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Film ed as Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zoob Rood Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 I I I I 75-14,836 STEELY, Robert D ale, 1931A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE EVENING STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION COURSES IN THE WEST CENTRAL LEAGUE OF MICHIGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES. Michigan S ta te U n iv e r s it y , P h .D ., 1974 Education, vocational Xerox University Microfilms , Ann Arbor, M ichigan '18106 A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE EVENING STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION COURSES IN THE WEST CENTRAL LEAGUE OF MICHIGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES By Robert D. S te e ly A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f the requirements f o r th e degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department o f Secondary Education and Curriculum 1974 ABSTRACT A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF THE EVENING STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION COURSES IN THE WEST CENTRAL LEAGUE OF MICHIGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES By Robert D. S te e ly The purpose o f t h is study was to describ e the students e n ro lle d in evening occupational courses in the West C entral League o f Michigan Community Colleges. S p e c i f i c a l l y , th e study was designed to seek answers to the fo llo w in g questions about the community c o lle g e evening occupational s tu d e n ts : 1. What are t h e i r personal c h a r a c t e r is t ic s ? 2. What is t h e i r employment status? 3. Are t h e i r educational needs being f u l f i l l e d ? 4. What 1s t h e i r educational status? 5. What are t h e i r reasons f o r e n r o llin g in a community c o lle g e occupational course and why did they s e le c t a p a r t i c u l a r community co lleg e? The occupational courses o ffe re d during the evening a t th e seven community co lle g es t h a t make up the West Central League o f Michigan Com­ munity Colleges were i d e n t i f i e d . The c r i t e r i a f o r i d e n t i f i c a t i o n were those courses l i s t e d on each i n s t i t u t i o n ' s course taxonoiny as being reim­ bursed by the V o catio n a l-T e ch n ica l Education S ervice o f th e Michigan Department o f Education. The population was comprised o f a l l e n ro lle d in the evening occupational courses. the students The students were Robert D. S te e ly categorized in to the seven occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s designated by the U. S. O ffic e o f Education. The sample s iz e was determined by form ula. t h i r t y - f i v e students comprised the sample. Four hundred and A weighting process was em­ ployed to assure representativeness based upon the enrollments in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n in each community c o lle g e . Questionnaires were d is t r ib u t e d to each o f the community colleges and were administered in the evening occupational classes. Data from the randomly selected completed questionnaires were tra n s fe rre d to machine scored answer sheets. The M ich ig an 'S tate Univer­ s i t y Computer Center services were used to a s s is t in data analysis by computing frequencies and percentages. Findings Personal C h a ra c te ris tic s Males comprised 73.3 per cent o f the evening occupational s tu ­ dents. The occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s of a g r i c u l t u r a l , d i s t r i b u t i v e education, technical education, and tra d e and in d u s t r ia l education en­ r o lle d a m a jo r ity of males, whereas females were in the m a jo rity in the occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s o f h e a lth , home economics, and o f f i c e edu­ c a tio n . The ages o f the evening occupational students ranged from 19 to 60. The m a jo r it y , 80 .3 per c e n t, were between 20 and 29 years o f age. Caucasians made up 92 .6 per cent o f the p op ulation. The m a jo rity o f the students were married w ith a high percentage having c h ild re n . Robert D. S te e ly Employment Status Males were employed more hours per week than fem ales. Over o n e -h a lf o f those e n ro lle d in te c h n ic a l and in tra d e and in d u s t r i a l occu­ pation courses worked more than f o r t y hours per week. F i f t y - e i g h t and th re e -te n th s per cen t were e n ro lle d in courses r e la t e d to t h e i r jo b s . Educational Needs Eighty-tw o and f i v e - t e n t h s per cent o f the evening occupational students agreed t h a t t h e i r courses were f u l f i l l i n g t h e i r educational needs. Nearly 75 per cen t in d ic a te d t h a t they would l i k e to see some p o lic y or procedure change. courses o ffe re d during th e evening was The v a r i e t y o f in d ic a te d most fr e q u e n t ly as an area to be considered f o r change. Educational Status Four and e ig h t - te n th s per cent o f the evening occupational s tu ­ dents were non-high school graduates. N early 80 per cent aspired to com­ p le t e a c e r t i f i c a t e program, asso ciate degree program, o r to t r a n s f e r to a f o u r -y e a r school. S ix t y per cent were e n ro lle d in two o r more courses. Reasons f o r Being in C o lle g e S e ve n ty -s ix and seven -tenth s p er cent were e n ro lle d f o r voca­ tio n a l reasons. "Close to home" received the g r e a te s t number o f responses as being the reason f o r atte n d in g a p a r t i c u l a r community c o lle g e . Im p lic a tio n s A d m in is tra tio n Community c o lle g e s should work w ith businesses and in d u s trie s to determine the need f o r evening occupational course o f f e r i n g s . An Robert D. S te e ly in creasin g number and v a r i e t y o f courses and programs should be o ffe re d a t times convenient f o r employed persons. course o f fe r in g s should be developed. A long-range plan o f evening The m aturation le v e l o f the even­ ing student should be taken in to c o n s id e ra tio n when ev alu atin g the c o lle g e p o lic ie s and procedures t h a t a f f e c t the evening occupational student. F le x ib le scheduling along w ith in d iv id u a liz e d in s t r u c t io n u t i l i z i n g a modular approach should be considered when developing in s tr u c t io n a l method­ ology to accommodate the evening occupational stu d en t. Guidance and Counseling Females should be advised o f o p p o rtu n itie s in those occupations t h a t have t r a d i t i o n a l l y been considered male. Questions should be raised about the small number o f m in o r itie s p a r t i c ip a t i n g in evening occupational programs. Counseling and guidance services should be provided f o r evening occupational students to the same le v e l t h a t i t is provided f o r day students. Curriculum Occupational education c u r r ic u la must be based on a continuing a n a ly s is o f the occupations f o r which they are designed. In s tr u c tio n should be re le v a n t to the jobs o f th e evening occupational students. Considerations should be given to ways in which the students' jobs can play a r o l e in th e le a rn in g process. Competencies gained through exper­ ience by evening occupational students should be assessed so t h a t they may be placed in courses and programs a p p r o p r ia te ly . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This w r i t e r is deeply indebted to a l l o f those who co n tribu ted to th is th e s is . I t is impossible to l i s t a l l of those who made both d i r e c t and i n d i r e c t c o n trib u tio n s . Special re c o g n itio n is given to Dr. Rex E. Ray, Chairman o f the Doctoral Committee, who u n s e lf is h ly gave a countless number o f hours to provide counsel during t h is study. A ls o , I wish to express my sin cere a p p re c ia tio n to the o th e r members o f my Doctoral Guidance Committee: Dr. John Polomsky, Dr, Paul Sweany, and Dr. W illia m Sweet!and. T h e ir assistance and encouragement throughout t h is study was in v a lu a b le to me. I am also g r a te f u l to a l l o f those persons, in c lu d in g the s tu ­ dents a t the community c o lle g e s , who p a r t ic ip a t e d . W ithout t h e i r cooperation and a s s is ta n c e , t h is study would have been impossible. F i n a l l y , my fa m ily must be recognized. I wish to express my a p p re c ia tio n to them f o r t h e i r p atien ce and co n sideratio n in a ffo rd in g me the tim e necessary to c a rry out t h is p r o je c t . To Robin, I am g r a t e ­ fu l f o r his assistance in the la y o u t and p r in t in g o f the q u e s tio n n a ire s . To Kevin, I am g r a te fu l f o r his understanding about the time I took from him. To my w i f e , Nancy, I am g r a t e f u l f o r her understanding, encourage­ ment, and a v a ila b le counsel throughout t h is study. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. II. III. IV. Page INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 Need f o r the S t u d y ............................................................................ Statement o f the Problem .............................................................. Purpose .................................................................................................. L i m i t a t i o n s ......................................................................................... A s s u m p t io n s ......................................................................................... D e f in itio n s o f Terms ....................................................................... O rganization o f the S t u d y .......................................................... S u m m a r y .................................................................................................. 3 8 9 10 11 11 14 14 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...................................................... 16 I n t r o d u c t i o n ........................................ ....................................... .... • The Emergence o f Occupational Education and Education f o r Adults in the Community C o l l e g e ............................... The Role o f the Community College in Providing Occupational Education f o r Employed A dults . . . . C h a r a c te r is tic s o f Adult Students ........................................ Emerging Im peratives ....................................................................... The Need f o r E d u c a t i o n .............................................................. Manpower Needs ................................................................................ S u m m a r y .................................................................................................. 16 17 21 27 35 36 38 39 METHODOLOGY............................................................................................. 42 In tro d u c tio n ......................................................................................... Data C o l l e c t i o n ................................................................................ The P o p u l a t i o n ................................................................................ The S a m p le ......................................................................................... Development o f the I n s t r u m e n t ............................................. Q uestionnaire A d m in is tra tio n ................................................. Data P r o c e s s i n g ................................................................................ Data A n a l y s i s .................................................................................... S u m m a r y .................................................................................................. 42 42 43 43 48 49 50 50 53 ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OFTHE D A T A ...................................... 55 Personal C h a r a c te r is tic s .............................................................. Sex D i s t r i b u t i o n ............................................................................ Age D i s t r i b u t i o n ............................................................................ Race D i s t r i b u t i o n ...................................................................... : 56 56 56 61 iii Page V. M a r ita l Status ................................................................................ Employment Status ................................................................................ Number o f Hours Worked Per W e e k ............................................... F u ll-T im e Work Experience .......................................................... Job-Course R e la tio n s h ip .............................................................. Current Type o f O c c u p a t i o n ..................................................... Employer C o n trib u tio n TowardT u it io n Costs ..................... Education Needs ..................................................................................... S a tis f a c t io n With T h e ir Courses ............................................. Course Status .................................................................................... Considerations f o r Change .......................................................... Educational Status ............................................................................ Number o f Years Since Graduating from High School . . Educational A s p i r a t i o n s ...................................... # ..................... Number o f Courses in WhichE n ro lle d . . . / ..................... Reasons f o r Being in C o l l e g e ..................................................... Reasons f o r E n ro llin g ................................................................... Reasons f o r A ttending T his P a r t i c u la r College . . . . Summary...................................................................................................... 61 64 64 68 71 74 77 80 80 82 82 85 86 86 90 93 93 97 99 SUMMARY, FINDINGS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STU D IE S ................................................................................ 101 Summary...................................................................................................... Purpose o f S t u d y ............................................................................ M e th o d o lo g y ......................................................................................... Review o f the L i t e r a t u r e .......................................................... F i n d i n g s .................................................................................................. Personal C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .......................................................... Employment Status ............................................................................ Educational N e e d s ............................................................................ Educational Status ....................................................................... Reasons f o r Being in C o l l e g e .......................... Im p lic a tio n s ......................................................................................... A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ................................................................................ Counseling and G u id a n c e .............................................................. Curri c u l u m ......................................................................................... Recommendations f o r F u rth e r Studies ........................................ 101 101 102 104 104 104 106 1 08 109 110 Ill H 2 114 H ? 119 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 121 APPENDICES APPENDIX A. B. EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATIONAL GROUP, 1960, 1970, AND PROJECTED 1980 REQUIREMENTS .......................................................... 128 SHIFT IN AGE GROUPING OF THE LABOR F O R C E ................................. 129 iv Page C. THE NUMBER OF EVENING STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION COURSES IN THE WEST CENTRAL LEAGUE SCHOOLS OF MICHIGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES BY OCCUPATIONAL AREA, SPRING 1974 1 30 THE NUMBER OF QUESTIONNAIRES BY OCCUPATIONAL CLASSIFICATION AND BY COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO MAKE UP THE SAMPLE ............................................. 131 E. QUESTIONNAIRE 1 34 F. LETTER DIRECTED TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEAN ASSISTING WITH THE QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTRATION . . . . 139 G. INSTRUCTIONS FOR QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTION 140 H. INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADMINISTERING THE QUESTIONNAIRES . . . . 141 I. WRITE-IN RESPONSES FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT AND THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT AREA TO BE CONSIDERED FOR CHANGES...................................................................................................... 142 WRITE-IN RESPONSES FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT AND THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR ATTENDING A PARTICULAR COLLEGE 143 D. J. v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Page The Number o f Evening Students in Each Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n and the Number to Be Selected f o r the S a m p le ............................................................................................. 44 The Number o f Q uestionnaires f o r Each Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n to Be U t i l i z e d ................................................. 45 The Number o f Q uestionnaires U t i l i z e d in th e Table by Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n and by Community C o l l e g e .................................................................................................. 47 The Percentage o f Male and Female Community College Evening Occupational Students by Program C l a s s i f i c a t io n .................................................................................... 57 Age D i s t r ib u t io n o f Community College Evening Occupational Students by S e x ..................................................... 59 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by A g e ...................................................................................................... 60 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by R a c e .................................................................................................. 62 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students C la s s if ie d According to Race by S e x .................. 63 M a r ita l S tatus D i s t r ib u t io n o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Students by Sex .................................... 63 Percentage o f Age D is t r ib u t io n o f Community College Evening Occupational Students by M a r ita l Status . . . 65 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by M a r it a l Status ............................................................................ 66 vi D is t r ib u t io n o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to th e Number o f Hours Worked per Week by Sex .................................................................................... 67 Percentage o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by the Number o f Hours Worked per Week ........................... 69 Percentage o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by the Number o f Years o f F u ll-T im e Work E x p e ri­ ence P r i o r to E n ro llin g in College .................................... 70 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Course R e la tio n s h ip to Present Job by Sex ....................................................................... 72 Percentage o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by Course R e la tio n sh ip to Present Job ........................... 73 D is t r ib u t io n o f the Type o f Occupation C u rre n tly Held by Community College Evening Occupational Students by Sex ............................................................................ 75 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by Type o f Current Employment ............................................. 76 D is t r ib u t io n o f Community College Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by Employer C o n trib u tio n Toward T u itio n ............................................................................................. 78 D i s t r ib u t io n o f Community College Evening Occupa­ t io n a l Students According to Employer C o n trib u tio n Toward T u it io n by Sex .............................................................. 79 D is t r ib u t io n o f the R e la tio n s h ip Between Community College Evening Occupational S tu dents' Current Job and Course in Which They are E n ro lle d by Employer C o n trib u tio n Toward T u it io n ............................... 79 Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students by Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t i o n and by the Degree o f Agreement or Disagreement w ith the Statement: This Course is F u l f i l l i n g my Educational Needs .................................................................................................. 81 vi i Page 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. D is t r ib u t io n o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by Whether or Not the Course is a P a rt o f a C e r t i f i c a t e o r Degree P r o g r a m ...................... 83 Percentage o f Community C o llege Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students by Most Im portant and Second Most Im portant areas to be Considered f o r P o lic y o r Procedure Change ....................................................................... 84 Percentage o f Community C ollege Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by th e Number o f Years Since High School Graduation ................................................................... 87 Percentage o f Community C o llege Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students' Educational A s p ira tio n by Sex . . . . 88 Percentage o f Community C o lle g e Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students' Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n by Educational A s p ira tio n . . . . ............................................. 89 Percentage o f Community C ollege Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students by Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n and by th e Number o f Courses in Which They are C u rre n tly En ro lled ............................................................................ 91 Percentage o f Community C ollege Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students by th e Number o f Courses in Which They are Enro lled and byS e x ........................................ 92 Percentage o f Community C o lle g e Evening Occupa­ t io n a l Students by Reason f o r E n ro llin g in the Course and by S e x ............................................................................ 94 Percentage o f Community C o lleg e Evening Occupa­ tio n a l Students by Reason f o r E n ro llin g in the Course and by Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t i o n ...................... 96 Percentage o f Community C o lleg e Evening Occupa­ t io n a l Students by Most Im portant and Second Most Important Reason f o r A ttend ing a P a r t ic u ­ l a r C o l l e g e ......................................................................................... 98 Employment by Occupation Group, 1960, 1970, and P rojected 1980 Requirements................................................................ v ii i 128 Page 34. S h i f t in Age Grouping o f the Labor F o r c e ................................ 129 35. The Number o f Evening-Students Enro lled in Occu­ p atio n al Education Courses in the West Central League Schools o f Michigan Community Colleges by Occupational Area, Spring , 1974 ........................................ 130 The Number o f Questionnaires by Occupational C l a s s if ic a t io n and by Community College to Make up th e S a m p le ........................................................................... 131 36. ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The community co lle g e has been described in many ways. Such statements as "an educational movement u n p a ra lle le d in the h is to r y o f man," "the only r e a l l y American innovation in higher ed u catio n," "a phenomenon o f the tw e n tie th c e n tu ry ," "an i n s t i t u t i o n t h a t has grown more r a p id ly than any o th e r segment o f American ed u catio n," "an essen­ tia l segment o f American higher e d u c a tio n ," "an important segment o f post secondary education in the United States w ith the promise o f be­ coming the la r g e s t and most im p o rta n t," "an i n s t i t u t i o n in close r e l a ­ tio n s h ip to the so c ie ty i t was created to s e rv e ," "a unique i n s t i t u ­ t i o n , " have been a t t r ib u t e d to th e community c o lle g e . The community c o lle g e may be thought o f as having six fu n c tio n s . (3 ) These are: (1 ) t r a n s f e r education; (2 ) general education; occupational education; (4 ) community s e rv ic e s ; (5 ) preparatory and developmental education; and (6 ) student personnel s e rv ic e s . The fu n c tio n o f occupational education has undergone a ra p id expansion since the mid 1 9 6 0 's . In 1964 the American Association o f Ju n io r Colleges in v it e d a group o f prominent c it iz e n s to serve as a National Advisory Committee on the Ju n io r C ollege. They were charged w ith examining the r o le o f the j u n i o r c o lle g e in l i g h t o f present and f u tu r e needs in higher education and to recormtend ways in which t h is 1 2 n atio n al resource could be f u l l y and e f f e c t i v e l y u t i l i z e d . 1 The committee concluded t h a t “the tw o-year c o lle g e o f f e r s u n p a ra lle le d promise f o r expanding educational o pp o rtu n ity through the pro visio n 2 o f comprehensive c o lle g e programs embracing jo b t r a i n i n g . " The ac tio n o f t h is committee gave impetus toward the expansion o f occupational programming in the community c o lle g e . Another s i g n i f i c a n t development th a t contribu ted to expansion o f occupational education in the commu­ n it y co lle g e was the passage o f th e 1968 Vocational Education Amend­ ments. Congress expected a s i g n i f i c a n t amount o f funds to be expended f o r post-secondary occupational programs. I t was mandated t h a t f i f t e e n per cent o f P a rt B funds be expended a t the post-secondary l e v e l . Community co lleg es serve two d i s t i n c t p o p u la tio n s , One group may be thought o f as the 17-21 age group g e n e r a lly c l a s s i f i e d as c o l ­ lege age youth. These are high school graduates who have entered c o lle g e immediately o r s h o rtly a f t e r high school g rad u ation . group comprises those who are beyond twenty-one years o f age. The o th e r These students make up a la rg e p o rtio n o f the p a r t - t im e students and c o n s t i­ t u te approximately f i f t y per cent o f the t o t a l number o f the tw o-year N a t i o n a l Advisory Committee on the Ju n io r C o lle g e , A National Resource fo r Occupational Education (Washington, D .C .: American Association o f Ju n io r C o lle g e s, 19 63 ), (pages were not num­ bered). 2Ib id . 3U. S. Congress, House, An Act to Amend the Vocational Edu­ ca tio n Act o f 1963 and f o r Other Purposes, Pub. L. 9 0 -5 7 6 , 90th Cong., H. R. 18366. 3 c o lle g e students in the United S ta te s .^ This group o f students range in age from the 2 0 's to the 6 0 's , and t h e i r perceptions and needs vary markedly from those in the younger c a te g o rie s . They view the community c o lle g e as a stepping stone to the r e a l i z a t i o n o f t h e i r p e r5 sonal and vo c atio n al goals. Cohen s ta te s : The m a jo r ity o f a d u lt students are engaged in f u l l - t i m e jobs and have f a m i l i e s . They choose courses w ith c a re , using them as b u ild in g blocks to l i f t them toward t h e i r goals. A d u lt s tu ­ dents p erc e iv e c o lle g e as a means to an end. They want to use i t s resources in ways which w i l l c o n trib u te d i r e c t l y to t h e i r g o a ls . These students o fte n make i t c le a r to th e c o lle g e t h a t some o f the procedures and requirements a p p ro p ria te f o r the g c o lle g e age students are unnecessary and i r r e l e v a n t f o r a d u lts . Technology is expanding a t an e v e r-in c re a s in g r a t e . Because o f t h i s , m il li o n s o f Americans must p a r t i c i p a t e in r e t r a in i n g or up­ grading programs i f our n a tio n 's manpower is to keep pace. munity c o lle g e w i l l The com­ play an in c re a s in g ly s i g n i f i c a n t r o le in the r e t r a i n i n g and upgrading o f the a d u lt p o p u la tio n . Need f o r th e Study Community c o lle g es have experienced phenomenal growth during th e past decade. In 1960 th e re were 405 p ub lic tw o-year c o lle g es en7 r o l l i n g approxim ately 560,000 stu d en ts. In 1970 th e number o f these ^ A rthu r M. Cohen, Jossey Bass, 1 9 7 1 ), p. 121. A Constant V a r ia b le (San Francisco: 5Ib id , 6Ib id . 7Edmund J . G le a z e r, J r . , E d ., American Ju n io r Colleges (Washington, D .C .: American Council on Education, 1 9 7 1 ), p. 3. 4 p u b lic i n s t i t u t i o n s increased to 872 e n ro llin g over 2 .3 m i l li o n stu­ d e n ts .8 I t is p ro jected t h a t by 1980, th ere w i l l be w ell over 1,200 g p u b lic community colleges e n r o llin g f i v e m il li o n students. Many of these "new” students w i l l be a d u lt s , beyond the t r a d i t i o n a l co lle g e age. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education has predicted th a t th e re w i l l be an a c c e le ra tio n o f the r i s e in a d u lt enrollm ent in higher education i n s t i t u t i o n s . ^ 8 Michigan has experienced a growth in community colleges dur­ ing the 1960's p a r a l l e l to th a t on the n atio n al l e v e l . In 1960, there were fo urteen p u b lic community c o l l e g e s . ^ The number was expanded to 1? tw en ty-n in e in 1970 e n r o llin g over 129,000 students. There is no statew ide re p o rtin g system which accounts fo r the p a r t-tim e a d u lt student e n ro lle d in community co lle g e evening occupational programs. These students are reported as a p a rt o f the t o t a l e n ro lle d in a given class o r program. Because o f t h is i t is v i r t u a l l y impossible to o b ta in enrollm ent data f o r the a d u lt evening occupational student unless each i n s t i t u t i o n ' s enrollm ent records are in d i v i d u a l l y examined. D American A ssociation o f Ju n io r C olleges, 1972 Junior Col­ lege D ire c to ry (Washington, D .C .: American Association o f Junior C olleges, 1 9 7 2 ), p. 91. 9 I b i d . , pp. 7 -8 . ^°The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, New Students and New Places (Hightstown: M cG raw -H ill, 1971), p. 57. ^Am erican A ssociation o f Junior C olleges, 1972 Junior Col­ lege D ire c to ry (Washington, D .C .: American Association o f Junior Colleges, 19 72 ), p. 44. 12I b i d . , p. 90. Alexander Mood s ta te d : " I t i s l i k e l y th a t in the f u tu r e the student body o f higher education w i l l not be a selected group o f high school graduates but the e n t i r e a d u lt p o p u la tio n ." 13 People w i l l need to le a rn throughout t h e i r l i v e s because careers w i l l be changing more r a p id ly ; i t w i l l become less and less the case t h a t one can se­ l e c t a c a re e r during h is youth and expect to fo llo w i t u n t i l r e t i r e ­ ment. Even though a c a re er does not become o b s o le te , a d d itio n a l le a rn in g from time to time w i l l be necessary j u s t to keep pace w ith the changes due to tech n o lo g y.14 Joseph N. Hankin, Presid en t o f Westchester Community College in V a h a lla , New York, and Vice-Chairman o f the American A sso ciatio n o f Community and J u n io r College Board o f D ire c to rs w r it e s : I t has only been re c e n tly th a t d e f i n i t i v e studies have been made o f community and ju n i o r c o lle g e students— and most o f these ig n o re , o r o nly c a s u a lly t r e a t , the a d u lt student. In c r e a s in g ly , community and j u n i o r co lleg es are a t t r a c t i n g new groups o f students— o ld e r than the ty p ic a l c o lle g e stu d en t— who pose re a l challenges to j u n i o r c o lle g e educators. More research needs to be undertaken on the nature o f the a d u lt p a r t -t im e student. More demographic s t a t i s t i c s a re needed on age, sex, m a rita l s ta tu s , occupation, income, r e s id e n t ia l a re a , so c ia l p a r t i c i p a t i o n , educational background, and i n t e r r e ­ la tio n s h ip s o f these f a c t o r s . ^ A rth u r M. Cohen supported Hankin's views when he s ta te d : "There is a p au city o f research on the c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f stu d en ts, on the c o lle g e 's e f f e c t on the stu d en ts, and on what students expect Alexander M. Mood, The Future o f Higher Education (New York: M cG raw -H ill, Sponsored by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, 19 73 ), p. 57. 14I b i d . , p. 57. ^Josep h N. Hankin, "The Door That Never Closes," Community and J u n io r College J o u r n a l, August-September, 1973, p. 8. 6 to gain from t h e i r c o lle g e ex p e rie n c e ." 1 fi James W. Thorton s ta te d : "Many more stu d ies o f student c h a r a c t e r is t ic s are needed to complete the d e s c rip tio n o f the c l i e n t e l e o f the community j u n i o r c o lle g e ." ^ 7 Clyde E. Blocker, Robert H. Plummer, and Richard C. Richardson wrote: "The la c k o f evidence on student c h a r a c t e r is t ic s has been one o f the major problems in the development o f educational programs r e a l i s t i c a l l y geared to student needs." 18 Charles R. Monroe w rote: " S ta tis ­ t i c s are not a v a ila b le f o r the o ld e r group o f students who atte n d the evening and p a r t- t im e c la s s e s ." 19 Lei and L. Medsker and Dale T i l l a r y agreed w ith Monroe when they s ta te d : Nothing has been said thus f a r about o ld e r community c o lle g e s tu d e n ts , and many are beyond the rece n t high school age bracket. Some are e n ro lle d f u l l time ta k in g a re g u la r program in academic o r v o c a tio n a l-te c h n ic a l courses, others are doing the same on a p a r t - tim e b a s is , and s t i l l thousands o f others are pursuing a p a r t - tim e program in conventional a d u lt education courses. A p au city o f in fo rm atio n e x is ts about most o f these o ld e r students, p a r t i c u l a r l y the ones atte n d in g p a r t- t im e . That they have jobs and fa m ily r e s p o n s ib i li t i e s and are h ig h ly motivated goes w it h ­ out saying; but in fo rm atio n about t h e i r various a b i l i t i e s ; ^ A r t h u r M. Cohen, D a te lin e *79: H e re tic a l Concepts fo r the Community College (B everly H i l l s : Glencoe Press, 1 9 6 9 ), p. 70. ^7James W. Thorton, J r . , The Community Junior College (2nd e d .; New York: John W iley and Sons, 1 9 6 6 ), p. 158. 18 Clyde E. B locker, Robert H. Plummer, Richard C. Richardson, J r . , The Two-Year College: A Social Synthesis (Englewood C l i f f s : P r e n t i c e - H a l l , 19 65 ), p. 106. ^ C h a r le s R. Monroe, P r o f i l e o f the Community College (Washington, D .C.: Jossey Bass, 1 9 7 2 ), p. 186. 7 i n t e r e s t s , and i n t e l l e c t u a l re d is p o s itio n s is s t i l l needed. More than any o ther i n s t i t u t i o n , th e community c o lle g e seems destined to become the most s i g n i f i c a n t medium f o r continuing e d u c a tio n .20 R a tio n ale and recommendations f o r f i f t e e n e s s e n tia l research p ro je c ts p e rta in in g to the j u n i o r c o lle g e were given in the Junior College Research Review published by the American A ssociation o f Junior Colleges in co -o peratio n w ith the Educational Research Inform ation Center (ERIC) a t the U n iv e r s ity o f C a l i f o r n i a , Los Angeles. One o f these recommendations d e a lt w ith student c h a r a c t e r is t ic s in occupa­ tio n -c e n te re d curriculum s. I t was recommended t h a t "Studies be under­ taken to appraise c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f j u n i o r c o lle g e students re c r u ite d to occupation-centered c u rricu lu m s ." g iv en , i t was s ta te d : 21 As a p a rt o f the r a t io n a l e "The f i e l d is simply ign oran t about the char­ a c t e r i s t i c s o f students r e c r u ite d to occupation-centered programs t h a t could g iv e meaning to both th e students and programs." 22 In conclusion, the enrollm ent o f the evening a d u lt student in community co lleg es f o r job upgrading o r r e t r a i n i n g w i l l continue to in c re as e. H a lf o f the students in p u b lic community c o lle g es are 20 Lei and L. Medsker and Dale T i l l a r y , Breaking th e Access B a r r ie r : The P r o f i l e o f Two-Year Colleges (New York: M cG ra w -H ill, Sponsored by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, 19 71 ), p. 49. ^ A r t h u r M. Cohen and Edgar A. Quimby, Trends in the Study o f Junior Colleges: 1970, R a tio n a le and Recommendations f o r F ifte e n Essential Research P ro je c ts (Washington, D .C .: Ju n io r College Research Review, American A sso ciatio n o f Ju n io r C o lle g e s, September, 1 9 7 0 ), (pages were not numbered). 22 Ib id . (pages were not numbered). 8 a d u lt students about whom l i t t l e is known. 23 There is a dearth o f in fo rm ation about the a d u lt evening student e n ro lle d in occupational courses. Research regarding these students is v i r t u a l l y n o n -e x is ta n t in the l i t e r a t u r e . This is not to say t h a t in d iv id u a l i n s t i t u t i o n s have not conducted t h is type o f research; i t i s , however, sta te d t h a t i t has not been reported in the l i t e r a t u r e . I f the needs o f a d u lt students e n ro lle d in evening occupa­ tio n a l courses are to be most e f f e c t i v e l y met, i t is e s s e n tia l t h a t research be conducted to gain in s ig h t about t h e i r c h a r a c t e r is t ic s , t h e i r needs, and t h e i r a s p ir a tio n s . These fa c to rs have im p lic a tio n s f o r counseling s e rv ic e s , f o r in s tr u c tio n a l methodologies, f o r course scheduling, and f o r course o ffe r in g s . Statement o f the Problem Most community colleges throughout the n a tio n , in clu d in g those in M ichigan, o f f e r occupational programs to a d u lt p a r t- t im e students in th e evening. I t appears obvious, from a review o f the l i t e r a t u r e , t h a t the fu n ctio n o f pro vidin g upgrading and r e t r a in i n g courses and programs f o r employed a d u lts w i l l become an in c re a s in g ly s i g n i f i c a n t r o le f o r the community c o lle g e . The problem o f t h is study was e s s e n t ia lly one o f fin d in g out who these a d u lt evening occupational students are. ^3Edmund J . G le a ze r, J r . , e d ., American Junior Colleges (Washington, D . C . : American Council on Education, 1 9 7 2 ), p. 4. 9 Purpose S p e c i f i c a l l y , the purpose can be d e lin e a te d by seeking answers ;o the fo llo w in g questions about th e evening occupational students 1. What are t h e i r personal c h a r a c t e r is t ic s w ith respect to sex, age, ra c e , and m a rita l status? Are th e re observable d i f f e r ­ ences in these c h a r a c t e r is t ic s between students e n ro lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s ? 2. What is t h e i r employment sta tu s in terms o f th e number o f hours worked per week, th e number o f years o f f u l l - t i m e work exp erience, and t h e i r c u rr e n t typ e o f occupation? Is the course in which they are e n ro lle d r e l a t e d to t h e i r occupation? Does t h e i r employer c o n tr ib u te toward t h e i r t u i t i o n costs? Are t h e i r observable d iffe r e n c e s in employment s ta tu s between the sexes and between students e n r o lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupa­ tio n a l c l a s s if i c a t io n s ? 3. Are t h e i r educational needs being f u l f i l l e d ? 4. What is t h e i r educational s ta tu s w ith resp ect to the number o f years since high school g ra d u a tio n , t h e i r educational as­ p i r a t i o n s , and the number o f courses in which they are en­ r o lle d ? Are th e re observable d iff e r e n c e s between the sexes and between students e n r o lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s ? What a re t h e i r reasons f o r e n r o llin g in a community c o lle g e occupational course and why did they s e le c t a p a r t i c u l a r 10 community college? Are th e re observable d iffe re n c e s between the sexes and between students e n ro lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupa­ tio n a l c l a s s if i c a t io n s in t h e i r reasons f o r e n ro llin g ? I t is expected t h a t in fo rm atio n obtained from t h is study w i l l enable community c o lle g e a d m in is tra to rs and in s tr u c tio n a l person' nel to more e f f e c t i v e l y develop and plan occupational programming t h a t i s more r e a l i s t i c and congruent w ith the needs o f the a d u lt evening occupational student. The i n s t i t u t i o n a l procedures and r e ­ quirements w ith reference to admission p o l i c i e s , counseling, c u r r ic u ­ lum, course scheduling, and in s t r u c tio n may be examined in l i g h t o f the inform ation produced. L im ita tio n s I t must be recognized th a t th e re were c e r t a in l im it a t io n s to a study o f th is magnitude. 1. These a re: The scope o f the study was lim it e d to those students who were e n ro lle d only in evening occupational courses during the spring semester (term ) o f the 1973-74 school y e a r in the West Central League o f Michigan Community Colleges. 2. The number and kind o f questions were lim it e d by the length o f the q u e s tio n n a ire , the wording o f the questions, th e ease o f responding to the q u e stio n s, and the amount o f tim e r e ­ quired by the respondents to complete the q u e s tio n n a ire . 3. The v a l i d i t y o f the study was dependent upon th e accuracy w ith which the respondents answered the questions. 11 Assumptions I t was assumed th a t the classes in which the q uestionnaires were adm inistered in a given community c o lle g e were re p re s e n ta tiv e o f a l l th e classes in t h a t p a r t i c u l a r occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n in th a t i n s t i t u t i o n . I t was f u r t h e r assumed t h a t the sample o f completed q u e s tio n n a ire s , randomly drawn, was re p r e s e n ta tiv e o f the population f o r th e purposes o f t h is study. D e f in it io n s o f Terms For the purposes o f th is study, the fo llo w in g d e f i n i t i o n s are used: Community C o lle g e — A p u b lic tw o-year post-secondary i n s t i ­ t u t i o n t h a t is e s ta b lis h e d under the provisions o f Act 331 o f the P u b lic Acts o f 1966 o f the Michigan L e g is la tu r e . Occupational Education Course—Any course l i s t e d on each i n s t i t u t i o n ' s course taxonory which is approved f o r reimbursement by the V o c a tio n a l-T e c h n ic a l Education S e rv ic e , Michigan Department o f Education. Evening S tu dent—Any student e n ro lle d in courses between the hours o f 5:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and not e n ro lle d in daytime courses. P a r t- t im e Stu dent—Any student who is e n ro lle d in less than tw elve hours o f c o lle g e c r e d i t courses. A g r ic u lt u r a l Education— A g r ic u ltu r e is comprised o f the group o f r e la t e d courses concerned w ith p re p a ra tio n f o r or upgrading in occupations r e q u ir in g knowledge and s k i l l s in a g r i c u l t u r a l su b je cts . 12 The fu n c tio n s o f a g r i c u l t u r a l p ro d u ctio n , a g r ic u lt u r a l s u p p lie s , a g r i c u l t u r a l m echanization, a g r i c u l t u r a l products (p ro c e s s in g ), orna­ mental h o r t i c u l t u r e , f o r e s t r y , and a g r i c u l t u r a l resources are inclu d ed . An a g r i c u l t u r a l occupation may in c lu d e one or any combination o f these fu n c tio n s . D i s t r i b u t i v e Education— D i s t r i b u t i v e education is comprised o f programs o f occupational in s t r u c t io n in the f i e l d o f d i s t r i b u t i o n and m arketing. 25 I t includes various combinations o f su b je c t m a tter and le a rn in g experiences r e la t e d to the performance o f a c t i v i t i e s t h a t d i r e c t the flow o f goods and services from the producer to the consumer. These a c t i v i t i e s in c lu d e s e l l i n g , and such s a le s -s u p p o rtin g fu n c tio n s as buying, tr a n s p o r t in g , s t o r in g , promoting, f in a n c in g , marketing research and management. Health Occupations Education— Education f o r h e a lth occupa­ tio n s comprises the body o f r e l a t e d courses and planned experiences designed to im part knowledge and develop understandings and s k i l l s re q u ire d to support the h e a lth p ro fess io n s. In s t r u c t io n is organized to prepare persons f o r occupational o b je c tiv e s concerned w ith a s s i s t ­ ing q u a l i f i e d personnel in p ro vid in g d ia g n o s tic , t h e r a p e u tic , preven­ t i v e , r e s t o r a t i v e , and r e h a b i l i t a t i v e services to people, in c lu d in g understandings and s k i l l s e s s e n tia l to provide care and h e a lth s e r­ v ices to p a t i e n t s . 2® 2\ l n i t e d S ta te s O f f ic e o f Education, Vocational Education and Occupations (Washington: United S ta te s Government P r in t in g O f f i c e , O.E. 80061, 1 9 6 8 ), p. 3. 2® Ib id . , p. 19. 26I b i d . , p. 39. 13 Home Economics— Home economics comprises th e group o f r e ­ la te d courses o r u n its o f in s tr u c t io n organized f o r purposes o f enabling pupils to acquire knowledge and develop understanding, a t t i ­ tudes, and s k i l l s r e le v a n t to (a ) p e rs o n a l, home, and fa m ily l i f e , and (b ) occupational prep aratio n using the knowledge and s k i l l s of home economics.27 O f f ic e Education— O f fic e education consists o f programs o f in s t r u c t io n to provide o p p o rtu n itie s f o r students to prepare f o r and advance in selected o f f i c e occupations. Learning experiences are designed to lead to employment an d /o r the upgrading o f in d iv id u a ls In occupations in p u b lic o r p r iv a t e e n te rp ris e s or o rg a n iza tio n s r e la te d to the f a c i l i t a t i o n fu n c tio n o f th e o f f i c e . 2® Technical Education— Technical education is concerned w ith t h a t body o f knowledge organized in a planned sequence o f classroom and la b o ra to ry experiences to prepare students f o r a c lu s t e r o f job o p p o rtu n itie s in a s p e c ia liz e d f i e l d o f technology. I t prepares f o r the occupational area between the s k i l l e d craftsman and the p ro fe s sional person such as the d o c to r, th e en g in e e r, and the s c i e n t i s t . 29 Trade and In d u s tr ia l Education— Trade and in d u s t r ia l educa­ t io n is concerned w ith preparing persons f o r i n i t i a l wide range o f tra d e and in d u s t r ia l occupations. employment in a In s t r u c t io n is pro­ viced (1 ) in basic m a nip ulative s k i l l s , s a fe ty judgment, and r e la t e d 27I b i d . , p. 51 2 8 I b i d . , p. 57. , 29I b i d . , p. 85. 14 occupational in fo rm atio n in mathematics, d r a f t i n g , and science r e ­ quired to perform s u c c e s s fu lly in the occupation, and ( 2 ) through a combination o f shop or la b o ra to ry experiences sim ulating those found in in d u s try . Included is in s tr u c tio n f o r ap p re n tice s. 30 O rg an ization of the Study Chapter I I contains a review o f r e la te d l i t e r a t u r e r e l a t i v e to the community c o lle g e in pro vidin g occupational education courses f o r evening students. Included is the emergence o f occupational edu­ ca tio n and education f o r a d u lts in the community c o lle g e , the r o le o f the community c o lle g e in providing occupational education f o r employed a d u lts , c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f a d u lt stu d en ts, and emerging im p eratives. Chapter I I I discusses the methodology employed in th is study as i t p e rta in s to data c o l l e c t i o n , data processing, and data a n a ly s is . Chapter IV is organized to present the fin d in g s c o n s is te n t w ith the purpose o f th e study. The summary and conclusions as w ell as recom­ mendations f o r f u tu r e studies are presented in Chapter V. Summary This chapter was d iv id e d in to seven se ctio n s . These a re: (1 ) Need f o r the Study; (2 ) Statement o f the Problem; (3 ) Purpose; (4 ) L im ita tio n s ; (5 ) Assumptions; (6 ) D e f in itio n s o f Terms; and (7 ) O rganization o f the Study. The f i r s t s e c tio n , Need f o r the Study, reviewed the growth p attern s o f the community c o lle g e movement both nationwide and in Michigan. Also the w r itin g s o f leaders in the community co lle g e move­ ment p e rta in in g to community c o lle g e a d u lt students and evening 3 0 I b i d . , p. 103. 15 p a r t -t im e students were reviewed. These w r itin g s pointed out t h a t th is "new stu d e n t", beyond the t r a d i t i o n a l c o lle g e age o f 17 to 21, w i l l continue to e n ro ll in la r g e r numbers in the community c o lle g e evening programs. These w r itin g s also emphasized t h a t l i t t l e the "older" community co lle g e stu d en t. is known about Research regarding these s tu ­ dents is v i r t u a l l y n o n -e x is te n t in the l i t e r a t u r e . The second section presented the statem ent o f the problem. The problem was e s s e n t i a ll y t h a t o f fin d in g out who these evening oc­ cupational students a r e . The purpose o f the study was given in the t h i r d s e c tio n . The purpose was d e lin e a te d as t h a t o f seeking answers to the fo llo w in g questions about the evening occupational students: personal c h a r a c te r is tic s ? (2 ) What is t h e i r employment status? Are t h e i r educational needs being f u l f i l l e d ? tio n a l status? (1 ) What are t h e i r (3) (4 ) What is t h e i r educa­ and (5 ) What are t h e i r reasons f o r e n r o llin g in a com­ munity c o lle g e occupational course and why did they s e le c t a p a r t i c u l a r community college? The f o u r t h , f i f t h , and s ix t h sections o f t h is chapter pre­ sented the l i m i t a t i o n s o f the study, the assumptions made f o r the study, and the d e f i n i t i o n s o f terms used in the study. The l a s t sectio n presented the o rg a n iz a tio n o f the study. Chapter I I contains the review o f the l i t e r a t u r e . Chapter I I I presents the methodology, Chapter IV contains the an a ly sis and p res en tatio n o f d a ta , and Chapter V presents the summary, f in d in g s , im p lic a tio n s , and recommendations f o r f u r t h e r s tu d ie s . CHAPTER I I REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In tro d u c tio n A review o f the l i t e r a t u r e revealed t h a t there is a dearth o f inform ation about a d u lt students e n ro lle d in occupational courses in community c o lle g e evening programs. Inform ation t h a t is a v a i l a b l e , p a r t i c u l a r l y a t the local c o lle g e l e v e l , is based mostly on opinion r a th e r than research. Studies reported to date deal p r im a rily w ith 18-21 year old co lle g e students in general. Very few studies have been d ire c te d toward a d u lt occupational students. A computerized search o f ERIC (Educational Research Inform ation Center) documents i d e n t i f i e d only e ig h t papers re la te d to the community c o lle g e evening occupational student. These as well as o ther studies which addressed the charac­ t e r i s t i c s o f a d u lt students were reviewed. In order to understand the s ta te o f the a r t p e rta in in g to studies about the c h a r a c te r is tic s of community co lle g e evening occupa­ tio n a l students and why there is a need f o r knowledge about these students, one must review the r e l a t i v e l y recent development o f the community college in providing occupational education f o r employed a d u lts . Also one must have a perspective o f the community c o lle g e ’ s ro le in serving the educational needs o f adults as w ell as be aware o f the fu tu r e demands t h a t w i l l be placed upon the community co lleg e 16 17 in serving the a d u lt student. I t is fo r these reasons t h a t the l i t e r ­ atu re review f o r t h is study not only includes a review o f the studies conducted about the c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f the a d u lt student but also a review o f the re la te d l i t e r a t u r e about the development, the r o l e , and fu tu r e o f the community c o lle g e in serving the a d u lt student. This chapter is divided in to fo u r sectio ns: (1 ) the emergence o f occupational education and education f o r a d u lts in the community c o lle g e ; (2 ) the r o le o f the community c o lle g e in providing occupational education f o r employed a d u lts ; (3 ) c h a r a c t e r is tic s o f a d u lt students; and (4 ) emerging im p eratives. The Emergence o f Occupational Education ana Educati on f o r Adults i n the Community College The present day community c o lle g e may be thought o f as evolving in th re e major stages. The f i r s t p e rio d , from 1850 to 1920, may be considered as t h a t where the " ju n io r co lle g e" o ffe re d the f i r s t two years o f a baccalaureate program. During the second p e rio d , from 1920 to 1945, the concept o f term inal and sem i-professional education developed. The development o f a d u lt education and community services beginning in 1945 completed the o p e ra tiv e d e f i n i t i o n f o r the i n s t i t u ­ tio n known today as the community c o lle g e .^ Jesse P. Bogue reports th a t in The Ju n io r College Movement by Lenard Koos, published in 1925, th e re was no mention, e i t h e r in ^James W. Thorton, The Community Junior College (New York: Wiley and Sons, 1 9 6 6 ), pp. 45 -46 . 18 the Table o f Contents o r in the In d ex , o f education f o r a d u lts . 2 It would seem reasonable to conclude, t h e r e f o r e , t h a t a d u lt education was not a s i g n i f i c a n t p a rt o f the j u n i o r c o lle g e movement a t t h a t tim e . James P. Murphy in d ic a te s t h a t j u n i o r c o lle g es became aware o f and began to develop programs f o r a d u lts during the 1 9 3 0 's . The i n t e r e s t o f the American A ssociation f o r J u n io r Colleges in a d u lt education was expressed in a study conducted in 1947 by S. V. M artorana, A s s is ta n t D ir e c t o r o f Research f o r the A s so c ia tio n . M arto ran a's study was concerned w ith th e expansion o f a d u lt education in the j u n i o r c o lle g e and a ls o w ith the status o f a d u lt education a c tiv ity . Of th e one hundred j u n i o r c o lle g e s ( p u b lic and p r i v a t e ) t h a t responded to his survey, only th re e per cent o f those had i n i ­ t i a t e d a d u lt education programs p r i o r to 1925. Almost f o u r - f i f t h s o f the a d u lt education programs were i n i t i a t e d a f t e r 1934. Only f o r t y - th re e per cent o f the j u n i o r co lle g es reported t h a t they were o f f e r ­ ing courses f o r a d u lt s . Martorana concluded t h a t only a t r e l a t i v e l y rece n t dates have j u n i o r co lle g es begun to g ive emphasis to the pro­ v is io n o f a d u lt education s e rv ic e s . He also concluded t h a t major 4 emphasis f o r a d u lt education is on vo cation al s u b je c ts . 2 Lenard Koos, The Ju n io r C o llege Movement, 1925 quoted in Jesse P. Bogue, The Community C ollege (New York: M cG raw -H ill, 1 9 5 0 ), p. 207. James P. Murphy, The Emergence o f Continuing Education/ Community S e rv ic e /A d u lt Education as a Community College Function TL os Angeles: U n iv e r s it y o f C a l i f o r n i a , 1 9 6 9 ), p. 7. 4S. V. M artorana, "Status o f A d u lt Education in Junior C o lle g e s ," Ju n io r College J o u rn a l, February, 1948, pp. 32 2-3 1. 19 Leaders in j u n i o r co lleg es were somewhat r e lu c t a n t to accept the post-secondary occupational education r o l e . I t is d i f f i c u l t to e s ta b lis h a p rec ise tim e when i t began, but th e tech n o lo g ical re v o lu ­ t io n which began immediately a f t e r World War I I provided f e r t i l e ground f o r the id e a 's growth. The need f o r te c h n ic a l manpower required by the n a tio n a l defense in d u s try was a major m o tiv a tin g fo r c e . Toward the end o f the 1 9 5 0 's , th e r o le o f the j u n i o r c o lle g e in post-secondary occupational education was becoming c l e a r . Although fe d e ra l l e g i s l a t i o n f o r vocational education dates back to 1917, i t was the Report o f the Panel o f Consultants on Voca­ tio n a l Education, appointed by P re sid en t John F. Kennedy, t h a t gave impetus to post-secondary occupational education. Among the Panel's recommendations were: Provide t r a in i n g or r e t r a in i n g f o r th e m illio n s o f workers whose s k i l l s and te c h n ic a l knowledges must be updated as w ell as those whose job s w i l l disappear due to in creasin g e f f i c i e n c y , automation, o r economic change. Meet the c r i t i c a l need f o r h ig h ly s k i l l e d craftsmen and tec h n ician s through education during and a f t e r the high school ye a rs . Make educational o p p o rtu n itie s a v a ila b le to a l l , regardless o f ra c e , sex, s c h o la s tic a p t i t u d e , or place o f re s id e n c e .5 The P a n e l's re p o rt led to th e Vocational Education Act o f 1963 (P u b lic Law 8 8 - 2 1 0 ). The Amendments o f the Vocational Education Act o f 1963 (P u b lic Law 90-576) continued the emphasis as o r i g i n a l l y es tab lis h e d by the Panel o f Consultants on Vocational Education. Report o f the Panel o f Consultants on Vocational Education, Benjamin C. W i l l i s , Chairman, (Washington, D .C .: Government P rin tin g O f f i c e , 1 9 6 3 ), p. x v i i . 20 These two Acts are t r u l y the most s i g n i f i c a n t pieces o f n atio n al l e g i s l a t i o n in flu e n c in g vocational education a t a l l le v e ls . The Acts were designed to provide vo cation al education: . . . so t h a t a l l persons o f a l l ages in a l l communities o f the s t a te . . . w i l l have ready access to vocational t r a in i n g or r e t r a in i n g which is o f high q u a l i t y , which is r e a l i s t i c in the l i g h t o f actual or a n t ic ip a te d o p p o rtu n itie s f o r g a in fu l employ­ ment, and which is su ite d to t h e i r needs, i n t e r e s t s , and a b i l i t i e s to b e n e f it from such t r a i n i n g . 6 With the emergence o f occupational education and a d u lt edu­ ca tio n in the tw o-year c o lle g e , the term j u n i o r co lle g e has been, except f o r is o la te d in s tan ce s, e lim in a te d ; and the tw o-year compre­ hensive i n s t i t u t i o n is now c a lle d the community c o lle g e . L e s lie K o lta i and A lic e S. Thurston described community colleges as: . . . comprehensive i n s t i t u t i o n s t h a t prepare students to tr a n s ­ f e r to fo u r -y e a r i n s t i t u t i o n s , o f f e r occupational c u r r ic u la in response to local needs, provide o p p ortun ity f o r employed persons to upgrade t h e i r jo b s k i l l s o r r e t r a i n f o r new causes, and make a v a ila b le courses to those who want to know more about themselves and t h e i r w orld. In many s ta te s community colleges are located w ith in easy commuting d is tan ce o f most re s id e n ts ; t h e i r a c c e s s i­ b i l i t y , low c o s t, and open admissions are making i t possible f o r many Americans to pursue education beyond high school J ®U. S. Congress, Amendments to the Vocational Education Act o f 1963, P ublic Law 90 -57 6, 90th Congress, October 16, 1968. ^ L e s lie K o lta i and A l i c e S. Thurston, "The Community Col­ le g e s ," American Junior C o lle g e s , 8th e d . , ed, by E. J . G le a z e r, J r . (Washington, D .C ., American Council on Education, 1971 ), p. 3. 21 The Role o f the Community College in Providing Occupational Education f o r Employed Adults The l i t e r a t u r e r e f l e c t s a growing concensus about the r o le o f a comprehensive community c o lle g e as o f fe r in g a program f o r a l l . James W. Thorton stated i t s u c c in c tly when he s a id , "The community j u n i o r co lle g e e x is ts to provide post-high school education f o r a l l O o f the c h ild re n o f a l l o f the people and fo r a l l o f the people to o ." Lei and L. Medsker conveyed a s i m il a r thought when he s ta te d : "The comprehensive community c o lle g e o f fe r s programs designed f o r the most d iverse population o f youth and ad u lts in a l l o f ed u ca tio n ." q The community c o lle g e , by i t s very nature and w ith i t s open-door admissions p o lic y , declares t h a t educational o p p o rtu n ity should be a v a ila b le to a l l . Edmund J. Gleazer agreed by in d ic a tin g : "More students and a g re a te r v a r i e t y o f students are prospects f o r the fu tu re ." ^ ® David S. Bushnell supported the concept t h a t students, p are n ts , employers, and the p u b lic in general no longer accept the statement t h a t fo ur years o f post-secondary education is the only sure passport to fame and f o r t u n e . ^ Community colleges o f f e r an ®James W. Thorton, The Conmunity Junior College (New York: John W iley and Sons, 1 9 7 2 ), p. 158. Q B a r r ie r s , (New York: Leland L. Medsker and Dale T i l l a r y , Breaking th e Access Report o f the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, M cG raw -H ill, 19 71 ), p. 53. ^Edmund J. G le a ze r, "Now to Achieve the G oals," A Report to the 1972 American Association o f Junior College Convention, Ju n io r College J o u rn a l, May, 1972, p. 20. ^ D a v id S. Bushnell, O rganizing f o r Change: New P r i o r i t i e s - f o r Community Colleges (New Y o rk: M cG raw -H ill, 19 73 ), p. 12. 22 a ttra c tiv e a lte rn a tiv e . Occupational programs prepare students f o r any number o f w e ll-p a y in g and s o c ia ll y useful occupations. The high c o s t, the job market com petitiveness, and the growing awareness th a t con­ tin u in g educational o p p o rtu n itie s are and w i l l be a v a ila b le throughout one's working career a l l lessen the demand f o r t r a d i t i o n a l fo u r-y e a r degree. David S. Bushnell sta ted t h a t a d u lt and continuing education has been one o f the more important fu nctio ns o f community c o lle g e s . He in d ica te d t h a t f i v e major services have been involved in serving a d u lts . These a re: (1 ) occupational t r a i n i n g , in c lu d in g r e t r a i n i n g , occupational upgrading, and pre-employment education; (2 ) avocational and c u lt u r a l education, providing in s t r u c tio n in le is u r e - t im e a c t i v i ­ t i e s encompassing a wide v a r ie ty o f avocational in t e r e s t s ; (3 ) a d u lt basic education, u su ally lin k e d w ith pre-employment t r a i n i n g ; (4) a d u lt c i v i c education, preparing a lie n s f o r c i t i z e n s h i p , sometimes in c lu d in g high school equivalency education; and (5 ) workshops, semi­ nars, and n o n -c re d it courses designed to meet the special needs o f the community. Adult education in th e community co lle g e does and should play an es se n tia l ro le in helping ad u lts ad ju s t to changing technological requirements in the work place. 12 According to Edmund J. G le a z e r, J r . , career development is one o f the s i g n i f i c a n t ro le s o f the community co lle g e because people are in te re s te d in i t . 13 People o f a l l ages are concerned about 12I b i d . , p. 88. 13 Edmund J. G le a ze r, J r . , "What Now f o r Community C o lle g e s," Community and Junior College J o u rn a l, December-January, 1974, p. 8. 23 techn o lo g ical change and i t s e f f e c t s upon t h e i r l i v e s . People continue to need inform ation about job o p p o r t u n itie s , requirements f o r job e n t r y , p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r upgrading or r e t r a i n i n g , and the requirements f o r these. They need to have a source f o r o b ta in in g info rm ation about job a v a i l a b i l i t y and the educational requirements and competencies necessary f o r a v a ila b le jo b s . They also need ways o f id e n t if y in g t h e i r own i n t e r e s t s , a p titu d e s and p o t e n t ia ls . is the agency to provide these s e rv ic e s . The community c o lle g e 14 The r o le o f the community c o lle g e in pro vidin g occupational education f o r employed a d u lts may be c h a ra c te riz e d as fo llo w s : 1. Access to a l l . The c o lle g e adapts i t s procedures to meet the convenience and the needs o f a l l o f i t s c l i e n t s . 2. A sense o f continuing c o l l e g i a l i t y is mutual. Not f o r a moment is i t assumed t h a t the c o lle g e and the c i t i z e n have only one short period o f a s s o c ia tio n . The c o lle g e is to be used the way the p ub lic l i b r a r y is used when th e re is a need and an i n t e r e s t . 3. People's needs and plans f o r self-d evelo pm en t are the basis o f the educational a p p ro a c h .!5 The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education focused upon th e r o le of th e community c o lle g e in serving employed ad u lts w ith occupational program o ffe r in g s when i t concluded t h a t techn o lo g ical change is l i k e l y to be as rapid in the next few decades as i t was in the 19 6 0 's . To adapt to th is change, the average a d u lt w i l l undoubt­ edly need to s h i f t his occupation th re e o r fo u r times during his work 15I b i d . , p. 9. 24 life . I t w i l l be necessary f o r him to undertake continuing education a t the community c o lle g e a t various in t e r v a ls to p ro te c t h im s e lf a g a in s t educational and occupational obsolescense. The Commission in munity 1 fi another re p o rt f u r t h e r described the com­ c o lle g e 's r o le by taking th e fo llo w in g p o s itio n : An unusually heavy burden o f u niversal access now f a l l s and w i l l continue to f a l l on the tw o-year community c o lle g e s . They have the most v a rie d programs and thus appeal to the w idest v a r i e t y o f stu d en ts. T h e ir geographical dispersio n makes them, in sta tes where they are w e ll-d e v e lo p systems, the most e a s ily a v a i l a b l e co lle g es f o r many students. The community colleges are p a r t ic u ­ l a r l y w e l l - s u it e d to help overcome d e p riv a tio n by f a c t o f lo c a t io n , d e p riv a tio n by f a c t o f age, and d e p riv a tio n by f a c t o f income.” Warren W. W illingham , in his study to e s ta b lis h some q u a n ti­ t a t i v e in d ic a to rs o f how ac ce ss ib le higher education is to the people, concluded t h a t th e community c o lle g e is the most g e n e r a lly useful approach to expanding educational o p p o rtu n ity in the 1 9 7 0 's . 18 " P ro je c t Focus," a study o f community co lleg es conducted by th e American Association o f Community and Junior Colleges in 1971, revealed t h a t the g o a l, "To re -ed ucate and r e t r a i n those whose voca­ tio n a l c a p a b i l i t i e s are o b s o le te ," was l i s t e d f i f t h by community c o l ­ lege p residents and s ix th by community c o lle g e f a c u l t y in responding to a question requesting them to rank order the top s ix goals f o r 16 The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, The OpenDoor Colleges: P o lic ie s f o r Community Colleges (New York: McGrawH i l l , 1 9 7 0 ), p. 20. 17 Carnegie Conmission on Higher Education, A Chance to Learn: An Action Aqenda f o r Equal O pportunity in Hiqher Education (New York: M cG ra w -H ill! 1970 ), p. 24. 18 (P rin c e to n : Warren W. W illingham , Free Access to Higher Education College Entrance Examination Board, 1 9 7 0 ), p. 230. 25 community co lle g es f o r the 1 9 7 0 's . Although t h is goal was given a low p r i o r i t y in the s ix t h a t were rank o rd e re d , i t is s i g n i f i c a n t to note t h a t i t is indeed a goal t h a t i s recognized by both the c h ie f a d m in is tr a tiv e o f f i c e r and th e f a c u l t y . ^ The acceptance by th e community c o lle g e o f the ro le to pro­ vid e ad u lts w ith o p p o rtu n itie s during th e evening f o r upgrading and r e t r a i n i n g in occupations has been a r a t h e r recent development. This r o le in the past has been thought o f as an appendage to the re g u la r c o lle g e day program. Leonard C. Schwartz i l l u s t r a t e d t h is in his study conducted in 1966 o f s e le c te d New York community colleg es o f f e r ­ ing evening programs f o r a d u lts . He found the fo llo w in g : 1. The evening d iv is io n s o f s e le c te d community colleges were e s tab lis h e d to s a t i s f y community needs and demands. 2. The programs o ffe re d during the evening were r e p e t it io n s o f day o ffe r in g s and d id not r e f l e c t a conscious study o f the needs o f a d u lts . 3. Evening program costs were met from t u i t i o n fees c o lle c te d and the surplus was u t i l i z e d in the general c o lle g e budget. 4. A d m in is tra tiv e p r a c tic e encourages th e separation o f the day and evening programs and r e s u lt s in the evening program being perceived as an "appendage" to th e i n s t i t u t i o n r a th e r than an in t e g r a l u n i t serving th e a d u lt p a r t - t im e s tu d e n t.20 The la c k o f status o f th e evening program was f u r t h e r i l l u s ­ t r a t e d in a study conducted by W illia m J . Schleibaum the same y e a r. Sixteen C a l i f o r n i a j u n i o r co lle g es were stu d ied to determine the 1Q B ushnell, O rganizing f o r Change: Community C o lle g e s , p. 49. New P r i o r i t i e s f o r 20Leonard C. Schwartz, "Adult Education in Selected Com­ munity Colleges in New York: I t s Support and Control According to the Records as Reported by College O f f i c i a l s , " (unpublished Ph.D. d i s s e r t a t i o n , Syracuse U n i v e r s i t y , 19 66 ). 26 day-evening d is p a r i t y in support s e rv ic e s . They were s e le c te d on the basis o f lo c a t io n , type o f community, and s iz e . The study i d e n t i f i e d seven major areas where evening in s t r u c t io n a l programs received fewer support services than day in s t r u c t io n a l programs. a re: These seven areas (1 ) general a d m in is tr a tiv e s e rv ic e s ; (2 ) o f f i c e f a c i l i t i e s : (3 ) c u r r i c u la r and in s tr u c tio n a l support; (4 ) co u nseling , guidance, and t e s tin g o f students; (5 ) l i b r a r y s e r v ic e ; ( 6 ) teaching a id s ; and (7 ) compensation to in s tr u c t o r s . 21 A review o f th e l i t e r a t u r e in t h i s se ctio n revealed t h a t the sta tu s gap between the community c o lle g e evening program and day program is c lo s in g . In 1966 the evening program was considered an "appendage1* to the re g u la r day program and did not enjoy the supporting services which were a v a i l a b l e f o r the day program. The c u rre n t leaders in the community c o lle g e movement are now reco g nizing th e needs o f a d u lts who can attend o nly during the evening f o r jo b upgrading and re tra in in g . They submit th a t th e community c o lle g e is th e p u b lic educational i n s t i t u t i o n to f u l f i l l those needs. As a r e s u l t , the ro le o f th e community c o lle g e in making educational o p p o r tu n itie s a v a ila b le to a d u lts during the evening has changed during th e past decade and w i l l continue to change in the f u t u r e . W illia m J. Schleibaum, A d m in is tr a tiv e , Supervisory, and Special Services Related to In s t r u c t io n in C a l i f o r n i a P u b lic Junior Colleges tU n iv e r s ity o f Southern C a l i f o r n i a , 1 9 6 6 ), (pages were not numbered). 27 C h a r a c te r is tic s o f A d u lt Students Older students, beyond th e t r a d i t i o n a l c o lle g e age o f 17 to 2 1 , make up an increasing portion o f th e co lle g e student p o p ulatio n, e s p e c ia lly a t th e tw o-year community co lle g e s t h a t emphasize community s e rv ic e and continuing education. Leland L. Medsker estimated in 1960 t h a t a d u lt students comprise about o n e -h a lf o f community c o lle g e enro llm en ts across the country. 22 The p ro je cte d trend o f the community c o lle g e is th a t i t w i l l place increased emphasis on community educatio n f o r a l l age le v e ls and age groups. 23 The m a jo r ity o f the o ld e r students atte n d class p a rt tim e , u s u a lly during evening hours a f t e r working f u l l tim e a t t h e i r re s p e c tiv e jo b s . 24 Charles S. Chapman studied c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f a d u lt p a r t time students in Contra Costa County, C a l i f o r n i a . His study included p a r t - t im e a d u lt students e n ro lle d in s ix high schools, two ju n io r c o lle g e s , u n iv e r s it y extension d iv is io n s , and a s ta t e c o lle g e . purpose o f the study was: The (1 ) to le a rn the general c h a r a c t e r is tic s o f a sample o f a d u lt p a r t-tim e students; (2 ) to a s c e rta in why they returned to school as p a r t -t im e students; and (3 ) to determine the s c h o la s tic a p titu d e o f a d u lts who p a r t i c ip a t e as p a r t - tim e students. 22Le1and L. Medsker, The Junior C ollege: Prospect (New York: M cG raw -H ill, 1 9 6 0 ), p. 43. Progress and ^Herman L. H a rla c h e r, The Community Dimension o f the Com­ munity College (Englewood C l i f f s : P re n tic e H a l l , 1969), p. 69. 2^Gary R. Hanson and Oscar T. Lenning, D iffe re n c e s in Char­ a c t e r i s t i c s and Outlooks o f Men and Women College Students a t Various Age L e v e ls , (paper presented a t th e North C entral special i n t e r e s t group f o r community c o lle g e research, Ann Arbor, Michigan, J u ly , 1 9 7 3 ), p. 1. 28 Data f o r the study were secured through th e use o f in te rv ie w s , a q u e s tio n n a ire , and a s c h o la s tic a p titu d e t e s t . Among the fin d in g s o f the study were: 1. M o tiv a tio n o f ad u lts f o r p a r t i c ip a t i o n as p a r t-tim e students req u ires taking in to account the o rg a n iza tio n and s tr u c tu r e o f the educational i n s t i t u t i o n . Course o ffe rin g s o f a school tend to draw students w ith d is tin g u is h in g c h a ra c te r­ is tic s . Ju n io r colleg es tend to draw younger, less w e l l educated ad u lts o f the community t h a t have high educational and occupational a s p ir a tio n s . O cc u p atio n a lly, t h is group is comprised p r i n c i p a l l y o f craftsm en, foremen, c le r k s , and some p ro fe s s io n a ls . 2. I t is d i f f i c u l t to d is tin g u is h between the educational and economic m otivation o f a d u lts . In order to serve ad u lts e f f e c t i v e l y , a program s u f f i c i e n t l y d iv e rs e to meet the needs o f those in te re s te d in c e r t i f i c a t e s o r degrees as w ell as those in te re s te d in in s t r u c tio n in su b ject m atter d i r e c t l y r e la te d to economic gain should be o f fe r e d . 3. Because o f d iffe re n c e s among a d u lts in age, sex, education, educational g o a l, occupation, and occupational o b je c tiv e s , g e n e ra liz a tio n s cannot be made as to "who" the ty p ic a l a d u lt p a r t-tim e student i s . 4. On the basis o f t e s t scores, ad u lts have le a rn in g a b i l i t i e s equal to those o f youth. 5. There is a close r e la t io n s h ip between occupation and occupa­ tio n a l goal. The lower the person is on the occupational la d d e r, the more desirous he is o f change. 6. Occupational a s p ira tio n s o f ad u lts are r e a l i s t i c . 7. Returning to school on a p a r t -t im e basis is not a chance event. Adults look to education as a means o f re so lvin g d is s a t is f a c t io n s and as an a id to achieving t h e i r a s p ir a tio n s . 8. A knowledge o f the c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f a d u lt students and a knowledge o f th e socio-economic conditions in which the school operates is necessary in order to o f f e r s a t is f a c t o r y programs f o r a d u lt p a r t-tim e students. 9. Knowledge o f age range, sex r a t i o , s c h o la s tic a p t it u d e , and educational and occupational goals have wide im p lic a tio n s f o r the program f o r p a r t - tim e a d u lt students. This in fo rm ation is p e r tin e n t to curriculum development, teacher re c ru itm e n t, and student guidance and c o u n s elin g .25 2^Charles E. Chapman, "Some C h a r a c te r is tic s o f A dult P a rt-tim e Students," A dult Education, Autumn, 1959, pp. 24-41. 29 Harold A. Wren and Charles Gordon Dugger each conducted a study in v o lv in g th e a s p ir a tio n s and m o tiva tio n o f a d u lt students. Wren's study was done in 1942. He concluded t h a t th e re was an i n t e r ­ dependence between the amount o f formal education and the occupational a s p ir a tio n l e v e l . A lso , he concluded t h a t the le v e l o f vocational a s p ir a tio n was u n relate d to age and to m a rita l status and the number o f dependents. 26 Charles Gordon Dugger, in 1965, tes ted the hypothesis t h a t a d u lt le a rn e rs e n ro lle d in c r e d i t courses in the evening program a t Drake U n iv e r s it y were unhappy w ith t h e i r present vo cation al s i t u a t i o n and t h a t c o lle g e attendance was a means f o r occupational advancement. His re s u lts s u b sta n tiate d the theory t h a t the evening student was v o c a tio n a lly m o tivated . He also found t h a t the fa c to r s o f age and sex d is c rim in a te d s i g n i f i c a n t l y as to m o tiv a tio n . c a n tly more v o c a tio n a lly motivated than women. Men were s i g n i f i ­ A lso , the age range o f a d u lt students o f twenty to f o r t y - n i n e were s i g n i f i c a n t l y more m otivated than those o f o th e r ages. 27 The r e s u lt s o f Wren's and Dugger's studies appear to be con­ t r a d i c t o r y w ith regard to the r e la t io n s h ip between vocational a s p ir a tio n s and vocational m o tiv a tio n and age. (New York: The tw e n ty -th re e years th a t elapsed 26Harold A. Wren, Vocational A s p ira tio n Levels o f Adults Columbia U n iv e r s ity Press, 1 9 4 2 ), pp. 124-5. 2^Charles Gordon Dugger, “M o tiv a tio n and Factors C h aracter­ iz in g A dult Learners En ro lled in Evening Courses a t Drake U n i v e r s i t y ," (unpublished Ph.D. d i s s e r t a t i o n , Iowa S ta te U n iv e r s it y , 1965). 30 between these two studies might account f o r th is c o n tra d ic tio n . A s h i f t in the objectives o f the a d u lt students could have l e g i t i m a t e l y occurred during the time period between the studies. A llen Boyd Knox, in studying the ad u lt students e n ro lle d in the Adult Education Division o f Syracuse U n iv e rs ity , concluded t h a t three-fou rth s o f the students attending were motivated by a v o c a tio n a l reason while one-fourth were motivated by a c u ltu r a l reason f o r a t tending co llege. 28 Robert Watson Comfort u t i l i z e d a d e s c rip tiv e method o f r e ­ search to synthesize th ir te e n major c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the a d u lt lea rn er. The implications o f these c h a ra c te ris tic s f o r the evening college operation were i d e n t i f i e d . He developed a model co n sistin g o f program and curriculum, in s tru c tio n a l program, admissions, and counseling. He concluded th a t the program and curriculum p ortio ns o f the model should consist o f: . . . recognition and acceptance o f the students' perceived state o f autonomy, emphasis upon v o c atio n al/p ro fe ss io n al pro­ gramming, p r a c t ic a lly o rie n te d , necessity o f high q u a l i t y , minimal r i g i d i t y , blend o f theory and p r a c t i c a l, p u b lic a tio n o f course objectives and requirements, behavioral o b je c tiv e s , and "blocks" of le a rn in g .29 A study o f evening a d u lt students en ro lled a t F l i n t J u n io r College, F l i n t , Michigan was conducted by Louis A. D'Amico during th e 1956-57 school year. These students represented an age range o f ^ A l l e n Boyd Knox, "Adult College Students: An A n alysis o f Certain Factors Related to the C h a ra c te ris tic s o f Students A tte n d in g a U n iversity Adult College," {unpublished Ph.D. d is s e r t a t io n , Syracuse U n iv e rs ity , 1958). on Robert Watson Comfort, "A Model o f an Evening College Based on the C h arac teris tic s o f the Adult Learner," (unpublished Ph.D. d is s e rta tio n , U n iversity o f P itts b u rg , 1972), 31 seventeen to s i x t y - e i g h t , w ith a median age o f 24.5 years. The median hours o f work per week w h ile attending c o lle g e was f o r t y - t h r e e hours. The median hours worked by men was s l i g h t l y higher than those fo r women. F ifte e n per cent worked fewer than t h i r t y - f i v e hours per week w h ile twenty-one per cent worked f o r t y - f i v e or more hours per week. A strong vocational o r ie n ta t io n held by the students was e v id e n t. S e v e n ty -fiv e per cent stated t h e i r o b jec tiv es to be profes­ sional o r v o c a tio n a l. E ig h t y - f iv e per cent ind icated th a t they were attend ing c o lle g e to get a b e t t e r jo b . In a d d itio n , f o r t y - t h r e e per cent expressed d is s a t is f a c t io n w ith t h e i r cu rren t employment. S ix t y - seven per cent o f the students, according to D'Amico, saw a s i g n i f i ­ cant r e la t io n s h ip between t h e i r course work in the c o lle g e and t h e i r c u rre n t o c c u p a t io n .^ Fred A. Snyder and Clyde E. Blocker, a t Harrisburg Area Community C o lle g e , H arrisbu rg , Pennsylvania, concluded th a t t h e i r a d u lt student population (age twenty-one and over) would continue to increase and t h a t they needed to know more about them and t h e i r reasons f o r attend ing the c o lle g e in order to respond more a p p ro p r ia te ly to t h e i r educational needs. They conducted a study to answer the fo llo w in g questions about t h e i r a d u lt students: 1. What are t h e i r backgrounds? 2. Why do they attend? 3. In to what programs or courses do they e n ro ll? 4. What are t h e i r academic successes? ^ L o u i s A. D'Amico, " F l i n t Junior College Study," Adult Education, W in te r, 1959, p. 98 -9. 32 5. What evidences o f personal and occupational o r career development e x is t? Data were c o lle c te d by u t i l i z i n g a mailed q u e s tio n n a ire and student records. The r e s u lts o f the study revealed t h a t tw o -th ird s of the a d u lt students were between the ages o f twenty-one and t h i r t y . Seventy per cent were men and t h i r t y per cent were women. Less than f i f t y per cent o f the men and over s i x t y per cent o f the women were or had been m a rrie d , and s e v e n ty -fiv e per cent o f the married students rep o rted having one or more c h ild r e n . O n e -th ird o f the a d u lt students were c a rry in g twelve or more c r e d i t hours. Over h a l f held f u l l - t i m e jobs w ith more o f the men having f u l l - t i m e jobs than women. About t h i r t y per cent o f the a d u lt students were e n ro lle d in programs designed to prepare them f o r employment immediately upon re c e iv in g th e as s o c ia te degree. Self-improvement and job p rep aratio n were ra te d as the most im portant reason f o r atte n d in g c o lle g e . Among the recommendations as a r e s u l t o f the study were: (1 ) a d d itio n a l f i n a n c ia l aids f o r a d u lt students w ith low socio­ economic backgrounds; (2 ) f l e x i b l e admission procedures; (3 ) a d d itio n a l p u b lic in fo rm ation about the educational services f o r ad u lts be pro­ vided; and ( 4 ) long-range planning in o rder to accommodate the p a r t time student be considered in course scheduling. 31 Gary R. Hanson and Oscar T. Lenning studied fo u r d i f f e r e n t age le v e ls o f students e n ro lle d in community c o lle g e vocation al te c h n ic a l programs. The purpose o f t h e i r study was to ex p lo re the ^ F r e d A. Snyder and Clyde E. B lo c k e r, "The A d u lt Student P o p u la tio n ," H arrisburg Area Community C o lle g e , Pennsylvania, 1971, (ED 047 6 8 9 ). 33 g o a ls , a t t i t u d e s , p erc ep tio n s, and o th e r c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f c o lle g e stu d en ts. o ver. The age le v e ls were 19 or le s s , 2 0 -2 4 , 2 5 -3 9 , and 40 and The Career Planning P r o f i l e , developed by the American College T estin g S e rv ic e , was adm inistered to students in one hundred community co lle g es across the country. Among the conclusions drawn from t h is study were: 1. Older students t y p i c a l l y had lower a b i l i t y scores. 2. Older students t y p i c a l l y earned higher grades than younger students. 3. Women had higher g ra d e -p o in t averages than men a t a l l 4. In t e r e s t s remained q u ite s ta b le over a period o f time f o r a l l age l e v e l s . 5. Women emphasized health and o f f i c e occupations w h ile men emphasized trades and technology. 6. A decreasing percentage o f women e n te r o f f i c e occupations w ith an increase in age. 7. The youngest group o f students reported t h a t they made t h e i r vo cation al choice a t an e a r l i e r age than did o ld e r students. 8. Women tended to be more c e r t a in o f t h e i r vocational choice than did men. 9. The most important goal f o r a l l age le v e ls was to secure vocational o r p ro fession al t r a in i n g w ith the second most im portant goal being to develop sa le a b le s k i l l s f o r fin d in g a jo b . 10. Men over f o r t y a s p ire to v o c a tio n a l-te c h n ic a l degrees more than women over f o r t y , w h ile the opposite was noted f o r the o th e r th re e age groups. 11. Women were more p o s itiv e in t h e i r ev alu atio n s o f t h e i r i n ­ s t i t u t i o n s than were men. le v e ls . 34 12. Older students were more p o s it iv e in t h e i r evalu ation s than were younger s t u d e n t s . 3 2 Fred John Brinkman studied the c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f the eve­ ning d iv is io n students e n ro lle d in the Los Angeles Trade-Technical C ollege. He d ivided th e stu d en ts, f o r purposes o f his study, in to th re e f i e l d s o f co n centration : business education, general s tu d ie s , and t r a d e -te c h n ic a l courses. He u t i l i z e d a q u e stio n n aire to c o l l e c t data about student c h a r a c t e r is t ic s such as age, ra c e , sex, m a r ita l s ta tu s , number o f c h ild r e n , amount o f formal ed ucation, educational o b je c t iv e s , reasons fo r e n r o l li n g , work s ta tu s , and number o f hours worked per week. His fin d in g s and conclusions revealed the fo llo w in g : 1. The evening d iv is io n student body consisted o f th re e -fo u rth s males and o n e -fo u rth females. This was th e r e s u l t o f the d is p ro p o rtio n a te number o f students in the tra d e -te c h n ic a l fie ld s . The business and general studies students were e q u a lly d iv id e d between male and female. 2. T w o-thirds o f the students were married a t the tim e o f the in v e s t ig a t io n . The percentage o f married students en ro lle d in t r a d e -te c h n ic a l courses was considerably higher than t h a t o f students e n ro lle d in general studies o r business courses. 3. S l i g h t l y over o n e -th ird o f the married respondents reported t h a t they did not have c h ild r e n . The mean number o f c h i l d ­ ren was one and fo u r -te n th s f o r those who were m arried. 4. T h ree -fo u rth s o f the evening student body were made up o f blacks and Caucasians. The remainder was comprised o f Mexi­ can, Spanish, In d ia n s , and O r ie n ta ls . 5. S ix t y - e ig h t per cent o f the students in d ic a te d t h a t they had attended c o lle g e p r i o r to the semester in which the study was conducted. •3 0 Gary R. Hanson and Oscar T. Lenning, D iffe re n c e s in Char­ a c t e r i s t i c s and Outlooks o f Men and Women College Students a t Various Age L e v e ls , (paper presented a t th e .N o rth Central special i n t e r e s t group f o r community c o lle g e re se arch , Ann Arbor, M ichigan, J u ly , 1973 ). 35 6. The mean number o f classes e n ro lle d in per respondent was 7. The educational o b je c tiv e s o f th e m a jo r ity o f students graduation from the community c o lle g e . 8. Occupational forces provided the major in c e n tiv e f o r the evening stu d en t to a tte n d evening community c o lle g e classes. Over o n e -th ird in d ic a te d t h a t t h e i r classes were o f d i r e c t b e n e f it to t h e i r present employment. The m a jo r ity o f the remainder in d ic a te d th a t t h e i r classes would be o f d i r e c t b e n e fit to fu tu r e employment. 9. Evening students p re fe rre d such methods o f in s t r u c t io n as l e c t u r e , dem onstrations, and group d iscussion. 1 . 86 . was 10. Approximately ten per cent o f the evening students education o f less than a high school diploma. had p r i o r 11. T h re e -fo u rth s o f the respondents repo rted they were e n ro lle d in classes r e la t e d to t h e i r employment. 12. An overwhelming m a jo r ity were employed f u l l 13. Over seventy per cent o f the evening students a n tic ip a te d e i t h e r a promotion in t h e i r present occupation or a new jo b as a r e s u l t o f t h e i r community c o lle g e c la s s e s .33 tim e . Emerging Im peratives The fo llo w in g statement by Grant Venn sets the tone f o r the emerging im p eratives t h a t community c o lle g e s must consider in serving evening occupational students: The r e la t io n s h ip between ed u catio n, the i n d i v i d u a l , and his a d u lt work r o le must be more than a temporary f l i r t a ­ t i o n , i t must be a permanent love a f f a i r . 3 4 Fred John Brinkman, "Analysis o f the C h a r a c te r is tic s o f Selected Vocational Students w ith Im p lic a tio n s f o r Guidance and Counseling," (unpublished Ed.D. d i s s e r t a t i o n , U n iv e r s it y o f C a l i f o r n i a , 1970>> ™ J4Grant Venn, Man, Education, and Manpower (Washington, D .C .: American A ssociation o f School A d m in is tra to rs , 1 9 7 0 ), p. 223. 36 The Need f o r Education There is a growing awareness t h a t the need f o r education w i l l continue throughout one's l i f e . The nature and r a t e o f techn o lo g ical change has made th e concept o f preparing f o r l i f e ' s work a t a given period in one's l i f e no longer v a l i d . Technological change mandates t h a t the s k i l l and knowledge requirements o f jobs be continuously up­ graded. Venn recognized the need f o r l i f e l o n g le a rn in g by s t a t in g : "The continuing n eces sity f o r occupational adjustment w i l l mean a l i f e o f co ntinuing ed u ca tio n ." 35 The N ational Advisory Council on A dult Education also em­ phasized l i f e l o n g le a rn in g by subscribing to th e fo llo w in g statem ent: Our nation must be v i t a l l y concerned w ith the education o f i t s ad u lts as i t is w ith the education o f i t s c h ild re n . A dult edu­ cation can pay r ic h d iv id e n d s— not twenty years from now, but immediately. Our n ation must provide the "second o p p o rtu n ity " f o r the p a r t i a l l y educated, the u ninvolved, the i l l i t e r a t e , the a d u lt w ith y e s te rd a y 's to o ls who a re in need o f m arketable s k i l l s f o r today. We must provide a means f o r more comprehensive life lo n g le a rn in g programs.36 A dult education which was once considered p erip h e ra l becoming c e n t r a l . is now Malcolm S. Knowles has in d ic a te d t h a t th e concept o f l i f e l o n g le a rn in g has emerged as one o f the exp lo sive concepts in the second h a l f o f the tw e n tie th cen tu ry. 37 S im ila rly , 35 I b i d . , p. 53. N ational Advisory Council on A dult Education, Annual Re­ p o rt (Washington, D .C .: Government P r in tin g O f f i c e , March, 1973). ■^Malcolm S. Knowles, Higher A d u lt Education in th e United States (Washington, D .C .: American Council on Education, 1 9 6 9 ), p. 5. 37 John W. Johnstone and Ramon J. Rivera noted and predicted in t h e i r study a considerable growth in c o lle g e le v e l a d u lt education during 38 the next several decades. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education concluded t h a t : Technological change is l i k e l y to be as rapid in the next few decades as i t was in the 19 60 's. To adapt to t h is change, the average a d u lt may have to s h i f t his occupation th ree or fo u r times during h is work l i f e and undertake continuing education a t various in t e r v a ls to p ro te c t him self against educational and occupational obsolescence.39 The Carnegie Commission believed th a t community colleges provide an opportunity f o r continuing education f o r ad u lts to upgrade t h e i r s k i l l s . 40 Also they in d ica te d th a t the working a d u lt 's o b jec­ t iv e s are predominantly professional o r vocational and in most cases, they are attending c o lle g e in order to q u a lif y f o r a b e t t e r j o b . 4 ^ Lawrence H. Stewart ind icated t h a t since the ty p ic a l worker w i l l have to be "retreaded" many times during h is working l i f e , occupational education f o r employed persons w i l l become an in c re a s in g ly important ro le o f the community c o lle g e in the f u t u r e . 42 38 Learning: (Chicago: John W. Johnstone and Ramon J. R ive ra , Volunteers f o r A Study o f the Educational Pursuits o f American Adults National Opinion Research C e n te r, 19 65 ), p. 19. 39 The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, The OpenDoor Colleges: P o lic ie s fo r Community C o lle g e s, (New York: McGrawH iT T , 1970), p. 20. 4QI b i d . , p. 3. 4 ^I b i d . , p. 6. 42 Lawrence H. Stew art, C h a r a c te r is tic s o f Junior College Students in O ccupationally Oriented C u r r ic u la , Report No. R -1966-1, iB e r k e le y : U n iv e rs ity o f C a li f o r n ia , 1966), p. 12. 38 Manpower Needs Work is in c re a s in g ly becoming more c o g n itiv e in n atu re. Human strength and d o c i l i t y are no longer prime q u a l i t i e s in the lab o r market. P a t r i c i a Cross has pointed out t h a t the United States is the f i r s t country in the world where the number o f w hite c o l l a r workers has grown to exceed the number o f blue c o l l a r workers. White c o l l a r workers c o n s titu te d less t h a t o n e -q u arter o f the work fo rc e in 1910; today n e a rly o n e -h a lf o f a l l employed persons work a t w h ite c o l l a r jobs. Not only has there been a tremendous expansion o f jobs during the tw e n tie th century, but th e re has been a s p i r a l l i n g increase in the complexity o f jo b s. manpower changes. Education is e s s e n tia l to accommodate these Education has become the gateway to jobs o f the fu tu re and the community c o lle g e w i l l and in - s e r v ic e manpower development. play a major r o l e in p r e -s e r v ic e 43 Professional and tec h n ica l occupations are the f a s t e s t growing occupations. I t is projected t h a t an annual growth r a t e o f 3 .4 per cent w i l l occur during the cu rre n t decade. These occupations are the ones th a t re q u ire the most s o p h is tic a te d le v e l o f education. Service occupations w ith a projected annual growth r a t e o f 3 .0 per cent rank second. Appendix A presents the p ro jected annual growth ra te o f change f o r the nine occupational groupings es tab lis h e d by the United States Department o f Labor. During the 1960*s the number o f persons in the labor fo rc e between the ages o f 16 and 24 increased 53 per cent over t h is same age grouping during the 1 9 5 0 's . This 43P a t r i c i a K. Cross, Beyond the Open Door (Washington, D .C .: Jossey Bass, 1971), p. 1. 39 increase w i l l be r e f le c t e d in the 25 to 34 age grouping during the 19 70's. I t is p ro jected t h a t t h is age group in the lab o r fo rce w i l l increase 49 per cent over the s i m il a r group during the 19 6 0 's . The ta b le in Appendix B i l l u s t r a t e s th e s h i f t in age grouping o f the labor fo rc e during the decade o f th e 1960's and the decade o f the 1970's. This ra p id growth r a te in these age ranges is due to the la rg e expan­ sion in b i r t h ra te s during and immediately a f t e r World War I I . Both manpower demands and a s h i f t in age groups o f th e labor fo rce w i l l c r e a te a d d itio n a l burdens upon the community c o lle g e to provide o p p o rtu n itie s f o r employed ad u lts to upgrade t h e i r s k i l l s and to r e t r a i n f o r expanding occupations. Chester J. Swanson and Ernest G. Kramer c l e a r l y summarized the emerging im peratives when they s ta te d : The changing nature o f our in d u s t r i a l s o c ie ty is such as to place an in creasin g emphasis on the importance o f continuous educational o p p o rtu n ity . The f l u i d n atu re in our own workaday world and the very re a l p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t a s i g n i f i c a n t number o f the in d iv id u a ls in tomorrow's lab o r fo rc e w i l l have more than one occupation during t h e i r working l i f e places new im­ portance on a d u lt education and on the need f o r r e t r a in in g workers and upgrading and updating s k i l l s o f those employed.44 Summary This chapter has d iv id e d the l i t e r a t u r e review in to fo u r to p ic s : (1) The Emergence o f Occupational Education and Education f o r A dults in the Community C o lle g e ; ( 2 ) The Role o f th e Community College in Providing Occupational Education f o r Employed A d u lts ; ^ C h e s t e r J . Swanson and Ernest G, Kramer, "Vocational Edu­ ca tio n Beyond High School," S i x t y - f o u r t h Yearbook o f the National S o ciety o f the Study o f Education, Chap. V I I , (Chicago: U n iv e r s ity o f Chicago Press, 1 9 6 5 ), pp. 168-85. 40 (3) C h a r a c te r is tic s o f A dult Students; and ( 4 ) Emerging Im p erative s. The f i r s t section o f t h i s chapter reviewed the development o f occupational education and education f o r a d u lts in the community c o lle g e . Although the genesis o f the community c o lle g e occurred dur­ ing the nineteenth c e n tu ry , i t was the second h a l f o f the tw e n tie th century when the d e f i n i t i o n and r o l e o f the community c o lle g e became s u f f i c i e n t l y focused to inclu d e occupational education f o r employed a d u lts . The technological r e v o lu tio n a f t e r World War I I which created a need f o r tec h n ica l manpower and vocational education l e g i s l a t i o n during the 1960's led to the development o f occupational education in the community c o lle g e . A small number o f " ju n io r colleg es" o ffe re d programs f o r a d u lts as e a r ly as 1925. The major growth, however, occurred a t the same time when occupational education was expanding. The Vocational Education Act o f 1963 and the 1968 Amendments o f th a t Act provided considerable impetus to provide jo b upgrading and r e ­ t r a in i n g f o r a l l students in clu d in g the a d u lt p a r t- tim e student. The l i t e r a t u r e reviewed in the second section r e f l e c t s a growing concensus about the r o le o f the comprehensive community c o l­ lege as o f f e r i n g a program f o r a l l . Technological change has created a demand f o r workers to be r e t r a in e d and upgraded p e r i o d i c a l ly during t h e i r working l i f e . The community c o lle g e is considered th e best p u b lic educational i n s t i t u t i o n to provide working a d u lts w ith t h is o p p o rtu n ity . Evening programs f o r a d u lt s , once considered an "append­ age" to th e re g u la r day programs, are now being recognized as an e q u a lly im portant p a rt o f the t o t a l c o lle g e o p e ra tio n . 41 The t h i r d section reviewed stu d ies t h a t have been conducted about a d u lt student c h a r a c t e r is t ic s . There is a very lim it e d amount o f research t h a t has been done about the c h a r a c te r is t ic s o f the a d u lt student. The researchers t h a t have conducted studies on a d u lt s tu ­ dent c h a r a c t e r is t ic s g e n e ra lly agree on the fo llo w in g p oints: 1. A dult students comprise a hetrogeneous group w ith respect to age, sex, ra c e , m a rita l s t a tu s , educational background, edu­ c a tio n a l a s p ir a t io n s , and occupations. 2. There is a close r e la t io n s h ip between the a d u lt students' occupation and occupational g oal. 3. The m a jo r ity o f a d u lt students are motivated by a vocational reason to atte n d c o lle g e . 4. The m a jo r ity o f a d u lt students a re males. 5. The m a jo r ity o f a d u lt students a re tak in g classes r e la te d to t h e i r employment. 6. The m a jo r ity o f a d u lt stu d en ts, p a r t i c u l a r l y those in evening programs, are employed f u l l - t i m e . The l a s t section o f th is chapter presented a review o f the l i t e r a t u r e concerning the need f o r education among a d u lts and the manpower needs o f the n a tio n . A dult education in the community c o lle g e w i l l become in c re a s in g ly im portant because o f the n eces sity o f l i f e ­ long le a r n in g . Technological change w i l l continue a t a rapid pace. Some jobs w i l l be e lim in a te d and new ones w i l l be cre a te d . This con­ tin u in g change w i l l n e c e s s ita te continuing education on the p a rt o f the n a tio n 's la b o r fo rc e in order to keep pace w ith the world o f work. The community c o lle g e w i l l play a prominent r o le in providing oppor­ t u n i t i e s fo r employed ad u lts to upgrade and r e t r a i n themselves. CHAPTER I I I METHODOLOGY In tro d u c tio n This chapter contains a discussion o f the methodology u t i l i z e d to c o l l e c t , process, and analyze the d ata. fo u r sectio n s . These are: (1 ) data c o l le c t i o n ; I t consists o f (2 ) data proc­ essing; (3) data a n a ly s is ; and (4 ) summary. Data C o lle c tio n The West Central League o f Michigan Community Colleges p a r tic ip a t e d in t h is study. in s titu tio n s : The League consists o f the fo llo w in g Grand Rapids J u n io r C o lle g e , Jackson Community C o llege, Kalamazoo V a lle y Community C o lle g e , Kellogg Community C o llege, Lake Michigan Community C o lle g e , Lansing Community C o llege, and Muskegon Community C ollege. The researcher v i s it e d each o f the seven community colleges to secure cooperation and to i d e n t i f y the occupational courses being o ffe re d between the hours o f 5:3 0 P.M. and 11:00 P.M. and t h e i r re s p e c tiv e enrollm ents during the spring semester (term) o f 1974. The occupational courses i d e n t i f i e d were those t h a t were l i s t e d on each i n s t i t u t i o n ' s taxonomy o f courses as being approved f o r reim­ bursement by the V o catio nal-Tech nical Education Service o f the 42 43 Michigan Department o f Education. The courses were then categ o rized in to the U. S. O f f ic e o f Education Occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s . ^ The Population The population consists o f 9,501 students e n ro lle d in the evening occupational courses o ffe re d by the seven community colleges in the West Central League. The t a b le in Appendix C d e t a i l s the population by g iv in g the numbers o f evening students e n ro lle d in each o f the seven schools by occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n . The Sample The sample s iz e was determined by u t i l i z i n g the formula developed by the Research D iv is io n o f the N ational Education Associa2 t io n . The formula i s : s = X2 NP (1 -P ) -4- [d 2 ( N - l ) + X2 P (1 - P ) ] where: s = requ ired sample s ize based upon the number in the popula­ tio n . 2 X = the t a b le value o f ch i-sq uare f o r one degree o f freedom a t the desired confidence le v e l ( 3 . 8 4 1 ) . N = the population s iz e . ^United States O f f ic e o f Education, Vocational Education and Occupations, (Washington, D. C .; United S ta te s Government P r in tin g O f f ic e , 0. E. 80061, 1 9 6 8 ), pp. 3, 19, 39, 51, 57, 85, 103. 2 N ational Education A s s o c ia tio n , "Small Sample Techniques," The NEA Research B u l l e t i n , Vol. 38, (December, 19 60 ), p. 99. 44 P = the population proportion (assumed to be .50 since th is would provide the maximum sample s i z e ) . d = the degree o f accuracy expressed as a proportion ( . 0 5 ) C O The formula was applied to the population o f 9501 evening occupational students. The minimum sample s iz e was computed to be 384 students. Since i t was desired t h a t the students sampled be weighted based upon the number in the population in each occupational c l a s s i ­ f i c a t i o n , the percentage o f the enrollments in each o f the occupa­ tio n a l c la s s if ic a t io n s was c a lc u la te d . The sample size (384) was then m u ltip lie d by the percentage o f evening students en ro lle d in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n . Table 1 gives the number o f evening students in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n to be randomly selected fo r the sample. Table 1. The Number o f Evening Students in Each Occupational C la s s if ic a t io n and the Number to be Selected f o r the Sample. Program Area A g ric u ltu re Education Total Enrollments Percentage o f Total Sample S iz e 3 34 .36 1.38 D is t r ib u t iv e Education 667 7.02 26.96 Health Occupations 500 5.26 20.20 Home Economics 193 2.03 7.80 O ffic e Education 2030 21.37 82.06 Technical Education 3468 36.50 140.16 Trade and In d u s tria l Education 2609 27.46 105.45 9501 100.003! 384.01 Totals aSample size is c a lcu la ted by m u ltip ly in g the percentage o f to ta l enrollment by the sample s iz e (3 8 4 ). 45 I t was determined a t the beginning o f the sampling procedure t h a t a minimum o f t h i r t y stu d en ts, i f p o s s ib le , would be selected to be re p r e s e n ta tiv e o f each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n . T h e re fo re , when the number o f students based upon the w eighting process was c a lc u la te d to be less than t h i r t y , t h is number was increased to the minimum o f t h i r t y f o r sampling purposes. The sample s iz e f o r a g r i ­ c u lt u r a l ed u catio n , d i s t r i b u t i v e education, h e a lth occupations, and home economics was increased to t h i r t y . The sample s iz e o f o f f i c e ed u catio n, te c h n ic a l ed u catio n , and tra d e and in d u s t r ia l education was increased to the next whole number to e lim in a te the f r a c t io n a l p o rtio n o f the c a lc u la te d sample s iz e . Table 2 in d ic a te s the number o f question n aires to be u t i l i z e d in t h is study a f t e r the minimum number f o r each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n was increased to 30 and those w ith a c a lc u la te d number over 30 were increased to the next whole number. Table 2. The Number o f Q uestionnaires f o r Each Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n to be U t i l i z e d , Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n Number o f Questionnaires A g ric u lt u r e Education 30 D i s t r i b u t i v e Education 30 Health Occupations 30 Home Economics 30 O f f ic e Education 83 Technical Education 141 Trade and In d u s t r i a l Education 106 Total Sample S ize 450 46 Not only was i t desired t h a t the sample be re p re s e n ta tiv e o f the enrollm ents in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , b u t, a ls o , t h a t i t be weighted by the number o f evening students e n ro lle d in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n in each community c o lle g e . See Appendix D f o r the c a lc u la te d number o f q uestion n aires to be u t i l i z e d in th is study based upon the number o f evening occupational students e n ro lle d in each o f the seven community c o lle g e s . Although i t was desired to have a minimum o f 30 q uestion­ n aires fo r each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n in the sample, the number u t i l i z e d f o r a g r i c u l t u r a l education and home economics is less than 30 due to the lack o f completed q u e s tio n n a ire s . Table 3 gives the number o f q u e stion n aires by community c o lle g e and by occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n th a t make up the sample. The t o t a l sample contains 435 q u e stio n n aire s. In summary, a minimum sample s iz e o f 384 was c a lc u la te d by using the formula developed by the N ational Education Association Research D iv is io n . A f t e r determining the percentage o f students e n ro lle d in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n in the population and m u ltip ly in g t h a t percentage by the sample s ize ( 3 8 4 ) , i t was d e t e r ­ mined th a t each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n should be represented in the sample by a minimum o f a t le a s t 30 students. T h e re fo re , a f t e r in creasin g the number re p resen ting each occupational c l a s s i f i ­ cation to a minimum o f t h i r t y , the sample s iz e was increased to 450. Since two o f the occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s returned less than 30 completed q u e s tio n n a ire s , the desired sample s iz e o f 450 had to be Table 3. The Number o f Questionnaires U tiliz e d in the Sample by Occupational C la s s ific a tio n and by Community College. Ag. Ed. Dist. Ed. Grand Rapids 0 3 Jackson 0 Kalamazoo Valley Home Ec. Office Ed. 1 0 14 12 0 30 1 2 0 4 10 38 55 6 1 16 13 10 21 0 67 10 2 1 0 13 17 13 56 0 1 2 0 9 19 12 43 Lansing 10 19 8 6 17 36 35 131 Muskegon 0 3 0 0 16 26 8 53 26a 30 30 19a 83 141 106 435 Kellogg Lake Michigan Totals Health Occ. Tech. Ed. Trade & Ind. Ed. aThe sample size is less than 30 due to the lack of completed questionnaires. Total 48 reduced to 435. Four hundred t h i r t y - f i v e students make up the sample used in t h is study. Development o f the Instrument From among the a v a ila b le methods which could have been u t i l i z e d in gathering data f o r assessing c h a r a c t e r is t ic s o f evening occupational stu d en ts, the question n aire was s e le c te d as the v e h ic le f o r economic and e f f i c i e n c y reasons. I t is submitted th a t the survey instrument meets the fo llo w in g c r i t e r i a : (1 ) the questions are e a s i l y understood and e a s ily answerable; (2 ) the questions are a p p ro p ria te f o r occupational students e n ro lle d in the evening pro­ gram; (3 ) the data can be obtained in a usable form so as to lend i t s e l f to e f f i c i e n t e v a lu a tio n and ta b u la tio n procedures; and (4 ) the q u e stio n n aire provides the data necessary f o r t h is in v e s t ig a t io n . The q u e stio n n aire was developed by considering the purposes o f the study; by determining what inform ation would provide the data necessary f o r an analysis o f evening occupational student c h a ra c te r­ i s t i c s ; by a se rie s o f discussions w ith Dr. Rex E. Ray, chairman o f the guidance committee; by suggestion and recommendations o f o ther members o f the guidance committee; by a p i l o t study; and by reviewing Chapter I I , "Construction o f a Schedule o r Questionnaire" o f P a rte n 's 3 book. In a d d it io n , questionnaires u t i l i z e d in o th e r studies o f student c h a r a c te r is tic s were examined. 3 M ildred P arten , Surveys, P o lls , and Samples: P ra c tic a l Procedures (New York: Harper and B roth ers, 1 9 5 0 ), pp. 157-217. 49 The i n i t i a l instrument developed was p ilo te d w ith a group o f evening occupational community c o lle g e students f o r the purpose o f q uestion n aire v a l id a t i o n . The p i l o t study was intended to insure th a t the questions were c l e a r l y and e a s i l y understood and to d e te r ­ mine i f the questions would produce the requ ired data. The comments, c r i t i c is m s , and reac tio n s o f the p i l o t group o f students were s o l i c i t e d a f t e r they had completed the q u e stio n n aire . Revisions based upon t h e i r reactio n s were made p r i o r to the p r in t in g o f the fin a l instrum ent. The q u e s tio n n a ire , as re fin e d and u t i l i z e d in t h is study, is included in Appendix E. * Q uestionnaire A d m in is tra tio n A discussion about the purpose and in t e n t o f the study was held w ith the community co lle g e dean responsible fo r occupational programs a t each o f the p a r t i c ip a t i n g community c o lle g e s . This was accomplished when cooperation was sought in ca rry in g out the admin­ i s t r a t i o n o f the q u e stio n n aire s. At the suggestion o f the doctoral guidance committee, a g re a te r number o f q uestionnaires than t h a t requ ired by the sample was d e liv e re d to each o f the p a r t i c ip a t i n g community c o lle g e s . A l i s t i n g o f the evening occupational classes in which the q uestionnaires were to be administered was included. In a d d itio n , a cover l e t t e r r e i t e r a t i n g the purpose o f the study (Appendix F ) , " In s tr u c tio n s f o r Q uestionnaire D is tr ib u tio n " (Appendix G ), and several copies o f " In s tr u c tio n s f o r Adm inistering the Questionnaires" (Appendix H) were provided. Following the a d m in is tra tio n o f the q u e s tio n n a ire s , the researcher v i s it e d each o f the p a r t i c ip a t i n g community colleges to c o l l e c t the completed instrum ents. Data Processing The completed questionnaires from each school in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n were numbered co n se cu tiv ely. A random s e le c tio n process was then employed to o b ta in the required number o f q uestionnaires based upon the sample s iz e . A ta b le o f random numbers was u t i l i z e d f o r th is purpose.4 Data from the randomly se lec ted q uestion n aires making up the sample were tra n s fe r re d to machine scored answer sheets. These were then a u to m a tic a lly processed and t r a n s fe r r e d to data tapes fo r computer a n a ly s is . The Nucross computer program was used to d e riv e frequencies and percentages. The Michigan S ta te U n iv e r s ity Computer Center provided these se rv ic e s . Data Analysis Answers were sought f o r the fo llo w in g questions about the evening students e n ro lle d in occupational courses a t the schools which comprise the West Central League o f Michigan Community Colleges 1. What are t h e i r personal c h a r a c t e r is t ic s w ith respect to sex age, ra c e , and m a rita l status? Are th e re observable 4Malcolm J. S l a k t e r , S t a t i s t i c a l Infe re n c e f o r Educational Researchers, ( Reading: Addison-Wesley, 19 72 ), pp. 466-73. 51 d iffe re n c e s in these c h a r a c t e r is t ic s between students e n ro lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s ? 2. What is t h e i r employment sta tu s in terms o f the number o f hours worked per week, the number o f years o f f u l l - t i m e work ex p e rie n c e , and t h e i r c u rre n t type o f occupation? Is the course in which they are e n ro lle d r e l a t e d to t h e i r occupation? Does t h e i r employer c o n trib u te toward t h e i r t u i t i o n costs? Are th e re observable d iffe r e n c e s in employ­ ment s ta tu s between the sexes and between students e n r o lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupational c la s s if i c a t io n s ? 3. Are t h e i r educational needs being f u l f i l l e d ? 4. What is t h e i r educational s ta tu s w ith respect to th e number o f years sin ce high school g ra d u a tio n , t h e i r edu catio nal a s p ir a t i o n s , and the number o f courses in which they are e n ro lle d ? Are th e re observable d iffe r e n c e s between the sexes and between students e n ro lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupa­ tio n a l c l a s s if i c a t io n s ? 5. What are t h e i r reasons f o r e n r o llin g in a community c o lle g e occupational course and why did they s e le c t a p a r t i c u l a r community co lleg e? Are th e re observable d iffe r e n c e s between the sexes and between students e n ro lle d in d i f f e r e n t occupa­ t io n a l c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s in t h e i r reasons f o r e n r o llin g ? The a n a ly s is o f th e data was d iv id e d in t o f i v e c a te g o rie s . These a re: (1 ) personnel c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s ; (2 ) employment s ta tu s ; (3) educational needs; ( 4 ) educational s ta tu s ; and (5 ) reasons f o r 52 being in c o lle g e . The broad categories form the basis o f the analysis from which questions were generated on the survey instrum ent. Personal C h a r a c te r is tic s .--T h e data were analyzed by exam­ ining the personal c h a r a c te r is tic s o f the evening occupational students which included sex, age, race, and m a rita l s ta tu s . These personal c h a r a c te r is tic s o f the students e n ro lle d in each o f the occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s were analyzed. Employment S ta tu s . — The employment status o f the evening occupational students was examined w ith regard to the number o f hours they were employed per week, the amount o f f u l l time work experience, t h e i r job-course r e la t io n s h ip , t h e i r c u rre n t type o f occupation, and employer c o n trib u tio n toward t u i t i o n costs. Observations were made about the d iffe re n c e s in these v a ria b le s between those e n ro lle d in the d i f f e r e n t occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s . Educational Needs. — The educational needs in terms o f the students' s a t is f a c t io n w ith t h e i r courses, t h e i r course s ta tu s , t h e i r suggestions f o r i n s t i t u t i o n a l p o lic y or procedure change, were examined. Observable d iffe re n c e s between those e n ro lle d in each o f the occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s were analyzed w ith respect to t h e i r s a t is f a c t io n w ith t h e i r courses and t h e i r course s ta tu s . Educational S ta tu s . — The evening occupational students' educational status was examined. Observations were made about the number o f years since high school g raduation, educational a s p ir a tio n s , and the number o f courses in which they were e n ro lle d . These obser­ vations were analyzed to determine i f th ere were observable d iffe re n c e s between those e n ro lle d in the d i f f e r e n t occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s . 53 Reasons f o r Being in C o lle g e . — T h e ir reasons f o r being in co lle g e were determined by an a ly zin g t h e i r reasons f o r e n r o llin g and th e ir reasons f o r atte n d in g a p a r t i c u l a r community c o lle g e . The firs t v a r i a b l e , reasons f o r e n r o l l i n g , was examined to determine i f th e re were observable d iffe re n c e s between the sexes and between those e n ro lle d in the various occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s . Summary This chapter sets f o r t h the methodology used in th is study. I t discussed data c o l l e c t i o n , data processing, and data a n a ly s is . The data was c o lle c te d by a d m in is te rin g question n aires in the classes o f evening occupational students e n ro lle d in the West Central League o f Michigan Community Colleges. The population was comprised o f 9,501 evening occupational stu d en ts. A sample, c a lc u la te d by u t i l i z i n g the formula developed by the Research D iv is io n o f the N atio n al Education A s s o c ia tio n , was se lec ted randomly from completed q u e s tio n n a ire s . The en ro llm en t in each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n in each o f the West Central League schools was weighted to assure representiveness in the sample. hundred t h i r t y - f i v e Four students made up the sample f o r the study. Data from the randomly s e le c te d completed question n aires were tr a n s fe r r e d to machine scored answer sheets. The Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity Computer Center services were used to a s s is t in the data an a ly s is by computing frequencies and percentages. The data were analyzed to determine the community c o lle g e evening occupational students' personal c h a r a c t e r is t ic s , employment 54 s ta tu s , educational needs, educational s t a tu s , and reasons f o r being in c o lle g e . CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA This chapter contains a d e s c rip tio n o f the students e n ro lle d during the evening in occupational courses a t the West Central League schools o f Michigan Community C olleges. A ll o f those resp o nsib le f o r o rg an izin g and operating evening community c o lle g e programs should fin d th is d e s c rip tio n to be o f va lu e . The in fo rm atio n presented in th is chapter should provide a basis f o r d ecision making r e l a t i v e to admission p o l i c i e s , counseling, c u rricu lu m , course scheduling, and the in s tr u c t io n a l process. The d e s c rip tio n is d iv id e d in t o f i v e c a te g o rie s . These a re: (1 ) personal c h a r a c t e r is t ic s ; (2 ) employment s ta tu s ; (3 ) educational needs; (4 ) educational s ta tu s ; and (5 ) reasons f o r being in c o lle g e . Although the topics contained w it h in each o f the f i v e broad categ o ries were not n e c e s s a rily d is c r e t e , they were d iv id e d in t o these re s p e c tiv e categ o ries in o rd er th a t consistency be maintained w ith the way in which th e data were c o lle c te d and in o rd er t h a t lo g ic p re v a il in the c a te g o riz ­ ing o f the to p ic s . 55 56 Personal C h a r a c te r is tic s Included in th e category o f personal c h a r a c t e r is t ic s is an an a ly s is o f sex d i s t r i b u t i o n , age d i s t r i b u t i o n , race d i s t r i b u t i o n and m a rita l s ta tu s . These v a ria b le s were examined w ith respect to the occu­ p a tio n a l c l a s s if i c a t io n s o f the course in which the evening students were e n r o lle d . A lso, th e v a ria b le s o f age, ra c e , and m a r ita l status were examined w ith respect to the sex o f the students. Sex D is t r ib u t io n Approximately th re e -fo u rth s ( 7 3 .3 per cent) o f the evening students e n ro lle d in occupational courses were males. As is i l l u s t r a t e d in Table 4, they comprised the m a jo r ity o f the enrollm ents in each o f the occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s o f a g r i c u l t u r a l education (6 5 .4 per c e n t ) , d i s t r i b u t i v e education (8 0 .0 per c e n t ) , te c h n ic a l education (8 8 .7 per c e n t ) , and tra d e and in d u s t r ia l education (98.1 per c e n t) . Females embraced the m a jo r ity o f the enrollments in the h ea lth occupations (7 0 .0 per c e n t ) , home economics (7 8 .9 per c e n t ) , and o f f i c e education (5 6 .6 per c e n t ) . O ff ic e education was, however, n e a rly balanced between male and female students w h ile tra d e and in d u s t r ia l education had almost an e n t i r e l y male e n ro llm en t. Age D is t r ib u t io n More o f the evening occupational students were in the 25 to 29 years o f age category than any o ther age grouping. This category contained s l i g h t l y more than o n e-fo u rth (2 7 .6 per cent) o f the t o t a l . Table 4. The Percentage of Male and Female Community College Evening Occupational Students by Program C la s s ific a tio n . Sex Occupational C lassification Male N Female % N Total % N % Agricultural Education 17 65.4 9 34.6 26 100.0 D istrib u tive Education 24 80.0 6 20.0 30 100.0 Health Occupations 9 30.0 21 70.0 30 100.0 Home Economics 4 21.1 15 78.9 19 100.0 36 43.4 47 56.6 83 100.0 Technical Education 125 88.7 16 11.3 141 100.0 Trade and Industrial Education 104 98.1 2 1.9 106 100.0 (Number of Students) (319) (26.7)a (435) (100.0) Office Education Percentage of students in th is category (73.3)a (116) 58 Table 5 presents the age d i s t r i b u t i o n o f th e community c o lle g e evening occupational students. Although the ages were d is t r i b u t e d from under 19 to over 60, the va st m a jo r ity were under 35. were under 35. Seventy-seven and tw o-tenth s per cent N early o n e - t h ir d (3 2 .0 per c e n t) o f the males were in the 25 to 29 age group, and n e a rly o n e -fo u rth (2 3 .3 per ce n t) o f the J females were in the 20 to 24 age group. These two age c a teg o ries con­ ta in e d more males and females r e s p e c tiv e ly than any o f th e o th e r age groupings. As th e age range in c re a s e d , th e number o f students in each c a te g o ry , w ith one exception f o r fem ales, decreased as one might expect. I t is also in t e r e s t in g to note th e d iffe r e n c e s in th e age grouping p a t­ te rn o f males versus fem ales. There was a h ig h e r percentage o f females in th e 19 and under category ( 1 9 . 8 per ce n t) and also in th e 40 and over c a teg o ries (2 6 .7 per c e n t ) . The h ig hest percentages o f males ( 8 0 .3 per c en t) were in the ca teg o ries between 20 years o f age and less than 40 years o f age. A p ossible ex p la n a tio n f o r t h i s d if f e r e n c e may be t h a t more females e n r o ll in occupational courses during the evening p r i o r to having fa m ily r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s and then again when fa m ily r e s p o n s i b i l i ­ t i e s are dim inished. On the o th e r hand, th e h ig h e s t percentages o f males attend during th e years when they are in the process o f e s t a b l is h ­ ing c a re e rs . Table 6 re v e a ls t h a t over o n e - h a lf o f the students in each o f th e occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s were less than 40 years o f age. The highest percentage o f students in the 19 and under category were e n ro lle d in home economics (21.1 per c e n t ) , whereas both a g r i c u l t u r a l and tra d e and in d u s t r ia l education had an extrem ely small percentage in Table 5. Age D istrib utio n of Conmunity College Evening Occupational Students by Sex. Sex Males N Total Females % N % N % 19 and under 25 7.8 23 19.8 48 11.0 20-24 76 23.8 27 23.3 103 23.7 25-29 102 32.0 18 15.5 120 27.6 30-34 52 16.3 13 11.2 65 14.9 35-39 26 8.2 4 3.4 30 6.9 40-44 21 6.6 9 7.8 30 6.9 45-49 7 2.2 10 8.6 17 3.9 50-54 5 1.6 7 6.0 12 2.8 55-59 3 0.9 4 3.4 7 1.6 60 and over 2 0.6 0 -0- 2 0.5 No response 0 -0- 1 0.9 1 0.2 (Number of students) (319) (116) (435) Table 6. Percentage o f Conmunity College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C la s s ific a tio n by Age. Occupational C lassification Age -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------^ & 60 & No No. of Under 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-60 Over Response Students Agricultural 3.8 11.5 23.1 11.5 15.4 23.1 3.8 3.8 3.8 -0- -0- 26 D istrib utive 13.3 6.7 43.3 13.3 10.0 3.3 -0- 6.7 -0- 3.3 -0- 30 Health 13.3 23.3 -0- 23.3 -0- 10.0 10.0 10.0 6.7 -0- ’ 3.3 30 Home Economics 21.1 5.3 31.6 5.3 5.3 15.8 5.3 5.3 5.3 -0- -0- 19 Office 14.5 25.3 25.3 6.9 3.6 3.6 7.2 2.4 -0- 1.2 -0- 83 Technical 12.1 24.8 27.7 16.3 7.8 7.1 2.8 -0- 1.4 -0- -0- 141 Trade & Industrial 5.7 32.1 22.0 12.3 7.5 3.8 1.9 2.8 0.9 -0- -0- 106 (Number of Students) (48) (103) (120) (65) (30) (30) (17) (12) (7) (2) (1) (435; 61 t h is age grouping w ith 3 . 8 per cent and 5 .8 per c e n t, re s p e c tiv e ly . The age group of 25 to 29 contained th e la r g e s t number o f students in each o f th e occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s w ith the exception o f o f f i c e educa­ t io n which had an e q u iv a le n t number in the 20 to 24 age group. Race D is t r ib u t io n Data on r a c ia l group membership were secured from the community c o lle g e evening occupational stu d en ts. Table 7 reveals t h a t the occupa­ tio n a l c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f home economics e n ro lle d a g r e a te r percentage ( 1 5 .9 per cent) o f m in o r ity students than did any o f the o th e rs . O ffic e education e n ro lle d 7 .2 per cent Black stu d en ts, th e highest o f a l l the occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s . A g r ic u lt u r a l education and h e a lth occupa­ tio n s e n ro lle d 100 per cent Caucasians. Caucasians comprised 9 2 .6 per cent o f the evening occupational s tu d e n ts , w h ile Blacks represented 3 .7 per cen t. The race c l a s s if i c a t io n s o f Mexican-Americans, American In d ia n s , and others comprised the remainder. The percentage o f male and female Caucasians e n ro lle d in evening occupa­ t io n a l courses was n e a rly equal. A s l i g h t l y h igher percentage (2.1 per c en t) o f Black females were e n ro lle d in evening occupational courses than Black males (Table 8 ) . M a r ita l Status The m a r ita l s ta tu s o f community c o lle g e evening occupational students provided another d e s c rip to r . Table 9 in d ic a te s t h a t the high­ est percentage o f males (5 4 .9 per c e n t) and females (3 4 .5 per c e n t) were married and have c h ild r e n . T h i r t y - t h r e e and s ix tenths per cent o f the females were s in g le and 12.9 per cent were divorced. The corresponding Table 7. Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C la s s ific a tio n by Race. Occupational C lassification Race ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mexican American No. of Caucasian Black Oriental American Indian Other Students A gricultural 100.0 -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- 26 D istrib u tive 96.7 3.3 -0- -0- -0- -0- 30 100.0 -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- 30 Home Economics 84.2 5.3 -0- 5.3 -0- 5.3 19 Office 90.4 7.2 -0- 1.2 -0- 1.2 83 Technical 91.5 3.5 -0- 0.7 0.7 3.5 141 Trade & Industrial 92.5 2.8 -0- 1.9 -0- 2.8 106 (Number o f Students) (403) (16) (-0-) (5) (1) (10) (435) Health 63 Table 8 . Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students C la s s ifie d According to Race by Sex. Sex Males T o ta l Females N % N % N 296 9 2 .8 107 92 .2 403 9 2 .6 10 3.1 6 5.2 16 3 .7 -0 - -0 - -0 - -0 - -0 - -0 - Mexican-American 4 1.3 1 0 .9 5 1.1 Ameri ca n -In d ia n 1 0 .3 -0 - -0 - 1 0 .3 Other 8 2 .5 2 1.7 10 2 .3 Caucasian Black O rie n ta l (Number o f Students) Table 9. (319) % (435) (116) M a rita l Status D is t r ib u t io n o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Students by Sex. Sex Females Males N t N Total % N % Sing le 72 22 .6 39 33 .6 111 25 .5 M a rrie d , no c h ild re n 58 18.6 18 15.5 76 17.5 176 54 .9 41 3 4 .5 217 4 9 .9 11 3 .4 15 12.9 26 6 .0 2 0 .6 3 2 .6 5 1.1 M a rrie d , w ith c h ild re n Divorced Widowed t (Number o f Students) (319) (116) (435) 64 categories fo r males are 22 .6 per cent and 3 .4 per cen t. o f male students (7 3 .5 per cent) were m arried. The m a jo r ity F i f t y per cent o f the female students were m arried. The m a jo rity o f the evening occupational students above the age o f 25 were married and had c h ild re n . As one might expect, the age group­ ing o f 19 and under consisted o f 95.8 per cent of s in g le students (Table 10). The occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n and m a rita l status provides another pelevant v a ria b le f o r d escribing the evening occupational s tu ­ dents. J^e m a rita l status category o f married w ith c h ild re n had the la r g e s t number o f students fo r every occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n as is revealed in Table 11, The category, s in g le , contains the second la r g e s t number in each o f the occupational c l a s s if i c a t io n s except a g r ic u lt u r e where the second highest percentage is contained in the married w ith no c h ild re n category. Employment Status The topics o f number o f hours worked per week, f u l l time work experience, job-course r e l a t i o n s h i p , c u rre n t type o f occupation, and employer c o n trib u tio n toward t u i t i o n costs are a l l considered under the category o f employment s ta tu s . Number o f Hours Worked Per Week The survey instrument included the question: "At the present tim e , what is the number o f hours you are working per week?" This Table 10. Percentage of Age D istribution o f Community College Evening Occupational Students by Marital Status. Marital Status Married, no children Single N % N % Married, with children N % Divorced N Widowed % N % 19 and under 46 95.8 2 4.2 20-24 42 40.8 33 32.0 22 21.4 4 3.9 2 1.9 25-29 13 10.8 25 20.8 73 60.8 8 6.7 1 0.8 30-34 4 6.2 8 12.3 49 75.4 4 6.2 -0- -0- 35-39 1 3.3 2 6.7 24 80.0 2 6.7 -0- -0- 40-44 3 10.0 1 3.3 24 80.0 2 6.7 -0- -0- 45-49 1 5.9 2 11.8 10 58.8 4 23.5 -0- -Q- 50-54 1 8.3 2 16.7 9 75.0 •0« -0- -0- -0- 55-59 -0- -0- 1 14.3 3 42.9 2 28.6 1 14.3 60 and over -0- -0- -0- -0- 1 50.0 -0- -0- 1 50.0 (111) (25.5)a (76) (5) (1.D (Number o f students) Percentage of students in th is category. -0- (17.5)a (215) (49.4)a -0- -0- (26) (6.0)a Table 11. Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C la s s ific a tio n by M arital Status. Marital Status Occupational C lassification Married, no children Single N % N % Married, with children N % Widowed Divorced N % N % Agricultural 5 19.2 7 26.9 12 46.2 2 7.7 -0- -0- D istrib utive 7 23.3 6 20.0 17 56.7 -0- -0- -0- -0- Health 8 26.7 5 16.7 n 36.7 4 13.3 1 3.3 Home Economics 7 36.8 1 5.3 9 47.4 2 10.5 -0- -0- Office 22 26.5 12 14.5 41 49.4 7 8.4 1 1.2 Technical 42 29.8 26 18.4 67 47.5 5 3.5 -0- -0- Trade & Industrial 20 18.9 19 17.9 58 54.7 6 5.7 3 2.8 (6.0)a (5) ( i. i) ' (Number of Students) (111) (25.5)a (76) Percentage of students in th is category. (17.5)a (215) (49.4)a (26) 67 question was included 1n o rd er to o b ta in some i n s ig h t about the work load o f th e evening occupational students. The m a jo r ity o f community co lle g e students e n ro lle d in evening occupational courses were employed on a f u l l - t i m e b a s is . Table 12 reveals t h a t 8 2 .8 per cent were employed more than 31 hours per week. Males were employed more hours per week than fem ales. E ig h ty - nine and n in e -te n th s per cent o f th e males were employed over 31 hours per week w h ile 6 2 .8 per cen t o f th e females were employed more than 31 hours per week. A s u r p r is in g ly la r g e number o f both males (5 7 .3 per cen t) and females (18.1 per ce n t) were employed more than 40 hours per week. A l a r g e r percentage o f females (1 9 .8 per c e n t) were unemployed Table 12. D i s t r ib u t io n o f Community C ollege Evening Occupational Stu­ dents According to the Number o f Hours Worked per Week by Sex. Sex Number o f hours Worked per week Female Male N % N 17 5 .3 23 1-10 3 0 .9 11-20 8 21-30 Total % N % 1 9 .8 40 9 .2 4 3 .4 7 1 .6 2 .5 9 7 .8 17 3 .9 4 1 .3 7 6 .0 11 2 .5 31-40 104 3 2 .6 52 4 4 .7 156 3 5 .9 More than 40 183 57 .3 21 18.1 204 46 .9 Not working (Number o f students) (319) (116) (435) 68 than were males ( 5 .3 per c e n t). A lso, a la r g e r percentage o f females (17 .2 per cent) were working from one to t h i r t y hours per week than were males (4 .7 per c e n t). When the occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s in which evening students were en ro lle d are compared w ith the number o f hours worked per week, i t is c le a r t h a t over h a l f o f those e n ro lle d in technical (5 2 .5 per cent) and in trade and in d u s tr ia l courses (6 3 .2 per cent) were employed over f o r t y hours per week. pations. Both o f these occupational areas are t y p i c a l l y male occu­ In a d d itio n , both o f these occupational areas e n ro lle d the low­ est percentage of unemployed students ( 5 . 0 per cent and 3 .8 per cen t, r e s p e c t iv e ly ). Home economics and o f f i c e education en ro lled the highest percentage o f unemployed students. cen t, r e s p e c tiv e ly . These are 21.1 per cent and 20 .5 per Those en ro lle d in health occupations courses had the highest percentage (3 3 .4 per cent) o f p a rt-tim e employment. Both a g r i ­ c u ltu r a l and d i s t r i b u t i v e education c la s s if ic a t io n s had approximately 20 per cent o f those e n ro lle d in each o f these c la s s if ic a t io n s e i t h e r unem­ ployed or working on a p a rt-tim e basis w h ile the remainder were employed t h ir t y - o n e or more hours per week (Table 1 3 ). Full-Tim e Work Experience The number o f years an in d iv id u a l has been employed is a measure o f an evening student's background th a t has im p lication s f o r counseling and guidance, curriculum , and the in s tru c tio n a l process. The la rg e s t percentage o f students en ro lled in courses in each o f the occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s had f i v e or more years o f f u l l ­ time work experience p r io r to e n ro llin g in c o lle g e . Table 14 in d ica te s th a t 50 per cent or more o f those e n ro lle d in a g r ic u ltu r a l education Table 13. Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C la s s ific a tio n by the Number o f Hours Worked per Week. Number of Hours Worked per Week Occupational C lassification Not Working MO Hrs. 11-20 Hrs. 21-30 Hrs. 31-40 Hrs. More than 40 Hrs. Agricultural 11.5 -0- 3.8 3.8 46.2 34.6 26 D istrib u tive 10.0 -0- 6.7 3.3 33.3 46.6 30 6.7 6.7 10.0 10.0 36.7 30.0 30 Home Economics 21.1 5.3 5.3 5.3 36.8 26.3 19 Office 20.5 2.4 3.6 1.2 41.0 31.3 83 Technical 5.0 1.4 4.3 2.8 34.0 52.5 141 Trade & Industrial 3.8 -0- 0.9 -0- 32.1 63.2 106 (40) (7) (17) (11) (156) (204) (435) Health (Number of Students) Number of Students Table 14. Percentage of Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C lassification by the Number o f Years o f Full-Time Work Experience P rior to Enrolling in College. Number of Years of Full-Time Work Experience Occupati onal Classification Pri or to Enrol 1i ng i n Col 1ege Did Not Work Less than Full Time 1 Year 1 Year 2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years Number of Or More Students Agricultural 19.2 15.4 7.6 -0- -0- 3.8 53.8 26 D istrib u tiv e 3.3 13.3 10.0 6.7 10.0 6.7 50.0 30 Health 3.3 16.7 -0- 6.7 13.3 6.7 53.3 30 Home Economics 10.5 10.5 10.5 15.8 5.3 5.3 42.1 19 Office 15.7 14.5 8.4 3.6 3.6 7.2 47.0 83 Techni cal 11.3 12.1 4.3 9.2 5.7 4.3 53.2 141 Trade & Industrial 11.3 9.4 4.7 6.6 12.3 8.5 47.2 106 (Number o f Students) (50) (54) (24) (30) (32) (27) (218) (435) 71 (5 3 .8 per c e n t ) , d i s t r i b u t i v e education (5 0 .0 per c e n t ) , health occupations (5 3 .3 per c e n t ) , and technical education ( 5 3 .2 per cent) had f i v e or more years o f f u l l - t i m e work experience. Forty-tw o and one- tenth per cent o f those e n ro lle d 1n home economics, 47 .0 per cent o f those e n ro lle d in o f f i c e education, and 47.2 per cent o f those en ro lle d in trade and in d u s t r ia l education had f i v e or more years o f f u l l - t i m e work experience. Approximately 10 per cent o f those e n ro lle d in each o f the occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s o f home economics, te c h n ic a l, and tra d e and in d u s tr ia l had no f u l l - t i m e work experience p r i o r to entering c o lle g e . Approximately 20 per cent o f those e n ro lle d in a g r ic u lt u r a l courses (1 9 .2 per cen t) and nearly 16 per cent o f those e n ro lle d in o f f i c e education (1 5 .7 per cent) courses had no f u l l - t i m e work exper­ ience. Students w ith less than one y e a r o f f u l l - t i m e work experience up to and including fo u r years o f work experience p r i o r to entering co lle g e were d is t r ib u t e d in small percentages in a l l the occupational c la s s if ic a t io n s w ith the exception o f a g r ic u lt u r a l education which had no one with two or th re e years o f work experience and health occupations which had no one w ith one y e a r o f work experience. This d is t r i b u t i o n ranges from a low o f 3 .6 per cent representing those in o f f i c e education with th re e years o f f u l l - t i m e work experience to a high o f 16.7 per cent representing those in health occupations w ith less than one y e a r o f f u l l - t i m e work experience p r i o r to e n r o llin g in c o lle g e . Job-Course R elationship An understanding o f the re la tio n s h ip between the courses in which evening occupational students are e n ro lle d and t h e i r vocations is 72 im portant i f the community c o lle g e is to f u l l y meet the educational needs o f i t s evening students. I t can be s a id t h a t in general the stronger th e r e l a t i o n s h i p the more r e le v a n t w i l l experience. be the educational T his has im p lic a tio n s f o r both curriculum design and the i n s t r u c t io n a l process. When th e community c o lle g e evening occupational students were asked i f t h e i r jo b was r e la t e d to the course in which they were e n r o lle d , 58.3 per cent in d ic a te d t h a t i t was. S ix ty -tw o and fo u r -te n th s per cent o f the male students and 45 .7 per cent o f the female students in d ica te d a job -co urse r e l a t i o n s h i p . A s l i g h t l y h ig her percentage o f the females (3 9 .3 per c e n t) than males (3 2 .3 per cen t) in d ic a te d t h a t the course in which they were e n r o lle d was not r e la t e d to t h e i r jo b (T ab le 1 5 ). Table 15. Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Course R e la tio n s h ip to Present Job by Sex. Sex Course R e la tio n s h ip to Present Job Female Mai e N % 14.7 34 7 .8 55 45.7 254 58.3 44 39.3 147 33.9 N % N 17 5 .3 17 Is r e la te d 199 6 2 .4 Is not r e la t e d 103 3 2 .3 Not working (Number o f s tu d e n ts ) (319) Total (116) % (435) 73 The number o f students t h a t reported a jo b -co u rse r e la t io n s h ip ranged from over th r e e -fo u r th s o f those e n ro lle d in tra d e and in d u s t r ia l courses ( 7 5 .5 per c e n t) to s l i g h t l y over o n e -fo u rth o f those e n ro lle d in home economic courses ( 2 6 .3 per c e n t) . Those e n r o lle d in courses in the o th e r occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s were between these two extremes. Table 16 in d ic a te s the percentages f o r each occupational c l a s s i f i c a t i o n . The f a c t t h a t over one h a l f o f those e n ro lle d in h ea lth (6 6 .7 per c e n t ) , o f f i c e ( 5 1 .8 per c e n t ) , te c h n ic a l ( 5 8 .9 per c e n t ) , and tra d e and i n d u s t r i a l T able 16. (7 5 .5 per ce n t) occupational courses and n e a rly one h a l f Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t i o n by Course R e la tio n ­ ship to Present Job. Course R e la tio n s h ip to Present Job Occupational C l a s s i f i c a t io n Not Working Is Related Is Not Related Number o f Students A g r ic u lt u r a l 7 .7 3 0 .7 6 1 .5 26 D is trib u tiv e 10.0 4 6 .7 4 3 .3 30 3 .3 6 6 .7 3 0 .0 30 Home Economics 21.1 2 6 .3 5 6 .6 19 O f f i ce 18.1 5 1 .8 30.1 83 Technical 4 .3 5 8 .9 3 6 .9 141 Trade & In d u s t r i a l 2 .8 7 5 .5 21.7 106 (34) (254) (147) Health (Number o f Students) (4 3 5 ) 74 o f those e n ro lle d In d i s t r i b u t i v e (4 6 .7 per ce n t) occupational courses were ta k in g courses r e la t e d to t h e i r jobs would in d ic a te t h a t a major fu n c tio n o f the community c o lle g e is to provide courses t h a t w i l l enable employed persons to c o n t in u a lly upgrade t h e i r s k i l l s in o rd er to keep pace w ith the changing technology. Current Type o f Occupation The community c o lle g e evening occupational students were asked to c a te g o riz e t h e i r c u rre n t type o f occupation. The la r g e s t percentage o f males (3 3 .9 per cen t) c l a s s i f i e d themselves in t o the s k i l l e d category w h ile the la r g e s t percentage o f th e females (37.1 per c e n t) c l a s s i f i e d themselves in to the c l e r i c a l o r o f f i c e category (Table 1 7 ). When those e n ro lle d in courses c l a s s i f i e d by occupations are compared as to the type o f c u rre n t employment, no c le a r p atterns o f as so c ia tin g the course w ith the type o f c u rre n t employment emerge w ith exception o f those e n ro lle d in tra d e and in d u s t r i a l education courses. If it is assumed t h a t s k i l l e d , s e m i - s k i ll e d , and u n s k ille d occupations a re associated w ith tra d e and in d u s t r i a l occupations and i f the re s ­ ponses to these th re e ca teg o ries are combined, 81.1 per cent of the students e n ro lle d in tra d e and in d u s t r i a l courses responded to these th re e occupational c a te g o rie s . It is in t e r e s t i n g to note t h a t only 38.6 per cent o f those in o f f i c e education courses in d ic a te d t h a t they were c u r r e n tly in c l e r i c a l o r o f f i c e occupations. A lso , only 6 .7 per cent of those in d i s t r i b u t i v e education courses in d ic a te d t h a t they were employed as a c le r k or sales person. I t should be noted, however, th a t those who in d ic a te d a managerial occupation may have occupations r e la te d to o f f i c e or saled (Table 1 8 ). Table 17. D istribution of the Type of Occupation Currently Held by Community College Evening Occupational Students by Sex. Sex Type o f Occupation Male N Female % N Total % N % Not employed 12 3.8 20 17.2 32 7.4 Professional 40 12.5 13 11.2 53 12.2 Manageri al 43 13.5 4 3.4 47 10.8 6 1.9 9 7.8 15 3.4 20 6.3 43 37.1 63 14.5 108 33.9 3 2.6 111 25.5 Semi-skilled 35 11.0 4 3.4 39 9.0 Unskilled 19 6.0 2 1.7 21 4.8 1 0.3 2 1.7 3 0.7 35 11.0 16 13.8 51 11.7 Clerk or sales person Clerical or o ffic e Skilled Agricultural Unable to c la ssify (Number o f students) (319) (116) (435) Table 18. Percentage o f Community College Evening Occupational Students According to Occupational C la s s ific a tio n by Type of Current Employment. Type of Current Employment C lerical o ffi ce S k il l e d S e m i-s k ille d U n s k ille d A g r ic u ltu r a l 19.2 7.7 -0- 7.7 3.8 11.5 3.8 3.8 30.8 26 D istrib u tive 6.7 6.7 26.7 6.7 10.0 10.0 10.0 6.7 -0- 16.7 30 Health 6.7 36.7 10.0 3.3 6.7 6.7 10.0 3.3 3.3 13.3 30 Home Economics 15.8 10.5 5.3 -0- 21.1 5.3 10.5 -0- -0- 31.6 19 Office 16.9 4.8 15.7 7.2 38.6 2.4 3.6 4.8 1.2 4.8 83 Technical 3.5 17.7 12.1 3.5 10.6 22.3 8.5 8.5 -0- 14.2 141 Trade & Industrial 2.8 3.8 2.8 0.9 4.7 67.9 12.3 0.9 -0- 3.8 106 (Number of students) (32) (53) (47) (15) (63) (111) (39) (21) (3) (51) (435) Unable to cl a s s if y Clerk or person 11.5 or Managerial Agricultural Occupational C lassification (course in which enrolled) sal Professional