (52.7) (29.1) (18.2) Total 122 152 147 421 (29.0) (36.1) (34.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 78.2506 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. Table XXIII on the following page shows the relation between hours of off-farm work experience and place of residence. -91- Table XXIII Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Place of Residence Place Hours of Off-Farm Work of Residence None 1 to £00 and Total 199 over Farm 145 67 44 256 (56.6) (26.2) (17.2) Non-Farm 40 45 80 165 (24.2) (27.3) (48.5) Total 185 112 124 421 (43.9) (26.6) (29.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 57.4477 with two degrees of freedom; significant at the one per cent level. It will be noted from table many more of the farm students who off-farm work than of the non-farm XXIII that there were did not participate in students. Approximately one-half (80 of 165 of the non-farm students reported hav- ing worked at off-farm jobs for 200 or more hours during the past year. (44 of 256) had worked this much at off-farm jobs. Only about one-sixth of the farm students More than three-fourths (75.8 per cent) of the non-farm youth had engaged in off-farm work experiences. Figures are presented in table XXIV which show a definite relation between total hours of work experience and farm or non-farm residence. Table XXIV Relation Between Total Hours of Work Experience and Place of Residence Place Total Hours of Work Experience of Residence Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 over Farm 10 74 93 79 256 (3.9) (28.9) (36.3) (30.9) Non-Farm 37 80 31 17 165 (22.4) (48.5) 18.8) (10.3) Total 47 154 124 96 421 (11.2) (36.6) (29.4) (22.8) (100.0) Chi—square =70.397l woth three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. Total hours of work experience in table XXIV com- bines both farm and off-farm work experiences of the stu- dents. Sixty—seven per cent of the farm students reported working one thousand or more hours during the year compared with only twenty-nine per cent of the non-farm students. -93- Twenty-two per cent of the non—farm students reported work- ing less than two hundred hours during the year while less than four per cent of those living on farms reported less than two hundred hours of work experience for the same period. All five measures of work experience were found to be related to farm or non-farm residence at the one per cent level of confidence. Students who lived on farms performed more hours of farm work, did more work with productive pro- jects they owned, had higher composite farm work experience scores and also performed more total hours of work during the year than the non-farm students. More of the off-farm students also reported engaging in two hundred or more hours of off-farm work during the year. Relation Between Work Experience and Father's Operation of a Farm The following five tables show the relationships between the students' work experiences and whether or not their fathers operated farms. There is an inter—relation between operation of a farm by the student's father and place of residence. Most of the students who lived on farms also had fathers who operated farms. However thirty-one students reported that they lived on farms but that their fathers did not operate farms.- Twenty-seven other students reported that their fathers operated farms but that they did not live on farms. _94- Table XXV which follows shows the relationship be- tween hours of farm work experience by the students and whether or not their fathers operated a farm. Table XXV Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience and Farm Operation by Father Farm Hours of Farm Work Operated By Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total Father 200 999 1799 ' over Yes 28 84 76 61 249 (11.3) (33.7) (30.5) (24.5) No 80 59 19 14 (46.5) (34.3) (11.1) (8.1) 172 Total 108 143 95 75 421 (25.6) (34.0) (22.6) (17.8) (100.0) Chi-square is 81.7159 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. Over one-half (55.2 per cent) of the youth whose fathers Operated farms reported one thousand or more hours of farm work during the year. This is roughly equivalent to one-half of a full-time job. less than one-fifth (19.2 per cent) of the students whose fathers did not Operate farms reported as much as one thousand hours of farm work. Only 11.3 per cent of the students whose fathers operated farms reported less than 200 hours of farm work compared with 46.5 per cent of those whose fathers were not farmers. Table XXVI shows a positive relation between hours of farm work experience with owned projects and farm operation by father. One -half of the students whose fathers were not operating farms reported no farm work experience with owned projects compared to only 17.3 per cent of the stu- dents whose fathers operated farms. Twenty-five per cent of the students whose fathers were not farmers and forty- four per cent of those whose fathers operated farms reported two hundred or more hours of work with projects they owned. Table XXVI Relation Between Hours of WOrk Experience With Owned Projects and Farm Operation by Father Farm Hours of Farm Work With Owned Projects Operated ‘by None 1 to 200 and Total .thher 199 over Yes 43 96 110 249 (17.3) (33.5) (44.2) No 86 43 » 43 172 (50.0) (25.0) (25.0) Total 129 139 153 421 (30.6) (33.0) (36.4) (100.0) Chi-square = 52.412 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level Table XXVII shows a positive relationship between composite farm work experience scores and farm operation by students' fathers. Approximately one-half (49.4 per cent) of the students whose fathers did not operate a farm had low composite farm work experience scores (20 or below) compared to less than one-sixth (14.8 per cent) of the students whose fathers were operating farms. Table XXVII Relation Between Composite Farm Work Experience Score and Farm Operation by Father Farm Composite Farm Work Experience Score Operation loy' 20 and 21 to 41 and Total Father below 40 above Yes 37 105 107 249 (14.8) (42.2) (43.0) No 85 47 40 172 (49.4) (27.3) (23.3) Total 122 152 147 421 (29.0) (36.1) (34.9) Chi-square = 59.4721 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. Table XXVIII shows a significant relation between hours of off-farm work by the student and father's operation of a farm. All measures of farm work experience showed higher levels of farm work experience associated with farm operation by students' fathers. The reverse is true of off— farm work experience. Seventy-two per cent of the students whose fathers did not operate farms and forty-five per cent of those whose fathers did reported that they had engaged in off-farm work experiences. Forty—three per cent of the stu- dents whose fathers did not operate farms worked two hundred or more hours at off—farm work during the year compared to Table XXVIII Relation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Farm Operation by Father Farm Hours of Off-Farm Work Operation by' None 1 to 200 and Total Father 199 over Yes 136 63 50 249 (54.6) (25.3) (20.1) No 49 49 74 172 (28.5) (28.5) (43.0) Total 185 112 124 421 (43.9) (26.6) (29.5) (100.0) Chi—square = 34.3732 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. twenty per cent of the students whose fathers were farming. The total hours of work experience of the students in the study are shown in table XXIX according to whether or not their fathers were operating farms. Fifty-five per cent of the students whose fathers operated farms reported one thousand or more total hours of work experience during ‘the year compared with thirty-four per cent of the students whose fathers did not operate farms. Table XXIX IRelation Between Total Hours of Work Experience and Farm Operation by Father _ .Farm Total Hours of W0rk Experience Operation by' Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total Father 200 999 1799 over ‘Yes 13 75 9O 71 249 (5.2) (30.1) (36.2) (28.5) N0 34 79 34 25 172 (19.8) (45.9) (19.8) (14.5) Total 47 124 96 421 154 (11.2) (36.6) (29.4) (22.8) (100.0) All five measures of work experience used were found to be; related at the one per cent level of confidence to whether or not fathers Of the students operated farms. Stu— dents from families where fathers operated farms reported more farm work experience and also more total work exper- ience than did students whose fathers did not operate farms. Off-farm work experiences tended to be associated with fathers not operating farms. More Of the students whose fathers did not operate farms than those whose fathers did engaged in Off-farm work experience. Relation Between Work Expegirence and Farming Status Of Fathers Fathers of two hundred forty-nine (58.2 per cent) of the four hundred twenty-one students operated farms. Eighty- nine Of these fathers were Operating farms on a full-time basis and one hundred sixty on a part-time basis. Tables )CXX through XXXIV shows relations between the various meas- ures Of work experience and whether father operates a farm full or part-time for the students whose fathers were oper— ating farms. Table XXX on the following page shows a relation, significant at the one per cent level, between hours of farm work experience and farming status of fathers classi- fied as full-time or part-time farmers. Over three-fourths Of the students (75.3 per cent) Whose fathers were full-time farmers reported one thousand 01‘ more hours Of farm work experience. Almost one-half (43-7 per cent) Of the students whose fathers were part-time -10"- Table XXX Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience and Farming Status of Fathers Farming Hours of Farm Work Fathers Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 over Full-Time 2 2O 31 36 89 (2.2) (22.5) (34.8) (40.5) LPart—Time 26 64 45 25 150 (16.3) (40.0) (28.1) (15.5) Total 28 84 76 61 249 (11.3) (33.7) (30.5) (24.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 30.441 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. .farmers also reported 1000 or more hours of farm work exper- :ience during the year. A relatively small number of each ggroup reported less than 200 hours of farm work experience :for the year. Only two of the eighty-nine students (slightly crver 2 per cent) whose fathers were full-time farmers reported less than 200 hours of farm work experience for the year. fhwenty—six of the one hundred sixty students (16.3 per cent) vanase fathers were part-time farmers reported less than 200 hours of farm work experience. Information in tables XXX and XXXI indicates that stu- dentns whose fathers farm on a full-time basis spent more time (ioing farm work than did those students whose fathers were IJart-time farmers. However, having a father who was a full- ‘bime farmer appears to have had no influence on amount of :farm work done with owned projects by students. This indi- <3ates the probability that the additional work performed on :farms by students whose fathers were full-time farmers was (done in relation to farm enterprises conducted by fathers and had little if any effect on the amount of time devoted by the students to caring for farm enterprises owned by them. Table XXXI indicates that no relation existed between hours of work experience with owned projects and whether Table XXXI Relation Between Hours of Work Experience on Owned Projects and Farming Status of Fathers Farming Hours of Farm Work With Owned Projects Father none 1 to 200 and Total 199 over . Ihflerime 17 30 42 89 (19.1) (33.7) (41.2) Part- Time 26 66 68 ' 160 (16.2) (41.3) (42.5) Total 43 96 110 249 (17.3) (38.5) (44.2) (100.0) Chi-square = lff§58 With two degrees of freedom; not significant ‘ -102- :father operated a farm on a full-time or a part—time basis. Table XXXII indicates that there is no significant Irelation between composite farm work experience score and tvhether the students' fathers were full-time or part-time farmers. Table XXXII iRelation Between Composite Farm Work Experience Score and Farming Status of Fathers Farming Composite Farm Work Experience Score Fathers 20 and 21 to 41 and Total below 40 above - Full-Time 7 43 39 89 (7.9) (48.3) (43.8) Part-Time 30 62 68 160 (18.7) (38.8) (42.5) Total) 37 105 107 249 (14.8) (42.2) (43.0) (100.0) Chi-square = 1.3958 with two degrees of freedom; not significant. ' Even though students whose fathers were full-time ftxrxners did more work on the farm than did students whose fathers were part-time farmers there was no significant relationship indicated when the two groups of students were -103- compared in regard to composite farm work experience scores. Table XXXIII shows a significant relationship at the five per cent level between amount of off-farm work exper- ience and whether father was a full-time or part-time farmer. Table XXXIII Iielation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Farm- ing Status of Fathers Farming Hours of Off—Farm Work Fathers None 1 to 199 200 and Total over .thll-Time 58 2O 11 89 (65.2) (22.5) (12.3) Part-Time 73 43 39 160 (48.7) (26.9) (24.4) Total 136 63 50 249 (54.6) (25.3) (20.1) (100.0) Chi—square = 7.3717 with two degrees of - freedom; significant at the five per cent level The students whose fathers were part-time farmers Spent more hours doing off-farm work than the students whose fathers were full-time farmers. Fifty-one and three-tenths Per cent of the students whose fathers were part-time farmers engaged in off-farm work during the year compared to thirty- fOur and eight tenths per cent of the students whose fathers evere full—time farmers. ..102)... Twice as large a percentage of the sstudents whose fathers were part-time farmers (24 PC? cent) I‘ (D .A J' ’3 “-3- f‘ , " ’ 1‘ , O ‘P ‘P 4 " ‘ pcrted 230 or more hours 0~ o 1— 2r" w‘rx as . .LLaAe—J “whose fathers were full-time farmers. .1 New. .1_—b v v 4. c- 4 Table XXXIV shows that a relation exists between ‘total hours of work experience and farming status of fathers :for those students whose fathers operated farms. Table XXXIV Relation Between Total Hours of Work Experience and Farming —_ Status of Fathers Farming Total Hours of Work Experience Fathers Under 1000 1000 Hours Total Hours and Over Full-Time 17 72 89 (19.1) (80.9) Part-Time 71 89 160 Total 88 161 249 ' (35.3) (64-7) freedom; Chi-square is 15.9781 with one degree of significant at one per cent level. Figures in table XXXIV show seventy-two of eighty- Iline students, (80.9 per cent) whose fathers were farming -135- full-time, reported having worked 1000 or more hours. Hours of farm work experience, hours of off-farm work experience, and total hours of work experience were found to be significantly related to whether the student's father was a full-time or part-time farmer. Significant relations were not found between farming status of fathers, classified as full-time or part-time farmers, and either hours of farm work with owned projects or composite work experience score. Students whose fathers were full-time farmers did more farm work and more total work but less off-farm work than students whose fathers were p art-time farmers . Total hours of work experience combines hours of both farm and off-farm work experience. Similar relations were found between hours of farm work experience and total hours 01‘ work experience when compared with father's farming status. However, hours of off-farm work experience, which is also a component part of total work experience, shows an opposite relationship. Hours of farm work experience made up a much larger pr0portion of total hours than did non-farm work experience. The median hours of farm work experience was more than 1000 hours compared with a median of less than 200 hours 'of off-farm work experience. The fact that students with fathers who were full- tlme farmers did more farm work appears to be partially due 150 the fact that students whose fathers were full-time ~105- J. - 1.. - n w, , 1,, 's L) CELCL‘ID tinf- ...--3.;:;r.) 0213‘s IVY-.LO eagle from .Lar“ farrrzers were in 1107.? {ger farms. Approximately eighty per cent of the students tflaose fathers were full—time farmers came from farms of 100 aicres or larger compared to forty per cent of the students with fathers farming part-time who came from farms as large as 100 acres. Iielation Between Work Experience and Size of Home Farm Tables XXXV through LEXIX shows relation between Ineeasures of work experience and size of home farms for the 2R54-students in the study whose families had farms. Table SXJCXV shows that a relation exists between hours of farm xecark experience and size of farm. Table XXXV Iieilation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience and Size of Farm Size Hours of Farm Work Experience or Farm Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 over Under 100 A. 19 51 36 12 11.8 (16.1) (43.2) (30.5) (10.2) 100 A. or 8 36 47 55 146 More (5.5) (24.6) (32.2) (37.7) Total 27 87 83 67 264 (10.2) (33.0) (31.4) (25.4) (100.0) Chi-square = 33.5077 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. -107- Of the 146 students in the study whose families caperated farms, of 100 acres or larger, 37.7 per cent re- jported farm work experience of 1800 hours or more and 30.1 jper cent reported less than 1000 hours of farm work exper- ience for the previous year. In contrast to these percent- ages only 10.2 per cent of the 118 students from farms smaller than 100 acres reported 1800 or more hours of farm work and 59.3 per cent reported less than 1000 hours during the Past year. Table XXXVI shows the hours of farm work with owned Table XXXVI Relation Between Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects and Size of Farm —__ Size Hours of Farm Work With Owned Projects of Farm None 1 to 200 and Total 199 over Under 100 A. 18 45 55 118 (15.3) (39.1) (46.6) 1100 A. or 27 52 67 146 More (18.5) (35.6) (45.9) Total 45 97 122 264 (17.1) (36.7) (46.2) (100.0) Chi-square = .6216 with two degrees of freedom; not significant. -108- Ipxbjects engaged in by 264 students according to size of :farm. The chi-square value of figures in table XXXVI does IlOt indicate a significant relationship at the five per cent level between hours of farm work with owned projects and size of family farm. Size of farm is related to total hours of farm work engaged in by the students in table XXXVI but apparently has little or no effect on the amount of time that the student spends in working with projects he owns. Table XXXVII shows the existence of a significant relationship between size of farm and composite farm work experience score. Table XXXVII Relation Between Composite Farm Work Experience Score and Size of Farm Size Composite Farm Work Experience Score of Farm 20 and below 21 to 40 41 and above Total Under 100 A. 25 50 43 118 (21.2) (42.4) (36.4) 100 A. or 11 60 75 146 More (7.5) (41.1) (51.4) Total 36 110 118 264 (13.6) (41.7) (44.7) (100.0) Chi-square is 12.1991 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. -109- Over one-half of the students from larger farms (51.5 per cent) have high composite farm work experience scores (1&1 and above) compared with 36.4 per cent of the students Itrcm farms smaller than 100 acres in size. Only 7.5 per c:emt.of the students from small farms had low composite fkarm work experience scores (20 and below). A relationship between hours of off-farm work and :size of farm is shown in table XXXVIII. Table XXXVIII ZRelation Between Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience and Size of Farm 53%ze Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience <3 Farm None 1 to 199 200 and Over Total thider 100 A. 53 34 31 118 (44.9) (28.8) (26.3) 100 A. ,or 96 83 17 146 amaze (65.8) (22.6) (11.6) Total 149 67 48 264 (56.4) (25.4) (18.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 13.6992 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. {ore of the students from the larger farms had done 110 offefarm work (65.8 per cent) than students from farms ~110- smaller than 100 acres (44.9 per cent). Twenty-six and three-tenths per cent of the students whose home farms were under 100 acres in size reported working at off-farm jobs for 200 or more hours per year compared with only 11.6 per cent of the students from larger farms. Table XXXIX indicates a relationship, significant at the one per cent level, between total hours of work exper- ience and size of home farm for the students whose families Operate farms. Table XXXIX Relation Between Total Number of Hours of Work Experience and Size of Farm Size Total Hours of Work Experience of , Farm Under 200 to 1000 to 1800 or Total 200 999 1799 over Under 100 A. 10 46 45 17 118 (8.5) (39.0) (38.1) (14.4) 100 A. or 4 33 48 61 146 More (2.7) (22.6) (32.9) (41.8) Total 14 79 93 78 264 (5.3) (29.9) (35.2) (29.6) (100.0) Chi-square = 26.9497 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. Approximately three-fourths (74.7 per cent) of the ,7 -111- students from farms of 100 acres or more and approximately one—half (52.5 per cent) of those from smaller farms reported working more than 1000 hours during the year. Very few of the students, 8.5 per cent of those from smaller and 2.7 per cent of those from larger farms, worked less than 200 hours during the year. Larger farms were found to be associated with more hours of farm work experience, higher composite farm work experience scores, and more hours of total work experience. Larger farms were associated'with less hours of off-farm work experience. Off-farm work experience makes up a con- Sid erably smaller proportion of total work experience than dOes farm work experience. A significant relationship was not found between hours of farm work with owned projects and size of home farm. “Sunlmary This chapter has presented findings in regard to work experiences of high school students of vocational agricul- ture- The first general hypothesis of the study, that there is a relation between work experiences engaged in by high SChool vocational agriculture students and selected charac— teristics of these students was accepted. Each of five Seleeted student characteristics were found to be signif- 1Ca—‘rl‘lzly associated with a majority of the five measures of “"0 1‘1! experience used . ~112- Figure l on the following page shows where signifi- <3ant relations were found to exist between each of five sselected characteristics of the students and each of the nueasures of work experience. Significant relationships were reported for factors :6011nd to be significantly associated at the five per cent Inexrel of confidence when tested by the chi-square method. Relations where the level of confidence was as great as one puex~ cent are indicated by an underlined yes in Figure 1. Class in high school was found to be significantly related to three of the five measures of work experience used: (1) total hours of work experience, (2) composite farm ¢t>Id£ experience score, and (3) hours of work experience with Ciwxied projects. Class in high school was not found signifi- CBaIItly related to the other two measures of work experience llseni: (1) hours of farm work experience, and (2) hours of Off-farm work experience. However, for each of these two measures of work experience a higher percentage of upper cl‘lassmen, juniors and seniors, than of freshmen and sopho- moI‘es were found in the upper measurement categories. Place of residence of the students was found to be £31anificantly related at the one per cent level with each OfT‘the five measures of work experience used. Students TPeSiding on farms had higher scores in all measures of farm ‘work experience and more non-farm students engaged in off- ..113- pngg -t, pcaoaoncmam soc . oz an as oesoaenooam - mmw conseamt ocmoaoacmam - mm» axoaqoono< A<20H9<00> mo mszm Dem doomom mmHm mo mo HmHmmHQerated farms. Another tw nty-seven students did not live O11 .farms but had fathers who operated farms. . Students whose fathers operated farms engaged in more liOIirs of farm work experience, more hours of work experience vrirth.owned projects, more total hours of work experience and 11811 higher composite farm work experience scores than did ‘tile ggoup of students whose fathers did not operate farms. 3316: students whose fathers were not operators of farms en- éiaxged in more hours of off-farm work experience. Significant relationships were found between whether #ferther was a full-time or part-time farmer and three measures (bf‘ work experience: (1) hours of farm work experience, (2) 'tcrtai hours of work experience, and (3) hours of off-farm ‘TOJEk experience. Significant relationships were not found tustween whether father was a full-time or part-time farmer Enid either (1) hours of farm work experience with owned PrOjects, or (2) composite farm work experience score. ‘ Ila-n ..I Having a father who was a full-time farmer was fomld to be associated with an increased number of hours of both farm work experience and total work experience. The fact that the student's father was a full-time farmer was associated with a decreased number of hours of off-farm work experience. F— Size of farm was also found to be significantly re- lated to a majority of the measures of work experience. ...... ..-". . ~ ' Students who had fathers who were full-time farmers tended to be the same group who came from the larger farms. Size :3. of farm operation appears to be one of the more important if factors associated with amount of farm work experience Gained by the student. Both larger farms and having a father who was a full-time farmer were found to be positively associated with increased amounts of farm work experience. Size of students' home farms was found to be related to four of the five measures of work experience used. A significant relationship was not. found between size of home farm and Ill-Imber of hours of work experience with owned projects. Larger size of farms was found to be related to more hours of farm work experience, higher composite farm work exper- ience scores, more total hours of farm work experience, and less hours of off-farm work experience. No relationship was fOllnd between operation of a larger farm by the student's family and number of hours the student spent working with farm projects he owned. ~115— Chapter VI which follows presents findings in regard to occupational plans and aspirations of students of high school vocational agriculture. A determination is made of relationships between students' occupational plans and aspirations and measures of work experiences engaged in by triese students. CHAPTER VI FINDINGS RELATED TO OCCUPATIONAL CHOICES AND ASPIRAI‘IONS This chapter has as its purpose a determination of Inelationships existing between occupational choices and aespirations of high school students of vocational agricul— tLtre and work experiences of these students. A determin- ation is made as to whether or not relationships exist between various occupational choice and aspiration chara- cteristics of the youth studied and measures of work experi- ence. The second general hypothesis of the study, that there is a relationship between work experiences engaged 111 tm'high school students of vocational agriculture and 'tkieiz'occupational plans and aspirations is tested. Qgcupational Choices Made by Students Approximately three-fourths of the high school stu- dents of vocational agriculture in this study indicated tilert they had made an occupational choice. The occupational C31C>1ces listed by the students as the ones they were most apt to enter were almost equally divided between agricul- tdlxual and non-agricultural occupations. One hundred fifty- ifiwre indicated an agricultural occupation as the one they Were most apt to enter and one hundred fifty-six indicated occupations which were of a non-agricultural nature. Almost lShree-fourths (71 per cent) of the students who chose -117- agricultural occupations listed farming as the occupation they were most apt to enter. Forty-five of the students listed agricultural occupations other than farming as ones they were most apt to enter.1 This represents twenty-nine per cent of the students who chose agricultural occupations . and eleven per cent of the total group of students in the study. Tables included in this chapter list both numbers A) Aelfi‘bllo'. f and percentages. The percentage is given in parenthesis under each number. Table XL compares the amount of farm work experience of those students who had made an occupational choice with the students who had not made occupational choices. A relation was found between hours of farm work eXperience and whether or not the student had made an occu- Pational choice. A higher percentage of the students in the highest category of hours of farm work (1800 hours or more) had made occupational choices than had the students 111 the lowest category, (less than 200 hours). The percent- aoE’s‘es of those who had made occupational choices were 82.3 Per cent for the highest category of farm work experience compared with 57.4 per cent for those in the lowest category. For the two middle categories the percentages of those who had made occupational choices were 74.7 and 72.6 per cent. 1Lists of both non-agricultural occupations and non- farm agricultural occupations chosen by the students are given in Appendix E. —ll9- Table XL Relation Between Whether or not Occupational Choice Has Been Made and Hours of Farm Work Experience Bhimber Hours Occupational Choice Made Therm WOrk Experience No Yes Total Under 200 20 27 47 (42.6) (57.4) 200 to 999 39 115 154 (25.3) (74.7) 1000 to 1799 34 90 124 (27.4) (72.6) 1800 or over 17 79 95 (17.7) (82.3) Total 110 311 421 (26.1) (73.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 10.2519 with three degrees of freedom; significant at five per cent level. The relation between number of hours of farm work experience with owned projects and whether or not an occu- Pational choice has been made is shown in table XLI. No significant relationship was found between hours C3f.farm work experience with owned projects and the students henring made an occupational choice. However a slightly higher percentage of the students with the most work exper— '1ence with owned propects (seventy-nine per cent) had made Occupational choices compared with those with less than two -12o— hundred hours of work experience (seventy-four per cent) and those with no work experience with owned projects (sixty- seven per cent). Table XLI Relation Between Whether or Not Occupational Choice Has Been Made and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Work Experience Occupational Choice Made With Owned Projects No Yes Total None 42 87 129 (32.6 (67.4 1 to 199 36 103 139 (25.9) (74.1) 200 and Over 32 121 153 (20.9) (79.1) Total 110 311 421 (26.1) (73.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 4.9269 with two degrees of freedom; not significant. A significant relationship was found between composite farm work experience score and whether or not an occupational c1'1021.ce had been made. The number of students having made Occupational choice is shown in table XLII according to high, medium and low composite farm work experience scores. Table XLII Relation Between Whether or Not Occupational Choice Has Been Made and Composite Farm WOrk Experience Score (Somposite Occupational Choice Made Farm Work Iixperience .No Yes Total Score 20 and Below 41 81 122 (33.6) (66.4) 221 50 4O 42 110 152 (27.6) (72.4) 1+1 and Above 27 120 147 (18.4) (81.6) Total 110 311 421 (26.1) (73.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 8.2987 with two degrees of freedom; significant at five per cent. High composite farm work experience scores are assoc- iated with students having made occupational choices. Eighty—two per cent of the students with high scores had Inade an occupational choice compared with seventy—two per cent of the students with medium scores and sixty-six per cent of those with low scores. The number of students who had made occupational choices according to number of hours of off-farm work is presented in table XLIII on the following page. Table XLIII Relation Between Whether or Not Occupational Choice Has Been Made and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience flours of Occupational Choice Made Off-Farm Ffiork Experience No Yes Total Ifione 54 131 185 (29.2) (70.8) 1 to 199 28 84 112 (25.0) (75.0) 200 and Over 28 96 124 (22.6) (77.4) Total 110 311 421 (26.1) (73.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 1.7Sl8 with two degrees of freedom: not significant. No significant relationship was found between occupa— tional choice having been made by students and hours of off- farm work experience reported by them. Even though the difference was not large enough to be significant, slightly more of the students with larger amounts of off-farm work experience (seventy-seven per cent) had made occupational choices than had the students with fewer hours of off-farm work experience (seventy five per cent) or those with no off-farm work experience (seventy-one per cent). -123- The total number of hours of work experience Olgared \4 in 1, the students is shown in table XLIV according to ‘whether or not they have made an occupational choice. Table XLIV fielation Between Whether or Not Occupational Choice Has Been Made and Total Hours of Work Experience E __ 330tal Hours Occupational Choice Made Of Work Iflxperience No Yes Total IJnder 200 35 72 108 (33.3) (66.7) 200 to 999 33 110 g 143 (23.1) (76.9) 21000 to 1799 28 67 95 (29.5) (70.5) 1800 or Over 13 62 75 (17.3) (82.7) Total 110 311 421 (26.1) (73.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 7.1521 with three degrees of freedom; not significant. These figures do not show a significant relation be- tween total hours of work experience and an occupational choice having been made by the student. The percentages of ~124- students who had made occupational choices according to category of hours of work experience were as follows: under 200 hours - 67 per cent, 200 to 999 hours - 77 per cent, I 1000 to 1799 hours - 71 per cent, and 1800 or more hours - 83 per cent. It will be noted that the percentages of students who had made occupational choices are considerably higher for the highest category of hours of work experience than for the lowest category. Total hours of work exper- ience, which is a combination of hours of farm and off-farm work experience, were not significantly related to students having made occupational choices. Farm work experience was found to be related to occupational choice having been made but the relation, when total hours of work experience was considered, appears to have been weakened by the effect of off-farm work experiences which were unrelated to occupa- tional choice having been made. The part of the second general hypothesis of the study, that there was a relation between work experience and whether or not an occupational choice had been made by the students was rejected. Significant relationships were found between only two of the five measures of work exper- iences used and whether or not an occupational choice had been made. Even though this part of the hypothesis must be rejected there is some indication that having made an occupational choice is associated with increased amounts of work experience and higher farm work experience scores. A higher percentage of the students in the highest category of work experience had made occupational choices than had students in the lowest work experience category for each of the five measures of work experience used in the study. Students' Choice of Agricultural or Non-Agricultural Occupations Relations between choice by students of agricultural or non-agricultural occupations and each of five measures of work experience is presented in the next five tables. The relation of hours of farm work experience to choice of an agricutural occupation is shown in table XLV. The occupational choices of the 311 students in the study who indicated they had made decisions about their future occupations were almost equally divided between agricultural and non-agricultural occupations. One hundred fifty-five of the students designated an agricultural occu- pation and one hundred fifty-six named a non-agricultural occupation as the one they were most apt to enter. A relation, significant at the one per cent level was found between hours of farm work experience and choice of an agricultural occupation. The percentage of students who expected to enter an agricultural occupation was highest in the group having the highest amount of farm work exper- ience and lowest in the group with the lowest amount of farm work experience. The percentages progressed from twenty-six per cent, in the lowest category of work, who chose agricultural occupations to thirty-eight per cent of those in the second, fifty-four of those in the third, and seventy per cent of those in the highest category of work experience. Table- XLV Relation Between Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience Number Hours Occupational Choice Farm Work , Experience Agricultural Non-Agricultural Total Under 200 7 20 27 (25.9) (74.1) 200 to 999 44 71 115 (38.3) (61.7) 1000 to 1799 49 41 90 (54.4) (45.6) 1800 or Over 55 24 79 (69.6) (30.4) Total 155 156 311 (49.8) (50.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 25.4754 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. -127- The relation between hours of farm work experience with owned projects andthe choice of an agricultural occu- pation is shown in table XLVI below. Table XLVI Relation Between Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects m Hours Farm Work . Occupational Choice Experience With . Owned Projects Agricultural Non-Agricultural Total None 25 62 87 (28.7) (71.3) 1 to 199 54 49 103 (52.4) ‘ (47.6) 200 and Over 76 45 121 (62.8) (37.2) Total 155 155 311 (49.8) (50.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 23.9l32 with 3 degrees of freedom; significant at 1 per cent level. A significant relationship was found between hours of farm work experience with owned projects and the choice of an agricultural occupation. Only twenty-nine per cent of the students who reported no farm work experience with owned projects expected to enter agricultural occupations. Fifty- -128- two per cent of the students with less than two hundred hours and sixty-three per cent of the students with two hundred or more hours of farm work experience with owned projects reported agricultural occupations as the ones they were most apt to enter. The figures in table XLVII indicate that there is a positive relation between composite farm work experience score and a student's choice of an agricultural occupation. Table XLVII Relation Between Occupational Choice and Composite Farm Work Experience Score Composite Farm Occupational Choice werk Experience Score Agricultural Non-Agricultural Total 20 and Below 30 51 81 (37.0) (63.0) 21 to 40 49 61 110 (44.5) (55.5) 41 and Above 76 44 120 (63.3) (36.7) Chi-square = 25.2792 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. A significant relation was found between hours of off-farm work experience and the choice of a non-agricul- occupation. Figures in table XLVIII indicate that the ~129- experience gained by a student at off-farm work is assoc- iated with the choice of a non-agricultural occupation. Sixty-five per cent of the students who had engaged in two hundred or more hours of off-farm work experience chose non-agricultural occupations. Fifty-eight per cent of the students with less than two hundred hours of farm work ex- perience and only thirty-four per cent of the students with no off-farm work experience chose non-agricultural occu- pations. Table XLVIII Relation Between Occupational Choice and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience Hours of Off- Occupational Choice Farm Work ZExperience Agricultural Non-Agricultural Total None 86 45 131 (65.6) (34.4) 1 “to 199 35 49 84 (41.7) (58.3) 20C) and Over 34 62 96 (35.4) (64.6) Total 155 156 311 (49.8) (50.2) (100.0) Chi-square s 23.3299 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. -130- Table XLIX indicates that a relation exists between total hours of work experience and the choice of an agri- cultural occupation. Table XLIX Relation Between Occupational Choice and Total Hours of Work Experience Total Hours Occupational Choice of Werk Experience Agricultural Non-Agricultural Total Under 200 18 54 ‘72 (25.0) (75.0) 200 to 999 45 65 110 (40.9) (59.1) 1000 to 1799 44 23 67 (65.7) (34.3) 1800 or Over 48 14 62 (77.4) (22.6) Total 155 156 311 (49.8) (50.2) Chi-square #4678732 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. Seventy-seven per cent of the students who reported 1800 or more hours of work experience for the year gave an agricultural occupation as the one they were most apt to -131- enter. Only twenty-five per cent of the students who exper- ienced less than 200 hours of work during the year chose an agricultural occupation. However it must be remembered that a majority of the hours which make up the total hours of work experience of these students were spent at farm rather than off—farm work. Increased total hours of work experience was assoc— iated with choice of an agricultural in preference to a non-agricultural occupation. Increases in the three meas- ures of farm work experience, as well as total hours of work experience, were all accompanied by increased percent- ages of students who indicated they expected to enter an agricultural occupation. Increases in the number of hours of off-farm work experience were accompanied by higher per- centages of the students who chose non-agricultural occupa- tions. Amounts of work experience engaged in by the students both on and off the farm were associated with such back- ground factors as place of residence, father's occupation, and size of home farm. This would indicate that choice between agricultural and non-agricultural occupations is probably associated with each of these characteristics as well as measurements of work experience. _§tudents' Choice of Agricultural Occupations -One hundred fifty—five students indicated agricultural -132- occupations as the ones they were most apt to enter. One hundred ten of these students expected to enter farming and forty-five expected to enter non—farm agricultural occupa- tions. Determinations of relations existing between the choice of farming or non-farm agricultural occupation and each of five measures of work experience are given in tables L to LIV. Table L Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience Number Hours Occupational Choice Farm Work Non Farm Experience Farming Agricultural Total Under 200 4 3 7 (57.1) (42.9) 200 to 999 27 17 44 (61.4) (58.6) 1000 to 1799 37 12 49 (75.5) (24.5) 1800 or Over 42 15 55 (76.4) (23.6) Total 110 45 155 (71.0) (29.0) (100.0) Chi-square = 3.8§74 with three degrees of freedom; not significant. -133- The number of students choosing farming and non-farm agricultural occupations according to number of hours of farm work experience is shown in table L. The chi-square test did not indicate a significant relation between hours of farm work experience and the choice of farming or a non-farm agricultural occupation. However more of the students in the upper categories of hours of farm work chose farming than did the students in the lower. Seventy-seven per cent of the students who reported one thousand or more hours of work experience chose farming compared to sixty-one per cent of the students who reported less than one thousand hours of farm work experience. Table LI shows the number of students choosing farm- ing and non-farm agricultural occupations according to num- ber of hours of work experience with owned projects engaged in during the past year. Seventy-six per cent of the students who did more than.two hundred hours of work with owned projects chose farming compared with seventy per cent of the students who did less than two hundred hours of work with owned projects, and only fifty-seven per cent of those students Who reported IKJ'WOrk experience with projects they owned. These differ- ences were not large enough to show a significant relation 'between hours of farm work experience with owned projects smui choice of farming or non-farm agricultural occupation -134- Table LI Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Work Occupational Choice Experience With Non Farm Owned Projects Farming Agricultural Total None 14 11 25 (56.0) (44.0) 1 to 199 38 ' ' 16 54 (70.4) . (29.6) 200 and Over 58 18 76 (76.3) (23.7) Total 110 45 155 (71.0) (29.0) (100.0) Chi-square = 3.7768 with two degrees of ‘freedom; not significant when checked by the chi-square technique. The number of students who expect to enter farming and non-farm agricultural occupations according to composite farm work experience score is shown in Table LII. A relation, significant at the one per cent level, was found between composite farm work experience score and choice of farming as an occupation. A.higher per cent of the students with high composite farm work experience scores than those with low scores -135- indicated farming as the occupation they were most apt to enter. The percentages of students choosing farming were seventy-nine per cent of the students with high composite farm work experience scores, seventy-three per cent for the students with medium scores and forty-seven per cent of the low score students. Table LII Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Composite Farm Work Experience Score Composite Farm Occupational Choice Work Experience Non-Farm Score Farming Agricultural Total 20 and Below 14 16 30 (46.7) (53.3) 21 to 40 36 13 49 (73.5) (26.5) 41 and Above 60 16 76 (78.9) (21.1) Total 110 45 155 (71.0) (29.0) (100.0) Chi-square = 11.0950 with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level Table LIII presents information in regard to agri- cultural occupation choices of students according to number -136- of hours of off-farm work experience. A relation was found between choice of farming or non-farm agricultural occupa- tions and hours of off-farm work experience. Table LIII Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Hours of Off-Farm W0rk Experience Hours of Occupational Choice Off-Farm Non-Farm Work Experience Farming Agricultural Total None 69 17 86 (80.2) (19.8) 1 to 199 25 10 35 (71.4) (28.6) 200 and Over 16 18 34 (47.1) (52.9) Total 110 45 155 ’ (71.0) (29.0) (100.0) Chi-square = 13.0240 with three degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level Information in table LIII shows a positive relation- ship between an increased number of hours of off-farm work experience and the number of students who chose non-farm agricultural occupations in preference to farming. Only 'twenty per cent of the students who had engaged in no off- -137- farm work experience indicated a non-farm occupation as the one they were most apt to enter, compared with twenty-nine per cent of the students who had engaged in less than two hundred hours of off-farm work, and fifty-three per cent of those who had performed two hundred or more hours of off- farm work. Choice of an agricultural occupation according to total hours of work experience is presented in table LIV. A significant relationship was found between choice of agricultural occupations (farming or non-farm agricultural) and total hours of work experience. The larger number of hours of work experience was associated with larger per- centages of students who indicated farming as the occupation they were most apt to enter. The percentage of students choosing farming in preference to a non-farm agricultural occupation increased from forty-four per cent for those in the lowest category, to sixty-four per cent for those in the second category, seventy-seven per cent for the third, and eighty-one per cent for those students reporting the greatest total number of hours of work experience. Total hours of work experience were found to be significantly related to choice between farming and non- farm agricultural occupations; even though hours of farm 'work experience, its largest component part, did not show a relation. When off-farm work experience was combined A with farm work experience to form a total, this total was related to choice between farming and non-farm agricultural occupations. This indicates that experience gained by the students from off-farm work was a more important factor than hours of farm work in relation to the student's choice between farming and non-farm agricultural occupations. Table LIV Relation Between Agricultural Occupation Choice and Total Hours of Work Experience Total Hours Occupational Choice of Werk Non-Farm Experience Farming Agricultural Total Under 200 8 10 18 (44.4) (55.6) 200 to 999 29 16 45 (64.4) (35.6) 1000 to 1799 34 10 44 (77.3) (22.7) 1800 or Over 39 9 48 (81.3) (18.7) Total 110 45 155 (71.0) (29.0) (100.0) Chi-squar; = 10.3779 with three degrees of freedom; significant at five per cent level. ~139- Three of the five measures of work experience were found to be significantly related to a student's choice be— tween farming or a non-farm agricultural occupation. , Relations between two measures of work experience (hours of farm work experience and hours of farm work ex— perience with owned projects) and choice of agricultural occupation were not found to be significant. However in these two measures the trend was the same with a higher percentage of the students who had the most hours of work experience choosing farming in preference to non-farm agri- cultural occupations. In each of the three measures of farm work experience and for total hours of work experience larger percentages choosing farming were found among the groups with the lar- gest amounts of work experience. Increased amounts of off-farm work experience,on the other hand,was found to be associated with the likelihood of'the student choosing an off-farm agricultural occupation rather than farming. The part of the second general hypothesis of the study, that a relation exists between choice of farming or non-farm agricultural occupations was accepted. Studgnts' Chong of Non-Fgrm Occupations Three hundred eleven students in this study had made cnccupational choices. One hundred ten of these students -1eo_ listed farming as the occupation they were most apt to enter. The other two hundred and one students'occupational choices were divided into non-agricultural and non-farm agricultural occupations. One hundred fifty-six students listed non- agricultural occupations and forty-five listed non-farm agricultural occupations as the ones they were most apt to enter. Chi-square tests were made to determine if relations existed between each of the five measures of work experi- ence used in this study and students' choices of non.agri- cultural or non-farm agricultural occupations. None of these five tests revealed the existence of a significant relation. Cgrtainty of Occupationgl Choice Student's certainty of occupational choice was class- ified into three categories; uncertain or no choice, fairly certain, and very certain. The classification was made on the basis of the student's expressed certainty of entering his chosen occupation. The chi-square test was used to determine whether or not significant relations existed between each of five measures of work experience and certainty of occupational choice. Table LV shows the certainty of occupational choice of students according to number of hours of farm work experience. —141— Table LV Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Hours Hours Farm Work of Farm Work Experience —- fl Certainty of Occupational Choice Experience Uncertain or Fairly Very N0 Choice Certain Certain Total Under 200 42 47 18 107 (39.3) (43.9) (16.8) 200 to 999 44 67 33 144 (30.6) (46.5) (22.9) 1000 to 1799 32 41 22 95 (33.7) (43.2) (23.1) 1800 or Over 17 36 22 75 (32.1) (45.4) (22.5) Total 135 191 95 421 (32.1) (45.4) (22.5) (100.0) Chi-square 577.2430 with six degregs of freedom; not significant. No significant relationship was found between hours (of farm work experience and certainty of occupational choice. However figures in table LV show that the students 'with the most hours of farm work experience were more certain cif their occupational choices than students with the least Inours of farm work experience. Twenty-nine per cent of the —142— students with 1800 or more hours of work experience were very certain and twenty-three per cent uncertain or had made no occupational choice. Only seventeen per cent of the students with less than two hundred hours of farm work ex- perience were very certain and thirty-nine per cent uncertain of their choice or had made no occupational choice. The certainty of occupational choice according to number of hours of farm work experience with owned projects engaged in by students is presented in table LVI. A relation, significant at the one per cent level, was found between hours of farm work experience with owned projects and certainty of occupational choice. The per cent of students who were very sure of entering their chosen occupations increased from eighteen per cent of those with no work experience with owned projects,to twenty-one per cent of those with less than two hundred hours,to twenty- eight per cent of those with two hundred or more hours of farm work experience with owned projects. Forty-three per cent of the students who had no work experience with owned projects were uncertain or had made no occupational choice. This amount decreases to twenty- nine per cent in the middle category, and twenty-five per cent of the students in the uppermost category of two hun- dred or more hours. Increased work with projects owned by the students was positively associated with the students -143- Table LVI Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Hours of Farm work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Work Certainty of Occupational Choice Experience With Owned Projects Uncertain or Fairly Very Total No Choice Certain Certain None 56 50 23 129 (43.4) (38.8) (17.8) 1 to 199 41 69 29 139 (29.5) (49.6) (20.9) 200 and Over 38 72 43 153 (24.8) (47.1) (28.1) Total 135 191 95 421 (32.1) (45.4) (22.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 13.3931 with four degrees of freedom; significant at the one per cent level. having made firm occupational choices. Table LVII shows students' certainty of entering their chosen occupations according to composite farm work experience scores. A significant relationship was found to exist between certainty of occupational choice and composite farm work experience score. Larger percentages of students who were very certain of entering their chosen occupation were found -144— among the students with high composite farm work experience scores and larger percentages of students who were uncertain of their choice or had made no choice were found among the group of students with low composite farm work experience SCOI‘CS. Table LVII Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Com- posite Farm Work Experience Score Composite Certainty of Occupational Choice Farm WOrk Experience Uncertain or Fairly Very Total Score No Choice Certain Certain 20 and Below 46 57 19 122 (37.7) (46.7) (15.6) 21 to 40 55 61 38 154 (35.7) (39.6) (24.7) 41 and Above 34 73 38 145 (23.5) (5013) _126.2) Total 135 191 95 421 (32.1) (45.4) (22.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 10.9760 with four degrees of freedom; significant at five per cent level. Certainty of occupational choice according to hours of off-farm work experience engaged in by students is pre- sented in table LVIII. -145- Table LVIII Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience Hours of Certainty of Occupational Choice Off-Farm * W0rk Uncertain or Fairly Very Total Experience No Choice Certain Certain None 66 81 38 185 (35.7) (43.8) (20.5) 1 to 199 35 50 27 112 (31.3) (44.6) (24.1) 200 and Over 34 60 30 124 (27.4) (48.4) (24.2) Total 135 191 95 421 (32.1) (45.4) (22.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 2.5748 with four degrees of freedom; not significant No significant relation was found between hours of off-farm work experience and students' certainty of occu- pational choice when tested by the chi-square method. Whether or not a student engaged in off-farm work or the amount of off-farm work performed does not appear to be related to certainty on the part of the student that he ‘would enter his chosen occupation. Table LIX presents information concerning certainty ~146— of occupational choice of students according to total hours of work experience engaged in by those students. Table LIX Relation Between Certainty of Occupational Choice and Total Hours of work Experience Total Certainty of Occupational Choice Hours Work Uncertain or Fairly Very Total Experience No Choice Certain Certain Under 200 23 21 3 47 (48.9) (44.7) (6.4) 200 to 999 51 7O 33 154 (33.1) (45.5) (21.4) 1000 to 1799 39 53 32 124 (31.5) (42.7) (25.8) 1800 or Over 22 47 27 96 (22.9) (49.0) (28.1) Total 135 191 95 421 (32.1) (45.4) (22.5) (100.0) Chi-square = 14.65767with six degrees of freedom; significant at five per cent level A significant relationship was found between total hours of work experience and certainty expressed by stu— dents of entering their chosen occupations. The percent- -147- age of students who were very certain of their occupational choices increased from six per cent of those in the lowest category of hours of work experience to twenty-eight per cent in the upper category. Percentages of students who had made no occupational choice or were uncertain of their choices decreased as number of hours of work experience increased. Forty-nine per cent of the students with under 200 hours of work experience had made no choice or were uncertain of their choice compared with only twenty-three per cent of the students with 1800 or more hours of work experience. Total hours of work experience were found to be related to certainty of occupational choice; even though hours of neither farm work or off-farm work experience were found to be similarly related. A combination of these two types of work experience appears to be the important factor, rather than either measure alone, in relation to certainty of occupational choice. The part of the second general hypothesis of the study, that a relation exists between work experience and certainty of occupational choice, was accepted. Three of the five measures of work experience used were found, when tested by the chi-square method to be significantly related to certainty of occupational choice. Occupational Levels Cf ASDiraticn A Occupational level of aspiration was determined for -148— each of the 311 students in the study who indicated an occupational choice. The occupation listed by the students, as the one they were most apt to enter, was classified by the North-Hatt scale of occupational prestige.) Occupational level of aspiration was classified high (North—Hatt rating of 80 or above), medium (70 to 79) and low (below 70). According to this classification eleven per cent of these students had high, forty-nine per cent medium, and forty per cent low occupational aspirations. Students who planned to farm were classified in the middle category of.occupational aspiration. These students were also, for the most part, the ones who reported the most farm work experience. A higher percentage of the stu- dents who indicated non-farming occupations as the ones they were most apt to enter, are found in the lowest cate- gory of occupational aspiration. Tests were made using the chi-square technique to determine if significant relationships existed between each of five measures of work experience and occupational level of aspiration as measured by the North-Hatt scale. The students' occupational level of aspiration is shown in table LX according to the number of hours of farm work experience. Occupational level of aspiration was found to be related to number of hours of farm work exper- ience at the one per cent level of significance. Occupa- -149- tional prestige ratings of seventy or above were found to be associated with increased number of hours of farm work experience. Table LX This appears to have been influenced by the Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Hours of Farm Work Experience Number Hours Farm Work North-Hatt Rating of Occupational Choice Experience Below 70 to 80 or Total 70 79 Above Under 200 43 25 4 72 (59.7) (34.7) (5.6) 200 to 999 2 42 16 110 (47.3) (38.2) (14.5) 1000 to 1799 18 41 8 57 (26.9) (61.2) (11.9) 1800 or Over 12 43 7 62 (19.3) (69.4) (11.3) Total 125 151 35 311 (40.2) (48.6) (11.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 34.03hl with six degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. fact that many of the students who chose farming as an occu~ pation, also engaged in a large amount of farm work exp;r- ience. -150- Occupational levels of aspiration of students are presented in table LXI according to number of hours of farm work experience with owned projects. Table LXI Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Work Occupational Choice - North-Hatt Rating Experience With Owned Projects Below 70 to 30 or Total 70 79 Above None 43 31 3 37 (55.2) (35.6) (9.2) l to 199 44 48 11 103 (42.7) (46 6) (10.7) 200 and Over 33 72 16 121 (27.3) (59 5) (13.2) Total 125 151 35 311 (40.2) (43.6) (11.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 13.3751 with four degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. The relation between students' occupational level of aspiration and hours of farm work experience with owned projects was found to be significant at the one per cent level. Increased percentages in the medium and high occu- -151- pational levels of aspiration were associated with increased amounts of farm work experience with owned projects. Table LXII shows North-Hatt occupational level of aspiration ratings of students' chosen occupations according to composite farm work experience scores. Table LXII Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Com- posite Farm Work Experience Score Composite Farm Occupational Choice — North-Hatt Rating Work Experience ’ Score Below 70 to 80 or Total 70 79 Above 20 and Below 43 32 6 Bl (53.1) (39.5) (7.4) 21 to 40 47 43 15 110 (42.7) (43.7) (13.6) 41 and Above 35 71 14 120 (29.2) (59.2) (11.6) Total 125 151 35 311 (40.2) (48.6) (11.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 13.1436 with four degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. When tested by the chi-square method the relation between occupational level of aspiration and composite farm work experience score was found to be significant at the one per cent level. -152- High composite farm work experience scores were found to be associated with high level of occu- pational aspiration and low composite farm work experience scores associated with low.level of occupational aspiration. Relation between occupational level of aspiration and hours of off-farm work experience is shown in table LXIII. Table LXIII Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience- Hours Off— Occupational Choice - North-Hatt Rating Farm Work Experience Below 70 to 80 or Total 70 79 Above None 40 77 14 131 (30.5) (58.8) (10.7) 1 to 199 36 36 12 84 (42.9) (42.9) (14.2) 200 and Over 49 38 9 96 (51.0) (39.6) (9.4) Total 125 151 35 311 (40.2) (48.6) (11.2) (100.0) thhi-square = 11.9847 with four degrees of freedom; significant at five per cent level. A significant relationship was found between hours of off-farm work experience and level of occupational aspi- ration among the students of vocational agriculture who had made occupational choices. A higher percentage of the stu- dents who engaged in the most hours of offffarm work exper- ience had a low level of occupational aspiration rating. This appears to have been influenced by the large number of students in the middle category of occupational prestige who indicated farming as the occupation they expected to enter. The students who planned to farm had engaged in much less off-farm work than the students who planned to enter non-farm occupations. Table LXIV presents information regarding the North— Hatt ratings of occupational choice and total hours of work experience of the students. Occupational level of aspiration was found to be re- lated to total hours of work experience, engaged in by the students, at the one per cent level. Total hours of work experience was divided, in table LXIV, into under 1000 hours and 1000 or more hours. The students were almost equally divided between these two categories with fifty-four per cent of the students reporting 1000 or more hours of work exper- ience and forty-six per cent reporting less than 1000 hours. The group of students with 1000 or more hours of work exper- :ience had almost the same percentage in the high level of (occupational aspiration, a higher percentage in the middle -154- level, and a smaller percentage in the low level of occupa- tional aspiration than did those with 1000 hours or less of work experience. Table LXIV Relation Between Occupational Level of Aspiration and Total Hours of Work Experience Total Hours Occupational Choice - North-Hatt Rating of Work Below 70 to 30 or Total Experience 70 79 Above Under 1000 76 51 5 142 (53.5) (35.9) (10.6) 1000 or Over 49 100 20 169 (29.0) (59.2) (11.8) Total 125 151 35 311 (40.2) (48.6) (11.2) (100.0) Chi-square = 20.2647with two degrees of freedom; significant at one per cent level. The total hours of work experience was made up to a large extent of hours of farm work experience. The relation- ship here as for relation with hours of farm work experience, appears to be influenced to a considerable degree by the choice of the one occupation (farming) and its association with large measurements of farm work experience. -155- The part of the second general hypothesis, that a relation exists between occupational level of aspiration and work experience, was accepted. All five measures of 'work experience were found to be significantly related to occupational level of aspiration when tested by the chi- square method. Summary This chapter presented findings in regard to relation- ships between work experiences engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture and their occupational plans and aspirations. The second general hypothesis, that -occupational choices and aspirations are related to work experience, could neither be completely accepted or com- pletely rejected. Figure 2 on the following page summarizes relations found between occupational choice characteristics and each of the five measures of work experience. A significant relation is indicated by yes and the absence of a relation by no. Significant relations are figured at the five per cent level. Relations, where the level of confidence is as high as one per cent, are indicated by an underlined yes. The following parts of the second general hypothesis of this study were accepted: A relation exists between work experiences of high school students of vocational agricul- r3 7) newoaenemHm soc . oz (0 [I] >4 uoriedrdsv JO IeAeq Ieuotqednooo mmw 02 m a L r E5 02 wa pm pcmoauacmnm . mmw coagmawp pcmonungmam - was mmbquOHmo¢ 4420H9400> mo mezmabem aoozom mcH: mo mZOHH4 spew eoroqg Ieuotqednooo mocoflpoqu xpoz mnsom Hmuoe mocmahogxm xpoz summummo mpsom mucom mocmfiuomwm xuoz sham enamoqsoo maomnopm emcee spam mocoflpoaxm xpoz Epwm madam mocofluoaxm suck spam mason oomoapoaxm xao? mo enumao: -]_57- ture and (l) student's choice of occupation, between agri- cultural and non—agricultural occupations; (2) student's choice of occupations between farming and non-farm agricul- tural occupations, (3) certainty of occupational choice, and (4) occupational level of aspiration. The following parts of the second general hypothesis were rejected: A relation exists between work experience and (1) whether or not an occupational choice has been made and, (2) students choice between non-agricultural and non-farm agricultural occupations. Increases in amounts of farm work experience were found to be associated with choice of agricultural occu- pations in preference to non-agricultural occupations. Increases in amounts of farm work experience were found to be associated with choice of farming in preference to non-farm agricultural occupations for those students choosing an agricultural occupation. Increases in amounts of off-farm work were associated with choice of non-farm agricultural occupations in preference to farming. Three of the five measures of work experience were found to be significantly related to certainty of occupa- tional choice. In each of these three measures increased amounts of work experience were associated with increased certainty on the part of the students that they would enter the occupations of their choice. -158- No relations were found between any of the measures of work experience and preference between non-agricultural and non-farm agricultural occupations. Increases in amounts of farm and total work exper- ience were found to be associated with higher levels of occupational aspiration measured by the H rth-Hat+ scale. Increased hours of off—farm work experience were associated with lower levels of occupational aspiration. The higher level of occupational aspiration, of the students with the arrest amounts of farm work experience, appears to be influenced to a considerable extent by the fact that many of these same students chose farming as an occupation. Chapter VII which follows presents findings related to educational plans and aspirations of high school students 1 cf- of vocational agriculture. Determinations are made a. o L "-' ed to e w J- (A. r)- ucational OJ whether or not work experiences are U '_~l plans and aspirational characteristics of these students. CHAPTER VII FINDINGS RELATED TO EDUCATIONAL PLANS AND ASPIRATIONS This chapter presents findings in regard to whether or not relationships exist between work experiences of the high school students studied and their educational plans and aspirations. Tests were made to determine the existence of relations between each of five measures of work experi- ence and (1) amount of consideration given to post high _school educational plans, (2) plans to participate in post high school education, and (3) amount of post high school education planned. The third general hypothesis of the study, that work experience is related to educational plans of high school students of vocational agriculture, was tested. Consideration Given to Post-Highg§ghool Educational Plans The consideration given by students to post-high school educational plans was determined from work experi- ence schedules completed by the students. The students checked one of four categories of consideration: (1) none, (2) a little, (3) some, (4) a great deal. Ninety-two per cent of the students indicated they had given at least a little consideration to post—high school educational plans. Only eight per cent of the students reported they had given no consideration to post high school educational plans. -159- ~160- The students answering "none" and "a little" are combined in the following tables. A total of 126 (29.9 per cent) of the 421 students in the study had given little or no consideration to their post high school educational plans. The consideration given by students to their post high school educational plans is shown in table LXV accord- ing to hours of farm work experience. Table LXV Amount of Consideration Given Post-High School Educational Plans According to Hours of Farm Work Experience __ ¢-_-.--—..* “— r*w%u Hours of Amount of Consideration Given Educational Farm Work Plans Experience Little or Some A Great Total None Deal Under 200 32 48 28 108 (29.6) (44.5) (25.9) 200 to 999 41 52 50 143 (28.7) (36.4) (34.9) 1000 to 1799 23 45 27 95 (24.2) (47.4) (28.4) 1800 or Over 30 24 21 75 (40.0) (32.0) (28.0) Total 126 169 126 421 (29.9) (40.2) (29.9) (100.0) —— Chi-square ="9.0839 with six dégrees Off freedom; not significant. —151- No significant relation was found between hours of farm work experience and amount of consideration the stu- dents had given to their post high school educational plans. The approximate percentages of the students who had given varying amounts of consideration to post high school edu- cational plans were; little or none - thirty per cent, some - forty per cent, and a great deal - thirty per cent. The percentages reporting a great deal of consideration given to educational plans varied from a low of twenty-six per cent for those students doing less than two hundred hours of farm work to a high of thirty-five per cent of those with two hundred to nine hundred ninety-nine hours of farm work experience. The amount of consideration given by students to their post high school educational plans according to hours of farm work experience with owned projects is presented in table LXVI. The students who reported from 1 to 199 hours of farm work experience with projects they owned had given slightly more consideration to their post high school edu- cational plane than had either the group of students who reported no work experience or those with 200 or more hours of work experience with owned projects. The percentages of the students giving a great deal of consideration to post high school educational plans were twenty-eight per cent for those with none, thirty—three per cent for those with one to one hundred ninety—nine hours and twenty-nine per cent for those students with two hundred or more hours of farm work experience with owned projects. A significant relation was not found between hours of farm work experi- ence with owned projects and amount of consideration given to post high school educational plans. Table LXVI Amount of Consideration Given Post High School Educational Plans According to Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Amount Consideration Given Educational of freedom; not significant Work With Plans Owned Little or Some A Great Total Projects None Deal None 40 53 36 129 (31.0) (41.1) (27.9) 1 to 199 36 57 46 139 (25.9) (41.0) (33.1) 200 and Over 50 59 44 153 (32.7) (38.6) (28.7) Total 126 169 126 421 (29.9) (40.2) (29.9) (100.0) I' Chi-square = 2.0525’with four degrees of (“A K»! Table LXVII below shows the amount of consideration given by the students to post high school educational plans according to composite farm work experience scores. LXVII Amount of Consideration Given Post High School Educational Plans According to Composite Farm Work Experience Score Composite Amount of Consideration Given Educational Farm Work Plans Experience Little or Some A Great Total Score None Deal 20 and Below 41 48 33 122 (33.6) (39.4) (27.0) 21 to 40 50 57 45 152 (32.9) (37.5) (29.6) 41 and Above 35 64 48 147 . (23.8) (43.5) (32.7) Total 126 169 126 421 (29.9) (40.2) (29.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 4.2547 with four degrees of freedom; Not significant. The chi-square test did not reveal a significant relaxtion between composite farm work experience score and annyunt of consideration given to post high school education pleads. However a slightly higher percentage of the students 'witfli high composite farm work experience scores also had ~164- given a great deal of consideration to their post high school educational plans. The percentages of students giving a great deal of consideration to post high school educational plans were twenty-seven per cent of those with low, thirty per cent of those with medium, and thirty-three per cent of those students with high composite farm work experience scores. The amount of consideration given to post high school educational plans according to the number of hours of off- farm work experience is shown in table LXVIII on the following page. Thirty-eight per cent of the students with two hun- dred or more hours of off-farm work experience reported that they had given a great deal of consideration to their post high school educational plans. Twenty-nine per cent of the students with less than two hundred hours of off- farm work experience and only twenty-five per cent of those with none reported a great deal of consideration given to their post high school educational plans. These differences ‘were not large enough to show a significant relation between off-farm work experience and amount of consideration given to post high school educational plans when tested by the chi-square method. Table LXVIII Amount of Consideration Given Post—High School Educational Plans According to Hours of Off-Farm work Experience Hours Off— Amount Consideration Given Educational Farm Werk Plans Experience Little or Some A Great Total None Deal None 63 76 46 185 (34.1) (41.1) (24.8) 1 to 199 31 48 33 112 (27.7) (42.9) (29.4) 200 and Over 32 45 47 124 (25.8) (36.3) (37.9) Total 126 169 126 421 (29.9) (40.2) (29.9) (100.0) Chi-square = 6.8792 with four degrees of freedom; Not significant. Table LXII on the following page shows the amount of consideration given by the students to post-high school educational plans according to total hours of work experi- ence. No significant relation was found between total hours of work experience and amount of consideration the students had given to their post high school educational plans. Onlgr seventeen per cent of the small group of students Table LXIX Amount of Consideration Given Post High School Educational Plans According to Total Hours of Work Experience Total Amount of Consideration Given Educational Hours Plans Work Little or A Great Experience None Some Deal Total Under 200 14 25 8 47 (29.8) (53.2) (17.0) 200 to 999 46 6O 48 154 (29.9) (39.0) (31.1) 1000 to 1799 32 53 39 124 (25.8) (42.7) (31.5) 1800 and Over 34 31 31 96 (35.4) (32.3) (32.3) ‘ Total 126 169 126 421 (29.9) (40.2) (29.9) (100.0) Chi-square = freedom; not significant. 8.3802 with six degrees of (forty-seven) who reported less than two hundred hours of work experience had given a great deal of consideration to their educational plans. Almost identical percentages of the other three groups of students reported a great deal of consideration given to post high school educational plans; thirty-one per cent of the students with 200 to 999 hours of work experience and thirty-two per cent of each of the two groups with the most hours of work experience. The part of the third general hypothesis, that there was a relation between work experience and the amount of consideration given to post high school educational plans by high school students of vocational agriculture was re- jected. Significant relations were not found between any of the five measures of work experience and amount of con- sideration the students had given to their post high school educational plans. 3 Plans to Paztigipate in ngt-High School Educgtion The high school vocational agriculture students in the study were asked if they planned to participate in any formal education or training beyond high school. Four liundred and nine of the four hundred twenty-one students in 'the study answered the question by checking: (l) positively yes, (2) probably yes, (3) probably not or (4) positively rust. The percentage of students checking each of these categories was as follows; positively yes - 20.0 per cent, -168... probably yes - 44.3 per cent, probably not - 28.4 per cent, and positively not - 7.3 per cent. Students plans to participate in post high school education are shown in table LXX below according to hours of farm work experience. Table LXX Plans to Participate in Post High School Education According to Hours of Farm Work Experience LA Hours Plans to Participate in Post High School Farm Education Work Positively Probably Probably Positively Total Experience Not Not Yes Yes Under 1000 20 67 110 48 245 (8.2) (27.3) (44.9) (19.6) 1000 or Over 10 49 71 34 164 (6.1) (29.9) (43.3) (20.7) Total 30 116 181 82 409 (7.3) (28.4) (44.3) (20.0) (100.0) —- Chi-square = .9155 with three degrees of freedom; Not significant. A significant relation was not found between students' lilans to participate in post high school education and Inaurs of farm work experience. The students who reported nuxre than 1000 hours of farm work experience were divided into the four categories of plans for participating in post hich school education in almost exactl the same ercentages \J‘ .1 as the students with less than 1000 hours of farm work ex— perience. The plans of high school students for partici- pating in post high school education are shown in table LXXI below according to number of hours of farm work experi- ence with owned projects. Table LXXI Plans to Participate in Post High School Education Accord- ing to Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Plans to Participate in Post High School freedom; not significant. Work With Education Owned Positively Probably Probably Positively Total Projects Not Not Yes Yes None 12 32 52 31 127 (9.5) (25.2) (40.9) (24.4) 1 to 199 9 41 54 29 133 (6.8) (30.8) (40.6) (21.8 200 and Over 9 43 75 22 149 (6.0) (28.9) (50.3) (14.8) Total 30 116 181 82 409 (7.3) (28.4) (44.3) (20.0) (100.0) ’77 Chi-square = 7.9346 with six degrees of The figures in table LXXI do not reveal a signifi- cant relation between plans to participate in post high school education and hours of farm work experience with owned projects. ;Rnnr of the students in the highest cate- gory (14.8 per cent) answered positively yes than did the students in the middle category (21.8 per cent) or those with no farm work experience with owned projects (24.4 per cent). Table LXXII below shows students' plans to partici- in post high school education according to composite farm Table LXXII Plans to Participate in Post High School Education According to Composite Farm W0rk Experience Score 3: Composite Plans To Participate in Post High School Parm Werk Education Experience Positively Probably Probably Positively Total Score Not Not Yes Yes 20 and Below 9 33 56 19 117 (7.7) (28.2) (47.9) (16.2) 21 to 40 14 48 55 32 149 (9.4) (32.2) (36.9) (21.5) 4l.and Above '7 35 7O 31 143 (4.9) (24.5) (48.9) (21.7) 30 116 181 82 409 (7.3) (28.4) (44.3) (20.0) (100.0) —wfi Chi-square = 7.6484 with six degrees—of freedom; not significant. Total ~171- work experience scores. Students' plans to participate in post high school education were found not to be related to composite farm work experience scores when tested by the chi-square method. A slightly higher percentage of students with high composite farm work experience scores (70.5 per cent) indicated they would at least probably continue their edu- cation beyond high school than did students with medium scores (58.4 per cent)or with low scores (64.1 per cent) Plans of students to participate in education beyond high school is shown in table LXXIII according to number of hours of off—farm work experience. The percentages of the students who indicated they thought they would continue their education beyond high school by checking either probably yes or positively yes ranged from 70.2 per cent of the students with over two 'hundred hours to 63.6 per cent of those with less than two hundred hours, and 60.8 per cent of those with no off-farm work experience. These differences were not large enough to indicate the existence of a significant relation ‘between plans to participate in post high school education and.hours of off-farm work experience when tested by the chi-square method. ~172- Table LXXIII Plans to participate in Post High School Education According to Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience Hours Plans to Participate in Post High School Education Off-Farm Work Positively Probably Probably Positively Total Experience Not Not Yes Yes None 15 56 77 33 181 (8.3) (30.9) (42.6) (18.2) 1 to 199 6 33 46 22 107 (5.6) (30.8) (43.0) (20.6) 200 and Over 9 27 58 27 121 (7.5) (22.3) (47.9) (22.3) Total 30 116 181 82 409 (7.3) (28.4) (44.3) (20.0) (100.0) Chi-square = 4.0282 with six degrees of freedom; not significant. Plans of the students to participate in post high school education is shown in table LXXIV according to total amount of work experience they had engaged in during a one year period. Students' plans to participate in post high school education were not found to be related to total hours of work experience. ‘i -173- Table LXXIV Plans to participate in Post High School Education According to Total Hours of Work Experience Total Plans to Participate in Post High School Education Hours Work Positively Probably Probably Positively Total Experience Not Not Yes Yes Under 1000 17 56 87 34 195 (8.7) (28.7) (44.6) (18.0) 1000 or Over 13 6O 94 47 214 (6.1) (28.0) (43.9) (22.0) Total 30 116 181 82 409 (7.3) (28.4) (44.3) (20.0) (100.0) Chi-square 2311.8192 with three degrees of freedom; not significant. The two groups of students in table LXXIV were almost identical in their plans for education beyond high school. Sixty-six per cent of the students performing 1000 or more Ihours of work experience indicated they had plans for con- tinuing their education beyond high school compared with sixty—three per cent of those working less than 1000 hours. The part of the third general hypothesis, that plans to participate in post high school education are related to work experience, was rejected. None of the five measures of work experience used was found to be significantly re— lated to students' post high school educational plans. ~174- Amount of Post_High School Education Planned The amount of post high school education planned by the students was determined from a question on the work experience schedules. The students were asked to check "none,"1ess than four years," or "four or more yea-s" to indicate what was most apt to be the extent of their post high school education. Four hundred of the students answered the question and are included in the following discussion. Approximately one-third (34.3 per cent) of the stu- dents planned no post high school education. Two hundred sixty-three of the students indicated that they planned some post high school education. One hundred eighty, which was over two-thirds of the students planning post-high school education, indicated that their post high school education was most apt to be less than four years. Table LXXV presents the amount of post high school education planned by the students according to number of jhours of farm work experience. No signifncant relationship was found between amount of post high school education planned by the students and ihours of farm work experience. The students in the highest category of farm work experience (1800 or more hours) planned to participate in slightly less post high school education than the other groups of students. Information has been presented in chapter VI which indicates a relation between —l75- Table LXXV Amount of Post High School Education Planned According to Hours of Farm Work Experience Hours of Amount of Post High School Education Planned Farm Work Experience None Less Than 4 4 or More Total Years Years Under 200 31 52 17 100 (31.0) (52.) (17.0) 200 to 999 50 57 34 141 (33.5) (40.4) (24.1) 1000 to 1799 3C 40 21 91 1800 or Over 26 31 ll 68 (33.2) (45.6) (16.2) Total 137 180 83 400 (34.3) (45.0) (20.7) (100.0) Chi-square = 4.8691 with six degrees of freedom; not significant. .hours of farm work experience and choice of farming as an occupation. This suggests at least the possiblilty of an association between plans to farm and plans for less post laigh school education. The amount of post high school education planned by the students according_to the number of hours they spent ~176- working with farm projects they owned is shown in table LXXVI below. Table LXXVI Amount of Post High School Education According to Hours of Farm Work Experience With Owned Projects Hours Farm Amount of Post High School Education Planned Work Experi- ence With None Less Than 4 or More Total Owned Projects Years Years None 42 52 23 117 (35.9) (44.4) (19.7) 1 to 199 40 67 29 136 (29.4) (49.3) (21.3) 200 and Over 55 61 31 147 (37.4) (41.5) (21.1) Total 137 180 83 400 (34.3) (45.0) (20.7) (100.0) Chi-square = 2.5077 with four degrees of freedom; not significant. A chi-square test did not indicate any relation be- tween amount of post high school education planned by the students and hours of farm work experience with projects they owned. Almost identical percentages of each of the 'three categories, aoc0rding to number of hours of work exxperience with owned projects, planned to complete four -177- or more years of post high school education. The amount of post high school education planned by the students according to their composite farm work experi- ence scores is shown in table LXXVII. Table LXXVII Amount of Post High School Education Planned According to Composite Farm Work Experience Score Vfi— Composite Amount of Post High School Education Planned Farm Work Experience None Less Than 4 or More Total Score 4 Years Years 20 and Below 41 57 17 115 (35.6) (49.6) (14.8) 21 to 40 55 64 29 148 (37.2) (43.2) (19.6) 41 and Above 41 59 37 137 (29.9) (43.1) (27.0) Total 137 180 83 400 (34.3) (45.0) (20.7) (100.0) Chi-square = 6.5781 with four degrees—of freedom; not significant. As with the two measures of work experience previ- cnisly tested no relation was found between amount of post lxigh school education and composite farm work experience scores. Twenty-seven per cent of the students with high -178- composite farm work experience scores planned on four or more years of post high school education in comparison with twenty per cent with medium and fifteen per cent with low scores. These differences were not great enough to be sig- nificant when tested by the chi-square method. The amount of post high school education planned by the students according to the number of hours of off-farm work experience is shown in table LXXVIII. Table LXXVIII Amount of Post High School Education Planned According to Hours of Off-Farm Work Experience A W Hours of Amount of Post High School Education Planned Off-Farm Work None Less Than 4 or More Total Experience 4 Years Years None 69 74 22 174 (39.7) (42.5) (17.8) 1 to 199 33 ' 52 22 107 (30.8) (48.6) (20.6) 200 and Over 35 54 30 119 (29.4) (45.4) (25.2) Total 137 180 83 400 (34.3) (45.0) (20.7) (100.0) Chi-square = 5.0746_with four EEgEEes of freedom; not significant. -l79- Hours of off-farm work, just as the other three measures of farm work experience, were found to be unrelated to amount of post high school education planned by the stu- dents. Table LXXVIII shows that a slight increase in per— centage of students planning four or more years, and a decrease in percentage of those planning no post high school education,cxxxun%aiwith increased amounts of off—farm work. The differences thus noted in the table are not large enough to indicate a significant relation. Post high school educational plans of the high school students of vocational agriculture are shown in table LXXIX according to total number of hours of work experience. No relation was found between total hours of work experience and amount of education planned. Figures in table LXXIX shows that the small group of students (44) who reported less than 200 hours of farm work experience planned less post high school education than the students in the other categories. Each of the three categories of students with 200 and more hours of farm work experience had almost the same percentages who planned to participate in each of the amounts of post high school education. Each of the component parts of total hours of work experience, farm work experience and off-farm work experience, were also found unrelated to amount of post high school education planned. None of the five measures of work experience was -lBO- Table LXXIX Amount of Post High School Education Planned According to Total Hours of Work Experience Total Hours Amount of Post High School Education Planned Work Experience None Less Than 4 or More Total 4 Years Years Under 200 19 22 3 44 (43.2) (30.0) (6.8) 200 to 999 47 65 35 147 (32.0) (44.2) (23.8) 1000 to 1799 38 6 26 120 (31.7) (46.7) (21.6) 1800 or Over 33 37 19 89 (37.1) (41.6) (21.3) Total 137 180 83 400 (34.3) (45.0) (20.7) (100.0) Chi-square = 7.1042 with four degrees of freedom;zurt significant. found to be significantly related to amount of post high school education planned by the students. Summary This chapter has presented findings in regard to post ‘high school educational plans of the students of high school vocational agriculture studied. Chi~square tests were made -181- to determine whether or not post high school educational plans measured by; (1) amount of consideration given to post high school plans, (2) plans to participate in post high school education, and (3) amount of post high school educa— tion pl nned; were related to each of five measures of work experience. None of the measures of work experience was found to be significantly related to any of the measures of post high school educational plans. The third general hy- pothesis of the study, that a relation exists between post high school educational plans and work experience, was rejected. Chapter VIII which follows presents a summary and conclusions of this study. CHAPTER VIII SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS This study had as its purpose a determination of work experiences engaged in by high school students of voc- ational agriculture and their relationship to the students' occupational and educational plans and aspirations. The study was limited to an eight county dairy and general farm- ing area in south central Michigan.r It was also limited to a few selected measures of work experience and to selected aspects of students' occupational and educational plans and aspirations. figthod and Procedure Data for the study were collected during May, 1962 by personal visits to each of ten high school departments of vocational agriculture. The ten schools were selected at random from all schools in the designated area with high school departments of vocational agriculture. A total of 421 high school students of vocational agriculture completed work experience schedules which were used in the study. Five measurements of work experience were used in the study as follows: (1) hours of farm work experience, (2) hours of farm work experience with owned projects, (3) com- posite farm work experience score, (4) hours of off-farm work experience, and (5) total hours of work experience. All measures of work experience applied to work performed ~182- -183- by the students for a twelve month period immediately pre- ceding the date of completing the work experience schedules. The composite farm work experience score was devel- oped and used in this study. It was a composite score determined by combining the following four work experience scores; (1) amount of farm work, (2) variety of farm work, (3) management responsibility, and (4) self appraisal of competency. Each of these four farm work experience scores was developed by having the student rate himself on a four point scale in each of ten areas of farm werk. Occupational choice and aspirational characteristics of the students were classified as follows: (1) whether or not an occupational choice had been made, (2) occupations chosen by students (classified as farming, non-farm agricul- tural, or non-agricultural occupations), (3) certainty of occupational choice, and (4) level of occupational aspira- tion (based on rating of occupational choice by North-Hatt rating scale of occupational prestige). Educational plans and aspirational characteristics of the students were classified according to (1) amount of consideration given to educational plans, (2) plans to par- ticipate in post high school education, and (3) amount of post high school education planned. Information from the work experience schedules was compiled, classified, and punched on I.B.M. cards. Fre- quency counts were made from the I.B.M. cards of all com- —1e4— binations of variables considered important to the study. Chi—square was used to determine the existence of relation- ships between C1)work experience and background character- istics of the students, (2) occupational plans and aspira- tional characteristics and measures of work experience, and (3) educational plans and aspirational characteristics and measures of work experience. The five per cent level of probability was used to determine significant relationships. Chargcteristics of the Youth Studied This study was based on information provided by stu- dents of high school vocational agriculture representing all four high school classes (grades nine through twelve). Sixty- three per cent had families who operated farms. The average size of the home farms of the 264 students whose families had farms was 138.6 acres. Approximately forty-five per cent of the farms Operated by students' families were less than 100 acres in size, thirty per cent were between 100 and 199 acres and twenty-five per cent were 200 acres or larger. Most of the students' families owned the farms they operated. Almost three-fourths (72.3 per cent) owned all of the land they farmed. An additional 22.7 per cent owned a part of the land in their farms. Less than five per cent of the families Operating farms owned none of the land they operated. Fathers of fifty-nine per cent of the students were farm operators. Thirty-eight per cent of the students had fathers who were part-time farmers and twenty-one per cent of them had fathers who were full-time farmers. Fathers of the other forty—one per cent were non—farmers. Findings of the Study Egg; Expegience Almost all of the students had en- gaged in some type of work experience during the preceding year. Ninety-seven and four-tenths per cent reported that they had engaged in work experience. Ninety-one and four- tenths per cent had participated in farm work experiences. In addition to working on farms many of these high school vocational agriculture students also engaged in off-farm work experiences. Over one-half (56.1 per cent) reported off-farm work experiences. Approximately one-half (50.1 per cent) had engaged in both farm and off-farm work experiences. The median student in the study engaged in more than 1000 hours of work experience during the year. Fifty- we and two-tenths per cent reported 1000 or more hours of work experience. One thousand hours is approximately equivalent to a one-half time year-around job. Almost one-fifth (18.8 per cent) reported 2000 or more hours of work experience in the one year period. The first general hypothesis of the study stated that work experiences were related to selected characteristics of high school students of vocational agriculture. Chi-square tests were used to determine existence of relationships be- tween each of five measures of work experience and each of the following student characteristics, (1) class in high -186- school, (2) place of residence, (3) farm operation by father, (4) farming status of father, and (5) size of the home farm. The hypothesis was accepted. Significant relation- ships were found between each of the five student character- istics and a majority of the five measures of work exper— ience used. Three of the five measures of work experience were found to be significantly related to class in high school. A significant relation was not found between either hours of farm work experience or hours of off-farm work exper- ience and class in high school. ENen though no significant relation was found to exist between class in high school and either of these two measures of work experience more of the upper classmen (juniors and seniors) than of the lower coass- men (freshmen and sophamores) were found in the upper cate- gories in each of these two measures of work experience. However,when hours of farm and off-farm work experience were combined into a total, this total hours of work experience was significantly related to class in high school. Advance- ment from one high school class to the next was found to be related to more hours of farm work experience with projects owned by the students, more total hours of work experience, and higher composite farm work experience scores. All five measures of work experience were found to be significantly related to the student's place of residence. Students living on farms engaged in more hours of farm work, ~187- more hours Of farm work with owned projects, more total hours of work and had higher composite farm work experience scores than did the boys who did not live on farms. 3tu- (hats who did not live on farms engaged in the most hours of Off-farm work experience. Operation Of a farm by a student's father was found significantly related tO all five of the measures of work experience in the study. Having a father who was a farmer was related to increased amounts Of all measures Of farm work experience and a decrease in hours Of Off-farm work. Operation Of a farm by the student's father was inter- related tO place Of residence as most of the students who lived on farms also had fathers who Operated farms. Two hundred forty-nine Of the students had fathers who operated farms. One hundred sixty were part-time and eighty-three full-time farmers. Having a father who was a full-time farmer was found to be significantly related to more hours of farm work experience, more total hours Of work experience, . and less hours of off-farm work experience. NO relation was found between having a father who was a full or part-time farmer and either composite farm work experience score or hours of farm work with owned_projects. Significant relationships were found between four of the five measures of work experience and size of farm. Stu- dents from larger farms engaged in both more hours of farm ~183- work and more total hours of work. They also had higher composite farm work experience scores. Students from smaUxur farms engaged in more hours of off-farm work experience. NO relation was found between size of farm and number Of hours Of work by the student with farm projects he Owned. Size Of farm was inter-related with time father spent farm- ing. Students from larger farms tended to be the ones whose fathers were full time farmers. Occupational Choices and Aspigations The second gen- eral hypothesis of the study, that work experiences were re- lated to students' occupational plans and aspirations could not be either completely accepted or completely rejected. The following parts Of the hypothesis were accepted: A relation exists between work experiences Of high school students Of vocational agriculture and (1) student's choice between agricultural and non-agricultural occupations, (2) student's choice between farming and non-farm agricultural occupations, (3) certainty of occupational choice, and (4) occupational level of aspiration. The following parts of the hypothesis were rejected: A relation exists between work experiences of high school students Of vocational agriculture and (1) whether or not the student has made an occupational choice, and (2)student's choice between non-agricultural and non-farm agricultural occupations. Three hundred eleven of the students reported that they had made occupational choices. Approximately ninety- two per cent of these students were fairly or very certain of entering their chosen occupations. Certainty Of entering the chosen occupation was found to be significantly related to three of the five measures Of work experience used. Students' planned occupations were classified as (l) farming, (2) non-farm agricultural, or (3) non-agricultural occupations. Chi-square tests showed significant relations between a majority of the five measures Of work experience and also between farming and non-farm agricultural occupa- tions. Increased measures Of amounts Of farm work exper- ience were related to choice of agricultural in preference to non-agricultural occupations. Significant relations were not found between any of the measures of work experience and the student's choice be- tween non—farm agricultural and non-agricultural Occupations. Occupational level of prestige was measured by North- Hatt rating Of the student's occupational choice. North- Hatt ratings were divided into three groups, high - SO and above, medium - 71 to 79, and low - 70 or below. Eleven per cent of the students who had made occupational choices had high, forty-nine per cent medium, and forty per cent low levels of occupational aspiration according to this class- ification. .-190- All five measures Of work experience were found to be significantly related to occupational level of aspiration. In all measures Of farm work experience larger amounts Of work experience were associated with higher levels Of occu- pational aspiration. Larger amounts of Off-farm work were found to be associated with lower level of occupational aspiration. This appears to have been influenced by the fact that the students choosing farminngere, for the most part, the same ones who engaged in large amounts Of farm work experience and not much Off-farm work. Educational Plans The third general hypothesis of the study, that post high school plans Of high school stu- dents Of vocational agriculture are related to work exper- ience, was rejected. Each Of five measures Of work exper- ience was tested for relation with each Of the following: (1) amount Of consideration given to post high school edu- cational plans, (2) plans to participate in post high school education, and (3) amount Of post high school education planned. None Of the measures of work experience was found to be related to any one of the three educational plan characteristics. Most Of the students had given some degree Of consid- eration to post high school educational plans. Twenty-nine and nine-tenths per cent indicated they had given a great deal, forty and two-tenths per cent had given some consider- ~191- ation, twenty-one and nine-tenths per cent had given little, and eight per cent no consideration to their post‘high school educational plans. Two hundred sixty-three Of the students expected to participate in post high school education. One hundred eighty (68.4 per cent) of them expected their post high school education to be less than four years and eighty- three (31.6 per cent) expected their post high school edu- cation to be four or more years. Conclusions The following conclusions were drawn based on the findings of the study. These conclusions apply to high school students of vocational agriculture in the area of this study and the time that it was made. It is realized that findings such as those reported in this study are sub- ject to a number Of factors which may vary with time and place. 1. Work experiences in which a high school student Of voca- tional agriculture engages is related to a number of various characteristics including: (1) class in high school, (2) place of residence, (3) father's operation Of a farm, (4) amount Of time father spends farming, and (5) size of home farm. Students who lived on farms, who had fathers that spent more time farming, and who lived on larger farms were found in the present study to engage in larger amounts of farm work experience and smaller amounts of off-farm work —192- experience. 2. There is a wide variation in work experiences gained by high school students of vocational agriculture. Some stu- dents in the present study were participating in many hours of work experiences while others reported little or no work experience for a one-year period. 3. There is an association between the work experience that a student gains while in high school and his choice Of an occupation. Increased amounts Of farm work experience were found in the present study to be associated with choice Of farming and agricultural occupations in preference to non- agricultural occupations. Off—farm work experiences were found to be associated with choice of non-agricultural or non-farm agricultural occupations in preference to farming. Cause and effect were not established in these relationships. It is not known which, if either factor,may be the cause of the other. 4. Occupational level Of aspiration is related to work exper- iences engaged in by high school students Of vocational agriculture. Increased amounts Of farm work experience were found in the present study to be associated with higher level of occupational aspiration measured by the North-Hatt scale. 5. Work experiences engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture have no influence on the student's post-high school educational plans. None Of five measures -193... of work experience used in this study any; found to be re- lated to either (1) amount of consideration given to edu- cational plans, (2) probability of participating in post- high school education, or (3) amount Of education planned. Implicatiqg§LOf the Study The following implications are presented based on the findings and conclusions of this study and interpreted in light of Opinions, beliefs and philosophy Of the writer. 1. Consideration needs tO be given to the individual needs of students in vocational agriculture from a variety Of backgrounds and with varying opportunities for work exper- iences. Students of vocational agriculture have varying opportunities for work experiences. Many students now en- rolled in high school vocational agriculture dO not live on farms. Wide variation in the amounts Of work experience engaged in by high school students Of vocational agriculture was found in the present study. If one subscribes to the philosophy that vocational education should be Offered to all high school students who want, need, and can profit from such instruction then increased consideration needs to be given to meeting effectively the needs Of students with varying backgrounds, opportunities, and interests. 2. The composite farm work experience score developed and used in this study appears to have value as an instrument for measuring the work experiences of students of vocational -194- agriculture. The composite work experience scores were associated with more of the Occupational choice character- istics than any other measure Of work experience used in the study. The refinement and validation of such a work experience score would result in a helpful tool for use by teachers of vocational agriculture in evaluating farm work experiences of students. 3. Farm work experience with owned projects has a positive association with choice Of agricultural occupations, cer- tainty of occupational choice, and occupational level of aspiration. High school students from small farms, and those Operated on a part-time basis, have Opportunities to gain adequate work experience with owned projects. NO re- lation was found in the present study between hours of farm work with owned projects and either size of farm or whether father was a full-time or part-time farmer. 4. High school students of vocational agriculture who spend large numbers of hours doing farm work are as likely to plan to continue their education beyond high school as students who do less work. In the present study no significant relation was found between any Of five measures of work experience and post-high school educational plans. This implies that many students Of high school vocational agri- culture will continue their education beyond high school and that success as a student Of vocational agriculture is not —195- necessarily related to termination of formal education at the high school level. 5. Consideration should be given to Off-farm as well as farm work experiences in planning work experience prOgrams for high school students of vocational agriculture. In the present study a number of students reported off-farm work experiences which were related to their future occupational plans. If one accepts the philosophy that meeting the needs of and helping an individual develop within the limits of his potentiality are important functions Of the school then it is implied that consideration should be given to any work experience which will help the individual towards that de- velopment. 6. Work experiences engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture are related to environmental factors. Students in this study who lived on farms, had fathers who were farmers, and came from larger farms, engaged in more work experience than did the non-farm students or those whose fathers were not farmers, or who came from smaller farms. The non-farm students engaged in more off-farm work but in much less total work than did farm students. Con- sideration needs to be given to providing an Opportunity for all high school students Of vocational agriculture to engage in meaningful work experiences. 7. Consideration needs to be given to the effects on academic ~196- achievement of long hours of work engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture. Approximately one—fifth of the students in the present study reported working amounts equivalent to a full-time job during the preceding year. A majority of the students reported 1000 or more hours Of work experience. Suggestggnsqur Furthe; Study The following general suggestions Of needed studies are made on the basis Of findings Of the present study and experiences gained in conducting it: 1. Additional occupational choice studies need to be made to more clearly determine the factors influencing choice Of agricultural occupations. 2. Follow-up studies need to be made of work exper- iences in relation to occupational choice. Many follow-up studies have been made Of occupations Of former students Of vocational agriculture. Additional follow-up studies are needed to determine possible relationships between work experiences and occupational plans while in high school and occupational success. 3. Some studies have been made, but more are needed in the requirements Of workers in agricultural Occupations. Research also needs to be conducted in methods and procedures of training for these occupations. 4. The present study has shown the existence of a -1o7_ relationship between work experience and occupational choice. Some studies in greater depth to determine cause and effect relationships are suggested. 5. Research needs to be conducted to determine the effects of long hours of out-Of-school work engaged in by high school students of vocational agriculture on academic achievements. 6. Studies need to be conducted to determine relation- ships between students' occupational plans and aspirations and their educational plans. 7. Research, similar to the present study, of work experiences of students of vocational agriculture and their relationships to occupational and educational plans needs to be made to: (1) include wider geOgraphical areas, and (2) cover longer periods Of time than was possible with the present study. 3. Some studies to determine the values of specific kinds of work experiences in preparation of workers for agricultural occupations are suggested. LI TERA I‘URE CITED Books Ginsberg, Eli, Sol W. Ginsberg, Sidney Axelrad, and John L. Herma. Occupgtional Choice. New York: Columbia University Press, 1951. Shartle, Carroll L. Occupationgl Information Its Develop- ment and Application. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1959. Tate, Merle W. Statistics in Education. New York: The Macmillian Company, 1955. Periodicals Bjoraker, Walter T. "Factors Associated With VOcational Agriculture Students' Desire TO Remain on the Farm," Agricultural Education Ma azine, Volume 26, Number 1, Burchinal, Lee G. "Differences in Educational and Occupa- tional Aspirations of Farm, Small-town, and City Boys," Rural Sociology, Volume 26, Number 2, (June 1961) pp. 107-121. Burchinal, Lee G. "What's Your Son Going to Do?" The Iowa Farm Scien e, Volume 14, Number 9, (March, 1960) pp. 16-180 Burchinal, Lee G. "Who's Going to Farm?" The Iowa Farm Science, Volume 14, Number 10, (April, 1960) pp. 13-15. Haller, A. O. "Plannin to Farm: A Social Psychological Interpretation, Social Forces, Volume 37. Number 3, (March, 1959) pp. 263—268. Haller, Archie, C. and William H. Sewell "Farm Residence and Levels of Educational and Occupational Aspira- tion," The American Jgurnal 9f Sociology. Volume LXII, Number 4, (January 1957) pp. 407-411. -198... -199- Haller, Archie, O. and Carole Ellis Wolff, "Personality Ori- entations of Farm,Village and Urban Boys," Rural Soc— iology, Volume 27, Number 3, (September, 195273 pp. 275-293. - IHensel, James W. "High School Influences on the Occupational Choices Of Farm Reared Senior Boys," A ricultural Egucation Ma azine, Volume 32, Number 11, (May, 1960) pp. 255-56. Seibert, Earl W. "Growing Into an Occupation," The School Review, Volume 1, Number 9. (November, 19427 pp. 82:4‘6500 Sewell, William H., Archie O. Haller and Murray A. Straus, "Social Status and Educational and Occupational Aspiration, American Sociological Review, Volume 22, Number 1, (February, 1957) PP. 67-73. Straus, Murray A. "Personal Characteristics and Functional Needs in thiOChoice Of Fa ifigmgs an chupation," Rural Socio “é Volume 2 er 3 eptember 1956) pp. - 66o ’ , ’ Straus, Murray A. "Work Roles and Financial Responsibility in the Socialization of Farm, Fringe, and Town Boys,' ¥u§gl Socioloo , Volume 27, Number 3, (September, 2 pp. 25 -274. Super, D. E. "A Theory of VocatiO al Development," American Ps chOlO , Volume 8,(l953r pp. 185- 90. Thompson, 0. E. "What Are The Plans of Vocational Agricul- ture Students?" A ricultural Education Ma azine, Volume 34, Number , une, 1962} pp. 275-278. Uhpuplished Matggial Anderson, Clarence Scott, "Vocational Interests of Rural High School Pupils in Pennsylvania" Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pennsylvania, 1938, Summaries 9; Studies 3g Agricul- tural Education, Supplement Number 1, Danville, Illi- nois: The Interstate Printers and Publishers Inc., 1943. Apps, Jerold W. "Characteristics of Youth Choosing Farming as an Occupation in Five Selected Counties in Wiscon- sin, Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of Wis- consin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1957, Summaries Of Stud- ggg Ag Agricultural Education, SupplementhNuEber II, Vocational Division Bulletin 272, Agricultural Series Numger 71, washington: Government Printing Office, 195 . ~200— Bachmann, Vernon W. "Factors Influencing Occupational Choices of Vocational Agriculture Graduates of Holdrege High Schodl." Unpublished Master' s Thesis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1957- Bittner, Richard Humme]. "Relation Between High School Characteristics and Status of Farm-Reared Male Grad- uates in Nonfarm Occupations," Unpublished Master's Thesis, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa, 1958. Bittner, Richard Hummel. "Identification of Selected Char- acteristics Associated With Continued Student Enroll- ment in Vocational Agriculture," Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1962. Butler, Jimmy Joe. "Some Guidance Concerns in Vocational Agriculture," Unpublished Master's Thesis, Univer- sity of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1959, Summaries 2; Studies ig AgriCultural Education, Supplement Number 13, VOcational Division Bulletin 282, Agricultural Series Number 75, Washington; Government Printing Office, 1960. Cornett, Dallas Lee. "Vocational Training Choices of Sophomore and Junior Boys in Marios County Rural High Schools," Unpublished Master' 3 Thesis, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1957. Kenneth Odell. "A Study of the Effect of Home and Farm Conditions Upon the Supervised Farming Program of Third Year Vocational Agriculture Students in Spartanburg county. South Carolina," Unpublished Master' 3 Thesis, Clemson College, Clemson, South Carolina, 1958. Cushman, Robert Harold. "In What Occupations Do Vermont Junior-Senior High School Boys Need Pre-Vocational Experiences?" Unpublished Master's Thesis, Univer— sity of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 1952. Deboer, Hendell J. "Post High School Training of Minnesota Vocational Agriculture Graduates," Unpublished Non- Thesis Study, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1957, Summaries 2; Studies In Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 11, VOcational Division Buletin 272, Agricultural Series Number 71, wash- ington: Government Printing Office, 1958. -20l- Fortune, Charles Ware. "A Study of Who Makes the Decisions Relative to Supervised Farming Programs of Students of Vocational Agriculture," Unpublished Master's Problem, North Carolina State College, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1961. Fuller, Gerald R. "The Characteristics of Farming Programs of Junior and Senior Pupils Enrolled in Vocational Agriculture 3 and 4 in New York State for the School Year 1957-58," Unpublished Master's Essay, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1960. Gerdeman, Earl John. "Farming Programs of Selected High School Students of Vocational Agriculture From Full- Time and Part-Time Farms in Ohio," unpublished Master's Thesis, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1955. Gretebeck, Sanford Hilman. "A Career Pattern Study Of Seventy-six Youth Farming Who Were 1957 High School Graduates in Five Selected Counties in Wisconsin," Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1960, Dissertation Abstracts, Abstracts of Dissertations and Monographs in Micro- form, Volume 21, Number 6, Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms, Inc., 1960. Griffiths, John H. "Educational and Occupational Plans of Male Farm Youth at the Ninth Grade Level," Unpub- lished Master's Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1960, Summaries 2; Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 13, Voc- ational Division Bulletin 282, Agricultural Series Nugber 75, Washington: Government Printing Office, 19 O. Harrington, Ray A. "A Study of the Occupational Distri- bution Of Former Pupils in Vocational Agriculture in .Camden, New York, Central School and the Relationship of such Distribution to Selected Background Factors,‘ Unpublished Master's Problem, Cornell university, Ithaca, New York, 1954, Summaries 2; Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 7, Vocat- ional Division Bulletin 253. Agricultural Series Number 64, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1954. Hemp, Paul E. "Developmental Tasks Of Prospective and Present Farmers in a Selected Illinois Community, Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1955. ~202- Judge, Homer Virtes. "Selected Environmental Factors Which Appear to Have Contributed to the Success and Future -P1ans of Future Farmers of America Who Have Attained the State Farmer Degree, "Unpublished Master's Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 1958. Kitts, Harry W. "A Resume of Studies on Occupational Status of Former Students Of Vocational Agriculture," Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, University of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota, 1957, Summaries 9; Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 11, Voca- tional Division Bulletin 272, Agricultural Series Numger 71, Washington: Government Printing Office, 95 . Knight, William Herbert. "Factors Associated With The Voc- ational Choices of High School Students of Vocational Agriculture," tkpublished Doctor's Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 1958. Krebs, Alfred H. "Future Plans of Vocational Agriculture Seniors in Illinois High Schools, Classes of 1959," Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1959, Summaries 2; Studies ip Agri- cultural Education, Supplement Number 14, Vocational Division Bulletin 291, Agricultural Series Number 77, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1961. Krippner, Stanley Curtis, "A Study of Vocational And Edu- cational Interests of Junior High School Students," Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, Northwestern University, 1961, Dissertation Abstracts, Abstracts Of Disserta- tions and Monographs in Microform, Volume 22, Num- ber 8, Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms, Inc., 1962. Marinaccio, Lawrence V. "Relationships Between Work Experi- ence and Intelligence Quotients of Secondary School Pupils." Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Conneticut, Storrs, Conneticut, 1961. Nearing, Frank H. "Bases For Making Changes in Programs of Vocational Education in Agriculture in Central Rural Schools in New York State," Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1954. -2O3- Rougeau, Amos B. "Ten Year Study of Former Students of Voc- ational Agriculture in Six Reorganized School Dist- ricts, 1946 Through 1955," Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1958, Summaries 9; Studies An Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 11, Vocational Division Bulletin 272, Agricultural Series Nomber 71, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1958. Sahlstrom, Stanley David, "Factors Influencing College Attendance Plans of Capable Rural High School Seniors" Unpublished Doctor's Thesis, University of Minnesota,- St. Paul, Minnesota, Dissertation Abstracts, Abstracts of Dissertations and Monographs in Microform, Volume 22 Number 8, Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Micro- films, Inc., 1962. Sutherland, Sidney Sampson, and Orville Eugene Thompson, White, "Characteristics of the Pupils Enrolled in the All- Day Classes in Vocational Agriculture in California, Unpublished Non-Thesis Study, University of Califor- nia, Davis, California, 1955. Summaries of Studies in Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 9, Voc- ational Division Bulletin 263, Agricultural Series Numger 68, Washington: Government Printing Office, 195 . Deryl, "A Study of the Relationship Between Certain Boys' Supervised Farming Programs and Their Present Farmin or Ranching Occupations in La Salle County, Texas, unpublished Master's Problem, Texas A. & M. College, College Station, Texas, 1953. Summggieg g; Studies Ag Agricultural Education, Supplement Number 8, Vocational Division Bulletin 256, Agricultural Series Number 66, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1955. Wood, Eugene S. "A Fbllowup Study Of Former Students of wyse, Vocational Agriculture in Illinois," Unpublished Doctor's Thesis University of Missouri, Columbia, Education, Supplement Number 13, Vocational Division Bulletin 282, Agricultural Series Number 75. Wash- ington: Government Printing Office, 1960. Jacob F. "The Occupational Status of Former Students of Vocational Agriculture of Johnston High School, Johnston, South Carolina," Unpublished Master's Thesis, Clemson College, Clemson, South Carolina, 1954. ~204— Other Deyoe, George Percy, Young Men P on Ziicr igan Farms - A Study 9; Farm Reared Men Who Attended Certain Mich- igan High Schools Which Maintain Departments of Vocational Agriculture, State Board of Control For Vocational Education, Bulletin 256, Lansing, Mich- igan. 1939. Edlefson, John B. and Martin Jay Crowe, Teen-ager's Occupational Aspirations, Washington Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 618, Pullman, Washington, 1960. Hill, Elton B., and Russell G.I:a'wby. Types g; Farming lg Michigan, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Special Bulletin 206, East Lansing, Michigan, 1954. Slocum, Walter L. Occupational and Educational Plans 9; High School Seniors From Farm and Non-Farm Homes, Washington Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 564, Pullman, Washington, 1956. Slocum, Walter L. Occupational Planning by Undergraduates gt the State College 9; Washington, Washington Agri- cultural Experiment Station Bulletin 547, Pullman, Washington, 1954. United States Bureau of Census, U. S. Census of Agriculture 1252. Volume 1, Counties, Part 13, Michigan, Wash- ington: Government Printing Office, 1961. United States Congress. Public Laws of the United States of American Passed by the Sixty-Fourth Congress, 19:15-1917, Volume 39. Part 1, Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1917. Youmans, E. Grant. The Educational Attainment and Future Plans of Iientuchy Rural Youths, Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 664, Lexington, Kentucky, 1959 APPENDICES -205- -205- APPENDIX A List of Schools School Number of Students Voc. Agri. Teacher Concord 2} Benjamin A. Miller Durand 45 Roy J. Wallis Hartland 42 John D. Anibal Ionia 23 Marvin E. Cress Jackson 67 Warren Parsons Jackson Northwest 55 Lawrence Rubeck, Jr. Leslie 47 Russell J. Miller Morrice 36 Douglas Ferrier Perry 47 James Potier fiebberville 29 Walter C. Search —2o7- APPENDIX 3 Instructions to High School Vocational Agriculture Classes for Completing Work Experience Schedules First let me introduce myself. I am Homer Judge. At the present time I an a graduate student and assistant instructor at Michigan State University. I am doing re— search work for a Doctor's Degree in the College of Edu- cation. My research study is about work experiences of high school students of vocational agriculture and their relation to occupational and educatiOnal plans of those students. I hope that the results of this research will aid in planning and developing more effective educational prcgrams to meet the needs of young peOple in tomorrow's agriculture. Your department of vocational agriculture is one of ten which has been selected and which I am visiting to collect data for my study. I am asking each of you to help me in this study by filling out a work experience survey form. The success of my study depends on you giving me complete answers to the questions on this form. Please read all questions carefully and answer them completely. Please observe these points in completing the sche- dules: (1) All questions in regard to work experiences apply to the past year. This means the last twelve months before today. (2) Work Experience are divided into farm and off-farm work. Farm work means any work performed on any farm. It includes work for neighbors as well as on your home farm. Off-farm work includes all work performed at locations other than on a farm. (3) Under item 20 report all farm work done during the past twelve months. (4) Under item 21 report that part of the farm work you did during the past year with projects owned by you only. (5) Under item 28 report all off-farm jobs at which you have worked during the past twelve months. (6) Please answer all items on the schedule. (7) If there are any questions feel free to ask them. (3) I will check your schedule with you for completeness when you have it filled out. I thank all of you for your assistance in this study. 7. 9. -209- APPENDIX 0 WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEDULE Name Age High School Class: Freslman__50phcnore Junior. Senior Is this your 13t__2nd___jrd_l+th_year of vocational agriculture? Po you live on a farm? Yes No— What is the total number of acres in your family's farm Does your family own: All the land in the fam Part of the land in the farm None of the land in the farm Is your father's principal occupation taming? Yes__ No If your father does any work other than farming describe what he does in his job. What part of your father's working time is spent working on a tam? Full tine—More than fine-Between i; and .1. time___less than ~% fiime None '0 10. What was the highest school grade completed by each of your parents? Circle highest grade completed by father and mother. Grade School High School College Father 1231+5678 9101112 1234 Mother 123'4'5678 9101112 12310 11. What is your family's net cash income? Check one of the following: Under $2,000. _$2,000. to $3.999._$h.000- to 555.99%— 36,000. to $7.999. __$8.000 to $9.999._$1o,ooo. or more __ 12. What is your parents' attitude concerning your continued education beyond high school? A. Insist that I continue B. Would like for me to continue 0. Don't care D. Don't want me to continue 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. -210- Is your high school grade average: A B C Below C ? Have you made any occupational choice? Yes No___. If you have made an occupational choice list below the occupation which you think you are most apt to enter. . How certain are you of entering the occupation you listed above? Very certain Fairly certain Fairly uncertain—Very uncertain_. How much consideration have you given to education or training plans after high school? A great dea1‘___ Some ' A little __ None Do you plan to participate in am formal educational or training program beyond high school? - Positively yes___ Probably yes Positively not__ Probably not Is your educational or vocational training beyond high school most apt to be: None___Education or training less than four years Four or more years . Please account for all work emerience you have had during the past 12 months in answering the following questions. What is the total amount of time you have worked on a tam or farms during the past 12 months? A. Number of weeks worked: During sumer__During school term_ B. Average number hours worked per week: 1 During sumer_During school term— What is the total amount of time spent working with productive enter- prise projects owned by you? (This will be part of the time included in question 20 above.) . 1 A. Number of weeks worked: During stunner During school term B. Average number hours worked per week: During summer—During school term— -211- 22. Below are listed 10 areas of farm work. Circle one of the numbers following each area to indicate amount of work done in the area during the past year. AREA OF WORK AMOUNT‘OF WORK DONE No Small Consider- Much Werk Amount able Work Field Crop Production 0 1 2 3 vegetable or Small Fruit Production 0 1 2 3 Soil and water Conservation 0 l 2 3 Tree Fruit Production 0 l 2 3 Poultry 0 1 2 3 Dairy 0 l 2 3 a..r Cattle, Hogs, and Sheep 0 1 2 3 Forestry O 1 2 3 Farm Mechanics 0 l 2 3 Farm.Management 0 1 2 3 24. Circle one of the numbers following each of the 10 areas of farm work listed below to indicate the variety of different farm jobs done in each of the areas. AREA OF WORK VARIETY OF JO$ DONE No Few Consider— Many Work Jobs able No. Jobs Field Crap O l 2 3 Soil and Water Conservation 0 1 2 3 Vegetable or Small Fruit Production 0 1 2 3 Tree Fruit Production 0 1 2 3 Poultry 0 1 2 3 Dairy 0 1 2 3 Beef Cattle, Hogs, and Sheep 0 l 2 3 Forestry 0 1 2 3 Farm Mechanics O 1 2 3 Farm Management 0 l 2 3 -212- 25. Circle one of the numbers following each of the 10 areas of farm work listed below to indicate the management decisions made by you in each work area. AREA OF WORK MANAGEMENT DECISIONS I MADE Consider- None Few able Most Field CrOp Production 0 1 2 3 Soil and Water Conservation 0 1 2 3 Vegetable or Small Fruit Production 0 l 2 3 Tree Fruit Production 0 1 2 3 Poultry 0 1 2 3 Dairy 0 l 2 3 Beef Cattle, Hogs. and Sheep 0 1 2 3 Forestry 0 l 2 3 Farm Mechanics o 1 2 3 Farm Management 0 1 2 3 26. Circle one of the numbers following each of the 10 areas of farm work below to indicate your ability to perform the various jobs in each area. AREA OF WORK No A Consider- Ability Little able Much Field Crop Production 0 1 2 3 Soil and Water Conservation 0 1 2 3 Vegetable or Small Fruit Production 0 l 2 3 Tree Fruit Production 0 1 2 3 Poultry 0 1 2 3 Dairy 0 1 2 3 Beef Cattle, Hogs, and Sheep 0 1 2 3 Forestry O l 2 3 Farm Mechanics o 1 2 3 Farm Management 0 1 2 3 —213- 27. Have you done any off-farm work during the past year? Yes ___No 28. List all off—farm jobs at which you have worked during the past year. l. 2. 3. 41_ 50 I 60 FILL OUT ONE OF THE FORMS BELOW FOR EACH OFF-FARM JOB Name of job Kind of business Received pay for job: Yes__ No_ Number of weeks worked at job during summer school term Number of hours worked per week during summer school term Describe exactly what you did Name of job Kind of business Received pay for job: Yes No___ Number of weeks worked at job during summer school term Number of hours worked per week during summer school term Describe exactky what you did (ask for additional forms as needed to fill out one form for each off—farm job.) -214- APENDIX D Amount of Farm Work Scores Score Number of Students Per cent 0 26 6.2 l - 3 60 14.2 4 - 6 65 15-4 7 - 9 87 2O 7 10 - 12 92 21.9 13 - 15 49 11.6 16 - 18 29 6.9 19 and Above 13 3.1 Total 421 100.0 Mean Score = 8.6 .-215- APPENDIX D - continued Variety of Farm Work Scores Score Number of Students Per cent 0 30 7.1 1 - 3 63 15.0 4 - 6 79~ 18.8 7 - 9 81 19.2 10 - 12 75 17.8 13 - 15 53 12.6 16 - 18 27 6.4 19 and Above 13 3.1 Total 421 100.0 Mean Score = 8.3 APPENDIX D - continued, Management Responsibility Scores Score Number of Students Per cent 0 68 16.2 1 - 3 89 21.1 4 - 6 87 20.7 7 - 9 73 17.3 10 - 12 59 14.0 13 - 15 23 5.5 16 - 18 17 4.0 19 and Above 5 1.2 Total 421 100.0 Mean Score = 6.1 -2l7- AP ENDIX D - continugg Self Appraisal of Competency Scores Score Number of Students Per cent 0 24 5.7 l - 3 50 11.9 4 - 5 50 11.9 7 - 9 63 15.0 10 - 12 80 19.0 13 - 15 65 15.4 16 - 18 52 12.3 ‘ 19 and Above 37 8.8 Total 421 100.0 Mean Score = 10.2 -218- APPENDIX D.- continued Composite Farm Work Experience Scores Score Number of Students Per cent 10 or Below 64 15.2 11 - 2O 58 13.8 21 - 3O 69 16.4 31 - 4O 83 19.7 41 - 50 72 17.1 51 - 6O 40 9.5 Above 60 35 - 3-3 Total 421 100.0 Mean Score = 32.9 APPENDIX E {‘9 *‘ .... V . 'l a" . , a ‘ ‘ 4. "..1_ 4. . ...1. Oil-rare Agricultural occupations Students Lrpecoed to inter Occupation Number of Students Agricultural Engineer 3 Agricultural Scientist 1 Agriculture Teacher 4 Animal Husbandryman 1 Conservation 6 Dairy Plant Operation 2 Farm Machinist l Forestry 8 Floriculture 2 Landscaping 3 l Livestock and Grain Trucker Management of Horses H :— Orchard Work Veterinarian 3 Total 45 -220- APPENDIX E - gpnjinueg Non-Agricultural Occupations Students Expected to Enter Occupation Accountant Architect Armed Forces Artist Barber Beauty Operator Biologist Bookkeeper Carpenter Construction Worker Cook Dentist Doctor Draftsman Electrician Electronics Engineer Factory Werker Fireman Flyer Real Estate Resturant Operator ... Number of Students KN if!) \N +4 F‘ u) tn 14 F1 k4 H k)! H MW +4 H s: h4 n) APPENDIX E - p D} n 3“ Occupation Number of Students Salesman School Teacher H h— bJ Scientist Secretary PM Sheet Metal Worker Shop Worker [‘3 Skin Diver J-‘i—J State Police Stock Car Driver Store Nanager Grocer Gunsmith Heavy Equipment Operator Highway Survey Work Laborer Mason ro H s1 e1 pa +4 +4 l4 H Mathmetician m Mechanic 2 Minister Model H s1 A) Nurse Office Worker 1 Optical Worker 1 -222- APPENDIX 3 - goit'nled Occupation Number of Students Peace Corps 1 Physical Education or Coaching 4 Professional Sports 3 :9 Truck Driver 4 Tool and Die Worker 1 Welder 1 Writer 1 Total }_J U7 (2 ' t ,1... anlllylnulnmHm 985