I 3.7{IIIIIILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!ff13113533553????Ii?filiII'I-"f§fgff“A“ ”I": % "”5“?“29'2 ’1‘ ' .I. . I,L'T»1‘L""’ v‘ AN EXAMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF STUDENTS AND PARENTS FOR STUDENTS IN SELECTED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPENDENTS SCHOOLS Dissertation for the Degree of Ph. D. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY THOMAS R. RILEY 1977 5‘..nwnr- -~- -q- 1 a v9 - . “oi, III/III “3:331 Stat-s; , AJxésxfiEity I _. . ‘ / I. . K is whfi ’1 a _ 3 3A.!" This is to certify that the thesis entitled AN EXAMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF STUDENTS AND PARENTS FOR STUDENTS IN SELECTED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPENDENTS SCHOOLS presented by Thomas R. Riley has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph-D- d . Education egree 1n Major professor DateW/‘f 0'7 639 ABSTRACT AN EXAMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF STUDENTS.AND PARENTS FOR STUDENTS IN SELECTED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPENDENTS SCHOOLS By Thomas R. Riley This study was to assist the Department of Defense (DOD) Schools in providing a meaningful educational pro- gram by: l. collecting and analyzing data concerning the occupational aspirations of and for dependent students of DOD personnel employed in Japan and Korea, and 2. providing recommendations for developing career exploratory and vocational education programs for secondary students. Haller and Miller's Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS) was administered to all eighth and twelfth grade students in Japan and Korea. Twenty percent of the students' parents were surveyed. Main effects and interactions were examined through an analysis of variance, 2x 2x 2 factorial design; Thomas R. Riley the t ratio was also computed. For each statistical test employed, the .05 confidence level was required to not retain the null hypothesis. The respondent main effect of the analysis of variance revealed that: 1. The Parents achieved higher OAS scores than did students. There were no significant differences in OAS scores by grade level. A similarity existed between the occupational aspirations of eighth grade students and parents and twelfth grade students and parents. Boys and parents of boys achieved higher OAS scores than did girls and parents of girls. The four interactions calculated by the analysis of variance had F values less than 3.84. data analyzed in this study suggest that: Although the OAS has been validated for students,:rtis not entirely valid for current times. However, it is the best available instrument. The occupational aspirations which parents have for eighth and twelfth graders do not affect the occupational aspirations which the students of District I DOD Schools have for The Thomas R. Riley themselves from the eighth grade to the twelfth grade. There must be operative factors before the eighth grade which cause differences in OAS scores, boys scoring higher. There appear to be no effective equalizing influences which affect students' and parents' OAS scores from the eighth grade to the twelfth grade. The lack of interaction between OAS scores demonstrates that apparently equal amounts of parental encouragement/discouragement are placed upon boys and girls at the eighth grade and the twelfth grade levels. recommendations are that: A sound testing program--including measures of occupational aspiration, ability, achieve- ment, and vocational interest--should accom- pany the career education program in the secondary schools in District I DOD Schools, Pacific. An active counseling program should be insti- tuted to assist students in making career choices. Parents should be included. Follow-up evaluation and monitoring should be conducted. Thomas R. Riley District I DOD Schools, Pacific should study curriculum to determine if it is sex- stereotyped and/or if it favors boys over girls. District I DOD Schools, Pacific should encourage students to aspire to the occupa- tional goals most suited to their abilities, interests, and aspirations. The work—study program should be altered and expanded to meet the needs of students requir- ing career-exploration experiences. The OAS instrument should continue to be used as an occupational education information- gathering device until a more current reli— able and valid instrument becomes available. AN EXAMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF STUDENTS AND PARENTS FOR STUDENTS IN SELECTED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPENDENTS SCHOOLS By Thomas R. Riley A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum 1977 To Janet, Keith, and Carrie. Without their sacrifices, completion of this project could not have been possible. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincere appreciation is extended to the following contributors to this study: --Academic advisor and dissertation director, Dr. Helen Green. --Guidance committee members: Dr. Lawrence Borosage, Dr. Richard Gardner, and Dr. Samuel Moore. —-Director of Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Dr. Edward Killin. --Superintendent of District I/DPN I, Dr. Robert Lundgren. --Department of Defense Dependents Schools, principals, teachers, parents, and students. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . .'. . . . . . . . . . vi LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Background of the Problem . . . . . . . . 1 Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . 8 Hypotheses to Be Tested . . . . . . . . 10 Statistical Procedures Employed . . 11 Assumptions and Limitations of the Study. 11 Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE . . . . . . . 16 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Review of Related Literature . . . . . . 17 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 III. METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Research Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Research Instrument . . . . . . . 33 Pilot Project . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Population and Sample . . . . . . . 36 Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . 39 Statistical Procedures . . . . . 40 IV. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Hypothesis I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Hypothesis II . . . . . . . . Hypothesis III . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Hypothesis IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 AB Interaction . . . . . . . . . . 49 AC Interaction . . . . . 51 BC Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 ABC Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 iv Chapter Page V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 54 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 APPENDICES O O O O O I O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O 65 A. PERMISSION LETTER, PACIFIC AREA . . . . . . 66 B. PERMISSION LETTER, DISTRICT I/DPN I JAPAN AND KOREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 C. LETTER TO PRINCIPALS . . . . . . . . . . . 71 D. PARENT LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE . . . . . . 74 E. STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANSWER SHEET . . 81 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Table LIST OF TABLES Student Enrollment and Parent Sample by SChOOl for Year 1974-75 0 o o o o o o o 0 Summary of Student and Parent Responses for Year 1974-75 . . . . . . . . . . Analysis of Variance Summary Table for Main Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . t-Test Data for Seven Respondent Comparison Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . t-Test Data for Six Grade Level Comparison Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . t—Test Data for Six Sex Comparison Groups vi Page 37 38 42 44 46 48 Figure LIST OF FIGURES Model for Career Education for the DOD Schools, Pacific . . . . . Mean Scores of Students and Parents for Students at Each Grade Level . . . . Mean Scores of Students and Parents for Students by Sex of Students . . . Scores of Eighth and Twelfth Grade Students and Parents for Students by Sex of Students . . . . . . . . . . . Analysis of Variance Table for Main Effect Student and Parent by Grade by Sex . . vii Page 50 50 51 52 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the Problem The philosophic premise of Career Education for the Pacific Area Department of Defense Schools, hereinafter designated as DOD Schools, is that "Career Education is the delivering of skills to all students which will provide them with the ability to explore, understand, and perform in their life roles while learning, working, and living."1 The main thrust of Career Education in DOD Schools, Pacific, is to prepare all students for a suc- cessful life role by increasing their options for occu- pational choice; by eliminating barriers (real and imagined) that prevent, thwart, and block the attainment of Job skills; and by enhancing learning achievement in all subject areas at all levels of education.2 The implementation of Career Education is a means of bringing new life to the educational process. Educa- tion can be exciting, meaningful, and rewarding. If education can demonstrate its importance and the 1Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific, Career Education, An Integrated Approach (Area Curriculum Center/DPNC, APO S.F. 96323, July 1972), p. 1. 2Ibid., p. 5. contributions it can make to the future life role of the individual, it becomes self-motivating. Students no longer exhibit tolerance toward teacher presentations of curricula Just for the sake of general knowledge. Some DOD students of today are asking, "How will this information help me now?" and "How will it help me get a job later on?" Students are asking for instruction relevant to the working world in which they are or will be involved. A review of the model of career education (Figure 1) accepted by the DOD Schools, Pacific, will reveal that it is the responsibility of the high school to prepare students to enter and successfully complete: (1) a college program, or (2) a post high school technical program, or (3) exit the formal educational system with a salable skill. The career education model (Figure l) was adapted specifically to meet needs of the DOD Schools, Pacific. It presupposes that the different phases of career edu- cation, career awareness, career exploration, and career preparation take place at specific grade levels. No provisions for career development recycling are built into the model. Statistics indicating how well the secondary DOD Schools, Pacific, are accomplishing these obliga- tions are not available. Notwithstanding this lack of ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION Professional Job Universitgx or Advanced Technical Training Technical Education Technical Job High School College pm. Specialized Prep Tech Job __ _ __ _ _______ Entry Level Job Middle School CAREER EXPLORATION - CAREER AWARENESS Elementary School Figure 1. Model for career education for the DOD Schools, Pacific Source: Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific, Career Education Handbook K—12 (DOD Schools, Pacific, Area Curriculum Center/DPNC, APO 96323, July 1972), p. 141. Based on Bruce Reinhart, "Career Education and the Comprehensive Career Education Model," paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Vocational Associa- tion, Portland, Oregon, December 5, 1971. data, it is the researcher's belief that programs designed for college-bound students are meeting their obligation satisfactorily. However, certain students who are enrolled in the college education curriculum may receive minimal value from them in their future life roles, because they may: (1) not attend college, or (2) fail to complete a four-year bachelorate degree program. There are few educational programs providing alternatives to the college-bound curriculum in DOD Schools, Pacific. With the exception of work study and, in some cases, business education, there are no vocational education programs available for non—college-bound stu— dents. Curriculum offerings tend to be traditionally oriented toward either college or general education. Although career education is a K-12 approach and inte- gration into the existing curriculum is basic in grades K-9, students in secondary schools are provided limited curriculum alternatives. The researcher feels it is imperative that educational programs be developed to provide career exploratory experiences, or vocational education, as alternatives to the college-bound curricu— lum in the DOD Schools. Career development is a lifelong process, beginning in the preschool years and continuing, for most individuals, through retirement. It is the total spectrum of events, circumstances, and experiences of an individual as he makes decisions about himself as a prospective and then actual member of the work force.3 It can be viewed as a process through which the individual progresses as he seeks a life style suitable to his needs. Occupational choice is a vital part of the process. And at different stages in the career development process, occupational choices are expressed in many forms and with many degrees of firmness. "Occu- pational choices, in a typical developmental process, move progressively from fantasy, to uncertainty, to conviction, and ultimately, the implementation stage."4 A variety of influences operate on occupational choice as the individual progresses through the various 5 and Brook et a1.6 stages of career development. Drabick attempted to determine the relationship of socioeconomic status and educational and occupational aspirations. 3Kenneth B. Hoyt, Rupert N. Evans, Edward R. Mackin, and Garth L. Mangum, Career Education, What It Is and How to Do It (Salt Lake City, Utah: Olympus Publishing Co., 1972), p. 100. 41bid., p. 101. 5Lawrence W. Drabick, "Factors Associated With Expectations; North Dakota High School Seniors," Educa- tional Research Series No. 9 (Grand Forks, North Dakota: North Dakota University, Center for Teaching and Learn- ing, July 1974), p. 35. 6Judith S. Brook et al., "Aspiration Levels of and for Children; Age, Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Correlates," Journal of Genetic PsycHOIng 124 (March 1974): 14. In both studies there were findings that supported the evidence that (1) both parents' educational and occupa- tional aspirations for their children were higher in the high socioeconomic groups than in the low socioeconomic groups and (2) the children in high socioeconomic groups had higher educational and occupational aspirations than those in low socioeconomic groups. Sostek7 suggests that there is a significant relationship between occu- pational choice and the sexuality of the parent with whom there exists the closest personal identification. Holland8 approaches career development by pre- dicting occupational choice based on the psychological meaning of one's aspirations. He found that a person's aspirations have considerable psychological meaning; their aspirations suggest decision—making ability, psychological integration, and predictability. His research discloses that occupational aspirations and future occupational choice are related. Frequently, occupational aspiration codes and interest inventories coincide. However, if aspirations and inventories 7Alan B. Sostek, "The Relation of Identification and Parent-Child Climate to Occupational Choice," Disser- tatiOn Abstracts, 24:04-A, 1963. 8John L. Holland and Gary D. Gottfredson, "Applying a Typology to Vocational Aspirations" (Baltimore, Maryland: Center for the Study of Social Organization of Schools, June 1974). diverge, occupational aspiration exerts the stronger influence on occupational choice. According to Gleason,9 children of military and civilian personnel overseas tend to choose occupations permitting them to remain mobile. In his study of worldmindedness he found that over 50 percent of the Department of Defense students did not know where they wanted to establish their homes. Twenty—four percent of the students chose the United States, while another 17 percent opted for an area outside the United States. Only 2 percent of the Department of Defense students wanted their children in the United States during their teen years. Thus, a vocational education program restricting the future mobility of these individuals would be inappropriate. According to Thelen,10 universal knowledge concerning (1) the nature of man, (2) the dynamics of learning, (3) factors affecting group performance, and (4) intergroup relations, social action, and community improvement has had little effect on educational prac- tices. As a remedy for this unfortunate circumstance, 9Patrick T. Gleason, "Social Adjustment Patterns and Manifestations of Worldmindedness of Overseas- Experienced American Youth" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1960). 10Herbert A. Thelen, Education and the Human Quest (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1960), p. 1. Havelock11 suggests that client involvement, which includes interested persons, parents, students, and_ groups, should be considered in determining educational goals in the school system. Since student involvement is a critical link in school planning, the educational system should be responsive to the needs and desires of its recipients. Based on the above-mentioned research and opinions, it is evident that before program development can begin, the DOD Schools, Pacific, must address them- selves to an examination of the needs and desires for educational programs which are career exploratory and vocational in nature. Obviously, the expenditure of large amounts of money and effort before determining the appropriate educational programs is both futile and absurd. Hopefully, as a result of this study, career exploratory and vocational education programs now serv- ing as college preparatory alternatives may assume addi- tional forms, variations, or dimensions not now contemplated for the secondary school system. Statement of the Problem The researcher's purpose in this study was to assist the DOD Schools in their attempt to resolve the 11Ronald G. Havelock, The Change Agent's Guide to Innovation in Education (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: EdUcatiOnal Technology Publications, 1973), p. 66. problem of providing a meaningful educational program relative to the needs of their recipients by: 1. collecting and analyzing data pertinent to the occupational aspirations of and for stu- dents who are dependents of military and civilian personnel employed by the Department of Defense in Japan and Korea, and from these findings: 2. providing recommendations for developing career exploratory and vocational education programs to serve their secondary students. The primary problem was to determine if a sig— nificant difference exists between (1) the level of occupational aspiration of eighth grade students and that which parents of eighth grade students have for them, and (2) the level of occupational aspiration of twelfth grade students and that which parents of twelfth grade students have for them. Specifically, two major ques- tions were addressed: 1. Is the level of occupational aspirations the same for: a. boys and girls? b. students and parents? c. eighth and twelfth graders? 2. Is the level of occupational aspirations of students and that which parents have for 10 students stable from the eighth grade to the twelfth grade? Hypotheses to Be Tested Hypothesis I: There is no statistically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspira- tion Scale made by student and parent respondents in terms of: a. Eighth grade boys and parents of eighth grade boys b. Eighth grade girls and parents of eighth grade girls 0. Twelfth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade boys d. Twelfth grade girls and parents of twelfth grade girls e. All boys and all parents of boys f. All girls and all parents of girls g All students and all parents Hypothesis II: There is no statistically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspira- tion Scale made by grade level for students and parents of students in terms of: a. b. c. d. Eighth grade boys and twelfth grade boys Eighth grade girls and twelfth grade girls Parents of eighth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade boys Parents of eighth grade girls and parents of twelfth grade girls All eighth grade students and all twelfth grade students All parents of eighth grade students and all parents of twelfth grade students Hypothesis III: There is no statistically signifi- cant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspiration Scale made by students and parents by sex of students in terms of: a. b. c. d. Eighth grade boys and eighth grade girls Twelfth grade boys and twelfth grade girls Parents of eighth grade boys and parents of eighth grade girls Parents of twelfth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade girls 11 e. All boys and all girls f. All parents of boys and all parents of girls Hypothesis IV: There is no statistically signifi- cant interaction effect on scores of parent and student respondents on the Occupational Aspiration Scale by sex of student, grade level, or any combi- nation of these variables. Statistical Procedures Employed The statistical procedures employed in this study were those associated with a 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of vari- ance factorial design. In addition to the F values obtained from the analyses of variance, additional analyses of the significance of comparison group mean scores required by the hypotheses were ascertained by use of the two-tailed t test. For all statistical analyses, the .05 level of confidence was required to not retain the null hypothesis. Assumptions and Limitations of the Study Haller and Miller's Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS) was used to test the hypotheses.12 This scale was used, predicated on the assumption that the OAS is a reliable and valid instrument for both boys and girls at the secondary level. 1ZArchibald O. Haller and Irwin W. Miller, The Occupational Aspiration Scale: Theory, Structure and Correlates (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Schendman Pub- lishing Company, Inc., 1971). 12 The evidence Westbrook collected strongly suggests that the OAS is a reliable and valid measure of levels of occupational aspiration: He found test-retest reliability coefficients over a period of two weeks and five weeks to be satis- factory. Hypotheses about the elevation of mean OAS item scores were partially supported. And, though boys and girls did not differ significantly on OAS total scores, the girls' scores showed less variability.13 This difference can be explained by the fact that at the extreme ends, the OAS is primarily for males, since the occupations at the ends have been traditionally selected by males; therefore females tend to choose occupations closer to the center of the occupational prestige hier- archy. This study has the following limitations: 1. The population used for this study cannot be considered representative of larger or even other groups; therefore, no attempt is made to generalize beyond the sc0pe of the study. 2. On the other hand, comparisons of OAS scores are made on groups, not individuals, and can be used only for generalization. 3. Since no endeavor was made to control the conditions under which the parental survey was conducted, 133. w. Westbrook, "The Reliability and Validity of a New Measure of Level of Occupational Aspiration," Educational and Psychological Measurement 26 (1966): 1004. 13 individual bias is possible although instructions and sample questions were included. 4. Additionally, because no attempt was made to survey both parents nor to determine whether replies were made by one or both, the aSsumption is that the dominant parent is the one having the greatest influence on the child's level of occupational aspiration. Further- more, the parent's response is not matched with that of the student. 5. Moreover, Haller's Occupational Aspiration Scale, not being a predictor of specific job preference, restricts its use for additional curriculum, except for general recommendations for middle and high school career exploratory or vocational programs. Definitions For the purpose of this study, the words, phrases, or terms set forth below are defined as follows: The level of occupational aspirations is the career goal toward which a person aims, including the selection of one of the alternative behavior levels possible with respect to a career objective. Further— more, the person's orientation is variable to the extent that its central tendency may be at any point or limited range of points along the continuum of difficulty. 14 The Department of Defense Dependents Schools are those sponsored by the Defense Department to provide K-12 educational services for sponsored dependents of military and civilian personnel. The Pacific Area consists of those Department of Defense Dependents Schools located in Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Midway. The District I/DPN I are those Department of Defense schools in Japan and Korea. Career education is the delivering of skills to all students which will provide them with the ability to explore, understand, and perform in their life roles while learning, working, and living.14 Life roles are those phases, such as learner, worker, member of a family unit, etc., which individuals pass through or recycle into during their life span. Career exploration, as defined by Tennyson, comprises "those activities, both mental and physical, that pur- posely utilize the stimuli and information provided by work and the work world to perpetuate a continuing clari- fication of self, including one's needs, interests, 14Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific, Career Education, p. 1. 15 attitudes, values, and work role perceptions and compe- tencies."15 Vocational education is the practical training provided by the means of classes, laboratory, work experience, or cooperative work experience/work study programs designed to develop knowledge, skills, abili- ties, attitudes, and work habits which will enable the individual to enter into gainful employment. Overview In Chapter II, the literature relevant to this study is reviewed. In Chapter III the writer presents the design of the study including the sample, instru— mentation, and the analyses techniques. The results of these analyses are presented in Chapter IV, and the summary and conclusions of the study appear in Chapter V. In this study, the occupational aspirations of eighth and twelfth grade students and their parents are described. Differences are measured and presented for comparison in the hope that they can be used for career- oriented educational program recommendations. 15W. Wesley Tennyson, "Career Exploration," in Career Education, ed. J. H. Magisos (Washington, D.C.: The American Vocational Association, Inc., 1973), p. 104. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Introduction In this chapter the researcher reviews the litera- ture pertinent to the following questions: 1. What influence, if any, do parents have on their children's future career selections? and 2. Are the career aspirations of children realistic/obtainable goals? A computer search of the Educational Research Information Center (ERIC),using descriptors such as occupational aspiration, career choice, occupational choice, parental aspiration, parental influence, and secondary students, isolated fifty-two studies and articles related to these questions. Similarly, a DATRIX II search of university microfilms using key words such as occupational, aspiration, student, career, goal, and parent identified eighty-two doctoral dissertations relevant to these inquiries. And from these 134 studies and articles, twenty—three are reviewed. 16 17 Review of Related Literature Research relative to the questions propounded in the introduction was conducted as early as 1935, when 1 found that the father's occupation Kroger and Louttit had no influence on the first occupational choice of high school boys. However, when asked to make more than one choice, the boys tended to select their father's occupation as their third choice. The authors specu— lated that: Perhaps, when confronted with the problem of making a choice, the boys select the vocation offering the greatest appeal due to some recent experience. But when required to make further choices, many boys turn to their father's occupation. More positively, Warren's3 study of the boys' role in the family setting revealed that sons select their father's occupation provided such selection facili— tates role congruence. That is, the father's occupation is chosen where it reduces family problems or eases the position sons face as a family member. 1Robert Kroger and C. M. Louttit, "The Influ- ence of Fathers' Occupation on the Vocational Choice of High School Boys," The Journal of Applied Psychology 19 (April 1935): 208. 21bid., p. 209. 3Rachelle Claire Barus Warren, "Parent Struc- ture, Children's Roles, and Occupational Choice: Varia- tions on a Theme of Role Congruence," Dissertation Abstracts, 32:07-A, 1971. 18 In their investigation of wage earners, Bendix, Lipset, and Malm4 explored, among other things, the variables of family background, education, area shifts, and job history after schooling as related to intergene- rational occupational mobility. They reported that a disadvantaged family background restricts later occupa— tional opportunities. Generally, technical interest is associated with low economic status, while those with business interests come from high-income families. Berdie5 pointed out that there is a relationship between fathers' occupations and sons' vocational interest pro— files. Sons of manual workers have a greater likeli- hood of being in manual vocations. And though many sons of professionals pursue lower-status occupations, more than half work at high-status jobs. Thus, the proba- bility of attaining a high-status occupation is increased by middle-class antecedents. The objective of Ganann's6 research was to determine how certain variables (race, socioeconomic 4Reinhard Bendix, Seymour M. Lipset, and T. T. Malm, "Social Origin and Occupational Career Patterns," Industrial and Labor Relations Review 7 (January 1954): 249. 5Ralph F. Berdie, "Factors Associated With Voca— tional Interest," Journal of Educational Psychology 34 (May 1943): 273. 6Jan W. Ganann, "Educational and Occupational Aspirations and Expectations of Post-Secondary Vocational— Technical School Students in Mississippi," Dissertation Abstracts, 37:07-A, 1977. 19 status origins, age, and significant others' influence) relate to occupational and educational aspirations and expectations. Ganann concluded that: 1. educational aspirations and expectations are higher among blacks than whites; 2. occupational aspirations appear to be similar between the races, while expectations are slightly higher for whites; and 3. environmental (status) origins play a greater part in determining the nature and extent of the black respondents' status projections than of the white respondents. Slocum's7 study revealed that the most important factor directing girls toward a specific occupation was their work experience. They also tended to rank, in order, parents, teachers, and peers as significant influ- ences on their career selection. However, many girls failed to list any individuals as important. A study by Sewell, Haller, and Straus8 supported the findings of Bendix and Berdie (supra). While sta- bilizing the effect intelligence exerts on career 7W. L. Slocum, "Occupational Decision-Making by High School and College Girls," Family Life Coordinator 5 (December 1956): 50. 8William H. Sewell, A. O. Haller, and M. A. Straus, "Social Status and Educational and Occupational Aspiration," American Sociological Review 22 (February 1957): 69. 20 choice, they examined the socioeconomic status and occupational aspiration of 4,167 non—farm seniors. Their conclusion was that the effects of socioeconomic status remained strong though intelligence was partialed out. In his article, "Predicting Vocational Plans of High School Senior Boys," Porter9 related three back- ground variables to vocational plans: 1. prestige of father's occupation, 2. mental ability, and 3. emotional adjustment. He found that both mental ability and father's occupa- tion relate to vocational plans, with the father's occu— pation exerting the stronger influence. And though the boys selected a broad array of occupations, the average level of their projected jobs was not loftier than their father's occupational level. Two independent projects conducted by Drabick10 and Brook11 using (1) first and fifth grade students and 9Richard J. Porter, "Predicting Vocational Plans of High School Senior Boys," The Personnel and Guidance Journal 33 (December 1954): 216. 10Lawrence W. Drabick, "Factors Associated With Expectations: North Dakota High School Seniors," Educa- tional Research Series No. 9 (Grand Forks, North Dakota: North Dakota University, Center for Teaching and Learn- ing, July 1974), p. 35. 11Judith S. Brook et al., "Aspiration Levels of and for Children: Age, Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Correlates," Journal of Genetic Psychology 124 (March 1974): 14. 21 (2) high school seniors attempted to determine the rela- tionship of socioeconomic status and educational and occupational aspirations. In both cases, the findings supported the following facts: 1. Both parents' educational and occupational aspirations for their children were higher in the upper socioeconomic groups, and 2. Children of upper socioeconomic groups have higher educational and occupational aspira- tions than lower socioeconomic groups. It was also found in the Brook study that: 1. Upper socioeconomic students report that parents encouraged them to attend college, 2. Middle-class students are more concerned than lower class with the importance of educa- tion, and 3. Substantially fewer middle-class parents than lowereclass parents recommend skilled labor for their children. 12 Cutright's and Cohen's13 research coincided with the results of Drabick's and Brook's projects. 12Phillip Cutright, "Students' Decision to Attend College," Journal of Educational Sociology 33 (February 1960): 290-99. 13Elizabeth F. Cohen, "Parental Factors in Edu- cational Mobility," Sociology of Education 33 (Fall 1965): 404- 24. 22 Cutright, using high school students, reported that prominent occupational status of the father correlated significantly with the father's superior educational attainment. Thus, either esteemed occupation or educa- tion of the father bears a reciprocal relation to the college plans of his offspring. But it is the affluent socioeconomic status rather than the father's quality education which predicts more accurately who actually attends college. In addition, Cohen revealed that even the responsibility of the father's Occupation or the white-collar background of the mother has some effect on the lofty aspirations of their sons. Furthermore, vocation orientation is of more concern to fathers, while concern for status aspects of college is more characteristic of mothers. In another study involving ninety—six college men and women and their parents, Sostekl4 attempted to test hypotheses based on a personality theory regarding the relationship between identification with a parent and the effect of this identification upon occupational choice. He ascertained that greater identification by the student with either parent is related to later choice of occupation. That is, occupations are chosen 14Alan B. Sostek, "The Relation of Identifica- tion and Parent—Child Climate to Occupational Choice," Dissertation Abstracts, 24:04-A, 1963. 23 representing the sex classification of the parent with whom there is greater identification. For example, a son who identifies with his mother is more apt to choose an occupation feminine-oriented, such as nursing, stenog- raphy, hairdressing, rather than masculine-oriented, such as truck driver, mechanic, or construction worker. And girls who identify with their fathers are more prone to choose an occupation which is more masculine-oriented, such as drafting, para-legal, or telephone repairperson. Esslinger15 explored the educational and occupa- tional aspirations and expectations of 340 twelfth- grade girls and their personal, educational, and family characteristics which influence aspirations and expec- tations. He concluded that: 1. Plans for continued education beyond high school were related to curriculum in school, grades, extra-curricular activities, and the level of parents' education; 2. Occupational choice was related to curricu- lum in school, grades, extra-curricular activities, and the level of parents' occu- pation; and 15Carl W. Esslinger, "Educational and Occupa- tional Aspirations and Expectations and the Educational, Personal, and Family Characteristics of Selected Twelfth Grade Female Students," Dissertation Abstracts, 37:01, 1976. 24 3. The majority of students who indicated an occupational choice were realistic about the amount of education needed for that occupa- tion. There seems to be a general consensus that parents influence their children's occupational deci- sions through their attitudes toward and identification with their children. In 1957, Roe16 introduced the theory that, generally, an individual who experiences a warm and loving family relationship is attracted to occupations which are people oriented. Opposite treat- ment tends to cause occupational interest in non-people- oriented careers. Contrariwise, in his study concerning parental attitude and identification, Brunkan17 did not find sup- port for Roe's theory. Brunkan, using 298 undergradu- ate college men at the University of Iowa, conducted tests for probable occupational choice hypothesizing that choices in: 1. service, general cultural, arts, and enter- tainment are associated with a greater degree of parental concentration; 16Ann Roe, "Early Determinants of Vocational Choice," Journal of Counseling Psychology 4 (Fall 1957): 212-17. 17Richard J. Brunkan, "Perceived Parental Atti- tudes and Parental Identification in Relation to Field of Vocational Choice," Journal of Counseling Psychology 12 (Spring 1965): 39-47. 25 2. technological occupations are accompanied by a high degree of parental acceptance; and 3. scientific careers are connected with con- siderable parental avoidance. In his conclusions, Brunkan could not find support for his hypotheses nor Roe's theory. In a monograph entitled "The Origin of Interest," Roe and Siegelman18 reported on two studies dealing with a bipolar dimension of person orientation or non-person orientation and tried to relate the person orientation positively to the amount of love and attention received early in life. They concluded that the results of the two studies were mixed and did not support the person/ non-person position as previously stated. 19 research fails to support Although Lambert's Roe's theory, she did find relationships between a girl's occupational choice and her relationships with her par- ents. Using a revision of "Roe-Siegelman Parent-Child Relations Questionnaire," developed for adolescent girls, Lambert discovered that girls are oriented toward 18Ann Roe and Marian Siegelman, "The Origin of Interest," American Personnel Guidance Association, Inquiry Studies 1 (1964). 19Geraldine B. Lambert, "A Revision of the Parent-Child Relations Questionnaire to Investigate Roe's Occupational Choice Theory With Adolescent Girls," Dissertation Abstracts, 27:06-A, 1966. 26 non-person occupations more predominantly than toward person occupations provided: 1. relationships with the mother are cold, rejecting, and demanding; or 2. relationships with the father are loving and rewarding. Two researchers, Eli Ginzberg2O and Donald Super,21 presented theories of vocational choice in 1951 and 1953, respectively. Ginzberg, in his article, "Toward a Theory of Occupational Choice," stated that there are three basic elements in the occupational choice process: 1. It takes place over a period of time, 2. It is largely irreversible, and 3. It ends in a compromise between interest, capacities, values, and opportunity.22 Super's "A Theory of Vocational Development" consists of ten elements. Two of these elements that are of particu- lar interest to this review are: 1. vocational preference and competencies, and 2. the nature of the career pattern.23 20Eli Ginzberg, "Toward a Theory of Occupational Choice," Personnel and Guidance Journal 30 (1952): 491-95. 21Donald E. Super, "A Theory of Vocational Develop- ment," American Psychologist 8 (1953): 185-90. 22Ginzberg, "Toward a Theory." 23Super, "Theory of Vocational Development." 27 Super hypothesized that the circumstances in which people live and work, and hence their self-concepts, change with time and experience, making choice and adjust- ment a continuous process. The nature of the career pattern--that is, the occupational level attained and the sequence, frequency, and duration of trial and stable jobs--is determined by the individual's parental socio- economic level, mental ability, personality character- istics, and the opportunities to which one is exposed. O'Reilly's24 sample consisted of 550 ninth graders for whom occupational choice data (as expressed by these students) through twelfth grade were available. After examining the stability of occupational choice expressed by these students, O'Reilly concluded that stability is unpredictable, because secondary students are not voca- tionally mature enough to make stable occupational choices. Copes25 attempted to determine if high school graduates were entering into the career choices that they had predicted as high school seniors. Specific attention was directed toward the career choices which individuals made as high school seniors, and the actual 24Patrick A. O'Reilly, "Predicting the Stability of Expressed Occupational Choices of Secondary Students," Dissertation Abstracts, 35:01-A, 1971. 25Marvin Lee Copes, "The Predictability of Career Choices of High School Seniors," Dissertation Abstracts, 37:03—A, 1976. 28 occupations entered into by the graduates four years later. Copes concluded that the graduates did change their career choices after graduation from high school and that there were variations between the career choice and actual employment four years later. The occupational stability of junior college students was the primary concern of Orlin Shires.26 He disclosed that the majority of those selected chose an occupation before the seventh grade. Teaching was the major occupation chosen and less than 2 percent made a goal change between high school and junior college. Shire's discovery was fortified by Magruder,27 who found stability in occupational choice by testing eighth graders and retesting them as twelfth graders. His con- clusion was that those who are definite about a career, such as teaching, are more likely to achieve that goal than are those who are unsure of their choice. Holland28 examined the psychological meaning and predictive validity of a person's current and past 26Orlin H. Shires, "Factors Influencing Choice of Occupational Goals for Selected Junior College Students,” Dissertation Abstracts, 32:07-A, 1971. 27Alan W. Magruder, "A Study of the Stability of Career Choices, School Plans and Interests of Students During the Secondary School Years, With Special Emphasis on the Factors Related With Instability," Dissertation Abstracts, 32:02-A, 1970. 28John L. Holland and Gary D. Gottfredson, "Apply- ing a Typology to Vocational Aspirations" (Baltimore, Maryland: Center for the Study of Social Organization of Schools, June 1974). 29 vocational aspirations. Using high school, college, and adult samples, he concluded that a person's voca- tional aspirations have psychological meaning, suggesting decision-making ability, psychological integration, and predictability. Vocational aspirations and successive jobs appear related. He summarized by saying: The practical applications of the present and related studies are clear and unequivocal. There is no clear need for further replication. In vocational counseling and selection, interviewers can obtain vocational aspirations and score such responses imme- diately or along with other material after the inter- view. Comparison of the vocational aspiration codes with inventoried interests will allow interviewers to obtain better predictions than has heretofore been possible, at least for a subgroup of persons. When aspirations and inventory coincide, predictions can be made with more confidence. If they diverge, then the vocational aspiration is still a better pre- dictor. Summary In review, Super's position that an individual's career pattern is determined by the parental socioeconomic level, mental ability, personality characteristics, and the opportunities to which one is exposed has gained wide acceptance. Notwithstanding Holland's findings that vocational aspirations are a predictor of vocational future, they are only an indication that the socioeconomic influence of the parents affects vocational aspirations. The research of Bendix, Sewell and Haller,Porter, Drabick, 29Ibid., p. 15. 30 and Brook dealt with the relationship of parents' socio- economic status and the future occupational choice of their children. All studies reported a positive rela- tionship. The socioeconomic status of the parents seemingly does affect occupational choice. Although Slocum's study did not support parental socioeconomic status as a major contributing factor associated with occupational choice, it was not rejected entirely. In spite of the fact that Lambert's investigation lent some support to Roe's theory that family climate-- loving or cool--influenced the child to select person or non-person oriented occupations, the theory has to be suspect. Parental influence does not seem to be a factor. The studies of Kroger-Louttit and Berdie identi- fied that the son's occupational choice was influenced by the father's occupation. Sostek revealed that the occupational choice of children is influenced by the parent with whom they most identify. Brunkan, using parental concentration, acceptance, and avoidance, found no effect on children. Roe and Siegelman's study attempted to associate parental love and affection with occupational choice. However, their findings did not support their theories. Occupational aspirations are an indication of future roles. Shire's findings revealed that many indi- viduals make occupational decisions during adolescence 31 and less than 2 percent of those making decisions change their minds from high school to junior college. Magruder reported occupational choice stability for students between the eighth and twelfth grades. Holland revealed that occupational aspirations are better predictors of occupational future than are interest inventories. O'Reilly concluded that secondary students are not mature enough to make an intelligent occupational choice. This review indicates that there is general agree- ment among researchers regarding the positive relation- ships found between parental socioeconomic level, college attendance, and future occupational choice; those with higher socioeconomic levels attaining higher educational and occupational levels. Generally, researchers report mixed findings concerning parental influence and occupa- tional choice. Although mixed findings are reported for (l) the stability of occupational choices made by high school students and (2) the reliability of using occu- pational aspirations as an indication of projected occu- pational attainment, the evidence tends to support both positions. This reviewer feels that career aspiration is a reasonable indication of one's occupational future. CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY In this chapter the writer reviews the techniques used to collect and analyze data relating to the occu- pational aspirations of parents and students enrolled in DOD Schools in Japan and Korea. The topics are arranged in the approximate sequence in which the events occurred. Research Approval In the spring of 1974, permission to conduct this project was obtained from Dr. Edward Killin, Direc- tor of DOD Schools, Pacific Area. See Appendix A (p. 66). And in October, 1974, approval to conduct this project in District I (Japan and Korea) was granted by Dr. Robert Lundgren, the District Superintendent. The superintendent solicited the support of the twelve principals whose schools would be involved. See Appen- dix B (p. 69). And the writer contacted each principal to schedule the school for instrument administration. See Appendix C (p. 71). 32 33 Research Instrument The instrument used to collect data for this paper is the Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS) devel- oped by Archibald Haller and Irwin Miller. Because the OAS is based on the landmark National Opinion Research Center (NORC) study of 1947, the results concerning spatio—temporal stability of occupational prestige are of particular significance. The NORC research was replicated by Hodge, Siegel and Rossi1 in 1963. Their findings indicate equilibrium of occupational prestige between the time of the original NORC survey and their replication. The product—moment correlation between these two prestige hierarchies is .99 and varies slightly from .96 to .99 within various subsets of occupations. Furthermore, Hodge, Treiman and Rossi2 reveal that these same percentages are also true of urbanized areas of the world. Thus, occupational prestige hierarchy is stable both as to time and place. 1Robert W. Hodge, Paul M. Siegel, and Peter H. Rossi, "Occupational Prestige in the United States: 1925- 1963," in Class, Status, and Power, 2nd ed., edited by Reinhard Bendix and Seymour Martin Lipset (New York: The Free Press, 1966), pp. 322-34. zRobert W. Hodge, Donald J. Treiman, and Peter H. Rossi, "A Comparative Study of Occupational Prestige," in Class, Status, and Power, 2nd ed., edited by Reinhard Bendix and Seymour Martin Lipset (New York: The Free Press, 1966), pp. 309-21. 34 Haller and Miller's3 research indicates that the reliability of OAS is about .80 and the standard error of measurement approximates 5.30. In addition, the coefficient of stability (.77) measured over ten-week intervals agrees with the coefficients of internal con- sistency (.75, .82, and .84). These statistics are supported by Westbrook's4 evidence suggesting that OAS is a reliable measure of levels of occupational aspiration: 1. Test and retest reliability coefficients of .84 for males and .88 for females for two- week and .82 for males and .78 for females for five-week periods are satisfactory. 2. Hypotheses about the elevation of mean OAS item scores are partially supported. 3. Boys and girls do not differ significantly on OAS total scores; however, girls' scores show less variability. This difference is because, at the extreme ends, the OAS is primarily for males, since the occupations at the ends have been traditionally selected by males; therefore 3A. O. Haller and I. W. Miller, The Occppational ‘Aspiration Scale (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Schenkman Publishing Company, Inc., 1971), p. 78. 4R. w. Westbrook, "The Reliability and Validity of a New Measure of Level of Occupational Aspiration," Educational and Psychological Measurement 26 (1966): 1004. 35 females tend to choose occupations closer to the center of the occupational prestige hierarchy. Pilot Project In the spring of 1974, fifteen eighth and fifteen twelfth grade students were tested at Chofu Junior and Senior High School, a DOD School in Japan. The purpose of this tentative study was to determine the feasibility of the data-collection methodology and the suitability of the instrument design. The Chofu complex was selected as the prototype because the school would not be in session when the future investigations were to be conducted. A letter explaining the reasons for this study together with a copy of the OAS was mailed to ten par- ents of students from each grade tested. See Appendix D (p. 74). Each parent was asked to respond to the ques- tionnaire and return it in the self-addressed, stamped envelope provided. I Seventy percent of the parents selected replied as requested. And the results of this pilot project indicated that the data-collection methodology and instru- ment design were appropriate for assessing the occupa- tional aspirations of eighth and twelfth grade students and their parents. 36 Population and Sample During school year 1974-75, the secondary schools of District I had an eighth grade enrollment of 894, and a twelfth grade enrollment of 397. See Table 1 (p. 37). An attempt was made to survey all eighth and twelfth grade students in District I. The responses totaled 853 eighth graders, and 369 twelfth graders. See Table 2 (p. 38). These responses represented 94 per- cent of the eighth and twelfth grade population. Sixty— nine students could not be tabulated because of (l) incomplete answers, (2) absenteeism, or (3) transient status. Stratified random sampling, drawing numbered slips with replacement, was used to identify students whose parents were to be involved in the study on a school—by-school basis. Two hundred fifty-six parents of eighth and twelfth graders were selected for participa- tion. See Table 1. By April, 1975, the parents of 177 eighth graders and 79 twelfth graders were contacted. And from these, the parents of ninety eighth graders and thirty-eight twelfth graders responded. See Table 2. Two parent responses, one from each grade, could not be scored because of incomplete answers. 37 Table 1. Student enrollment and parent sample by school for year 1974-75 Eighth TWelfth Parents of Parents of Saxmfl nnmflvad (hade (Bade EMHHmIGmukms Semkns Ennfllmanzifinxflhmxm ' sehanmd Sekxmed MnamthMHISbhxfl. 96 39 19 8 Zane. High School 137 67 27 13 PwsulAmenkmn scnxn. 27 13 5 3 SGMflwNmfliGMI Samnl 179 81 35 16 wanlAmemkmm a Sflmol 22 .. 4 Ermaa:J.Iflng l4 9 3 2 Madmer.IknTy HHflleflXfl. 28 19 6 3 EMthmms FHenaflmryliflmnl 61 .. 12 TbChflgmm. Elanauaryliimol 65 .. 13 Ydflfim.HflflISdflxfl. 197 118 39 24 IUleCL KhufiCk Mnifle233xnl 68 .. l4 .. NikeC.lfinnLfls IHgLTRanl .. 51 .. 10 fkfiml 894 397 177 79 aNo enrollment. 38 Table 2. Summary of student and parent responses for year 1974-75 Nudxn'oflkxflies Survey Eighth TWelfth Parents Parents Date Grade Grade Eighth. TWelfth. Tbtal Students Students Graders Graders SnooksInwihed AfistlHMQISCflXfl Ikmeflxm 1974 34 33 7 4 128 tha.High School Japgggy 133 63 15 6 217 Pugzgogmerican Febgggry 23 11 1 1 35 Seggfiogmerican Fepgggry 178 77 23 8 286 Renew Rm 21 i 2 23 Ernest J. King M31335 13 7 1 0 21 Mail; gchfill'ry ”$25 27 17 2 2 48 Yokota High 3011001 Mam“ 192 115 19 11 337 1975 Nfixiéfiésggggg lfifigés 67 6 73 N1££$Iw ApIsiaVS 46 , 6 52 Total 853 369 90 38 l , 350 aNo enrollment. 39 Data Collection In November, 1974, at a management council meeting of District I, the research project was presented to those school principals whose schools were included in the study. The purposes and procedures were explained and a commitment of support secured. Following this meet- ing, during the months of December and January, arrange- ments were made by letter and telephone for school visitation and instrument administration. Data collection began in December, 1974 (see Table 2, p. 38), at Misawa High School located in north- ern Japan. With the assistance of teachers and coun- selors, the OAS was administered to all eighth and twelfth grade students during regular school hours. See Appen- dix E (p. 81). Additional sets of OAS and answer sheets were left with counselors for those students who were absent. This procedure was used to collect data from 95 percent of the eighth grade and 93 percent of the twelfth grade students enrolled in District I schools. By April, 1975, 177 eighth grade parents and 79 twelfth grade parents, 20 percent of the eighth and twelfth grade parent population, were selected for study participation. See Table l (p. 37). And, as in the pilot project, each set of parents received a letter soliciting their cooperation, a copy of OAS, and a self- addressed stamped envelope. Fifty percent of the parents 40 of eighth and twelfth grade students contacted responded to the survey. Considering the mobility of Department of Defense families toward the end of the school year, no second mailing was attempted. Statistical Procedures The statistical procedures employed were those associated with a 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance fac- torial design. In addition to the F values obtained from the analyses of variance, additional analyses of the sig- nificance of comparison group mean scores required by the hypotheses were ascertained by the two-tailed t test. And for all statistical analyses, the .05 level of con- fidence was required to not retain the null hypothesis at the recommendation of the statistical advisor. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE DATA Data on the Occupational Aspiration Scale were gathered from 126 parents, and 1,152 students enrolled in Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Japan and Korea. The 1,278 respondents were partitioned into the following eight groups, which comprised the 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance factorial design for the study: Main Effect A: Main Effect B: Main Effect C: Respondents Grade Levels Sex Boys Girls Grade 8 404 391 Students Grade 12 161 196 Grade 8 48 41 Parents Grade 12 18 19 The summary table for the analysis of variance on these data appears in Table l (p. 37). An analysis of the data in Table 3 (p. 42) shows that significant response differences on the Occupational Aspiration Scale existed for main effects A (students/parents) and C (boys and girls) beyond the .001 level of confidence. It should be noted that no statistically significant 41 42 .mw.oH u Hoo. eras new.m u Ho. one new.m n no. on “ssm.H .H u He mo.omH wmmww oe.mom.smH aHseHs wsHs.Aa mH. Hm.eH H Hm.oH xon x HoaoH been» x pawnsa\paouspm .om¢ smHo.Ae mm. mm.om H mm.om Ron x Ho>oH ooeno .om some.aa mm. oo.ee H oo.om . Ron x peonsm\psovawm .U¢ eomm.aa SH.H mo.eeH H me.eeH Ho>oH oeanm x puonnm\pamvdpm .m< Hooo.aa aaaoe.em sm.sem.e H sm.som.e new .0 smso.ae oH.m mm.emm H om.ewm Ho>oH ooano .m Hooo.ao anamH.so mH.omm.w H mH.omm.m esonea\esoosem .< a m m: mm mm oossom poowwo case How manna hnseasm oosdflns> Ho mammamn< .m OHQdB 43 differences existed for main effect B (grade levels), or for any of the four interaction combinations of the three main effects. A comprehensive analysis of the data on a hypothesis-by-hypothesis basis follows: Hypothesis I There is no statisfically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspiration Scale made by student and parent respondents in terms of: a. Eighth grade boys and parents of eighth grade boys b. Eighth grade girls and parents of eighth grade girls c. Twelfth grade boys and4parents of eighth grade boys d. Twelfth grade girls and parents of twelfth grade girls All boys and all parents of boys All girls and all parents of girls All students and all parents URI-hm As noted in Table 3 (p. 42), the main effect A (respondents), which is related to Hypothesis I, was statistically significant beyond the .001 level of con- fidence (F = 67.13). Parent mean scores in every instance were higher than student mean scores. Data on the seven subsections of Hypothesis I were analyzed by a t test. These data are shown in Table 4 (p. 44). An analysis of the data in Table 4 reveals that the results of all seven t tests were statistically sig- nificant. In each comparison, the parental score on the Occupational Aspiration Scale was higher than the student score. With the exception of the comparison between 44 Table 4. t-test data for seven respondent comparison groups (BEND N Maui ELD. 't p 8th grade boys 404 44.84 11.98 Parents of 8th grade boys 48 54,52 9.96 6°222*** -001 8th grade girls 391 41.48 11.16 ** Parents of 8th grade girls 41 50.12 9.78 5306 * -001 12th grade boys 161 46.73 11.26 Parents of 12th grade boys 18 54.83 6.80 4420*“ -001 12th grade girls 196 42.87 10.17 Parents of 12th grade girls 19 48.26 8,53 2.098* .05 All boys 565 45.38 11.92 All parents of boys 66 54.60 9.30 7377*" °°°1 All girls 587 41.94 10.85 All Parents of girls 60 49.53 9.38 5397*” -°°1 All students 1,152 43.68 8.80 A11 Parents 126 52.19 9.98 9'24”“ -001 *p .05 = 1.96; **p .01 = 2.58; ***p .001 = 3.29. twelfth grade girls and their parents which was at the .05 level of confidence, the other six comparisons were statistically significant beyond the .001 level of con- fidence. Decision: Hypothesis I. Do not retain the null hypothesis for Parent occupational aspiration exceeds student aspiration for all seven comparisons. 45 Hypothesis II There is no statistically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspiration Scale by grade level for students and parents of students in terms of: a. Eighth grade boys and twelfth grade boys b. Eighth grade girls and twelfth grade girls c. Parents of eighth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade boys d. Parents of eighth grade girls and parents of twelfth grade girls e. All eighth grade students and all twelfth grade students f. All parents of eighth grade students and all parents of twelfth grade students Main effect B in Table 3 (p. 42), which was con- cerned with the differences in respondent scores by grade level, was not statistically significant (F = 3.10). Data on a t test analysis for the six comparisons con- tained in Hypothesis II are depicted in Table 5 (p. 46). Consistent with the nonsignificant main effect B (grade level) found in Table 3, the six t ratios asso- ciated with the respective subset comparisons for Hypothesis II also reflect no significant differences in mean scores. The grade 8-12 comparison for boys approached the p value criterion for not retaining the null hypothesis. It is interesting to note that in the three student comparisons, the mean score for grade 12 students tended to be higher than the respective mean scores for grade 8 students. This tendency of ascend- ing mean scores from grade 8 to grade 12 was also evident in one of the three parent comparisons; namely, for boys. 46 The parental aspiration mean scores for girls declined from grade 8 to grade 12, and for all parents also. Table 5. t—test data for six grade level comparison groups Group N’ Mean S4D. t p 8th grade boys 404 44.84 11.98 1.767 .08 12th grade boys 161 46.73 11.27 8th grade girls 391 41.48 11.16 1.511 .14 12th grade girls 196 42.87 10.17 Parents of 8th grade boys 48 54.52 9.96 0 144 81 Parents of 12th grade boys 18 54.83 6.80 Parents of 8th grade girls 41 50.12 9.78 0 747 46 Parents of 12th grade girls 19 48.26 8.58 A11 8th grade students 795 43.19 11.63 1 288 20 All 12th grade students 357 44.61 10.84 All parents of 8th grade students 89 52.49 10.07 All parents of 12th grade 0.592 .55 students 37 51.46 8.35 *p .05 = 1.96; **p .01 = 2.58; ***p .001 = 3.29. Decision: is retained. The null hypothesis for Hypothesis II 47 Hypothesis III There is no statistically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspiration Scale made by students and parents by sex of students in terms of: a. Eighth grade boys and eighth grade girls b. Twelfth grade boys and twelfth grade girls 0. Parents of eighth grade boys and parents of eighth grade girls d. Parents of twelfth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade girls e. All boys and all girls f. All parents of boys and all parents of girls Main effect C (sex) in Table 3 (p. 42) was sta- tistically significant beyond the .001 level of confi- dence (F = 34.40). Data for a t test analysis for the six comparison groups associated with Hypothesis III are contained in Table 6 (p. 48). All of the six t test analyses in Table 6 were statistically significant by sex. All three student sex comparisons yielded significance beyond the .001 level of confidence, with boys achieving higher mean scores on the Occupational Aspiration Scale than girls. Similarly, the three comparisons involving parent scores on the Occu- pational Aspiration Scale were statistically significant, favoring parents of boys at the .05 level for parents of eighth grade students, and at the .01 level of confi- dence for parents of both grade 12 students and for the total parent scores. 48 Table 6. t-test data for six sex comparison groups Group N’ Mean 84D. t p 8th grade boys 404 44.84 11.98 4 093*** 001 8th grade girls 391 41.48 11.16 12th grade boys 161 46.73 11.27 3 365*** 001 12th grade girls 196 42.87 10.17 Parents of 8th grade boys 48 54.52 9.96 2 098* 05 Parents of 8th grade girls 41 50.12 9.78 Parents of 12th grade boys 18 54.83 6.80 2.588** .01 Parents of 12th grade girls 19 48.26 8.58 All boys 565 45.38 11.83 4.118*** .001 All girls 587 41.94 10.84 All parents of boys 66 54.61 9.16 3 279** 01 All parents of girls 60 49.53 9.89 *p .05 = 1.96; **p .01 = 2.58; ***p .001 = 3.29 Decision: is not retained at the dent respondents, and is not retained for parents of The null hypothesis for Hypothesis III .001 level of confidence for stu- students at the .05 level for grade 8, and at the .01 level of confidence for grade 12 and total parent responses. esis, girls. In all six nonretentions of the null hypoth- student and parental aspirations favored boys over 49 Hypothesis IV There is no statistically significant interaction effect on scores of parent and student respondents on the Occupational Aspiration Scale by sex of student, grade level, or any combination of these variables. The four interactions operating in the 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance factorial design for this study were not statistically significant. The AB interaction (students/parents x grade level) F value of 1.17; the AC interaction (students/parents x sex) F value of .53; the BC interaction (grade level x sex) F value of .25; and the ABC interaction (students/parents x grade level x sex) F value of .13 were each less than the F value of 3.84 required for statistical significance at the .05 level of confidence. Each of the four interactions with their respec- tive mean values has been plotted in Figures 2-5 (pp. 50-52). AB Interaction The mean differences in scores of eighth and twelfth grade students are approximately the same for eighth and twelfth grade respondents as measured by OAS. Figure 2 (p. 50) illustrates that the difference between the means of A1 and A2 for the first level of B is not significantly different from the difference between the means of A1 and A2 for the second level of B. 50 551F was ‘*-—-—H_..~_g_~mas 50 5* A2 SOAS 45 ‘- 43‘19 44.61 core A1 40~~ Grade 8 Grade 12 B1 B2 Grade A1 = Students A2 = Parents B1 = Grade 8 B2 = Grade 12 Figure 2. Mean scores of students and parents for students at each grade level 55 aL 54.6I A2 50 __ \953 45% SOAS 45 1 A1 core «94 40~~ 1. 1H Boys Girls C C 1 Sex 2 A1 = Students A2 = Parents C1 = Boys C2 = Girls Figure 3. Mean scores of students and parents for students by sex of students 51 55-+ 50 -- 43x; OAS 32 Score 45 ‘— m 40 -_ 41.48 383's Girls 1 C Sex 2 B1 = Grade 8 B2 = Grade 12 C1 = Boys C2 = Girls Figure 4. Scores of eighth and twelfth grade students and parents for students by sex of students AC Interaction The mean differencesiriscores of eighth and twelfth grade students and parents of eighth and twelfth grade students are approximately the same for eighth and twelfth grade boys and girls and for the parents of eighth and twelfth grade boys and girls as measured by OAS. Figure 3 (p. 50) illustrates that the difference between the means of A1 and A2 for the first level of C is not significantly different from the difference between the means of A1 and A2 for the second level of C. BC Interaction The mean differencesixiscores of eighth and twelfth graders and the parents of eighth and twelfth 52 graders are approximately the same for eighth and twelfth grade boys and girls and the parents of eighth and twelfth grade boys and girls as measured by OAS. Figure 4 (p. 51) illustrates that the difference between the means of B1 and B2 for the first level of C is not sig- nificantly different from the difference between the means of B and B for the second level of C. l 2 55 4.. 54.52 55 H 5433 \ \ 50m 50 ‘” 50 ‘” 48.26 OAS OAS 6‘73 A _ 4484 l 1 Score 45L“ ‘T‘r-HL‘QL\\~K\“ Score 45 L 4287 «48 40ar 40.4 H1 i i .L Boys Girls Boys Girls C C C C Grade 8 2 L Grade 12 2 Bl (Grade 8) B2 (Grade 12) C1(Boys) C2(Girls) C1(Boys) C2(Girls) A1 (Students) 44.84 41.48 A1 (Students) 46.73 42.87 A2 (Parents) 54.52 50.12 A2 (Parents) 54.83 48.26 Figure 5. Analysis of variance table for main effect student and parent by grade by sex 53 ABC Interaction The mean differences in scores of eighth and twelfth grade students and parents of eighth and twelfth grade students responses are approximately the same by sex for grade 8 and grade 12 respondents as measured by OAS. Figure 5 (p. 52) illustrates that there is no inter- action between A and C at each level of B. Decision: Hypothesis IV is not rejected in the null form. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary The researcher's purpose in this study was to assist the DOD Schools in their attempt to resolve the problem of providing a meaningful educational program relative to the needs of their constituents by: l. collecting and analyzing data pertinent to the occupational aspirations of and for stu- dents who are dependents of military and civilian personnel employed by the Department of Defense in Japan and Korea, and from these findings 2. providing recommendations for developing career exploratory and vocational education programs to serve their secondary students. The primary problem was to determine if signifi- cant differences existed between (1) the level of occu- pational aspiration of eighth grade students and that which parents of eighth grade students have for them, and (2) the level of occupational aspiration of twelfth grade students and that which parents of twelfth grade 54 55 students have for them. The following questions were addressed: 1. Is the level of occupational aspiration the same for: a. eighth and twelfth grade students? b. students and parents? c. boys and girls? 2. Is the level of occupational aspiration stable from eighth to twelfth grade? Haller and Miller's1 Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS) was administered to all eighth and twelfth grade students enrolled in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools located in Japan and Korea. Through- out school year 1974-75, the OAS instrument was adminis- tered to the students during the regular school day. Twenty percent of the parents of eighth and twelfth grade students were sent OAS instruments. Seven hundred and ninety-five eighth grade student responses, 357 twelfth grade student responses, 89 eighth grade parent responses, and 37 twelfth grade parent responses were tabulated for inclusion in the study. Main effects and interactions were examined through an analysis of variance, 2 x 2 x 2 factorial 1Archibald 0. Haller and Irwin w. Miller, Egg Occupational As iration Scale: Theory, Structure and Correlates (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Schendman Pub- lishing Company, Inc., 1971). 56 design. To satisfy the requirements of specific hypoth- eses, the t ratio was computed. For each statistical test employed, the .05 confidence level was required to not retain the null hypothesis. Four hypotheses were generated in null form. Each hypothesis is presented, followed by the findings (general and specific) pertinent to it and a discussion of those findings before the next hypothesis is presented. Hypothesis 1: There is no statistically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspira- tion Scale made by student and parent respondents in terms of: 3. Eighth grade boys and parents of eighth grade boys b. Eighth grade girls and parents of eighth grade girls c. Twelfth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade boys d. Twelfth grade girls and parents of twelfth grade girls e. All boys and all parents of boys f. All girls and all parents of girls g. All students and all parents Findings: A. General: The respondent main effect of the analy- sis of variance revealed that parents achieved higher Occupational Aspiration Scores than did students (p < .001). B. Specific: With the exception of the comparison described in Hypothesis I-d, which was statistically sig- nificant at the .05 level of confidence, the other six group comparisons were statistically significant beyond the .001 level of confidence. In all seven group 57‘ comparisons, parental OAS scores were higher than stu- dent OAS scores. Discussion: Hypothesis I findings suggest that a disparity exists between the occupational aspirations of parents and students, and, in all cases examined, the parents attained higher mean scores than the students. This disparity tends to suggest that eighth and twelfth grade students exercise a high degree of freedom when making career or occupational decisions. This interpre- tation is consistent with Ginzberg's2 theory of occupa- tional choice, which suggests that young people make tentative occupational decisions between the ages of eleven and seventeen. Also, these data tend to indicate that parents need assistance in trying to understand the perceptions of youngsters who are learning about and exploring occupations and/or careers in the ages between eleven and seventeen. Decision: The null form of Hypothesis I is not retained in favor of the statement that parents of eighth and twelfth grade students make higher OAS scores than do eighth and twelfth grade students. Hypothesis II: There is no statistically significant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspira- tion Scale made by grade level for students and parents of students in terms of: 2Eli Ginzberg, "Toward a Theory of Occupational Choice," Personnel and Guidance Journal 30 (1952): 491-95. 58 a. Eighth grade boys and twelfth grade boys b. Eighth grade girls and twelfth grade girls c. Parents of eighth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade boys d. Parents of eighth grade girls and parents of twelfth grade girls e. All eighth grade students and all twelfth grade students f. All parents of eighth grade students and all parents of twelfth grade students Findings: A. General: In the overall analysis of variance, main effect B dealt with OAS scores by grade level. The obtained F value for grade level was not statistically significant. B. Specific: None of the six t tests performed on the comparison groups for Hypothesis II was statistically significant. For the student respondents, higher OAS scores were made by twelfth grade students. Parent respondents tended to have higher twelfth grade OAS scores for boys, but lower twelfth grade than eighth grade scores for girls, and for the total. These observations should be tentatively regarded since statistical signifi- cance was not attained for any analysis performed for I Hypothesis II. Discussion: Hypothesis II findings indicate that a similarity exists between the occupational aspiration of eighth grade students and parents and twelfth grade students and parents. Although this similarity was consistent among all combinations, it is interesting to 59 note that the mean score for twelfth grade students tended to be higher than the respective mean score for eighth grade students. Similar findings regarding occu- pational choice stability were reported by Shires3 and Magruder.4 Shires, using 231 college students, found that 67 occupational choices (from the 100 occupational goals listed by the American College Testing Program) were selected by the 231 students from grade 6 through grade 14. The least number of occupations was selected at grade level 6 (twenty-five); the maximum number was selected at grade 12 (forty-two). It was concluded that less than 2 percent of the students made goal changes between the twelfth and thirteenth grade levels. Magruder also found stability in occupational choice when he tested eighth graders and retested them as twelfth graders. Magruder concluded that there was a high degree of career stability and that those students who were stable in career choice had higher achievement scores than those students who were unstable in career choice. Decision: The null form of Hypothesis II is retained. 3Orlin H. Shires, "Factors Influencing Choice of Occupational Goals for Selected Junior College Students," Dissertation Abstracts, 32:07-A, 1971. 4Alan w. Magruder, "A Study of the Stability of Career Choices, School Plans and Interests of Students During the Secondary School Years, With Special Emphasis on the Factors Related With Instability," Dissertation 'Abstracts, 32:02-A, 1970. 60 Hypothesis III: There is no statistically signifi- cant difference in the scores on the Occupational Aspiration Scale made by students and parents by sex of students in terms of: a. Eighth grade boys and eighth grade girls b. Twelfth grade boys and twelfth grade girls c. Parents of eighth grade boys and parents of eighth grade girls d. Parents of twelfth grade boys and parents of twelfth grade girls e. All boys and all girls f. All parents of boys and all parents of girls Findings: A. General: The main effect C for sex in the analy- sis of variance was statistically significant beyond the .001 level of confidence favoring boys and parents of boys (F = 34.40). B. Specific: All six t tests of comparison groups by sex favored boys and parents of boys. The three stu- dent comparisons of mean OAS scores favored boys beyond the .001 level of confidence. Parents of eighth grade boys attained higher OAS mean scores than parents of eighth grade girls at the .05 level of confidence. Discussion: Hypothesis III findings suggest that a disparity exists between the occupational aspirations of boys and parents of boys and girls and the parents of girls. These findings are consistent with Gornick's5 position, which suggests that many women fear success 5Vivian Gornick, "Why Women Fear Success," in The First Ms Reader, ed. Francine Klazebrun (New York: Ms Magazine Corp., 1973), p. 30. 61 because they feel excellence in women is clearly asso— ciated with loss of femininity, social rejection, per- sonal or societal destruction, or some combination of the above. The recently enacted Title IX Federal Rules and Regulations prohibit discriminatory educational practices which fail to provide equal educational oppor— tunities on the basis of a student's sex. Parents and professional staff members associated with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Japan and Korea need to work together to review both the educational materials and instructional methodology to assure that sex- stereotypical materials and practices are eliminated. Decision: The null form of Hypothesis III is not retained, and the fact that boys and parents of boys attain significantly higher OAS mean scores than girls or parents of girls replaces the null form of Hypothesis III. Hypothesis IV: There is no statistically significant interaction effect on scores of parent and student respondents on the Occupational Aspiration Scale by sex of student, grade level, or any combination of these variables. Findings: All four interactions calculated by the analysis of variance had F values less than 3.84, which is required to not retain the null hypothesis at the .05 level of confidence. Decision: The null form of Hypothesis IV is retained. 62 Conclusions The data analyzed in this study tend to suggest the following conclusions: 1. The Occupational Aspiration Scale appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the career aspirations of eighth and twelfth grade students and those which parents have for their children. These data, however, do not give any information on specific career choices or cluster areas of careers upon which to base curriculum modifications. Nor do OAS data yield any information on the reality of the choices of stu- dents and parents (of District I DOD Schools, Pacific) given ability level, prior achievement, and interest of a particular student. 2. The occupational aspirations which parents have for eighth and twelfth graders do not affect the occupational aspirations which eighth and twelfth graders (of District I DOD Schools, Pacific) have for themselves from the eighth grade to the twelfth grade. This is borne out by the score on the OAS instrument. 3. There muSt be factors, possibly societal and cultural, operative upon boys and girls prior to the eighth grade which cause differences in OAS scores, boys scoring higher. 63 4. There appear to be no effective equalizing influences which affect students' and parents' OAS scores from the eighth grade to the twelfth grade. 5. The lack of interaction between OAS scores demonstrates that apparently equal amounts of parental encouragement/discouragement are placed upon boys and girls at the eighth grade and the twelfth grade levels. Recommendations It is recommended that: l. A sound testing program-—including measures of occupational aspiration, ability, achievement, and vocational interest--should accompany the career educa- tion program in the secondary schools in District I DOD Schools, Pacific. 2. An active counseling program be instituted to assist students in making career choices. Parents should be included as an essential component to decrease the disparity found in this study between parents' aspirations for their children and those which the chil- dren have for themselves. The OAS could be a valuable tool if both student and parent complete the scale, and if counselors have individual conferences with a student and his/her parents to discuss the results. At this conference, other data on the student's ability, achieve- ment, and vocational interest could be incorporated to assist the student in making tentative career decisions. 64 3. Follow-up evaluation and monitoring be con- ducted once the recommendations included in (l) and (2) above are initiated. 4. District I DOD Schools, Pacific, undertake a study of existing curriculum to determine if it is sex-stereotyped and/or if it favors boys over girls. 5. District I DOD Schools, Pacific, should encourage students to aspire to the occupational goals most suited to their abilities, interests, and aspira- tions. This is especially true for girls since their occupational aspirations are less than those of boys. 6. The work-study program, heavily relied upon for providing vocational education opportunities, should be altered and expanded. It should be altered to meet the needs of those students requiring career exploration experiences. 7. The OAS continue to be used as an occupational education information-gathering device until a more cur- rent, reliable, and valid instrument becomes available. APPENDICES 65 .APPENDIX A PERMISSION LETTER, PACIFIC AREA 66 APPENDIX A PERMISSION LETTER, PACIFIC AREA [)EFWAFTTAAETUT'CDF'TTHEI[\H?IFCHQCHE HEADQUARTERS PACI-FIC AIR FORCES APO SAN FRANCISCO 96553 4 MAR 1914 REPLY TO ATTN OF“ DPN mm,ufi Research Project — Career Education (Your Ltr, 11 Feb 74) 10 DPNC (Mr.' Riley) 1. Permission is granted for Mr. Thomas R. Riley, Career Education Coordinator, DPNC, to utilize the DOD Dependents Schools - Pacific Area to conduct the research as presented in the proposal submitted to DPN on 11 February 1974. ‘ 2. It is understood that this research is being done in connection with Mr. Riley's doctoral studies at Michigan State University. 44844 IWARD C. KILLIN Director of Dependents Schools DOS/Personnel 67 68 DEPAJTI-fi-ITIT OF T 1'5 MR FORCE DOD DEP.‘I.\'.‘-Lz.."i' suaoors- PACIFIC AREA AREA (21. KRICULUM (TEN [FIR DPNC APO SAN FRANCISCO 96323 R E:’LY TO A1“fl46F: DPNC' . 11 February 1974 suoascr. Research Project - Career Education To: DPN/Dr. Killin 1. Educational programs which provide alternatives to college bound curriculum are limited in the DOD Dependents Schools, Pacific. Although career education is 3 K-12 approach and .integration into existing curriculum is basic in grades K-9, , students in secondary schools should be provided as many alter- 'natives as possible. The development of saleable Skills is an "important alternative to and can be correlated with college bound curriculum. 2. At the same time, alternative means for providing saleable skills type educational programs, vocational education, must be identified. The concept of developing vocational skill centers, as is being done in city and intermediate school districts in the States, does not seem practical and may not meet the needs of the students in our system. 3. The research project enclosed may provide some insight re- garding the aspiration of parents and students in the DOD Depen- 7dents Schools towards future life roles. Using the projected future as a basis, we in DOD Schools, will be in a better posi- tion to justify the future program development for career educa- tion at the high school level. ' 4. I recommend that the enclosed research project be approved and that the Career Education Coordinator be granted permission to conduct it.‘ ' THOMAS R. RILEY Atch: Career Education Coordinator Research Proposal APPENDIX B PERMISSION LETTER, DISTRICT I/DPN I JAPAN AND KOREA 69 APPENDIX B PERMISSION LETTER, DISTRICT I/DPN I JAPAN AND KOREA DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE DOD DEPENDENTS SCHOOLS PACIFIC AREA DISTRICT I OFFICE APO SAN FRANCISCO 96323 DPN-I 21 October 1974 Research Project DPN-I Principals 1. A research project, to be conducted by Thomas R. Riley, Career ' Education Coordinator-DPNC, entitled "An Examination of the Level of Occupational Aspirations of Students and Parents for Students in Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific" has been approved by DPN to be conducted in DPN-I. 2. The purpose of this study is to assist the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific Area, in their attempt to resolve the problem of providing a meaningful vocational education program relevant to the needs of its recipients by (a) collecting data related to the aspirations of students and parents serving as military and civilian personnel overseas and, based upon analysis of this data, (b) providing recommendations for developing vocational education programs to serve the secondary students enrolled in Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific Area. 3. The principal problem is to ascertain the difference in level of occupational aspiration of 8th and 12th grade boys, of 8th and 12th grade girls, and the level of occupational aSpiration which parents have for their children in DPN-I. 4. Principals of all DPN-I schools with 8th and 12th grade students are asked to provide Mr. Riley with the assistance necessary to obtain the data requ1 rd for t ,research project. ./ ROBEIH‘W E. LUNDGREN Superintendent 70 APPENDIX C LETTER TO PRINCIPALS 71 REPLY TO ATthP: SUBJECT: TO: DPNC APPENDIX C LETTER TO PRINCIPALS DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE DOD DE 73:433.:1' SCIEOOLS- PACIFIC AREA {r . to. AREA cuA-RICULUM CEN IRR DPNC f:t.,3" _ /~~§\ APO SAN FRANCISCO 96323 {I if): "a. "TI ‘L‘; g‘YCFTIr/I‘i g.“ x : \‘ z-zig‘ ’ ‘ rt; {O 9.": ‘J 14 January 1975 ‘$;;;¢,¢37 Research Project DPN-I 1. Enclosed you will find copies of the letters seeking permis- sion to conduct a research project related to the occupa- tional aspirations of 8th and 12th grade students and the aspirations which 8th and 12th grade parents have for their children. Also included are letters from Dr. Killin’ Dr. Lundgren granting permission to conduct the research project. The purpose of this research is to assist our schools with the problem of determining the demand or need for career ex- ploratory and/or vocational education programs by.(a) collect- ing data related to the occupational aspirations of students and parents serving as military and civilian personnel over- seas and (b) based upon this data providing recommendations ‘ _ for developing vocational education programs to serve the secondary students enrolled in our schools. In order to gather the data to complete this project, it ' will be necessary to survey every 8th and 12th grade student in District I and 20 percent of the 8th and 12th grade par- ents in District I. _ I will be contacting your school, if I have not already done so, to make arrangements to administer the date collection instrument to your 8th and/or 12th grade students. Along with this it will be necessary for me to secure the names and home addresses of 8th and 12th grade parents in order to mail questionnaires to them. It is my3hope that I will be able to have all data collected, students and parents, by the end of February and statistics completed by May. 72 73 7. If you would like to have copies Of the research proposal which was submitted to DPN, please let me know. W ,/4/ ~/“ hThomas R. Riley(\./ Career Education Coordinator APPENDIX D PARENT LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE 74 REPLY TO AT'ZN OF: SUBJECT: 703 APPENDIX D PARENT LETTER AND QUESTIONNAIRE DEPARTPURTIH=THPIMRFORCE DOD niarxx-‘r.. .u‘ SCHOOLS-PACIFIC met-tr. AREAoq momma N cowummsa moa>umm mo possum H sowumwsa SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 87 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Borg, Walter R. Educational Research: An Introduction. New York: David McKay Co., 1970. Duncan, Otis D. Occupations and Social Status. New York: Free Press of Glencoe, Inc., 1961. Ginzberg, Eli. Occupational Choice. New York: Columbia University Press, 1951. Goldhammer, Keith, and Taylor, Robert E. Career Educa- tion: Perspective and Promise. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1972. Gornick, Vivian. "Why Women Fear Success." In The First Ms Reader, pp. 16-37. Edited by Francine Klazebrun. New York: Ms Magazine Corp., 1973. Haller, Archibald 0., and Miller, William. The Occupa- tional Aspiration Scale. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Schenkman Publishing Co., 1971. Havelock, Ronald G. The Change Agent's Guide to Innova- tion in Education. New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications, 1973. Holland, John L. The Psychology of Vocational Choice: A Theory of Personality Types and Environment. Massachusetts: Blaisdell Publishing Co., 1966. Hoyt, Kenneth 3.; Evans, Rupert N.; Mackin, Edward R.; and Mangum, Garth L. Career Education: What It Is and How to Do It. Utah: Olympus Publishing Co., 1972. Janowitz, Morris. The Professional Soldier. New York: The Free Press, 1960. Merton, Robert K. §pcia1 Theory and Social Structure. New York: The Free Press, 1968. 88 89 Miller, Caroll H. Foundations of Guidance. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961. Osipow, Samuel H. Theories of Career Development. New York: Meredith Corporation, 1968. Reiss, Albert J., Jr. Occupations and Social Status. New York: The Free Press, 1965. Slonim, Morris. Sampling. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1960. Tennyson, W. Wesley. "Career Exploration." In Career Education, pp. 110-13. Edited by J. H. Magisos. Washington, D.C.: The American Vocational Association, Inc., 1973. Thelen, Herbert A. Education and the Human Quest. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1960. Vaness, T. School Leavers: Their Aspirations and Expec— tations. London: Methuen and Co., Ltd., 1962. Periodicals Aberle, David F., and Maegele, K. D. "Middle-Class Fathers' Occupational and Role Attitudes Toward Children." Journal of Orthopsychiatry 22 (April 1952): 366-78. Bell, Gerald D. "Processes in the Formation of Ado- lescents' Aspirations." Social Forces 42 (December 1963): 179-85. Bendix, Reingard; Lipset, Seymour M.; and Malm, T. T. "Social Origin and Occupational Career Patterns." Industrial and Labor Relations Review 7 (January 1954): 246-61. Berdie, Ralph F. "Factors Associated With Vocational Interest." Journal of Educational Psychology 34 (May 1943): 257—77. Bowerman, Charles E., and Elder, Glen H. "Variations in Adolescent Perceptions of Family Power Structure." American Sociological Review 29 (August 1964): 551-67. 90 Boyle, Richard R. "The Effect of the High School on Students' Aspirations." American Journal of Sociology 71 (May 1966): 628-39. Brook, Judith S. et a1. "Aspiration Levels of and for Children: Age, Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Cor- relates." Journal of Genetic Psychology 124 (March 1974): 11-16. Brunkan, Richard J. "Perceived Parental Attitudes and Parental Identification in Relation to Field of Vocational Choice." JQurnal of Counseling Psy- chology 12 (Spring 1965): 39-47. Caro, Francis C., and Philbald, Terence C. "Aspiration and Expectations: A Re-examination of the Bases for Social Class Differences in the Occupational Orientation of Male High School Students." Sociology and Social Research 49 (July 1965). Cohen, Elizabeth F. "Parental Factors in Educational Mobility." Sociology of Education 33 (Fall 1965): 404-25. Cutright, Phillip. "Students' Decision to Attend College." Journal of Educational Sociolqu 33 (February 1960): 292-99. Downie, N. M. "A Comparison Between Children Who Move From School to School With Those Who Have Been in Continuous Residence on Various Factors of Adjustment." Journal of Educational Psychology 44 (January 1953): 50—53. Elder, Glen E., Jr. "Family Structure and Educational Attainment: A Cross-National Analysis." American Sociological Review 30 (February 1965): 81-96. Ellis, Robert A., and Lane, W. Clayton. "Social Mobility and Social Isolation: A Test of Sorokin's Dis— sociative Hypothesis." American Sociological Review 32 (April 1967): 237-56. Empey, LaMar R. "Social Class and Occupational Aspira— tion: A Comparison of Absolute and Relative Measurement." American Sociological Review 21 (December 1956): 703-709. Evans, John W., Jr. "The Effect of Pupil Mobility Upon Academic Achievement." The National Elementary Principal 45 (April 1966): 18-22. 91 Ginzberg, Eli. "Toward a Theory of Occupational Choice." Personnel and Guidance Journal 30 (1952): 490-94. Haller, Archibald 0., and Butterworth, C. E. "Peer Influences on Levels of Occupational and Educa- tional Aspiration." Social Forces 38 (May 1960): 289-95. Havighurst, Robert J. "Education, Social Mobility and Social Change in Four Societies: A Comparative Study." International Review of Education 4 (1958): 167-83. Kahl, Joseph A. "Educational and Occupational Aspira- tions of Common Man Boys." Harvard Educational Review (Summer 1953). Kroger, Robert, and Louttit, C. M. "The Influence of Fathers' Occupation on the Vocational Choices of High School Boys." The Journal of Applied Psy- chology 19 (April 1935): 203-12. Lipset, Seymour M.; Bendix, Reingard; and Malm, F. Theodore. "Job Plans and Entry Into the Labor Market." Social Forces 33 (March 1955): 224-32. Porter, Richard J. "Predicting Vocational Plans of High School Senior Boys.” The Personnel and Guidance Journal 33 (December 1954): 215-18. Roe, Ann. "Early Determinants of Vocational Choice." Journal of Counseling Psychology 4 (Fall 1957): 212417. , and Siegelman, Marian. "The Origin of Inter- ests." American Personnel Guidance Association, Inquiry Studies 1 (1964). Rosen, Bernard C. ”The Achievement Syndrome: A Psycho- cultural Dimension of Social Stratification." American Sociological Review 21 (April 1956): 203-11. Sewell, William H.; Haller, A. 0.; and Straus, M. A. "Social Status and Educational and Occupational Aspiration." American Sociological Review 22 (February 1957): 67-73. 92 Simpson, Richard, and Simpson, Ida H. "Values, Personal Influence and Occupational Choice." Social Forces 39 (December 1960): 116-25. Slocum, W. L. "Occupational Decision-Making by High School and College Girls." Family Life Coordi- nator 5 (December 1956): 46-53. Smelser, William T. "Adolescent and Adult Occupational Choice as a Function of Family Socioeconomic History." Sociometry 26 (December 1963): 393-409. Super, Donald E. "A Theory of Vocational Development." American Psychologist 8 (1953): 187-91. Westbrook, Bert W. "The Reliability and Validity of a New Measure of Level of Occupational Aspiration." Educational and Psychological Measurement 26 (1966): 997-1005. Youmans, Grant E. "Occupational Expectations of the 12th Grade Michigan Boys." Journal of Experimental Education 24 (June 1956). Unpublished Materials Copes, Marvin L. "The Predictability of Career Choices of High School Seniors." Ph.D. dissertation, Purdue University, 1975. Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Pacific. Career Education Handbook, K-12. DOD Schools, Pacific/DPNC, APO S.F. 96323, July 1972. . Career Education, An Integrated Approach. Area Curriculum Center/DPNC, APO S.F. 96323, July 1972. Drabick, Lawrence W. "Factors Associated With Expec- tations: North Dakota High School Seniors." Educational Research No. 1. Grand Forks, North Dakota: North Dakota University, Center for Teaching and Learning, July 1974. Durig, Kurt R. "A Study of Social Status and Occupa- tional Choice Among High School Students." Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1967. 93 Esslinger, Carl W. "Educational and Occupational Aspira- tions and Expectations and the Educational, Personal, and Family Characteristics of Selected Twelfth Grade Female Students." Ph.D. disserta- tion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1976. Evans, Marilyn K. "The Influence of Vocational Infor- mation on the Occupational Aspiration of Stu- dents Classified by Levels of Ability, Need, Achievement, and Extraversion." Ph.D. disserta- tion, Indiana University, 1973. Ganann, Jan W. "Educational and Occupational Aspirations and Expectations of Post-Secondary Vocational- Technical School Students in Mississippi." Ph.D. dissertation, The University of Mississippi, 1976. Gleason, Patrick T. "Social Adjustment Patterns and Manifestations of Worldmindedness of Overseas— Experienced American Youth." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1969. Hanchey, Karlos W. "Factors Influencing Occupational Choices and Educational Plans of High School Students With Implications for Changes in the Role of the Secondary School." Ph.D. disserta- tion, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1969. Holland, John L., and Gottfredson, Gary D. "Applying a Typology to Vocational Aspirations." Baltimore, Md.: Center for the Study of Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University, June 1974. Johnson, Charles W. "Relationship of Selected Character- istics of Ninth Grade Students to Their Professed or Manifest Occupational Choices." Ph.D. dis- sertation, University of Nebraska, 1963. Lambert, Geraldine B. "A Revision of the Parent-Child Relations Questionnaire to Investigate Roe's Occupational Choice Theory With Adolescent Girls." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 1966. Magruder, Alan W., "A Study of the Stability of Career Choices, School Plans and Interests of Students During the Secondary School Years, With Special Emphasis on the Factors Related With Instability." Ph.D. dissertation, St. Louis University, 1970. 94 Mannino, Ernest. "The Overseas Education of American Elementary and Secondary Pupils With Application for American Sponsored Schools Overseas: A Diagnosis and Plan for Action." Ph.D. disserta- tion, Michigan State University, 1970. Miller, Irwin, Jr. "Level of Occupational Aspiration: Problems in Its Conceptualization and Measure- ment.” Master's thesis, Michigan State Univer- sity, 1960. O'Reilly, Patrick A. "Predicting the Stability of Expressed Occupational Choices of Secondary Students." Ph.D. dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, 1973. Plata, Maximino. "A Comparative Study of the Occupa- tional Aspirations and Interest of High School Age Emotionally Disturbed, Vocational-Technical and Regular Academic Students." Ph.D. disser- tation, University of Kansas, 1971. Reinhart, Bruce. "Career Education and the Comprehen— sive Career-Education Model." Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Voca- tional Association, Portland, Oregon, 1971. Rice, John R. "Changes in the Levels of Educational and Occupational Aspirations Between the Tenth and Twelfth Grades of Capable High School Students in North Florida." Ph.D. dissertation, Florida State University, 1962. Shires, Orlin H. "Factors Influencing Choice of Occupa- tional Goals for Selected Junior College Stu- dents." Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, 1971. Sostek, Alan B. "The Relation of Identification and Parent-Child Climate to Occupational Choice." Ph.D. dissertation, Boston University Graduate School, 1963. Strahl, Gladys T. "The Relationship of Centrality of Occupational Choice to Sex, Parental Identifi- cation, and Socioeconomic Level in University Undergraduate Students." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1967. 95 Thomas, Ellis. "An Analysis of State Supervision and Leadership of Business and Office Education With Implications for and Recommendations to the State of New Jersey." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1971. U.S. Congress. House. "Education of Dependents Over- seas by the Department of Defense and Independent American Schools." A Report by the Investigating Committee of the General Subcommittee on Labor. June 1970. "Department of Defense Education of Dependents Overseas." A Report by the Investigating Com- mittee of the Select Subcommittee on Education. Committee on Education and Labor, March 1966. Venegas, Moises T. "Educational and Occupational Aspira- tions and Expectations of El Paso High School Students." Ph.D. dissertation, New Mexico State University, 1973. Warren, Rachelle C. "Parents Structure, Children's Roles, and Occupational Choice: Variations on a Theme of Role Congruence." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1971.