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University Mkrafihns International 8607100 Laing, D ia n e L ee Arnold AN ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF THE CONCERNS OF THREE AGE GROUPS OF WOMEN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OFFICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSES AT OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Michigan Sta te University University Microfilms International Ph.D. 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Copyright 1985 by Laing, Diane Lee Arnold All Rights Reserved 1985 PLEASE NOTE: In all c a se s this material h as been film ed in the best possible w ay from the available copy. Problems encountered with this d ocu m en t have been identified here with a ch eck mark V 1. Glossy photographs or p a g e s ______ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print_______ 3. Photographs with dark b ack grou n d _____ 4. Illustrations are poor c o p y _______ 5. P ages with black marks, not original c o p y ______ 6. Print show s through a s there is text on both sides of p a g e ________ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages 8. 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University Microfilms International AN ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF THE CONCERNS OF THREE AGE GROUPS OF WOMEN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OFFICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSES AT OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE By Diane Lee Arnold Laing A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY College of Education Department of Teacher Education 1985 Copyright by DIANE LEE ARNOLD LAING 1985 ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF THE CONCERNS OF THREE AGE GROUPS OF WOMEN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OFFICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSES AT OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE By Diane Lee Arnold Laing The problem of istics, the reasons this study was to identify the demographic character­ for enrolling for courses, the issues and problems of concern, and the educational and occupational goals of the women enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at Oakland Community College and to elicit their perceptions of academic and non-academic college services. The study further determined the significant relationships between vari­ ables for three age groups of women. The population for the study was the women students enrolled in Office Information Systems courses during the fall term of 1984. was administered during class time in the women completed the questionnaire, November 1984. A questionnaire About 84 percent of and the data were statistically analyzed using frequency distributions, percentages, and two- and threeway chi-square tests of independence with a .05 level of significance. In addition to the statistical analysis, interviews were conducted with six of the respondents to obtain holistic, individual portrayals of the women and the events in their lives that have shaped their attitudes and feelings about themselves and their aspirations. The interviews re­ vealed similarities as well as differences among the women and how these characteristics relate to educational attainment, clarity of life purposes, and process of self-discovery and self-realization. Diane Lee Arnold Laing While it was impossible to reject any of the hypotheses completely, it was apparent that there were many differences among the three age groups of women. Major findings of this study include the following: 1. The most important reasons for attending college were related to employment and careers, and the educational goal given by the majority of the women was to complete the requirements for an associate degree. 2. strongest The identifying characteristics of the respondents which had the influence on their reasons for attending college were present occupations of the respondents and the estimated annual income of the respondents and their husbands. 3. The major concerns of the respondents which were related to their age were problems of academic counseling, career choices, and obtaining good jobs as well as problems relating to family responsibilities and time m anagement. 4. Younger women were most concerned about academic issues, time management related to jobs and obtaining good jobs and aspired to higher levels of educational attainment than older women. Women between 26 and 40 were most concerned about time management related to family and child responsibilities and their own self-confidence. less concerned with the problems just mentioned. Women over 40 were much DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to two special people— my father, Delevan R. Arnold, and my close personal friend and mentor, Wendell F. Riedl. Though neither is now living, it seems fitting to acknowl­ edge their past support and encouragement as I achieve a long-sought goal— a Doctor of Philosophy degree. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with much pleasure that I acknowledge the people who have been helpful to me while I have been working on this dissertation. I am deeply grateful to the members of my guidance committee— Dr. Robert Poland, Chairman; Dr. Keith Anderson; Dr. Ben Bohnhorst; and Dr. Paul Slocum— who as a committee and individually gave me the ad­ vice, assistance, and encouragement I needed. I want to thank the Michigan State University Office for Research Consultation for providing such able statistical resource people— Mr. Allen Babagura and Miss Lin Chang. Mr. Lewis Walterhouse also deserves special thanks for his help with the contingency tables. Mr. C. Bruce Martin, Executive Director of Administrative and Aca­ demic Services at Oakland Community College, and Mr. Henry Freigruber, Systems Analyst, along with Mrs. Kathie Standell, Manager of Operations of the Computer Center, and Data Entry Operators, Mrs. Elizabeth Benter and Mrs. Beverly Giacabone, handled the data input from the survey in­ strument and the running of the statistics expertly; and I am most appreciative of the many hours they devoted to this project. Mrs. Martha Meaders, Michigan State University Library, and Dr. Robert Kramp, Oakland County Schools, provided excellent assistance with computer searches; and the personnel at the MSU Library and the University of Michigan - Flint Library were most helpful. Mrs. Maureen Schneider and Mrs. Edna Ureste administered the survey instrument for the pilot study at Cleary College and Henry Ford Community iv College. Four of my personal friends— Mrs. Kathy Davis, Mrs. Stella Gryzmala, Mrs. Pamela Pasz, and Mrs. Lee Summers— completed the origi­ nal draft of the survey instrument and administered the instrument to other people at their places of employment prior to the pilot study. Their help was necessary for developing the final version of the survey instrument, and I am most appreciative. I am especially indebted to the administration at Oakland Commu­ nity College who allowed the study to be carried out and to my colleagues in the Office Information Systems Discipline who were interested in and supportive of my efforts and who, along with the part-time instructors, administered the survey instruments. The women Office Information Systems students must be acknowledged for their interest in the study and for their willingness to complete the survey instrument; without their invaluable contribution, the study could not have been completed. Mr6. Ruth Grossmeyer, my stepdaughter, and Miss Kym Oliver devoted considerable time to processing the survey instruments both prior to and following their administration. I want to thank Dr. Karyn Ford for the time she spent editing this dissertation; her comments were most beneficial. I also extend my sincere thank6 to my close personal friends and to the members of my family for their continued love, patience, and support during the pursuit of this goal. Finally, I particularly wish to acknowledge my husband, Richard, for his faith and confidence in my ability to complete this dissertation and for his empathy and understanding during my moments of frustration. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF T A B L E S .................................................... . viii Chapter I. II. III. I N T R O D U C T I O N ............................ 1 Background .......................... Statement of the Problem .................................... Research Questions . . . . . . . ........................... ................................................... Hypotheses Variables ...................................................... Purpose of the S t u d y ............. Need for the Study ...................................... Basic Assumptions of the S t u d y ............................. Delimitations of the S t u d y ...................... Limitations of the S t u d y ...................... Definition of Terms .......................................... Design and Methods U s e d ...................................... Overview of the S t u d y ........................................ Chapter N o t e s ................. 1 2 4 4 5 6 7 7 8 8 8 10 11 12 REVIEW OF THE L I T E R A T U R E .................................... 13 Characteristics of Students .................................. College Attendance Reasons of Students .................... Problems and Issues of Concern to Students ................ Educational and Occupational Goals of Students ........... Summary . . . . . . . . . . . ........... • Chapter Notes ................................................. 14 20 24 29 32 33 PROCEDURES AND M E T H O D S ...................................... 37 Instrumentation ............................................... Population . . . . . . . . . . Pilot S t u d y ............................... Administration of the Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . Analysis of the D a t a ........................................ Respondent Interviews . . . Chapter Notes ................................................. 37 38 41 41 42 44 46 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page IV. V. PRESENTATION OF THE D A T A .................................... 47 Research Questions . ........................................ Number One ...................... Number Two ........................................ Number Three ................. Number F o u r ........................ Number F i v e ............................................... Hypotheses T e s t i n g .................... Number One ............................... Number T w o .......................................... Number Three ............. Number F o u r ............................................... Number F i v e ............................................... Number S i x ................................................. Number Seven ............................................... ......... Respondent Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary ............................... . . . . . . . . . . Chapter Notes ............................................... 47 48 64 67 75 78 82 83 96 112 133 147 149 152 153 159 160 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................ 161 Purpose and Design of the S t u d y ............................. Major F i n d i n g s ............................................... C o n c l u s i o n s ................................................... R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s ............... Recommendations for Further Study ........... . R e f l e c t i o n s ................................................... 161 162 178 181 183 184 APPENDICES BIBLIOGRAPHY A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Memorandum to OIS F a c u l t y .............. Letter to Women Students ...................... Questionnaire ................................. Questionnaire Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Statistical Run for Question 3 ........ Respondent Interview Thank You Letter . . . . Respondent Interview Transcripts ............. 186 187 188 194 ........................................................ 210 . Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix vii 197 198 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Page Campus Distribution and Unduplicated Female Headcount with Number and Percentage of Completed Questionnaires................................. 42 2. Age Group Distribution of Respondents by Campus . . . . 48 3. Number of Credits Respondents Enrolled for this Term at O C C .................... 49 Number of Years Since Respondents Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC ................ 50 5. Age of Respondents in Three Age G r o u p s ................ 51 6. Marital Status of Respondents ....................... 52 7. Number of Children of R e s p o n d e n t s ....................... 53 8. Age Range of Youngest Child of R e s p o n d e n t s ............ 54 9. Age Range of Oldest Child of R e s p o n d e n t s .............. 55 10. Ethnic/Racial Background of Respondents ................ 56 11. Present Occupation of Respondents ....................... 57 12. Present Occupation of Respondents' Husbands............. 58 13. Estimated Annual Income of Respondents if Working . . . 59 14. Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands 60 15. Level of Previous Education of Respondents . . . . . . 61 16. Level of Education of Respondents' Husbands............. 62 17. Respondents' Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at O C C ............................. 65 Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents Ranked by Major Concern, Minor Concern, Not A Concern, and Not A p p l i c a b l e ............................. 68 4. 18. . viii . .. LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 1 Ranked by Major Concern and Minor Concern ............................................. 72 Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents In Age Group 2 Ranked by Major Concern and Minor C o n c e r n ......... ................................... 73 Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents In Age Group 3 Ranked by Major Concern and Minor C o n c e r n ......... ............. ...................... 74 Educational Goals of Respondents . . . . .. 76 Occupational Goals of Respondents ...................... 77 ......... ......... 80 Two-Way Chi-Square Test of Independence Print-Out for the Relationship Between Age and a Reason for Enrolling for Courses at OCC . . . . . . ............. 83 Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC ...................... 84 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for ThiB Term at OCC and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups ........... 85 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Years Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups ............................................. 86 Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups 87 Respondents' Perceptions of College Services . . Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Children of Respondents and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups ...................... 88 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups ...................... 89 Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups ...................... 90 ix LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. Page Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Reasons for Enrolling For Courses at OCC by Age G r o u p s ....................... 92 Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age G r o u p s ............................................... 93 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age G r o u p s ............ 94 Chi-Square Relationships Between Level of Education of Respondents' Husbands and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age G r o u p s ............................................... 95 Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Issues Problems of Major and Minor Concern toRespondents . . 97 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for This Term at OCC and Issues and Prob­ lems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s .................... 102 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Years Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s ............................................... 103 Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s ..................................... 104 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Children of Respondents and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s .................................... 105 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s .......................... 106 . Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s ................. 107 Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age G r o u p s ............................. 108 x LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Page Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups . . . . . . 109 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups ........... 110 Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups ......... . 111 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for This Term at OCC and Educational Goals by Age Groups .................... 113 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Years Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Educational Goals by Age Groups ........... 114 Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and Educational Goals by Age Groups ............... 115 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Chil­ dren of Respondents and Educational Goals by Age Groups .......................................... 116 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Educational Goals by Age Groups ............................................... 117 Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Educational Goals by Age Groups .......................................... 118 Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Educational Goals by Age Groups .......................................... 119 Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands and Educational Goals by Age Groups ................................. 120 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Educational Goals by Age Groups ............................................... 121 xi LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Page Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Educational Goals by Age Groups ................................................... Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for This Term at OCC and Occupational Goals by Age G r o u p s .......................................... 122 . 123 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Years Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Occupational Goals by Age Groups ............. 124 Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status .................. and Occupational Goals by Age Groups 125 Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Children and Occupational Goals by Age Groups ......... 126 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Occupational Goals by Age Groups ............................................... 127 Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Occupational Goals by Age G r o u p s .................. ............................ 128 Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Occupational Goals by Age Groups ............................................... 129 Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands and Occupational Goals by Age Groups ...................................... 130 Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Occupational Goals by Age G r o u p s ............................. ................. 131 Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Occupational Goals by Age Groups ................................................. • 132 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Edu­ cational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 1 (Age 25 and Below) . . . 134 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Edu­ cational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 2 (Age 26 to 40) ......... 136 xii LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. Page Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Edu­ cational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 3 (Age 41 and Above) . . . 138 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Occu­ pational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 1 (Age 25 and Below) . . . 141 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Occu­ pational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 2 (Age 26 to 4 0 ) ......... 143 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Occu­ pational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 3 (Age 41 and Above) . . • 145 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Issues and Problems of Concern and Age of Respondents . . . . 148 Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Educational Goals of Respondents ...................... 150 Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Occupational Goals of R e s p o n d e n t s .................................... 151 Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Perceptions of College Services and Age of R e s p o n d e n t s ................... 152 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background In recent years large numbers of adult students have been enrolling at institutions of higher education. For a variety of reasons, many of them have elected to enroll at community colleges instead of at fouryear institutions. Some of these reasons include the easy accessibility of community colleges because of the open-door admissions policy, the convenience of community college locations, and the relatively low tui­ tion rates at community colleges in contrast with costs at four-year public and private institutions; the diversity of programs and courses offered at community colleges; and the fact that many nontraditional students have chosen to attend community colleges. With the growth of the community college, educational opportunities have become readily available to the nontraditional student including mature women. One of the most frequently expressed needs of mature women students is financial, stemming from various circumstances in their lives. Other motivating factors may be that mature women have raised their fami­ lies and, consequently, have the time to pursue a college degree. They attend classes simply for something to do, to have a place where they can make new friends, or to fulfill self-actualization needs. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that mature women are returning to school in large numbers and are enrolling at community colleges. 1 2 The majority of the students enrolled in office information systems programs or courses are women of all ages who realize that positions will be available for workers who have adequate training. Recent national sta­ tistics indicate that there is a severe shortage of office workers which will continue for many years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) points out that the number of women in the work force will continue to grow faster than the total work force. Furthermore, the labor group which the BLS identifies as clerical is the largest occupational group and is expected to increase from 18.9 million workers to between 22.4 and 23.9 million workers, an increase of 19 to 27 percent, by 1990. There is also an indication that annual re­ placement needs for clerical workers will be about 4.5 million people as a result of occupational transfers and labor force separations.^ Office work has traditionally been "women's work"; and even though many women today perceive other fields as being more desirable, there are fine opportunities for women in office work. Salaries are improving, high-caliber workers are promotable, there is the challenge and interest generated by new office technology, and jobs are available. For these reasons and also because women may have had previous office education courses or may have found it necessary to update their skills for current jobs, women view office education as a viable way to obtain salable skills which can be used stepping stones to other positions within the work force. Statement of the Problem National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys indicate that between 1972 and 1982 there has been a substantial increase in the num­ ber of women attending college. The growth rate for women was 85 percent 3 whereas the growth rate for men was only 15 percent. Furthermore, NCES projections of future enrollment indicate that the number of women at­ tending community colleges will continue to rise. NCES surveys also show that while there has been a 35 percent increase in total college enroll­ ment during the 1972 to 1982 period (9.2 to 12.4 million), the enrollment figures were considerably different for various age groups. The number of students between eighteen and twenty-four years of age increased from 6.2 to 7.7 million, only about 23 percent. However, the number of students between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four rose from 1.8 to 3.0 mil­ lion, an increase of about 70 percent. An increase of slightly more than 77 percent was recorded for students thirty-five and older where enroll­ ments grew from .8 to 1.4 m i l l i o n . ^ Statistics from the active files at Oakland Community College (OCC) for the winter term of 1984 show that the student body was composed of 56.9 percent women and 43.1 percent men. The figures for fall term of 1984 showed 58.9 percent women and 41.1 percent men, and for the winter term of 1985 the figures were 57.4 percent women and 42.6 percent men.^ Of the women enrolled at OCC during the winter term of 1984, 47.0 percent were 25 and younger, 39.8 percent were between 26 and 40 years of age, and 13.2 percent were 41 or older. For the fall term of 1984 the percentages were 25 and younger, 47.4 percent; 26 to 40, 40.2 per­ cent; and 41 and older, 12.4 percent. Figures from the winter term of 1985 showed 25 and younger, 47.3 percent; 26 to 40, 39.6 percent; and 41 and older, 13.1 percent.-* Because of the growing number of women enrolling in community col­ leges and particularly in office education curricula and also because 4 of the increasing age of women students, a body of information about this group of women would be useful to community colleges. The problem of this study was to identify the demographic and other identifying characteristics, the reasons for enrolling for courses, the issues and problems of concern, and the educational and occupational goals of the women students enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at Oakland Community College as well as to elicit from the women in the study their perceptions about academic and non-academic college services. Be­ yond this, the study tested for significant relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variables. Research Questions The specific research questions answered were: 1. What are the demographic and other identifying character­ istics of women students enrolled in courses? 2. What are the reasons given by women students for enrolling in courses? 3. What is the degree of concern toward specific, identifiable issues and problems of women students enrolled in courses? 4. What are the expressed educational and occupational goals of women students enrolled in courses? 5. How do women students enrolled in courses perceive academic and non-academic services offered by the college? Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were tested in this study: Hi. There are no significant relationships between various demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and the reasons for enrolling for courses given by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and and age 41 and above. 5 H2 < There are no significant relationships between various demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and the degree of concern toward specific problems and issues given by women students age 25 and belowf age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. H3 . There are no significant relationships between various demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and the expressed educational and occupational goals given by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. H4 . There are no significant relationships between expressed edu­ cational and occupational goals and the issues and problems of concern expressed by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. H5 . There are no significant differences between the issues and problems expressed by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. Hg. There are no significant differences between the expressed edu­ cational and occupational goals of women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. H7 . There are no significant differences in the way women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above perceive academic and non-academic services offered by the college. Variables The independent variables in this study were the demographic char­ acteristics of the respondents (age, marital status, number of children, age range of youngest and oldest child, ethnic/racial background) as well as other identifying characteristics of the respondents (number of credits 6 enrolled for this term, first term at OCC, number of years since attending school before enrolling at OCC, present occupation and estimated annual in­ come if working, level of previous education, husband's occupation and estimated annual income if working, husband's level of education). The dependent variables in this study were the reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC given by the respondents, the issues and problems of concern expressed by the respondents, the academic and non-academic ser­ vices offered by the college, and the educational and occupational goals set forth by the respondents. Purpose of the Study The primary purpose of this study was to obtain information about women students enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at the four campuses of Oakland Community College. The data collected included demographic information as well as students' observations about their reasons for enrolling for courses, the issues and problems that were of concern to them, and their specific educational and occupational goals. It was expected that this information would be helpful as commu­ nity colleges assess current programs and develop new educational and support programs that will meet the needs of women students enrolled at community colleges. A secondary purpose of this study was to obtain an assessment of the academic and non-academic student services offered at Oakland Community College. This data will be useful to community colleges as they attempt to improve current academic and non-academic student ser­ vices for their students and implement additional services in the future. 7 Need for the Study Because of the considerable increase in the number of women who are attending all institutions of higher education and particularly commu­ nity colleges, information about women students has become increasingly important to community colleges who want to be in a position to respond to the needs of women students. In 1980, women in all age categories ex­ cept the twenty to twenty-nine age range outnumbered men in institutions of higher education. By 1990, women are expected to outnumber men in all age categories. Also by 1990, students twenty-five and older are expected to comprise 47 percent of all college enrollment; and more older students will be women than men.^ Furthermore, fewer women of the traditional college age will enroll in college; and instead there will be a dramatic increase in the number of older women enrolled in college. Thus, the primary source of enrollment for community colleges will most likely not be the high school senior but rather those people between the ages of twenty and thirty-nine.^ Basic Assumptions of the Study The following assumptions were made: 1. The faculty followed the directions for administration of the survey instrument. 2. The women students who completed the questionnaire gave accurate and truthful responses. 3. Each woman student in the study completed only one questionnnaire. 8 Delimitations of the Study The following delimitations were identified: 1. This study was limited to the women enrolled in Office Informa­ tion Systems courses at the four campuses of Oakland Community College. 2. The survey instrument elicited information which dealt with demographic and other identifying characteristics, reasons for attending a community college, problems and issues of concern, perceptions of existing academic and non-academic college services, and educational and occupational goals of the respondents. Limitations of the Study The following limitations were noted: 1. There may have been some reluctance on the part of some of the respondents to answer all of the questions because of a fear of invasion of privacy. 2. The study surveyed a group of students enrolled at a specific point in time at the four campuses of Oakland Community College. Definition of Terms The following definitions apply to terms used in this study: Community College - a two-year postsecondary institution which offers certificate, degree, and transfer programs of a comprehensive nature. Certificate Program - any vocational program leading to a certi­ ficate of proficiency. Degree Program - any program leading to an associate degree. 9 Transfer Program - any program leading to an associate degree designed to be transferred to a four-year institution for completion of a baccalaureate degree. Office Information Systems Course - any skill or concept course offered by the Office Information Systems Discipline at Oakland Commu­ nity College which is part of the certificate or degree programs for office workers. Demographic Characteristics - age, marital status, number and age of children, and ethnic/racial background. Other Identifying Characteristics first term at OCC, number of years since number of credits enrolled for, attending school before enrolling at OCC, occupation and income level, level of previous education, occupa­ tion and income level of husband, education level of husband. Age Group One - female students age 25 and below. Age Group Two - female students age 26 to 40. Age Group Three - female students age 41 and above. Enrolled - registered for at least one credit hour. Part-Time Student - any student enrolled for less than 12 credit hours. Full-Time Student - any student enrolled for 12 or more credit hours. Traditional College Student - any 6tudent who enrolls at a college immediately after graduating from high school without an interruption in formal education. Nontraditional College Student - any student who enrolls at a college for formal education after a lapse of at least one year after graduating from high school. 10 Returning or Re-entry Honan Student - any woman returning to formal education after an interruption of any number of years. Mature Woman Student - any woman student of twenty-five years of age or older. Issues and Problems - any personal concern, need or dilemma of an educational, social, or economic nature which affects the academic per­ formance of a student. College Services - any academic or non-academic service that the college provides for the benefit of its students. Design and Methods Used A questionnaire to gather the desired information was developed and then distributed to two pilot groups for completion. Following the pi­ loting of the questionnaire, several revisions were made in an effort to clarify some of the questions to assure that the information to be ob­ tained would be the information sought. After the questionnaire was tributed to the four campuses of refined and printed, it was then dis­ Oakland Community College. On each campus the questionnaires were administered during class time by Office Information Systems (OIS) faculty to all women students enrolled in OIS courses. Students who were enrolled in more than one OIS course were cautioned to complete the questionnaire only one time. The completed questionnaires were taken to Administrative and Aca­ demic Services at Oakland Community College where the data were analyzed using the- college's IBM 4341 mainframe computer. Interviews were conducted with six of the respondents; these inter­ views with two women from each of the three age groups were used to sup­ plement the statistical findings of the study. 11 Overview of the Study Chapter One discussed the problem and purpose of the study, listed the research questions and hypotheses, and described the scope and setting of the study. Chapter Two presents an extensive review of the related literature. Chapter Three explains the methods and procedures used to collect and analyze the data. Chapter Four includes a presentation of the data collected in table format as well as a report of the statistical analysis used to test the hypotheses. Also included in Chapter Four is a discussion of the respon­ dent interviews. Chapter Five contains a summation of the study including the find­ ings, conclusions, and recommendations. The Appendices exhibit the survey instrument used in the study, re­ lated correspondence, and transcripts of the six respondent interviews. The Bibliography is the final portion of the dissertation. 12 Chapter Notes 1 U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. 1982-83 Edition. (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, April 1982), 15-19. 2 Dale Parnell, "Five Critical Issues," Community and Junior Col­ lege Journal 54 (May 1984), 40-41. 3 U.S. Department of Commerce, Statistical Abstract of the United States 1984 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1984), 161. ^ Oakland Community College, "Oakland Community College Session Statistical Reports for Winter Term 1984, Fall Term 1984, and Winter Term 1985." 5 Ibid. 6 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Sta­ tistics, Proiections of Education Statistics to 1990-91. Vol. I (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1982), 10-12. 7 Jimmie C. Miller and Phillip A. McGill, "Forecasting Student En­ rollment," Community and Junior College Journal 54 (May 1984), 31-33. CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The purpose of this study is to identify demographic characteris­ tics, reasons for enrolling for courses, problems and issues of con­ cern, and specific educational and occupational goals of women students enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at Oakland Community Col­ lege during the fall term of 1984. Four computerized searches— one in June 1982, one in July 1983, and two in June 1984— were conducted to determine the extent of recent writing and research pertaining to women students in higher education, specifically at the community college level. These searches revealed that in the last decade educators in institutions of higher education have become increas­ ingly interested in the adult student including mature women, returning or re-entry women, and part-time as well as full-time women. Furthermore, as the number of traditional-age college students has declined and continues to decline, administrators at institutions of higher education have begun to look more closely at the nontraditionalage student as a source of enrollment, particularly at community colleges. While it is true that the number of older students enrolling for courses or degree programs has been increasing at a rapid pace, there are those who see and are predicting some leveling off of the number of older stu­ dents. The improved state of the economy is viewed a6 being partly re­ sponsible for a more stable enrollment pattern. Meyer indicated that many women hesitate to go to school once they have gotten a job because 13 14 they have no assurance that a better job will be waiting for them if they obtain additional training. Furthermore, Meyer reported that there are those who believe that the market for older students is nearing a satu­ ration point. However, many community colleges are intensifying efforts to attract older students as well as the part-time students by aggres­ sively marketing their programs and and services.* If community colleges intend to attract and serve nontraditiona1-age students, then it is essen­ tial that they learn as much as possible about current and potential students. Wheaton and Robinson pointed out in 1983 that women students are not a homogeneous group, and the life circumstances and needs of younger women and older women are considerably different. Student differences need to be identified so that institutions of higher education can provide programs and services that will be meaningful to all s t u d e n t s . ^ The literature review which follows examines the characteristics, needs, problems, and goals of women students. However, it should be noted that while much of the literature does address only women students, and particularly mature women students, some of the work deals with both men and women. Furthermore, there appears to be limited research comparing women of traditional college age with women of nontraditional college age. Characteristics of Students In 1971 Tate completed a study of adult women enrolled for courses at an urban community college. While about half of these women were be­ tween twenty-five and thirty-four years of age, the total population age range was from twenty to sixty years of age. Sixty-two percent of the sample were married, 25 percent were single, and only 13 percent were 15 separated, divorced, or widowed. had children. Sixty-four percent of the respondents Nearly half of the women were unemployed while 31 percent were working full time and 24 percent were working part time.^ A study by Steele in 1974 surveyed mature women over thirty years of age at Skyline College in California. She found that slightly more more half of the sample were from thirty to thirty-nine years of age; the rest were forty or older. Seventy-five percent were married, 7 per­ cent were widowed, and the remainder were divorced, separated, or single. More than half were working with most working full time. Over 90 percent had as lea8t one child, and about half had three or more children.^ In a doctoral study at The Ohio State University in 1977 Mahone found that the majority of the women twenty-five or older were married, sepa­ rated, or divorced (78 percent) while only 4 percent of the women twentytwo or under fell into this category. An examination of the employment status of these same groups revealed that 70 percent of the older group were working either full or part time; for the younger group only 46 per­ cent were working. Ninety-nine percent of the younger students were at­ tending school full time while only 18 percent of the older group were full-time students.^ For her doctoral study in 1977, Posner-Cahill examined the charac­ teristics of women students returning to college. For the purposes of this study she surveyed women at four institutions of higher education the Charlotte, North Carolina, including one community college. She put together a modal description of the women she studied which showed that the women were twenty-five to twenty-nine years of age, were married, had at least one child ten years old or younger, and were working full time. Many of this group had finished four years of college before returning to 16 school.^ At the community college, 74 percent of the women were between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four; the rest were thirty-five or older. Sixty-seven percent were married, thirty-six percent were di­ vorced or separated, 4 percent were single, and 2 percent were widowed. Seventy-five percent of them had children. Fifty-four percent were em­ ployed full time while 20 percent were employed part time.^ Wilson carried out a doctoral study in 1982 in which she surveyed women at least twenty-five years old who had enrolled at a junior college in Alabama after an interruption in their formal education. Sixty-two percent of the women in this population were between the ages of twentyfive and thirty-five while the remainder were older than thirty-five years of age. Seventy-eight percent were married; 18 percent were separated, divorced or widowed; and the remaining 4 percent had never been married. Eighty percent of them had dependent children, and 46 percent were working either full or part time.® Another study carried out by Fralick at the University of Southern California in 1982 dealt with re-entry women twenty-one and older pre­ paring for traditional and nontraditional careers at a two-year community college. The average age of this group was thirty-one years with a range of twenty-one to fifty-six years. Forty-nine percent of them were married, and the majority were working either full time or part time.^ The research studies do indeed show considerable demographic data about the women surveyed. However, other people have written about students and particularly women students in somewhat different terms by examining other identifying characteristics of younger students of traditional college age and older students of nontraditional college age. 17 Gabert said in 1981 that if one were to look at community college students, he would find that these students are commuters, more are parttime students than full-time students, are older, have jobs and family responsibilities, and more than half are women. Lenning and Hanson have summarized a number of studies which compare younger and older college students as follows: Younger students have major problems of motivation, relation­ ships with peers, learning to make decisions, knowing what they want for their lives. Conversely, older students gen­ erally have a harder time adjusting to new situations, have feelings of inadequacy about having been out of school so long, have more family responsibilities and other outside pressures, are more often working full time in addition to attending college. Older students are more positive about different aspects of their college and about their experi­ ences there. Many of them "thrive" on the more traditional teaching methodologies that younger students tend to r e j e c t . ^ According to Zarakov, the nontraditional community college student is ". . . an older student who is entering the open doors a little later or much l a t e r . W h i l e most people refer to nontraditional, rollments. this group as it is actually the majority of community college en­ This older group tends to be independent and is able to pay for education rather than to depend on parents or other outside finan­ cial support. She further stated that unlike the traditional-age stu­ dent who usually 6pends no more than two years at the community college, "The older 6tudent does not follow that pattern but returns year after year eclectically choosing from academic, vocational, personal growth, and retirement classes. Lawson observed that "The new community college student is getting steadily older. More than ever before, mature adults are using their community colleges to resume their education, start a new career or im­ prove their present one, or enrich their lives and general knowledge 18 Cros6, who has written extensively about the adult learner, noted that the majority of working adults are not taking college courses, and sees this large group as potential college students. She, too, reported that adult part-time students do have other responsibilities in addition to going to school and that some may need developmental/remedial help in order to be able to handle college-level work. However, she thinks that the majority of adult learners has been successful as students in the past and is achievement oriented though not necessarily degree o r i e n t e d . ^ Another important point to consider about nontraditional learners was discussed by Ames and Archer who pointed out that, "These students present new and different problems— or challenges— to community colleges. Instructors and counselors who expect to deal with the typical students of ten years ago— eighteen years old, fresh out of high school, sure of themselves and their goals, and reasonably well off financially— are faced with apparently unmotivated students, older students who are torn between school and other obligations, and individuals who are unsure of themselves."16 There is no doubt that older students are torn between school and other obligations and may be unsure of themselves, but most people would not describe them as unmotivated. Hameister and Hickey have put forth a dichotomy between traditional and adult students which points out the many differences found between traditional and adult students. Their dichotomy f o l l o w s : ^ 19 Traditional Student New Majority____________________ 1. Continuing in school 1. Returning to school 2. Learning history strongly in­ fluenced by formal education 2. Learning history strongly in­ fluenced by informal education 3. Familiar with educational routine 3. Unfamiliar with educational routine and expectations 4. Primary time commitment to school— full-time student 4. Major time commitment to fam­ ily and job— part-time student 5. Adequate communication and study skills 5. Frequent deficiencies in study and communication skills 6. Minimal work experience 6. Considerable relevant work ex­ perience 7. Micro frame of reference for a more orderly input of new ideas 7. Macro frame of reference based on life-experience which has both positive and negative im­ plications for the learning process 8. Frequently no clear vocational goal 8. Frequently clear vocational goals, but not necessarily re­ lated to educational program. 9. Educational goal is to receive 9. a baccalaureate degree at mini­ mum Educational goal may be to re­ ceive a degree, but may also include some form of certifi­ cation or licensure 10. Speed of performance and peer 10, competitiveness affect6 learn­ ing activities Concept mastery and accuracy of performance more important than competition— frequently viewed as threatening 11. High academic grades play significant role in obtain­ ing meaningful employment 11, Academic grades are not signi­ ficant in terms of present em­ ployment situation 12. Clear idea of how he compares with academic performance of fellow students 12, No accurate basis on which to judge his academic potential Clearly, this dichotomy has implications for community colleges as they plan for future academic offerings and student services to accommo­ date the students who enroll. It surely points out potential problem 20 areas for students of all ages as well as the tremendous differences in characteristics, learning abilities, and goals. Furthermore, even though the age of community college students is rising, there will continue to be many students who are of the traditional age; thus, community college administrators and faculty need to know as much as possible about the nature of their student populations. The diversity of college students today is quite evident as one ex­ amines the writing and research that have been done in this field. College Attendance Reasons of Students The reasons students go to college to take courses or complete de­ gree programs tend to be different for students of different ages and life circumstances, and a number of studies and articles have addressed this topic. In 1970 Swinburne reported the following information about the rea­ sons adults attend community colleges, including both male and female students: For over half the students, a major reason for their atten­ dance was to broaden their intellectual and cultural inter­ ests. Over two out of five wished to improve their abilities to think and reason. Over a third gave gaining skills for a new job as a reason for their attendance, with more than twice as many males as females giving this response. Nearly a third hoped to gain skills for a job promotion with male-female re­ sponses about e v e n . I ® Tate studied a group of adult women to find out what relationships existed between certain socio-economic characteristics and the reasons adult women enroll at an urban community college. 1. She found that: Those factors relating to academic achievement (earning a degree), gaining general information, and entering a profession tended to be of greatest importance in in­ fluencing women's decisions to enroll in college. 21 2. Factors relating to supplementing income and providing for leisure time activity tended to be of least impor­ tance . 3. Personal and social usefulness and improving income po­ tential tended to be of intermediate importance in influencing women to enroll in school. She also found that the preceding reasons were most influenced by employ­ ment status, age, and annual family income and were least influenced by spouse's occupation and marital status. Another study by Aanstad in 1972 explained that " . . . much more feasible for older women than ever before. more affluent. niences. college is Our society is Housework demands less time due to more modern conve­ Education is also much more acceptable for w o m e n " ^ Many women returned to school because they were bored with their lives, and some in­ dicated that they had an unfulfilled desire for knowledge. Some returned to establish a new life pattern in an effort to get away from marriage or divorce problems.^2 In Posner-Cahill's study in 1977 the following was found: At the community college: When asked to rank their reasons for returning to school, 34.8 percent of the respondents ranked "for educational enrich­ ment" the most important reason, 23.9 percent ranked "to earn more money" the most important, and 19.6 percent ranked "to gain a new identity" the most important. ^ At the four-year institutions (undergraduate level): When asked to rank their reasons for returning to school, 42.6 percent of the four-year college undergraduate respon­ dents ranked "for educational enrichment" the most important reason, 18.8 percent ranked "to earn more money" the most im­ portant reason, and 10.7 percent ranked "other reasons" most important At the university (graduate level): When asked to rank their reasons for returning to school, 38.8 percent of the graduate respondents ranked "for educational 22 enrichment" the most important reason, 22.2 percent ranked "to earn more money" the most important reason, 19.2 percent ranked "to help with your present job" the most important reason, 9.2 percent ranked "other reasons," and 7.7 percent ranked "to gain a new identity" the most important r e a s o n . 25 From the preceding paragraphs it can be seen that the reasons for re­ turning to school at different institutions of higher education were quite similar through there were some considerable differences in the percentages reported. When Mahone studied mature and traditional aged women students, she found the reasons for course enrollment given by mature women students were to prepare self for future job (32 percent), for self-enrichment (28 percent), for a degree (21 percent), to improve themselves in their present job (7 percent), and to enhance acceptance into graduate school (6 percent). The traditional-aged students enrolled for courses to pre­ pare themselves for future jobs (64 percent) and for a degree (31 per­ cent) .26 Splain studied a group of women returning to school at a univer­ sity; their average age was thirty-five. She found that they ". . . returned to school for one of three reasons: to maintain a career they had already begun; to change their career; to make practical use of some­ thing they had already started."27 Adelstein et al. wrote that there seems to have been a shift in the reasons given for returning to school by women. In the early 7 0 's the most frequently mentioned reasons were personal growth and intellectual fulfillment. However, more recently economic considerations have become important; and women are interested in training for careers and expanding their options. In other words, women are more likely to look for job- oriented educational e x p e r i e n c e s . 2 8 23 A study by Galliano and Gildea, in which they surveyed non­ traditional students at a four-year institution, indicated that women gave the following reasons for returning to school: . . . that Self-Satisfaction was the most frequencly [sic] selected (20%) primary reason for returning to college. A Desire to Accomplish or Achieve (18%) followed as the most frequent primary motivation for a return to college. In order to bring these findings into sharper focus, the fre­ quency with which each of the motives is reported as one of the top three reasons for returning to college is indicated. Now a somewhat different picture emerges. The most frequently reported motive was again Self-Satisfaction (65%). The second and third most frequently cited motive [sic] were Desire to Achieve or Accomplish (53%), and Intellectual Stimulation (47%). Then follow Career Advancement (37%), and Economic Self-Sufficiency (35%). Adding to Family Income appeared as a strong motivation for only 28% of the respondents. Boredom with Pre-college Situation was a motive for only 12% of the respondents, and the rarest motive offered was Desire to En­ rich Family Relationships ( 2 %).29 Saltoun found that returning women students at a community college gave the following reasons for their return to school: increase general knowledge, prepare for a new career, transfer to another institution, earn an A.A. degree, gain skill for immediate employment, and advance­ ment in present career. The community college students who were studied by Fralick indi­ cated that the most important reason for their attending school was to train for a job or career (70.0 percent), followed by personal satis­ faction (41.4 percent), to explore personal and career goals (26.6 per­ cent), and economic necessity (16 percent). Three percent indicated other reasons not listed.31 The reasons adults go to college are varied, but generally they seem to fall into the following categories: (1) to prepare for a job, (2) to prepare for a different job, (3) to upgrade training for current job, (4) to enrich one's life, and (5) to enjoy social contacts. 24 Gleazer put it in terms of outcomes as follows: of our clientele, "For the majority learning means achievement of self-worth, employment, health, decent housing, citizenship, self-reliance, enlightenment, and freedom. Problems and Issues of Concern to Students Swinburne found in 1970 that the difficult aspects of attendance at the community college for men and women were (1) time required, (2) good place to study, (3) being away from family, (4) distance traveled, (5) difficulty of material, (6) cost of the course, (7) competition with other, and (8) opposition from family. The items mentioned most often by the women in the study were (1) time required, (2) being away from family, (3) good place to study, (4) distance traveled, (5) cost of the course, and (6) difficulty of material.^3 In her study Tate also addressed the problems and concerns of the women enrolled in an urban community college, and she found that the most frequently mentioned problems were finances, child care, and home responsibilities. Services needed by the women in this study were child care, transportation to campus, better lounge and study areas, job place­ ment information, and credit for work e x p e r i e n c e . ^ Aanstad's study in 1972 reported that the two most common problems of mature women appeared to be "lack of time for household duties" and "not enough time to be with my f a m i l y . "^5 She also found that "Approxi­ mately half of those in this study indicated a concern about how they would do academically, and another 16 percent were concerned about both academic and social adjustment. . . . Only 14 percent indicated that they are concerned about classwork and grades in particular."36 25 Steele found that the women she surveyed had "problems with child care, scheduling of desired classes, transportation, and finances." She also noted that these women "experience lack of self-confidence and fear about their ability to perform academically" and that those "who return to school primarily for self-enrichment have more self-confidence and less fear of academic failure, but these are also likely to be women who have some college experience or even advanced degrees . . ,"37 Brandenburg, as a result of her contacts with returning women at Queens College of the City University of New York who were part of a group called Women Involved in New Goals (WING), wrote in 1974: In addition to being uncertain of their ability to achieve and unsure of their goals, many women also face resistance to their return to school from husbands, families, and friends. As soon as the returning student becomes really involved in her schoolwork, some aspect of her life changes. The most common change, at least in this group, was a "sacrifice of housekeeping respon­ sibilities and less time for family and friends." As soon as this change affects other people, there is usually a reaction. Reports by the women indicate several reaction patterns of hus­ bands and families, ranging from continuous open hostility to continuous support. The experience of continued support was comparatively rare among these women; most experienced some de­ gree of resistance to their return to school. In 1976 a modified version of the questionnaire developed by Brandenburg was used by Richards in California at Fresno City College. The women were grouped as Type I— single, twenty to forty year6 old, prob­ ably divorced or separated, with children to support; Type II— married, twenty to forty year6 old, children at home; Type III— married, thirty to fifty years old, children older and some have already left home. While the problems mentioned were somewhat different in terms of importance to the three types, the overall list contained time, anxiety, role conflict, money, child care, study skills, counseling, and instructors. Furthermore, about 60 percent of the women reported that their families were not supportive of 26 their attendance at college. This family attitude was most prevalent among the Type II women and least prevalent among Type III women.^9 In a study carried out at a community college in 1977, Smallwood identified five problem areas of mature women students; she then ranked the 21 issues of concern to them under these five headings as follows: I. II. III. IV. V. Coordinating Noncollege Responsibilities 1. Coordinating studies with child care and family responsibilities 2. Coordinating studies with your job Academic Problems 3. Knowing how to study efficiently 4. What courses to take 5. Concern about your ability to succeed in college Acquiring Job and Career 6. Getting a good job after graduation 7. What career to choose Interpersonal Relationship Problems 8. Self-confidence as a WOMAN student returning to college 9. Your relationship with your spouse as a result of becoming a student 10. Your relationship with your children as a result of becoming a student 11. Needing to be more assertive or forceful person­ ally 13. Being treated seriously and equally by faculty and staff 14. Wanting to pursue a career traditionally open to men 15. Being treated seriously and equally by other stu­ dents 16. Your relationship with other women friends as a result of becoming a student 18. Feeling uncomfortable around younger students 19. Your personal relationships with men as a result of becoming a student 20. Concern that success in school may lead to social difficulties with friends 21. Your relationship with your parents as a result of becoming a student Legal and Financial Need 12. Need for financial assistance 17. Need for legal advice and aid^® Posner-Cahill1s study listed three major problems— time, money, and distance from institution— in the profile for all of the institutions 27 included in her study.41 However, her questionnaire did list additional problems that students could check as family, child care, motivation, competing with younger students, learning how to study again, no problems, and other problems.42 Clarkson's study set forth what were called obstacles to educational goals as "time, 49 percent; money, 45 percent; family responsibilities, 36 percent; lack of confidence, 26 percent; husband or partner objects and lack of ability, 9.5 percent e a c h . "43 Magill stated that the problems encountered by re-entry women in­ cluded financial difficulties, lack of support from family and friends, academic counseling problems, feelings of inadequacy, inadequate trans­ portation, difficulty in getting information, conflict with home respon­ sibilities, guilt over time spent on school concerns, and lack of people with whom to talk.44 The results of McClain's research in 1979 at a community college disclosed problem areas for adult women returning to school as follows: 1. Although Adult Women return to college with goals, they feel the need for some form of career development/career counseling assistance; 2. Adult Women who withdraw often are divorced. Their with­ drawal from their studies is mainly due to conflicts with the family/student role and financial problems; 3. Adult Women who withdraw from school do plan to return to their studies, and thus, should be considered "Stop-outs" rather than "Drop-outs"; 4. When compared to other Adult Women, the "Stop-out" women have the greater need for career development/career counseling; 5. Adult Women need assistance in study skills, tutoring services, and flexible course scheduling; 6. Adult Women want personal counseling services; 28 7. Adult Women, especially between the ages of thirty to forty, need assistance with child care; 8. Adult Women feel the need for an orientation geared specifically to the Adult Woman; 9. Adult Women want an Adult Women support group; and 10. Although financial aid counseling was not found to be a need by the study population, the results of the cross­ tabulation show that financial aid services are most needed by Adult Women who are divorced and who have in­ comes between $5,000 and $7,999. Women needing loans for tuition and school expenses have yearly incomes be­ low $5,000.45 Wilson's study in 1982 ranked the issues of concern to adult women students at Enterprise State Junior College by mean and found that the the issues which were of most concern were: Getting a good job after graduation, Coordinating studies with child care/family responsibilities, Coordinating stu­ dies with your job, Knowing how to study effectively, Worry­ ing about your ability to succeed in college, Deciding what academic courses to take, Deciding what career to choose, Meeting the physical demands of being a student, Maintaining the relationship with your spouse as a result of becoming a student.4^ The issues which were of least concern were: Being treated fairly by faculty and staff, Feeling that teaching styles of faculty are geared to the needs of younger students, Wanting to pursue a career traditionally viewed as open to men, Being treated seriously by other students, Needing legal advice/aid, Feeling uncomfortable around younger stu­ dents, Maintaining the relationship with your parents as a re­ sult of becoming a student, Worrying that academic success in school may lead to social difficulties with friends, Feeling that your personal relationships with men will change as a re­ sult of becoming a student.4^ The study carried out by Wilson was quite similar to the study con­ ducted by Smallwood in 1977; however, the ranking of issues of concern by the women respondents was somewhat different. Another study which examined student concerns and problems of both male and female students was undertaken by Galliano and Gildea. They 29 studied the impact of returning to college on emotional well-being, selfconfidence, and meeting new friends ae well as accomplishing household chores and having adequate child care. They also noted that the academic issues of concern were a reluctance to become involved in campus activi­ ties, motivation to continue, and relating to younger students The review of the literature bearing on problems of students tends to identify very similar problems over the years with varying degrees of intensity depending on the age, sex, and other demographic variables of the respondents. Educational and Occupational Goals of Students Much of the writing of the past ten to fifteen years in this field did not specifically address educational and occupational goals of stu­ dents. Rather this topic was covered in discussions of needs and reasons for attending college; and because of this, there may be some overlapping of the information in this section and in the section on attendance rea­ sons of students. In 1972 Aanstad found that 47 percent of the mature women in her study had gotten jobs within six months of high school graduation. Forty-one percent did go to college or to a specialized school, and 21 percent married. Interestingly, 71 percent said they had planned to continue their educations at some time in the future. Sixty-five per­ cent were at Santa Fe to get a degree and 35 percent were there for personal satisfaction. Forty-nine percent had plans to transfer to a senior institution, and 19 percent planned to work after they graduated. Sixty-seven percent indicated they had an occupational goal. Steele learned that: 30 Mature-women students at Skyline are equally divided among those who come to prepare for employment, increase skills needed on present jobs, or prepare for new careers and those who return to school for self-enrichment. . . . Of those who return for self-enrichment, many develop serious educational goals. Mature-women students 6eek education to prepare for employ­ ment because they head households broken by death or divorce or because they are aware they may be required to face the future alone. Married women, employed because of economic necessity, seek relief in school from routine jobs and house­ work. Married women who do not need to work seek fulfillment in education. Brandenburg administered a questionnaire to women returning to school and reported the following comments which point to the psycholog­ ical needs of women: "I wanted to grow up and find my own identity." "I need constructive interests outside the home." "I desire self-fulfillment." "I want self-improvement, confidence, my own identity." "I'm feeling stagnant and want a meaningful career." "I need to find myself as a person." "I need financial independence, meaningful employment And to sum up the importance and difficulty of the decision to re­ turn to school, one woman said, "I'm scared! than I did before. I want to do well— better It's my second chance, and I must make it— not only to prove to myself that I can do it, but my whole future is at stake."^2 In 1977, Lahti spoke about lifelong learning as it relates to "re­ training, upgrading job skills, and retooling for new careers." He further said that, "We are seeing daily evidence that equality of oppor­ tunity has high current priority throughout our society, and statistics lead us to believe it will continue to grow in importance." He went on to say that many people view education as both the end and the means to equality and that many companies will support schooling for their em­ ployees not only for job-related courses but also for a variety of self­ enrichment courses.^3 31 Hameister and Hickey said that while the vocational goals of tra­ ditional students are often "unclear and/or latent; vocational goals of the new majority are usually quite clear." They also stated, "An ulti­ mate goal for the new majority may be to receive a degree and/or modi­ fied movement on a career ladder. The ultimate goal of the traditional student is graduation and a concern for employment."54 Waterhouse suggested that nontraditional students, including mature women, "are pursuing education to obtain skills for educational and career confidence and success; future rewards— monetary, career and/or enhanced life-style nature; enrichment; access to educational and career opportunities; and recognition r e w a r d s . "55 Hill's study in Canada was concerned with mature students— both men and women— enrolled in one- and two-year programs at post-secondary institutes. She found that, "More men indicated that they had returned to school for reasons of seeking a career change, whereas more women indicated they had returned for personal satisfaction reasons."56 The re-entering women in Magill's study indicated that were looking for intellectual enrichment and to prepare for employment; she described them as follows: These students were enthusiastic about themselves, their goals, and the educational experience. Many felt a new, posi­ tive sense of self as a result of going back to school. Overall, the women in our study are seeking to expand their options in society, and generally consider themselves to be very successful at this. Galliano and Gildea asked the respondents in their study to indi­ cate their plans following graduation. Fifty-four percent said they would seek paid employment, while 19 percent said they plan to enroll in graduate school. Another 9 percent said they would seek promotion 32 or advancement at their present employment, 6 percent said they would make a career change, and 3 percent said they would set up their own business. Three percent said they would take a break, and 6 percent said they were unsure of their plans. Generally, the goals of students were related to personal satis­ faction, future educational plans, and occupational changes and advance­ ments. It would appear that these goals were influenced not only by the personal circumstances of the individuals involved but also by the type of institution of higher education at which they were enrolled. Summary This review has been presented in four parts— characteristics of students, college attendance reasons of students, problems and issues of concern to students, and educational and occupational goals of students. While the literature review covered primarily mature women returning to higher education settings, there was some literature pertaining to male students as well. However, it was found that little has been written which specifically addresses different age groups of women enrolled for the primary purpose of developing clerical job skills in a community college setting. It doe6 seem apparent that there there is a growing interest in women as potential community college students; therefore, research of the type being carried out in this study would seem to have merit because it will provide additional information about women students that can be helpful to community colleges particularly as they endeavor to maintain enrollment levels. 33 Chapter Notes * Thomas J. Meyer, "2-Year Colleges Facing Serious Enrollment Decline," The Chronicle of Hieher Education. 7 November 1984, p. 3, cols. 1-4. 2 Janilee B. Wheaton and Daniel C. Robinson, "Responding to the Needs of Re-entry Women: A Comprehensive Campus Model," NASPA Journal 21 (Fall 1983), 50. 3 Mildred Christine Jackson Tate, "An Analysis of the Relation­ ship Between Selected Personal Socio-Economic Characteristics of a Random Sample of Adult Women and Their Reasons for Enrolling in an Urban Community College" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1971), 71-72. ^ Gertrude M. Steele, The Mature-Woman Student at Skyline College (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 129 367, 1974), 20-22 . 3 Denise Felicia Mahone, "An Assessment of Supportive Needs of Mature and Traditional Aged Women Students at The Ohio State Univer­ sity" (Ph.D. dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1977), 52. 6 Cheryl Lynn Posner-Cahill, "Characteristics of Women Students Returning to College" (Ed.D. dissertation, Duke University, 1977), 113. 7 Ibid., 145-46. ® Linda Coon Wilson, "A Study of the Problems of Mature Women Stu­ dents Enrolled in a Selected Rural Junior College" (Ed.D. dissertation, Auburn University, 1982), 41-47. 9 Marsha Ann Fralick, "Characteristics of Community College ReEntry Women Preparing for Traditional and Nontraditional Careers" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern California, 1982), 48-57. Glen Gab e r t , The Public Community College: The People's Univer­ sity (Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1981), 19. 11 0. T. Lenning and G. R. Hanson, "Adult Students at Two-Year Colleges: A Longitudinal Study," Community/Junior College Research Quarterly. 1 (1977), 285. 12 Selma Zarakov, What If the Consumer Holds Us Accountable? (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 156 252, 1978), 1-2 . 13 Ibid., 2. 1^ Katherine Lawson, "Marketplace," Community College Frontiers (Spring 1978), 41. 34 k . Patricia Cross, "Our Changing Students and Their Impact on Colleges: Prospects for a True Learning Society," Phi Delta Kappan 61 (May 1980), 627. 16 Nancy R. Ames and Patricia F. Archer, Building Success in the Classroom. (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, 1980), 1. 17 Dennis R. Hamei6ter and Tom Hickey, "Traditional and Adult Stu­ dents: A Dichotomy," Lifelong Learning: The Adult Years 1 (December 1977), 8. 1® Bruce Ryan Swinburne, "Characteristics of Adult Part-Time Stu­ dents in Selected Public Community Colleges" (Ed.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970), 140. 19 Tate, 76-78. 20 Ibid., 77. 21 Judy Aanstad, A Study of Mature Women at Santa Fe Junior Col­ lege. A Topical Paper (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 057 797, 1972), 6. 22 Ibid., 6. 23 Posner-Cahill, 80. 24 Ibid., 95. 25 Ibid., 100. 26 M a h o n e , 86. 27 Pamela A. Splain, "Analysis of Selected Characteristics that Contribute to the Success of Returning Women Students" (Ph.D. disserta­ tion, University of Maryland, 1979), 84. 2® Diane Adelstein et al., Dimensions Underlying the Characteris­ tics and Needs of Returning Women Students (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 216 597, 1979), 2. 29 Grace Galliano and Kathleen Gildea, Non-traditional Students: New Faces and New Issues (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 216 615, 1982). 18-19. 50 Synthia Saltoun, "Differences in Perceived Needs for Educa­ tional Training as a Function of Variations in Self-Esteem and Role Strain among Demographically Identifiable Subpopulations of Returning Women Students in Community Colleges" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern California, 1982), 65. 31 Fralick, 60. 35 32 Edmund J. Gleazer, Jr., "So Far, So Good," C o m m u n ity and Junior College Journal 51 (May 1981), 13. 33 Swinburne, 124 34 Tate, 77. 33 Aanstad, 19. 36 Ibid., 20. 32 Steele, 76. 38 Judith B. Brandenburg, "The Needs of Women Returning to School," The Personnel and Guidance Journal 53 (September 1974), 14. 39 Lillian S. Richards, Women's Perception of Their Psychological and Practical Needs Upon Re-entry to a Community College: Implications for Restructuring the Learning Environment (Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 130 713, 1976), 32-44. 40 Kathie Beckman Smallwood, "The Problems of Mature Women Stu­ dents" (Ph.D. dissertation, North Texas State University, 1977), 44-46. 41 Posner-Cahill, 42 Ibid., 140. 104. 43 Ann Brady Clarkson, "A Survey of the Supports and Problems Per­ ceived by Returning Women Students at Portland Community College" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oregon, 1978), 110. 44 Kathleen Magill and Kathryn Cirksena, Problems and Information Needs of Women Reentering Higher Education Bethesda, MI: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 167 199, 1978), 12. 43 Ruth Stellatella McClain, "An Assessment of Needs or Adult Women Returning to Higher Education at Springfield Technical Community College" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Massachusetts, 1979), 92-93. 46 Wilson, 48. 47 Ibid., 49. 48 Galliano and Gildea, 14-16. 49 Aanstad, 20-21. 50 Steele, 76. 51 Brandenburg, 12 52 Ibid., 12 36 53 Robert E. Lahti, "New Markets for Community Colleges," Commu­ nity and Junior College Journal 48 (December 1977-January 1978), 9-10. 54 Hameister and Hickey, 8. 55 Pearl G. Waterhouse, What's So Non-Traditional About NonTraditional Students?" Community and Junior College Journal 48 (February 1978), 40. 56 Lorraine Hill, "An Examination of Full-Time Mature Students in One and Two-Year Programs at Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Institutes2 (MCE thesis, University of Saskatchewan, 1979), 156. 57 Magill, 42. 58 Galliano and Gildea, 20. CHAPTER THREE PROCEDURES AND METHODS After careful consideration of the alternatives, it was decided that a descriptive study would be the proper approach to use for this research problem. West said, "Surveys are formally defined as studies that use samples to determine the incidence, distribution, relationships of variables in the population ."^ and inter­ Instrumentation In order to collect the data required for this study, a naire, a copy of which appears in Appendix C, was developed. question­ This questionnaire utilizes in adapted form parts of questionnaires prepared by W i l s o n ^ , Smallwood^, Hine^, Tate^, and Swinburne^. The questionnaire contains five sections: Part 1. Sixteen items which supply demographic data as well as other identifying data about the respondents. Part 2. Twelve items which specify reasons for enrolling in courses as well as the degree of importance attached to each reason by the respondents. Part 3. Forty-three items which identify issues and problems of concern as well as the degree of concern attached to each issue or prob­ lem by the respondents. Part 4. Thirty-one items which provide a rating of the college's academic and non-academic services by the respondents. 37 38 Fart 5. Two items which obtain information about the educational and occupational objectives of the respondents. Likert-type scales have been utilized for parts two, three and four of this questionnaire since the Likert scale is designed to provide pre­ cise information about a person's degree of concern or agreement with an it e m .^ All questions were number coded for ease in inputing the data for statistical analysis by the computer. The questionnaires were printed on buff paper in a tri-fold arrange­ ment containing six 8 1/2 by 11 inch pages. Population The population used was 1,168 women students enrolled in courses offered by the Office Informations Systems (OIS) Departments at the four campuses of Oakland Community College (OCC) during the fall term of 1984. An examination of the OCC seat counts dated September 28, 1984, re­ vealed that there were 2,095 students enrolled in OIS courses at the four campuses of OCC. dents. This figure included both male and female stu­ While this figure was not an unduplicated headcount (an official college count in which each student regardless of the number of courses he/she might be enrolled for is counted only one time) of those students enrolled, it did provide the researcher with an approximate number in order to place the order with the printer for the questionnaires and cover letters. Permission wa6 obtained from the college administration to have the questionnaires administered in all OIS courses by faculty members during the period of November 1 through November 10, 1984. 39 Since many of the 2,095 students were enrolled for more than one OIS course, the faculty members who administered the questionnaires indicated that any student who had already completed the questionnaire in another course 6hould not complete it again. OIS faculty in Appendix B.) (See memorandum to This request was also expressed in the cover letter which was given to each respondent along with the question­ naire. (See letter to students in Appendix A.) and nature of the questionnaire, would honor this request. Because of the length it was felt that the students involved Male students were not given questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered by faculty, both full-time and part-time, in all OIS courses from November 1 through November 10, 1984, at the four campuses of Oakland Community College. At the end of the 1984 fall term, an unduplicated headcount of fe­ male students showed that there were 1,726 students who had received grades of A, B, C, D, F, I, W, and W P . A grade of I is an incomplete, a W grade is either a faculty- or student-initiated withdrawal from a course, and a WP is a faculty-initiated withdrawal/passing from a course. Because this figure included students who did not complete courses for whatever reason, another unduplicated headcount of female students who received grades of A, B, C, D, and F was taken, and this run resulted in a figure of 1,168. It was believed that this figure was a more realistic one in terms of the number of students who had been available to complete the questionnaire in November than the 1,726 figure. Experience at the community college has shown that those students who receive I, W, or WP grades usually are not attending class by the latter part of the term. Since the questionnaires were administered during the tenth and eleventh weeks of a fifteen-week term, it seemed reasonable to use the 1,168 figure as the population. 40 It was decided to use the data from all of the 975 questionnaires to describe the population; thus, the statistical tests utilized the entire return of questionnaires. The 975 figure represents 83.5 per­ cent of the total population. Since there was such a wide range of respondent ages, three age groups of respondents were established and subsequently used for com­ parison purposes as follows: Age Group 1 — Age 25 and Belov. This group would include women who had come to OCC directly after graduating from high school, women who had never had the opportunity to attend college after high school, and women who had enrolled at OCC after having been out of high school for less than ten years. Most of the children of these women would be no older than seven years of age, but there might be some children as old as nine or ten. Many of the women in this age group probably would not have heavy family responsibilities but probably would have job responsibilities in addition to school responsibilities. Age Group 2 - Age 26 to 40. This group would include women who had been away from school for more than eight years. Some would be high school graduates, and some would have taken some college courses or might even have college degrees. The majority of their children would be be­ tween seven and twelve year6 old, but some could be as old as eighteen or twenty, which would indicate heavy child and family responsibilities. Many of these women would have jobs outside the home. Marital problems would not be uncommon with women in this age group, and many of the women would be preparing for job6 because of these problems. Age Group 3 - Age 41 and Above. This group would include women who had graduated from high school more than twenty years earlier and could 41 also include college graduates. The children of these women would be no younger than ten or twelve years of age, and many of the children would already be beyond high school age. These women would have family and child responsibilities of less intensity that the other two age groups. Probably their marital situations would be more stable. Some of these women would be working outside of the home, and many of them would be preparing for more suitable or better-paying jobs. Pilot Study Prior to the actual pilot study, 12 people completed the first draft of the questionnaire. This initial trial of the questionnaire resulted in some minor revisions. To be sure that the questionnaire was clearly written and not too long and that the respondents would be able and willing to answer all of the questions, a pilot study was conducted with 39 students enrolled in office education courses at Cleary College, Ypsilanti, Michigan, and at Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, Michigan. From the pilot study, it was determined that the length of time needed to complete the questionnaire (an average of 13.9 minutes) was not unreasonable. It was further determined that the two open-ended questions on the original questionnaire would need to be changed in order to elicit the desired information. Administration of the Questionnaire The questionnaires were administered during class time to the stu­ dents enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at the four campuses of Oakland Community College by full-time and part-time faculty teaching these classes during the first ten days of November 1984. 42 All faculty were given a memorandum containing instructions (See Appendix B.) for administering the questionnaires along with a cover letter, questionnaire and envelope for each respondent. Only women stu­ dents were asked to complete the questionnaire; and even though many women were enrolled for more than one OIS course, they were cautioned to complete the questionnaire only one time. They were asked to supply their home campus and age range on the envelope. (See Appendix D.) All of the respondents were assured of complete anonymity regarding the use of data obtained. The completed questionnaires were then returned to the researcher at the Orchard Ridge Campus by the inter-campus mail system. Table 1 shows the campus distribution and percentage of completed questionnaires. Table 1. Campus Distribution and Unduplicated Female Headcount with Number and Percentage of Completed Questionnaires Unduplicated Female Headcount* Campus Auburn Hills Campus . . . Highland Lakes Campus . . Orchard Ridge Campus . . . Southeast Campus ......... No Campus Indicated . . . T o t a l .................... 337 251 292 288 • Number Completed Percentage Completed 265 221 240 247 2 78.6 88.0 82.2 85.8 975 83.5 *As of December 14, 1984 Analysis of the Data The data from the questionnaires were input via magnetic tape by two data entry clerks in Administrative and Academic Services at Oakland 43 Community College. The accuracy of the data was verified by multiple input of the data from the questionnaires as well as review by a systems analyst and the executive director of Administrative and Academic Services at the college. The analysis of the data was conducted using the Statistical Analysis System package with the IBM 4341 mainframe computer at Oakland Community College. Since the Likert-type scales used in the questionnaire are ordinal scales rather than interval scales, the basic tabulation of the data was done in the form of frequency distributions and percentages. All data were tabulated by the three age groups that had been established. In order to determine significant differences and relationships be­ tween the independent variables (demographic and other identifying data) and the dependent variables (reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC, issues and problems of concern, academic and non-academic services, and the educational and occupational goals of women students), two- and threeway chi-square tests of independence were performed with a .05 level of significance. According to Borg and Gall, "Chi-square (X^) is a non- parametric statistical test that is used when the research data are in the form of frequency counts. These frequency counts can be placed into two or more categories."® Thus, the five research questions were answered using frequency dis­ tributions and percentages while the seven hypotheses were tested using two- and three-way chi-square tests of independence. The questionnaire contained five questions allowing the respondent to indicate other as the answer and then specify what the other item was. 44 These responses were hand tabulated and categorized since this type of response could not be processed easily by the computer. The Office for Research Consultation (ORC) at Michigan State Uni­ versity was helpful during the period that the research proposal was being finalized. Continued work with the ORC resulted in the decision to use the chi-square test of independence to test the seven hypotheses and in the decision to use frequency distributions and percentages to show the demographic and other identifying data as well as data obtained from the other parts of the questionnaire. Respondent Interviews While a study of the kind just described can certainly provide ample statistical data to identify the demographic characteristics of the re­ spondents and to test the hypotheses, it cannot provide holistic, indi­ vidual portrayals of women students and the events in their lives that that have shaped their attitudes and feelings about themselves, their families, and their aspirations. Therefore, it was decided to use an interview technique to obtain the kind of personal, human information about some of the respondents that the questionnaire could not elicit. During the Winter Term 1985, six of the women students who had com­ pleted the questionnaire during the previous term were contacted and asked if they would be willing to take part in a confidential, anonymous interview. Specifically these six women were selected because they were representative of the three age groups, they came from varied home back­ grounds, they had had different kinds of educational experiences prior to their enrolling at OCC, they were in diverse life circumstances at the time, and their objectives and goals were quite different. The six women 45 contacted were pleaBed to have been asked and were subsequently interviewed. The interviews took about one hour each and were structured to give the women an opportunity to talk about themselves— their family backgrounds, their previous educational endeavors, their reasons for attending Oak­ land Community College, and their feelings about the college. They were also asked to talk about their own goals and objectives and the issues and problems of concern to them as students at the college. Two of the women were from Age Group I, two were from Age Group 2, and two were from Age Group 3. Two were married, one was divorced, one was separated, and two had never been married. dren. Three of them were working part time. Four of them had chil­ One of them had a bacca­ laureate degree; four of them had had other college experiences before enrolling at OCC. Following, the interviews, which were conducted between April 12 and April 22, 1985, each student wa6 assured by letter that the interviews would be used in complete anonymity. (See Appendix F.) The information obtained from these six interviews will be reported in Chapter Four, and it is hoped that it will add a dimension to this study that will allow the reader to look beyond the statistical treatment of the respondents and to see the respondents as human beings. 46 Chapter Notes 1 Leonard J. West, Design and Conduct of Educational Surveys and Experiments (St. Paul, MN: Delta Pi Epsilon, 1977), 3. 2 Linda Coon Wilson, "A Study of the Problems of Mature Women Stu­ dents in a Selected Rural Junior College" (Ed.D. dissertation, Auburn University, 1982), 155-59. 3 Kathie Beckman Smallwood, "The Problems of Mature Women Students Enrolled in a Selected Community College" (Ph.D. dissertation, North Texas State University, 1977), 136-37. ^ Lorraine Hine, "A Typology of Expressed Needs of Adult Students Prior to Entry and Following Two Terms of Study at Michigan State Uni­ versity During the 1974-1975 Academic Year" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1975), 144-48. 5 Mildred Christine Jackson Tate, "An Analysis of the Relationship Between Selected Personal Socio-Economic Characteristics of a Random Sample of Adult Women and Their Reasons for Enrolling in an Urban Com­ munity College" (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1971), 93-101. ^ Bruce Ryan Swinburne, "Characteristics of Adult Part-Time Stu­ dents in Selected Public Community Colleges" (Ed.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970), 160-67. 7 Anne Anastasi, Psychological Testing (Toronto: Company, 1970), 2. The Macmillan ® Walter R. Borg and Meredith Damien Gall, Educational Research (New York: Longman, Inc., 1979), 464. CHAPTER FOUR PRESENTATION OF THE DATA The purpose of this study was to describe demographic and other identifying characteristics, reasons for enrolling for courses, problems and issues of concern, and specific educational and occupational goals of women students enrolled in Office Information Systems (OIS) courses at Oakland Community College during the fall term of 1984 and to determine if significant relationships existed between the variables. The first part of the chapter will contain the data needed to answer the five research questions, the second part of the chapter will test the seven hypotheses, and the last part of the chapter will report the respon­ dent interviews. Research Questions The data will be presented using frequency distributions and per­ centages and will be set up to show the three age groups of the women students enrolled in OIS courses— Age Group 1 - Age 25 and Below, Age Group 2 - Age 26 to 40, and Age Group 3 - Age 41 and Above. The re­ spondents who did not answer questions were counted as part of the total number but were not included in the frequency distributions and percentages. In all tables NA represents the number of respondents who did not answer the question. The percentages reported in the text have been rounded down at .5 and rounded up at .6. 47 48 1. What are the demographic and other identifying characteristics of women students enrolled in courses? The following fifteen tables set forth the demographic data as well as other identifying data. Table 2 shows that 52.6 percent (512 of 973) of the respondents were twenty-five years of age or younger. About one-third (326 of 973 or 33.5 percent) were between twenty-six and forty years of age while 13.9 percent (135 of 973) were forty-one Table 2. Age years of age or older. Group Distribution of Respondents by Campus (H*=975) Age Group 1 Age Group 2 Age Group 3 Total 25 & Below 26 - 40 41 & Above (N=512) (N=326) (N=135) (N=973) NA=1 NA=1 NA=0 NA=2 ____________________________________________________ Campus Location % Auburn Hills . ......... Highland Lakes ......... Orchard Ridge ......... Southeast ............. Total .................. % 28.52 23.24 26.76 21.48 100.00 29.75 22.09 18.40 29.75 100.00 % 16.30 22.22 31.85 29.63 100.00 % 27,24 22.71 24.67 25.39 100.00 From Table 3 it can be seen that about 39 percent of the respon­ dents enrolled for 1 to 4 credits while nearly 31 percent enrolled for 5 to 8 credits. Thus, about 70 percent of the respondents enrolled for 1 to 8 credits. About 83 percent of Age Group 2 and 84 percent of Age Group 3 were carrying 1 to 8 credits whereas only 58 percent of Age Age Group 1 were carrying 1 to 8 credits. Students enrolled for 9 to 11 credits totaled about 15 percent, and about 16 percent enrolled for 12 or more credits. Only a small percentage of the respondents carried a full 49 load of credits— 12 or more. The majority of the women enrolled in OIS courses would be considered part-time students. This table also indi­ cates that those students enrolled for 9 to 11 credits or 12 or more credits were primarily from Age Group 1, while the students who enrolled for 1 to 4 credits were primarily from Age Groups 2 and 3. The percent­ ages of students enrolled for 5 to 8 credits were nearly the same for all age groups. Table 3. Number of Credits Respondents Enrolled for This Term at OCC (H-975) Number of Credits 1 to 4 credits ......... 5 to 8 credits ......... 9 to 11 credits . . . . 12 or more credits . . . Total .................. Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=494) NA=19 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=318) NA=9 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=130) NA=5 Total (N=942) NA=33 % % % % 27.73 30.36 17.81 24.09 50.00 32.70 11.32 5.97 55.38 28.46 10.00 6.15 39.07 30.89 14.54 15.50 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Since the data needed to answer Question 4 on the questionnaire, which asked for the respondent's first term at OCC, are rather lengthy and will not be used in any of the statistical analysis, they are presented in Appendix F. The data show that 37 percent of the students had enrolled for the first time at OCC Fall Term 1984 while 14 percent had enrolled for the first time Fall Term 1983. Of those who first enrolled Fall Term 1984, 60 percent were from Age Group 1, 28 percent were from Age Group 2, and 13 percent were from Age Group 3. For Fall Term 1983, 59 percent 50 were from Age Group 1, 32 percent were from Age Group 2, and 8 percent were from Age Group 3. The earliest enrollment for the respondents at OCC was recorded for Fall Term 1966. Table 4 reveals the number of years since the respondents last at­ tended school before enrolling at OCC. Thirty-five percent of the re­ spondents had last attended school less than one year before enrolling at OCC. Approximately 16 percent were last in school 5 to 10 years ago, and 15 percent had been in school as recently as 1 to 2 years. Nearly 10 percent had not been in school for 11 to 15 years, for 8 percent it had been 3 to 4 years, and for 7 percent it has been 16 to 20 years. The remaining 9 percent had not attended school in the last 21 years. Table 4. Number of Years Since Respondents Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC (N**975) Number of Years Less than 1 . . . . 1 to 2 ............. 3 to 4 ............. 5 to 10 ........... . . 11 to 15 ........... 16 to 20 ........... 21 to 25 ........... 26 to 30 ........... 31 to 35 ........... More than 35 . . . . Tota 1 Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=510) NA=3 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=322) NA=5 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=135) NA=0 (N=967) NA=8 % % % % 9.01 9.01 7.76 31.06 23.91 15.53 3.73 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.19 3.70 3.70 10.37 5.93 15.56 26.67 16.30 7.41 5.19 35.37 15.31 7.76 15.62 9.51 7.34 5.07 2.28 1.03 0.72 100.00 100.00 100.00 7.25 100.00 Total 51 Table 5 shows the respondents' ages within each age group. Table 5. Age of Respondents in Three Age Groups Age 20 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 or to to to to to to to to or Less . . . . . . . 2 5 ......... 3 0 ......... 3 5 ......... 4 0 ......... 4 5 ......... 5 0 ......... 5 5 ......... 6 0 ......... More . . . . (H*=975) Age Group 1 25 & Above (N=512) NA=1 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=326) NA=0 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=135) NA=0 (N=974) NA=1 % % % % 56.25 0.00 0.00 39.45 29.66 30.89 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 49.63 26.67 15.55 5.93 2.22 29.57 22.99 13.24 9.96 10.37 6.88 3.70 2.16 0.82 0.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total Total The data in Table 6 indicate that the about 83 percent of Age Group 1 were single, 12 percent were married, 3 percent were divorced, 1 percent was separated, and 1 percent was living together unmarried. In Age Group 2, slightly more than half were married, 21 percent were divorced, 17 per­ cent were single, 4 percent were separated, 2 percent were widowed, and 2 percent were living together unmarried. In Age Group 3, 60 percent were married, 23 percent were divorced, 6 percent each were single and widowed, 2 percent were separated, and 2 percent were living together unmarried. The table discloses that about half of the respondents were single, about one-third were married, 12 percent were divorced, 2 percent were separated, 2 percent were widowed, and 1 percent was living together unmarried. The 52 largest percentage of the single women was found in Age Group 1 while the largest percentage of the married women was found in Age Group 3. The percentage of divorced and separated women was nearly the same for Age Groups 2 and 3. Age Group 3 contained the largest percentage of widowed women. Table 6. Marital Status of Respondents Marital Status Age Group 1 Age Group 2. Age Group 3 Total 25 & Below 26 - 40 41 & Above (N=487) (N=312) (N=126) (N=925) NA=26 NA=15 NA=9 NA=50 ____________________________________________________ % Single Married ................ Divorced S e p a r a t e d ............. W i d o w e d ................ Living together U n m a r r i e d ........... Total ................ (B“975) % % % 83.16 12.32 2.67 0.82 0.00 16.99 53.53 20.83 4.49 2.24 6.35 60.32 23.02 2.38 6.35 50.38 32.76 11.57 2.27 1.62 1.03 1.92 1.59 1.41 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 53 A listing of the number of children of the women surveyed i6 given in Table 7. About 58 percent of the respondents had no children, 17 percent had two children, 11 percent had one child, and 14 percent had three or more children. Ninety-one percent of Age Group 1 had no children. In Age Group 2 only 29 percent had no children, and in Age Group 3 only 7 percent had no children. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents in Age Group 2 had one to three children. in Age Group 3 had two to five children. Table 7. Number of Children of Respondents Number of Children N o n e ............. 1 .............. 2 ............... 3 ............... 4 ............... ............... 5 ............... 6 7 ............... 8 ............... 9 or More . . . . Total About 81 percent of the respondents (N=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=507) NA=6 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=327) NA*=0 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=135) NA=0 (N=969) NA“6 % % % % 28.75 18.65 36.39 12.84 2.14 0.61 0.31 0.31 0.00 0.00 6.67 6.67 27.41 27.41 16.30 10.37 2.22 0.00 0.74 2.22 58.20 10.73 17.13 8.36 2.99 1.65 0.41 0.10 0.10 0.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 . . . 0.39 . . . 0.00 100.00 Total 54 Table 8 show6 the age range of the youngest children of the respon­ dents. Most of the younger children were found in Age Group 1, where 85 percent of the respondents' children were no older than five years of age. Thirteen percent of the children in this age group were be­ tween six and twelve years old. Forty-seven percent of the children of the respondents in Age Group 2 were between six and twelve years of age while 23 percent were between three and five years of age and 17 percent were between thirteen and eighteen years of age. In Age Group 3 about 37 percent of the children were thirteen to eighteen years old, 25 per­ cent were over twenty-one, 20 percent were between six and twelve, and 15 percent were between nineteen and twenty-one. For the entire group of women, the largest group of youngest children was between six and twelve years old followed by children between thirteen and eighteen. Table 8. — ta Age Range of Youngest Child of Respondents o e o e a a e c c r c o t a g ^ B C T a a e a e M B a — B a c a ^ g c a g a g e scg c a r .x .,'* , Age Range 0 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 12 13 to 18 ............... 19 to 21 Over 21 Total .................. h jit t t (8=975) a ■■rr ^ .g ^ s c g g s g s sE a c r s s a B H S g g a c g g a s a B a g a c g a B g a :^ Age Group 1 Age Group 2 Age Group 3 Total 25 & Below 26 - 40 41 & Above (N=62) (N=234) (N=123) (N=419) NA=451 NA=93 NA=12 NA=556 ____________________________________________________ % % % % 69.35 16.13 12.90 1 .61 0.00 0.00 11.11 23.08 47.01 17.09 1.28 0.43 0.81 0.81 20.33 37.40 15.45 25.20 16.71 15.51 34.13 20.76 5.25 7 .64 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 55 The age range of the oldest children of the respondents is given in Table 9. As can be seen in this table, almost 98 percent of the older children of the respondents in Age Group 3 were thirteen years of age or older. In Age Group 2 about 80 percent of the children of the respondents were between six and eighteen years of age. 87 percent of the children of the respondents' older than five years of age. Approximately in Age Group 1 were no For all of the respondents, the largest group of oldest children was between thirteen and eighteen years of age followed by children between six and twelve and then over twenty-one. Table 9. Age Range of Oldest Child of Respondents Age 0 to 2 . . . . . . . 3 to 5 . . . . . . . 6 to 12 . . . . . . 13 to 18 ........... 19 to 21 ........... Over 21 . . . . . . Total . . . . . . (H=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=38) NA=47 5 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=197) NA=130 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=122) NA=13 (N=357) NA=618 % % % % 57.89 28.95 7.89 2.63 2.63 0.00 3.55 9.14 41.62 38.07 6.09 1.52 0.00 0.00 2.46 15.57 16.39 65.57 8.12 8.12 24.65 26.61 9.24 23.25 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total 56 The ethnic/racial background of the respondents is depicted in Table 10 with the majority being Caucasian American and the next largest per­ centage being Afro-American. The ethnic/racial categories used are those used by Swinburne in his doctoral dissertation.1 Table 10. Ethnic/Racial Background of Respondents Background Afro-American . . . . American Indian . . . Caucasian American . . Oriental American . . Spanish American . . . Other ................ I do not wish to ........... answer Total ................ (H*=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=498) NA=15 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=321) NA=6 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=133) NA=2 (N=952) NA=23 % % % % 11.65 2.01 76.31 0.40 1.41 5.42 7.48 1.87 82.24 0.62 0.31 4.36 5.26 0.75 86.47 0.00 1.50 5.26 9.35 1.79 79.73 0.42 1.05 5.04 2.81 3.12 0.75 2.63 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total 57 Table 11 shows that slightly more than 50 percent of those respon­ dents who were working were doing office/clerical work, a fact that is not surprising since this study surveyed only women enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at Oakland Community College. major category for all of the age groups. This was the About 19 percent of the re­ spondents described themselves as unskilled or semi-skilled workers, and 9 percent said they were sales workers. It should be noted that about 16 percent of the respondents checked other. A tally of these responses (frequency of response) shows the following: Not working (23), homemaker/mother/housewife (20), check but no indication of occupation (10), and student (4) The remaining other checks were nearly the same as the nine occupational categories 6hown in Table 11. Table 11. Present Occupations of Respondents Occupation Unskilled Worker . . . . Semi-skilled Worker . . Skilled Worker ......... Business Owner ......... Executive or Manager . . Office/Clerical . . . . Sales Worker ........... Service Worker ......... Professional Worker . . Other .................. Total (N*=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=461) NA=52 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=243) NA=84 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=108) NA=27 (N=812) NA=163 % % % % 14.53 7.38 0.65 0.43 1.95 48.81 10.63 0.22 0.43 14.97 10.29 6.58 1.65 0.82 3.29 50.21 8.23 2.47 1.23 15.23 6.48 2.78 1.85 4.63 0.93 57.41 2.78 0.00 0.93 22.22 12.19 6.53 1.11 1.11 2.22 50.37 8.87 0.86 0.74 16.01 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total 58 Table 12 list6 the occupations of the husbands of the respondents. About 21 percent of them were executives or managers, and 19 percent were skilled workers. Six percent were business owners, 4 percent were sales workers, 4 percent were service workers, and 3 percent were office/ clerical workers. The remaining three categories— semi-skilled worker, professional worker, and other— were nearly the same at about 11 percent. Table 12. Present Occupations of Respondents' Husbands Occupation Unskilled Worker . . . Semi-skilled Worker Skilled Worker . . . . Business Owner . . . . Executive or Manager . Office/Clerical . . . Sales Worker ......... Service Worker . . . . Professional Worker Other ................ Total ................ (B=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=70) NA=443 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=192) NA=135 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=83) NA=52 (N=345) NA=630 % % % % 20.00 20.00 18.57 4.29 8.57 2.86 2.86 4.29 5.71 12.86 5.73 10.94 21.88 5.73 18.75 4.17 5.21 3.65 13.02 10.94 4.82 4.82 14.46 8.43 38.55 2.41 2.41 3.61 10.84 9.64 8.41 11.30 19.42 6.09 21.45 3.48 4.06 3.77 11.01 11.01 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total The estimated annual income level of the respondents is shown in Table 13. Slightly more than one-third of the respondents estimated their annual income at less than $5,000 annually while 23 percent said their income was between $10,000 and $14,999. Twenty percent indicated that their income was between $5,000 and $9,999. The remaining 21 per­ cent said their income was more than $15,000 annually. In Age Group 1 59 about 45 percent of the respondents estimated their annual income to be less than $5,000, about one-quarter estimated their income to be between $5,000 and $9,999, and about one-fifth estimated their income to be be­ tween $10,000 and $14,999. Only 22 percent of the respondents in Age Group 2 had incomes of less than $5,000, 16 percent had incomes between $5,000 and $9,999, and slightly more than one-quarter had incomes be­ tween $10,000 and $14,999. The remaining 35 percent of thi6 age group had incomes of more than $15,000 annually. In Age Group 3 about 29 per­ cent estimated their incomes to be under $5,000. Twelve percent of this age group estimated their incomes to be between $5,000 and $9,999, 24 percent of the incomes were between $10,000 and $14,999, and about 37 percent had incomes in excess of $15,000. The number of students not answering the question on income level if working (208 or about 21 per­ cent of the total) could indicate that about 79 percent of the respondents were working. Table 13. Estimated Annual Income of Respondents if Working Income Level Less than $ 5,000 $ 5,000 - $ 9,999 $10,000 - $14,999 $15,000 - $19,999 $20,000 - $24,999 $25,000 or more . Total . . . . . . . . . . . . (i=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=443) NA=70 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=225) NA=102 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=99) NA=36 Total (N=767) NA-=208 % % % % 44.70 24.15 21.44 7.22 2.03 0.45 21.78 16.00 27.11 17.33 8.89 8.89 29.26 12.12 24.24 21.21 13.13 3.03 35.59 20.21 23.47 11.99 5.48 3.26 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 60 Table 14 shows that the largest incidence of husbands' incomes over $25,000 occurred in Age Groups 2 and 3 (about 68 and 73 percent), while the smallest incidence (about 33 percent) of this income level occurred with Age Group 1 husbands. Slightly more people (341) answered this ques­ tion than was indicated as married and separated in Table 6 (324). Table 14. Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands Income Level Less than $ 5,000 $ 5,000 - $ 9,999 $10,000 - $14,999 $15,000 - $19,999 $20,000 - $24,999 $25,000 or more . Total . . . . . . ............... . . . . . . (8=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=67) NA=446 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=192) NA=135 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=82) NA=53 (N=341) NA=634 Z Z Z Z 2.99 11.94 16.42 20.90 14.93 32.84 1.04 0.52 4.69 9.90 15.63 68.23 1.22 2.44 3.66 9.76 9.76 73.17 1.47 3.23 6.74 12.02 14.08 62.46 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Total While Table 15 indicates that about 58 percent of the respondents were high school graduates, it also shows that 41 percent of the respon­ dents have had some educational experiences since graduating from high school prior to their enrollment at Oakland Community College. Approxi­ mately 7 percent had college degrees ranging from associate degrees to doctoral degrees. Approximately 14 percent had either attended or gradu­ ated from a technical or business school, and about 20 percent had taken some college courses. 61 Table 15. Level of Previous Education of Respondents Education Level Less than high school ........... (H*=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=500) NA=13 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=315) NA=12 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=113) NA=2 Total (N=948) NA=27 % % % % 1.00 1.90 0.00 1.16 High school diploma or GED equivalency . . 68.20 46.03 49.62 58.23 Attended technical or business school . . 7.00 13.97 13.53 10.23 Technical or business school graduate . . 1.40 6.35 7.52 3.90 18.80 21.27 19.55 19.73 2.20 5.08 3.01 3.27 . 1.20 5.08 6.02 3.16 Master's degree . . . 0.00 0.32 0.75 0.21 Doctoral degree . . . 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Attended community col­ lege, 4-year college or university . . . Associate degree . . . Baccalaureate degree Other professional degree . . . . . . Total ................ Table 16 shows the level of education of the respondents 1 husbands. About 25 percent of the respondents' husbands were high school graduates Eighteen percent either attended or graduated from technical or business schools. Slightly more than 15 percent had attended college. Eight per­ cent had associate degrees, 15 percent had baccalaureate degrees, and 62 about 14 percent had master's, doctoral or other professional degrees. Twenty-one percent of the husbands of respondents in Age Group 1 had college degrees, 41 percent in Age Group 2 had college degrees, and 38 percent in Age Group 3 had college degrees. Table 16. Level of Education of Respondents' Husbands (H=975) Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=500) NA=13 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=315) NA=12 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=113) NA=2 (N=948) NA=27 % % % % 5.63 4.02 4.55 4.47 High school diploma or GED equivalency . . . 35.21 22.11 25.00 25.42 Attended technical or business school . . . 11.27 12.06 10.23 11.45 Technical or business school graduate . . . 12.68 3.52 10.23 6.98 Attended community col­ lege, 4-year college or university . . . . 14.08 17.09 12.50 15.36 Associate degree . . . . 11.27 9.05 3.41 8.10 . . 2.82 17.59 17.05 14.53 Master's degree . . . . 5.63 11.06 6.82 8.94 Doctoral degree . . . . 1.41 2.01 1.14 1.68 0.00 1.51 9.09 3.07 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Education Level Less than high ............. school Baccalaureate degree Other professional degree ............. Total ................ Total 63 Tables 2 through 16 have presented the demographic data describing the respondents thus answering the first research question. The data revealed that there were some distinct characteristics of each age group. Age Group 1, in which women were most often single and without children, were more likely to enroll for 9 to 11 or 12 or more credits than any other group. If these women were married, their hus­ bands tended to be classified as unskilled or semi-skilled workers with annual incomes which were noticeably lower than those of Age Groups 2 and 3. Women in Age Group 2, who enrolled for 1 to 8 credits, were usually married or divorced and had children predominantly between the ages of six twelve. Their husbands, rarely classified as unskilled or semi-skilled workers, had estimated annual incomes of $25,000 or more. Like Age Group 2, women in Age Group 3 enrolled for 1 to 8 credits, were married or di­ vorced and usually had older children. These women frequently classified their husbands as business owners, executives or managers, or professional workers with annual incomes most often at $25,000 or more. Neither the ethnic/racial designation nor the office/clerical occu­ pation of the respondents was influenced by the age grouping. There was a direct relationship between a woman's age and the number of years since she last attended school with younger women having attended school most re­ cently. Ab the age of the women increased, they were more likely to be married or divorced and to have older children. Husbands of women from Age Groups 2 and 3 were most often classified as business owner, executive or manager, or professional worker rather than unskilled or semi-skilled worker which was most often associated with Age Group 1. the income levels tended to increase with age. Subsequently, The demographic data indicated a dichotomy between age Group 1 and Age Groups 2 and 3. 64 2. courses? What are the reasons given by women students for enrolling in This information is shown in Table 17 which follows. The reasons given have been ranked by the overall incidence of the response Very Important. Ninety-one percent of the respondents ranked to gain skills for employment very important. To gain skills for employment was ranked very important by 94 percent of Age Group 1, 88 percent of Age Group 2, and 84 percent of Age Group 3. Eighty-three percent of the respondents ranked to prepare for a career very important. This reason was ranked very important by 89 percent of Age Group 1, 81 percent of Age Group 2, and 63 percent of Age Group 3. The reason ranked third in importance was to increase general knowledge and education given by 72 percent of the respondents. By age group, 73 percent of Age Group 1, 68 percent of Age Group 2, and 75 percent of Age Group 3 ranked to in­ crease general knowledge and education very important. The reasons rated Not Important most frequently were to provide leisure time activity with about 66 percent, to prepare to transfer to another institution with nearly 39 percent, and to prepare for advance­ ment in present career with about 29 percent. A tally of open-ended question 28 was made. Many of the respon­ dents checked other but did not write in the other item. In general, the other reasons for enrolling given by the respondents fell into the cate­ gories of personal, educational, and financial reasons. Some of the items were variations of the stated reasons in the survey instrument. Following are some of the reasons given: Personal— "to be happy" "to goal set" "to enjoy school" "just to be me; to find what I want to do in life" "curiosity" "to gain responsibility" "to learn how to appreciate my abili­ ties" "to be physically and mentally fit" "semi-career until my children are grown" "to get on my dad's medical insurance" 65 Educational— "to get a degree" "to learn about computers" "to improve my grade point" "to become a stenographer" "prepare to reenter the world after homemaking 10 years" "because my family also wants me to go to school" "to update secretarial skills" "only college that offers court and conference near home" Financial— "to make a living" "to make more money" "to make enough money to be happy" "to increase finances" "to help pay for children's college expenses" "cost is reasonable" Table 17. Respondents' Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC (H«=975) Reason Age Group 1 Age Group 2 Age Group 3 Total 25 & Below 26 - 40 41 & Above _____________________________________________________ (NA) % To gain skills for employment No Answer (10) Not Important .80 Somewhat Important 4.97 Very Important 94.23 Total 100.00 To prepare for a career No Answer Not Important Somewhat Important Very Important Total (11) 1.39 9.16 89.44 100.00 (NA) % (6) (NA) % (6) 3.12 9.35 87.54 100.00 (14) (13) To increase general knowledge and education No Answer (15) (9) Not Important 3.41 5.66 Somewhat Important 23.29 26.42 Very Important 73.29 67.92 Total 100.00 100.00 To improve my ability to think and reason No Answer (15) (16) Not Important 5.42 5.79 Somewhat Important 28.11 27.97 Very Important 66.47 66.24 Total 100.00 100.00 % (22) 3.10 12.40 84.50 100.00 4.79 14.38 80.83 100.00 (NA) 1.89 7.45 90.66 100.00 (38) 12.30 24.59 63.11 100.00 (13) 3.95 12.91 83.14 100.00 (37) 4.10 20.49 75.41 100.00 (11) 4.26 23.99 71.75 100.00 (42) 4.84 29.84 65.32 100.00 5.47 28.30 66.24 100.00 66 Table 17. (Continued) Age Group 1 25 & Below Age Group 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above (NA) (NA) (NA) Total Reason % % To increase self-awareness and self -confidence No Answer (14) (11) 5.81 Not Important 7.59 30.06 26.58 Somewhat Important 64.13 65.82 Very Important 100.00 100.00 Tota 1 % (12) (15) To prepare for advancement in present career (21) (23) No Answer 26.02 Not Important 32.89 25.00 Somewhat Important 24.19 49.80 42.11 Very Important 100.00 100.00 Total To prepare for transfer to another institution (17) No Answer (17) 34.68 Not Important 40.97 25.81 32.26 Somewhat Important 33.23 Very Important 33.06 100.00 100.00 Total To aeet people and Bake friends (21) No Answer 23.98 Not Important 50.61 Somewhat Important Very Important 25.41 100.00 Total (22) (44) 8.49 33.51 58.00 100,00 (45) 20.11 23.66 56.24 100.00 32.20 20.34 47.46 100.00 (61) 29.10 23.96 46.94 100.00 50.00 23.77 26.23 100.00 (47) 38.79 28.99 32.22 100.00 34.75 47.46 17.80 100.00 (60) 28.52 49.62 21.86 100.00 (17) (13) (17) 33.44 49.85 17.70 100.00 6.50 28.25 65.25 100.00 18.55 25.00 56.45 100.00 (11) 15.06 15.38 69.55 100.00 % (37) 6.50 25.20 68.29 100.00 To broaden b y intellectual and cultural interests (14) (17) (13) No Answer 9.58 8.27 6.56 Not Important 28.43 34.43 Somewhat Important 36.49 61.98 Very Important 55.24 59.02 100.00 100.00 Total 100.00 To prepare for a career change No Answer (19) 23.68 Not Important 28.54 Somewhat Important 47.77 Very Important 100.00 Total (NA) 67 Table 17. (Continued) Reason Age Group 1 Age Group 2 Age Group 3 Total 25 & Belov 26 - 40 41 & Above ___________________________________________________ (NA) % To provide leisure time activity (31) No Answer 59.96 Not Important Somewhat Important 27.59 Very Important 12.45 100.00 Total (NA) % (NA) % (23) (28) 71.57 20.74 7.69 100.00 73.21 17.86 8.93 100.00 (NA) X (82) 65.51 24.08 10.41 100.00 Table 17 has listed the reasons for enrolling for courses with the rankings given by the respondents and has answered research question two. 3. What is the degree of concern toward specific, identifiable issues and problems of women students enrolled in courses? Table 18 on page 70 ranks the issues and problems of the respondents by Major Concern, Minor Concern, Not A Concern, and Not Applicable. The ranking is based on the percentage of the respondents who identified the problems under each of the four categories. The eleven items that were identified as major concerns by the re­ spondents were (1) getting a good iob after finishing courses or eraduating with a certificate. (2) scheduling classes to fit mv available time. (3) coordinating mv classes and studying with mv iob. (4) getting into de­ sired classes. (5) finding the necessary time to attend classes and study. (6) deciding what career to c h oose. (7) taking tests and examinations. (8) deciding what courses to t a k e . (9) knowing how to study effectively. (10) coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsibilities. and (11) getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling. 68 responsibilities. and (11) getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling. The minor concerns were (1) knowing what mv weaknesses and limita­ tions a r e . (2) obtaining books and supplies. (3) receiving necessary information and fo r m s . (4) worrying about mv ability to succeed in col­ lege . and (5) deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn. The items which were identified as not being concerns were numerous and will not be listed here. It should also be noted that the number of respondents who did not answer some of the questions ranged from 2 to 24. Table 18. Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents Ranked by Major Concern, Minor Concern, Not A Concern, and Not Applicable (H-975) Issue or Problem N % 569 501 492 482 475 463 455 449 402 59.77 52.90 51.84 51.39 49.84 48.89 48.20 47.51 42.45 369 38.84 364 38.52 393 356 343 336 41.63 38.20 36.45 35.44 310 32.80 Major Concern Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a c e r t i f i c a t e ............. Scheduling classes to fit my available time ........... Coordinating my classes and studying with my j o b ......... Getting into desired classes ............................... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . Deciding what career to c h o o s e ............................. Taking tests and examinations ............................. Deciding what courses to t a k e ............................. Knowing how to study e f f e c t i v e l y ...................... .. . Coordinating my classes and studying with family r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ........................................ Getting adequate academic and career/vocational c o u n s e l i n g ............................................... Minor Concern Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations a r e ........... Obtaining books and supplies ................. Receiving necessary information and forms ................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in college ......... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn 69 Table 18. (Continued) Issue or Problem N % 687 73.40 Rot A Concern Feeling uncomfortable around older students Feeling that my personal relationships with men will 649 change as a result of my becoming a s t u d e n t ....... Worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with f r i e n d s ................ 645 Feeling uncomfortable around younger students Being treated seriously by other students Maintaining a positive relationship with my parents after becoming a s t u d e n t Being admitted to O C C .................................. 509 Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world . . Needing academic tutoring . . . . . Maintaining a positive relationship with my husband or boyfriend after becoming a student Feeling that teaching styles of faculty are not geared to my n e e d s .................................. 431 Locating buildings and classrooms Adding or dropping classes Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally . . . Meeting the physical demands of being a student Getting registered Finding the proper 6tudy environment Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first t i m e ......................... 312 Determining what financial assistance is available . . . . 68.60 636 602 548 68.18 67.44 64.04 504 464 58.05 53.75 52.23 49.47 467 48.54 384 380 375 374 346 319 45.56 41.25 40.04 39.64 39.58 36.93 33.72 304 33.09 32.07 530 61.78 56.32 501 395 53.47 41.84 331 286 37.09 35.18 30.23 Rot Applicable Securing quality child care for my c h i l d r e n .......... 582 Coordinating my classes and studying with child care . . . Maintaining a positive relationship with my children after becoming a student Getting previous college course credits evaluated . . . . Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college after a lapse of t i m e ....................... 352 Getting credit by examination for required classes . . . . Obtaining needed financial assistance O t h e r .................................................... 113 59.79 The tally of open-ended question 71 revealed additional issues and concerns that were not listed on the survey instrument. They will be 70 listed in six categories— career/academic, work/jobs, family, personal, financial, and time. Some of the other items were similar to items on the survey instrument, and all were identified as major concerns. Career/Academic— "I need career counseling" "wonder what to do when I have a very poor instructor" "gaining confidence in whatever I know" "getting help in a class" "being able to succeed in school after so many years out" "worrying if my classes are going to be offered" "teacher evaluations" Work/Jobs— "will my skills land me another job" "choosing a career that will be prestigious and enjoyable" "getting a good job" "find a well-paying job later" "being assertive enough to really go out there and get the job I want" "maintaining my job with half decent hours" "working while going to school" "to try not to wear myself down and make sure I do a good job at work" "still giving 100 percent at work while being a student" "maintaining a full time job while attending school" "working and attending school" "Keeping up with fast pace while working" Family— "keeping up with homework, housework and children" "keeping a household functioning" "finding time to keep family relationships what they should be with studying" "guilt in regard to children'6 needs" "managing school work and family" "positive relationships with in-laws" "worrying about finding a place to live" Personal— "keeping up taining social life" social life" "making "my relationship with relationships with friends" "main­ "keeping up with school, work, and it" "concern about getting married" Jesus Christ" Financial— "money to pay for classes and books" "how to pay rent and other bills and have enough $ for school and time to study" "money" "able to afford college" "earning enough money to pay for classes" Time— "time for homework" "study time" "finding time for everyone and school and maintaining my health" "having enough time for family needs" "handling work and school" "time consumption" "enough time" "how to make all areas work for the be6t" All of the six categories used to tally the open-ended question ex­ cept financial describe issues of the same kind that appear as major concerns in Table 18. 71 In Table 19 is found a ranking of the major concerns and minor con­ cerns of the respondents in Age Group 1. Only those concerns which were indicated by at least 30 percent of the respondents in Age Group 1 were included in this list. There are some notable differences between this list and the list in Table 18. The women in Age Group 1 listed as major concerns three items which were not found as major concerns of the entire group: namely, worrying about mv ability to succeed in college, deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn, and finding the proper study environment. The top-ranked minor concern of all age groups was knowing mv weak­ nesses and limitations followed by locating buildings and classrooms (Age Groups 2 and 3) and obtaining books and supplies (Age Group 1). 72 Table 19. Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 1 (25 & Below) Ranked by Major Concern and Minor Concern (H=512)* Issue or Problem N % 325 286 274 273 259 252 246 244 221 184 64.48 56.63 54.69 54.17 51.39 50.00 49.00 48.51 43.76 36.65 182 36.33 163 160 32.47 31.81 206 195 193 191 41.28 39.24 38.14 37.90 182 181 36.33 36.06 177 175 175 175 35.26 35.00 34.81 34.39 170 164 164 163 160 160 152 152 33.86 33.00 32.87 32.28 31.81 31.75 30.34 30.28 Major Concern Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a c e r t i f i c a t e Coordinating my classes and studying with my j o b Getting into desired classes . Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e Deciding what career to c h o o s e Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . Taking tests and e x a m i n a t i o n s Deciding what courses to t a k e ...................... Knowing how to study e f f e c t i v e l y Worrying about my ability to succeed incollege Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to l e a r n Finding the proper study environment Minor Concern Knowing my weaknesses and limitations... ................... Obtaining books and s u p p l i e s ............................ . Adding or dropping of c l a s s e s Receiving necessary information and forms Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling ............................... . . . . . . . Worrying about my ability to succeed in college . . . . . Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn Meeting the physical demands of being a student . . . . . Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally . . . Finding the proper study environment Feeling that teaching styles of faculty are not geared to my needs . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... . Locating buildings and classrooms Getting registered Knowing how to study e f f e c t i v e l y Deciding what courses to take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . Getting into desired classes .................. . . . . . Taking tests and examinations *The number of respondents in Age Group 1 who did not answer some of the questions ranged from 6 to 24. 73 From Table 20 it can be seen that the major concerns of Age Group 2 are very similar to those of Age Group 1. Additional major concerns noted for Age Group 2 were coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsibilities followed by coordinating mv classes and studying with child c a r e . Table 20. Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 2 (26-40) Ranked by Major Concern and Minor Concern (N=326)* Issue or Problem N % Major Concern Coordinating my classes and studying with family r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .................................... 189 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate . . . . . . . 188 Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e .......... 170 Deciding what career to c h o o s e 163 Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . 165 157 Deciding what courses to t a k e ......................... Coordinating my classes and studying with my job 155 Getting into desired c l a s s e s ........................ .. 151 Taking tests and examinations 147 Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling 139 132 Knowing how to study e f f e c t i v e l y ....................... Coordinating my classes and studying with child care . . . 115 58.88 58.57 53.63 51.58 51.24 50.00 48.90 48.40 46.37 44.13 41.64 36.39 Minor Concern Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations a r e ........ 131 Locating buildings and classrooms ........................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in college . . . . . Obtaining books and s u p p l i e s Receiving necessary information and forms Getting into desired classes Meeting the physical demands of being a student Taking tests and examinations Needing to be more assertive and forceful personally . . . Deciding what courses to t a k e ...................... .. 124 117 116 112 107 107 105 105 97 41.07 39.87 36.56 37.42 36.25 34.29 33.54 33.12 33.02 30.89 *The number of respondents in Age Group 2 who did not answer some of the questions ranged from 3 to 18. 74 Table 21 reveals nearly the same items as major concerns for Age Group 3 as for the other age groups except for the addition of maintaining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of t i m e . Table 21. Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 3 (41 & Above) Ranked by Major Concern and Minor Concern (N=135)* Issue or Problem N % Major Concern Taking tests and examinations .................. . . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ........................................ Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ............. Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . Getting into desired classes Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate . . . . . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with my job Knowing how to study e f f e c t i v e l y ........................... Deciding what courses to t a k e ............................. Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling Deciding what career to c h o o s e Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time . 62 49.30 59 58 58 57 46.83 46.03 45.67 45.60 56 51 49 48 44.09 40.16 39.20 37.50 43 41 33.33 32.28 40 31.50 56 49 48 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 40 40 38 44.44 39.84 38.40 36.80 36.00 34.38 43.40 33.60 32.54 31.75 31.50 31.25 30.16 Minor Concern Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations a r e ........... Locating buildings and classrooms ........................ Knowing how to study e f f e c t i v e l y ............... Getting into desired classes Obtaining books and supplies ............................... Deciding what courses to t a k e ............................. Deciding what career to c h o o s e ............................. Getting r e g i s t e r e d Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally ... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ............. Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . Receiving necessary information and forms ................ Getting credit by examination for required courses . . . . *The number of respondents in Age Group 3 who did not answer some of the questions ranged from 2 to 12. 75 Tables 18 to 21 have given the major and minor concerns of the respondents and have provided the answer for research question three. The number of major concerns for the three age groups was nearly the same, but Age Group 1 had considerably more minor concerns than either of the other age groups. 4. What are the expressed educational and occupational goals of women students enrolled in courses? Table 22 lists the educational ob­ jectives as expressed by the respondents. They were not limited in their choices to only one objective but could check as One hundred forty-one of the respondents many as did not respond they wished. tothisquestion. There were a total of 1,535 items checked which indicates that 6ome peo­ ple checked more than one item perhaps to identify short-range and longrange objectives. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The objectives receiving the most checks were: Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC Take some courses at OCC Work toward a baccalaureate degree Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC Transfer to another institution to take courses The four highest objectives for Age 1. 2. 3. 4. Group 1 were: Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC Take some courses at OCC Work toward a baccalaureate degree Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC The four highest objectives for Age Groups 2 and 3 were: 1. 2. 3. 4. Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC Take some courses at OCC Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC Work toward a baccalaureate degree 76 Table 22. Educational Goals of Respondents (H*=1535)* Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=917) NA=62 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=450) NA=51 % % % I Take some courses at O C C .................. 17.34 19.78 29.17 19.35 Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC 11.78 13.33 13.69 12.44 Complete the requirements for an associate de­ gree at OCC ......... 32.61 40.67 30.36 34.72 Transfer to another in­ stitution to take c o u r s e s ......... .. . 10.91 6.67 8.93 9.45 Transfer to another in­ stitution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . 3.38 2.44 1.79 2.93 14.39 12.67 11.31 13.55 4.47 2.22 1.79 3.52 Work toward a doctoral de gree (e.g., Ph.D.) 1.42 0.89 0.00 1.11 Work toward a profes­ sional degree in an­ other area (e.g., M.D. D.D.S.) ............. 2.18 0.67 1.19 1.63 Other .................. 1.53 0.67 1.79 1.30 Total .................. 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Object ive Work toward a baccalau­ reate degree (e.g., B.S.) ................ Work toward a master's degree (e.g., M.A.) . . Age Group 3 Total 41 & Above (N=168) (N=1535) NA=28 NA=141 ♦Respondents could check as many items as they wished which resulted in the number being larger than the number of respondents. 77 The tally of the open-ended item in question 103 revealed no edu­ cational goals not given in the question. The occupational goals of the respondents are given in Table 23. The respondents could check more than one type of position if they wished to do so which accounts for the 1,187 responses recorded. hundred forty-five people did not answer this question. One The list of items checked from largest to smallest percentage is as follows: processor - 23 percent, executive secretary - 21 percent, word legal secre­ tary - 11 percent, office assistant - 9 percent, court reporter - 9 percent, medical secretary - 7 percent, and medical records transcriptionist - 4 percent. These are all curricular areas offered by the Office Information Systems (OIS) departments at Oakland Community College. Table 23. Occupational Goals of Respondents (H=1187)* Occupation Court Reporter . . . . Executive Secretary Legal Secretary . . . Medical Secretary . . Medical Records Transcriptionist Office Assistant . . . Word Processor . . . . Other ................ Total ............... Age Group 1 25 & Below (N=642) NA=64 Age Group 2 26 - 40 (N=401) NA=52 Age Group 3 41 & Above (N=144) NA=29 Total (N=1187) NA=145 % % % % 8.41 21.81 13.40 6.85 10.97 20.95 10.22 5.99 4.86 18.75 5.56 6.94 8.85 21.15 11.37 6.57 3.74 8.41 20.72 16.67 4.74 8.98 24.94 13.22 3.47 11.11 27.78 21.53 4.04 8.93 23.00 16.09 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 ♦Respondents could check as many items as they wished which resulted in the number being larger than the number of respondents. 78 Since this 6tudy surveyed women students enrolled in OIS courses, the occupational goals given on the survey instrument related only to the OIS curricular areas. From the tally of the open-ended portion of ques­ tion 104, checked by 16 percent of the respondents, it can be seen that the goals and aspirations of the women in the survey were far reaching. This is not surprising since many of the women who take courses in the OIS area are not OIS majors but women who desire the skills that are developed in these courses. Following is a list of the occupational goals that were given. The number of times beyond one that each was mentioned is in parentheses. Medical Assistant (11), dentist, surgeon/doctor (3), pedia­ trician (1), nurse/RN (6), pharmacist (2), doctor's assistant, dental office manager, dental hygienist (2), hospital pharmacy technician (2), medical records technician (2), medical records administrator, medical librarian, lab technologist, diagnostic medical sonographer, medical/health administration (2), medical career (2) accountant/CPA (15), accounting manager, business administration/supervi6ion/management (38), computer related (5), computer programmer (5), systems analyst, computed aided design, word processing manager, receptionist, school secretary, bank manager, library technical assistant, librarian/teacher's aide, business teacher, teacher, word processing teacher, nursery school teacher, education, substance abuse counselor, gerontol­ ogy, social worker (2), attorney, court reporter, paralegal (5), legal assistant (4), legal supervisor, freelance reporter, public relations (2), radio communication, communications (2), journal­ ist, photographer, scientist, flight attendant, typesetter, sci­ entist, flight attendant, typesetter, draftsperson (2), technical field, nuclear physicist, insurance agent, veterinary technician, military, retailing, fashion merchandising (2), own own business (4), boss, doctorate in music, president/international corpora­ tion, job that will exercise leadership. Tables 22 and 23 have listed the educational and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups and have answered research question four. 5. Hov do women students enrolled in courses perceive academic and non-academic services offered by the college? Table 24 which follows 79 shows the respondents' perceptions of academic and non-academic college services. It should be noted from Column 1 in this table that there ap­ peared to be a high incidence of no answers (between 51 and 388) in this section of the survey instrument. Perhaps this can be explained by making the assumption that if a person had no reason to use a particular service, then that person did not answer the question referring to that service. More than 50 percent of the respondents who answered this question rated all of the listed services good. Twenty of the 30 listed services were rated excellent by between 10 and 23 percent of the respondents while eight of the listed services were rated poor by 20 to 30 percent of the respondents. Those services rated excellent by more than 18 percent of the respondents were information on course offerings. Computer C e nter. Learning Resources C e n t e r , lounge and study ar e a s . Individualized Pro­ grammed Learning Laboratory, and provisions for handicapped persons. A tally of the open-ended question 102 responses resulted in the following list of perceived deficiencies in college services, which has been given by campus as the responses are specific to each campus. Auburn Hills— "age limit on child care at center" "glass in parking lots causing tire problems" "classes being offered at only certain campuses" Highland Lakes— "enforced non-smoking eating area" "provide for wheelchair users better" "not enough handicapped parking" "need better and more parking" "better hours (night) at LRC" "not enough security and lighting" Orchard Ridge— "poor ventilation" "poor business lab set up" "student relations" "bookstore" "need more services avail­ able at night" "need later night hours for library" "ter­ rible parking" Southeast— "women's ball team" "recreation facilities on campus" "better availability of teachers" 80 Table 24. Respondents' Perceptions of College Services (H“975) No Answer Poor Good Excellent ________ _________________________________________ Service N N % N % . 169 204 25.31 546 67.74 56 6.95 . . 61 81 8.86 696 76.15 137 14.99 . 51 129 13.96 636 69.16 156 16.88 . . 116 245 28.52 504 58.67 110 12.81 Career/vocational counseling ......... 158 206 25.21 525 64.26 86 10.53 Personal counseling 220 163 21.59 525 69.54 67 8.87 Counseling hours . . . . 174 151 18.85 558 69.66 92 11.49 Job information . . . . 200 118 15.23 529 68.26 128 16.52 ......... 225 122 16.27 507 67.60 121 16.13 Information on course offerings ........... 123 91 10.68 566 66.43 195 22.89 Transfer information . . 234 105 14.17 575 77.60 61 8.23 Veteran's information 340 68 10.71 513 80.79 54 8.50 Scholarship, grant, and loan information . . 271 118 16.76 479 68.04 107 15.20 College work study program ............. 297 73 10.77 528 77.88 77 11.36 Tutoring services 313 89 13.44 500 75.53 73 11.03 Individualized Programmed Learning Laboratory ......... 280 69 9.93 504 72.52 122 17.55 Learning Resources Center . . . . . . . 260 40 5.59 541 75.66 134 18.74 Learning disabilities services ........... 362 48 7.96 499 82.75 56 9.29 Orientation to college Admission procedure Registration procedure Academic counseling Job placement . . . . . N % 81 Table 24. (Continued) No Answer Good Poor Excellent Service N N % N % N % . . . . 59 9.72 492 81.05 56 9.23 Child care at the college ............. 74 11.99 447 72.45 96 15.56 Transportation to campus ............. 166 25.08 426 64.35 70 10.57 258 30.42 472 55.66 119 13.92 153 23.83 454 70.72 35 5.45 Health services Parking on campus . . . . 127 Social and recreational activities for women ................ Special interest clubs and organizations . . . 369 114 18.81 463 76.40 29 4.79 . . 378 127 21.27 438 73.37 32 5.36 . . . 369 109 17.99 437 72.11 60 9.90 257 99 13.79 492 68.52 127 17.69 110 15.78 492 70.59 95 13.63 46 7.10 480 74.07 122 18.83 51 8.69 434 73.94 102 17.38 25 35.21 38 53.52 8 11.27 Womencenter activities Athletic activities Lounge and study areas . . Adequate dining facilities . . . . . Computer Center . . . . Provisions for handi­ capped persons . . . . Other .................. 388 Table 24 has provided the respondents' perceptions of college aca­ demic and non-academic services and answers research question five. The next part of this chapter will be devoted to testing the seven hypotheses. 82 Hypotheses The hypotheses addressed the relationships and differences between the independent variables, which were the demographic and other identi­ fying characteristics of the respondents, and the dependent variables— reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC, issues and problems that may be or may have been of concern, academic and non-academic services, and the educational and occupational goals of women students. Two- and three-way chi-square tests of independence were used to test the hypotheses with a .05 significance level. was significance at the .01 and .001 levels. In some cases there The chi-square tests were used because of their utility in comparing categories and indicating significant relationships between the variables which have been rated on an ordinal scale. The formula used for the chi-square values is: 0 *• Observed Frequencies E = Expected Frequencies E Using the above formula, the computer analyzed each of the relation­ ships and provided contingency tables such as the one that has been re­ produced on the following page. This is a two-way chi-square analysis of the relationship between age group and a reason for enrolling for courses at OCC. This analysis indicates only that there is a signifi­ cant relationship at the employment. .0011 level between age and to eain skills for 83 Table 25. Two-Way Chi-Square Test of Independence Print-Out for the Relationship Between Age and a Reason for Enrolling for Courses at OCC OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE . , DIANE LAING SURVEY. PROJECT : — —- ■ . "^11 T WO^WAY■;CTTI-SQ'DA'R'E ’'TE’S T ^ T RESPONSES TO THE SURVEY ^ F / . ’ ,< rAuuir~or~^CE~cT'90 . 6 " , 100 . 0 .0 '' “5 TAT T S T TC S~ FOR- 2 - WA Y~TA BTET" C H I — S Q UA R E PHI - C O N T I N G E N C Y CO'EFFTCTENT-.--CRAMER'S V • L I K E L I H O O D R A T I O CII1SQUARE 18.287 DF= 0.139 0TT37 0.098 r. 18.328 ' DF = . PROB=0.0011 M ■..T VI PR0B=0.0011 It should be noted here that the chi-square test of independence does not test for each level of the variables; rather it is an omnibus test indicating the relationship between the variables. The next part of this chapter contains the hypothesis testing. B]. There are no significant relationships between various demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and the reasons for enrolling for courses given by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. Tables 26 through 37 show the results of the chi-square tests used for Hj. 84 Table 26 shows the relationships between age and the 11 reasons for enrolling. Hj was rejected with regard to the relationship between age and to gain skills for employment (.001), to prepare for a career (.0001), to prepare for a career change (.0001), to meet people and make friends (.01), to provide leisure time activity (.01), and to prepare to transfer to another institution (.05). The X 2 values for the remaining five reasons— to prepare for advance­ ment in present car e e r , to increase general knowledge and education, to increase self-awareness and self confidence, to improve mv ability to think and reas o n , and to broaden mv intellectual and cultural interests— were not significant at the .05 level so the hypothesis was not rejected as it relates to these five reasons. The ages of Table 26. the respondents can be seen in Tables 2 and 5. Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC Reason .................... gain skills for employment prepare for a career ........................... prepare for a career change .................... prepare for advancement in present career . . . prepare to transfer to another institution . . increase general knowledge and education . . . increase self-awareness and self-confidence . . improve my ability to think and reason . . . . broaden my intellectual and cultural interests ........................................ To meet people and make friends .................. To provide leisure time activity .................. To To To To To To To To To ♦Significant **Significant ***Significant ****Significant at .05 at .01 at .001 at .0001 X2 P 18.287 57.732 37.473 6.672 12.117 4.851 2.527 0.291 0.0011*** 0.0001**** 0.0001**** 0.1543 0.0165* 0.3029 0.6399 0.9904 6.228 14.120 14.900 0.1786 0.0069** 0.0049** df - 4 85 Table 26 reveals the relationships between number of credits en­ rolled for and the reasons for enrolling by age groups. Hj was re­ jected for only two of the reasons for enrolling— to prepare for a career change (.001) and to prepare for advancement in present position (.01)— for Age Group 1. Hj was not rejected for all of the remaining relation­ ships shown in the following table. The number of credits for which the respondents enrolled can be found in Table 3. Table 27. Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for This Term at OCC and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason To To To To To To To To To To To Age Group 1 25 & Below gain skills for employment ......... prepare for a career ................ prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career ...................... prepare to transfer to another institution ......................... increase general knowledge and education ........................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence . . . . . ......... improve my ability to think and reason ........................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . **Significant at <01 ***Significant at .001 CR = 16.812 CR = 22.457 Age Group 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 2.5 6.4 37.6*** 6.4 8.7 6.5 10.8 7.5 3.5 20.8** 3.3 12.0 4.8 3.5 6.4 4.5 8.2 8.0 9.7 2.5 4.2 8.4 3.0 5.6 10.2 10.5 1.0 1.3 5.7 3.8 5.8 10.1 3.8 df « 6 86 Table 28 gives the relationships between number of years since last attended school before enrolling at OCC and the reasons for enrolling by age groups. Hj wa6 rejected for two of the reasons for enrolling— to eain skills for employment (.05) and to prepare for a career (.01)— for Age Group 3 and to prepare for advancement in present career (.05) for Age Group 1. was not rejected for the remaining reasons and age categories. Table 4 shows the number of years since the respondents last at­ tended school before enrolling at OCC. Table 28. Chi-Square Relationships Between Rusher of Tears Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason To To To To To To To To To To To Age Group 1 25 & Below gain skills for employment ......... prepare for a career ................ prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career ...................... prepare to transfer to another ................ institution . . . . increase general knowledge and education . . . . . ................ increase self-awareness and self-confidence . . . . ........... improve my ability to think and reason ........................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 CR = 28.869 CR = 34.805 5.0 8.3 32.6* Age Group 2 26 - 40 9.1 11.4 19.3 Age Group 3 41 & Above 32.5* 39.9** 19.7 7.8 5.2 17.6 7.6 6.2 19.9 8.1 12.9 25.1 17.0 8.4 25.4 10.5 5.7 23.8 13.4 8.2 8.3 9.0 7.4 12.1 22.3 22.5 25.5 df - 18 87 Table 29 points out the relationships between marital status and the reasons for enrolling by age groups. was rejected at the .05 level for three reasons for Age Group 2— to prepare for a career, to prepare for a career change, and to meet people and make friends. One rejec­ tion for Age Group 3 at the .05 level was for to prepare for advancement in present career. Hi was not rejected for the remaining reasons and age categories. Marital Status of the respondents ha6 been identified in Table 6. Table 29. Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 To To To To To To To gain skills for employment . . . . . prepare for a career ................ prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career . . . . . . . . . . . prepare to transfer to another institution ......................... increase general knowledge and e d u c a t i o n .................. increase self-awarene6S and self-confidence .................... improve my ability to think and reason . . . .................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . ♦Significant at .05 CR = 18.307 1.6 7.6 12.7 15.6 Age Group 2 26 - 40 11.2 18.4* 20.0* 00 To To To To Age Group 1 25 & Below • Reason Age Group 3 41 & Above 11.9 9.5 10.1 18.8* 8.8 17.7 17.9 9.2 14.7 6.3 4.1 11.6 4.6 7.9 11.4 10.4 6.9 18.7* 11.2 12.4 12.4 13.7 4.2 7.4 11.3 df « 10 88 Table 30 shows the relationships between number of children and the reasons for enrolling by age groups. Hj was rejected for only one rea­ son for Age Group 2— to prepare for a career change (.01). was not rejected for the remaining reasons and age categories. The number of children of the respondents can be seen in Table 7. Table 30. Chi-Square Relationships Between Humber of Children of Respondents and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment ......... prepare for a career . . . . . . . . prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career ...................... prepare to transfer to another institution ......................... increase general knowledge and education ........................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence ............. ... improve my ability to think and r e a s o n ......... ................. broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . **Significant at .01 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 4.5 2.3 4.9 25.7 25.2 42.1** 14.2 15.8 19.1 4.2 18.1 15.4 9.2 10.2 9.6 5.6 9.3 16.8 4.5 13.5 20.8 3.2 13.5 20.5 1.9 2.7 5.1 6.1 15.2 10.7 14.4 14.2 13.8 CR = 34.805 df = 18 Table 31 depicts the relationships between present occupations of the respondents and reasons for enrolling by age groups. Hj was rejected for four reasons for Age Group 1— to prepare for a career (.05), to prepare 89 for a career change (.05), to prepare for advancement in present career (.001), and to increase Belf-awareness and self-confidence (.01). Hj was rejected for Age Group 2 for five reasons, all at the .05 level— to gain skills for employment, to prepare for uadvancement in present v. \s y U4 fci %m s K *■ W X. V, a.*/*. ** v w. v-rnv. ^ w F > vL*».V“ >. career. w w a. ^ w j. to prepare to transfer to another institution, to improve mv ability to think and reason, and to broaden mv intellectual and cultural interests. H| was not rejected for the other reasons and age categories. The occupations of the respondents are listed in Table 11. Table 31. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment . . . . . prepare for a career ................ prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career . .................... prepare to transfer to another institution ........................ increase general knowledge and education ........................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence .................... improve my ability to think and reason ........................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at .001 CR = 28.869 CR = 34.805 CR = 42.312 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 14.4 33.3* 29.6* 31.8* 18.2 17.5 10.6 49.1*** 34.3* 21.6 19.8 33.0* 19.4 17.9 23.7 8.8 36.4** 24.5 20.8 25.1 29.4* 16.8 19.1 26.2 12.4 34.4* 26.4 9.0 18.3 15.6 12.1 df *= 18 9.4 8.5 90 Table 32 points out the relationships between occupation of husbands of the respondents and reasons for enrolling by age groups. was re­ jected for to increase general knowledge and education (.05) and to in­ crease self-awareness and self-confidence (.05) for Age Group 2. For Age Group 3 there were three rejections— to prepare to transfer to another institution (.05), to increase general knowledge and education (.01), and to increase self-awareness and self-confidence (.05). Hi was not rejected for the remaining reasons and age categories. Table 12 identifies the occupations of the respondents' husbands. Table 32. Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment ......... prepare for a career ................ prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career ...................... prepare to transfer to another institution ........................ increase general knowledge and education . . . .................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence .................... improve my ability to think and reason ........................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 CR = 28.869 CR = 34.805 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 12.7 17.4 15.1 19.0 13.5 23.8 22.0 16.8 14.8 24.8 21.3 19.5 29.1* 15.2 31.4* 38.8** 21.1 29.4* 31.9* 10.0 15.2 15.7 18.2 14.4 23.1 21.1 28.7 19.5 9.1 15.6 18.1 df = 18 4.6 16.5 91 Table 33 sets forth the relationships between estimated annual in­ come of the respondents and reasons for enrolling by age groups. was rejected for the following reasons by Age Group 1— to prepare for a career change (.0 0 1 ), to increase self-awareness and self-confidence (.05), and to meet people and make friends (.05). The rejections for Age Group 2 were to gain skills for employment (.001), to prepare for a career (.01), and to increase self-awareness and self-confidence (.05). Two rejections occurred for Age Group 3 at the .01 level— to prepare for a career change and to broaden mv intellectual and cultural interests. Hi was not rejected for the remaining reasons and age categories. The estimated annual income of the respondents can be found in Table 13. 92 Table 33. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment ......... prepare for a career . . . . . . . . prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career ...................... prepare to transfer to another i n s t i t u t i o n ............. .. increase general knowledge and education ........................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence .................... improve my ability to think and reason ........................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . ♦Significant at .05 ♦♦Significant at .01 ♦♦♦Significant at .001 CR = 18.307 CR ** 23.209 CR = 29.588 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 13.6 14.2 41.1*** 33.4*** 28.7** 13.0 7.1 11.5 23.7** 30.1 16.2 16.2 12.1 17.2 10.3 9.1 10.0 13.2 20.5* 17.3 8.0 12.0 7.7 25.7** 9.0 7.0 2 0 .1 * 15.5 12.3 19.6* 10.1 11.8 3.8 df = 10 Table 34 shows the relationships between estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and reasons for enrolling by age groups. was rejected for Age Group 1 for to increase self-awareness and selfconfidence (.05) and for Age Group 2 for to prepare for a career change (.05). Six reasons were rejected for Age Group 3— to prepare for a career change (.05), to prepare for a career (.01), to increase selfawareness and self-confidence (. 0 1 ), to improve mv ability to think and and reason (.0 1 ). to broaden mv intellectual and cultural interests (.0 1 ), 93 and to increase general knowledge and education (. 0 0 1 ). Hj was not re­ jected for the remaining reasons and age categories. Table 14 lists the estimated annual income of the husbands of the respondents. Table 34. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Incowe of Respondents' Husbands and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment ......... prepare for a career ................ prepare for a career change . . . . prepare for advancement in present career ...................... prepare to transfer to another ........................ institution increase general knowledge and education ........................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence .................... improve my ability to think ........... and reason . . . . . . . broaden my intellectual and cultural interests .................. meet people and make friends . . . . provide leisure time activity . . . ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at . 0 0 1 CR = 18.307 CR *= 23.209 CR = 29.588 26-40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 18.0 13.1 18.7* 3.8 25.2** 19.7* 5.6 13.2 11.6 17.4 6.1 13.8 10.9 9.0 40.1*** 14.2 5.9 9.1 28.1* 12.2 28.1** 17.5 14.3 25.6** 14.4 6.8 24.4** 11.0 16.5 10.5 6.9 10.0 8.8 df = 10 Table 35 points out the relationships between level of previous edu­ cation of respondents and reasons for enrolling by age groups. rejected for only two reasons as follows: was Age Group 1 - to gain skills 94 for employment (.05) and Age Group 2 - to increase general knowledge and education (.05). was not rejected for the remaining reasons and age categories. The level of previous education of respondents can be seen in Table 15. Table 35. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment . . . . prepare for a career ............. prepare for a career change . . . prepare for advancement in present career .................... prepare to transfer to another institution ...................... increase general knowledge and education . . . .................. increase self-awareness and self-confidence .................. improve my ability to think and reason . . . .................. broaden my intellectual and cultural interests ................ meet people and make friends . . . provide leisure time activity . . ♦Significant at .05 CR = 28.869 21.8 13.9 20.2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 8.7 16.0 19.6 5.6 12.3 7.0 13.9 12.0 8.9 10.7 29.9* 16.0 26.9 9.7 21.1 25.1 17.0 10.8 20.9 6.8 15.8 20.8 11.0 8.4 8.4 13.6 df = 18 95 Table 36 discloses the relationships between level of education of respondents' husbands and reasons for enrolling by age groups. H| was not rejected for all reasons and age categories. Table 16 identifies the education level of the husbands of the re­ spondents . Table 36. Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC by Age Groups X2 Reason Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below To To To To To To To To To To To gain skills for employment . . . . prepare for a c a r e e r ........... .. prepare for a career change . . . prepare for advancement in present career .................... prepare to transfer to another institution ...................... increase general knowledge and education ......................... increase self-awareness and self-confidence . . . . . . . . . improve my ability to think and reason ......................... broaden my intellectual and cultural interests ................ meet people and make friends . . . provide leisure time activity . . 14.5 26 - 40 13.2 Age Group 3 41 & Above 5.1 7.7 18.1 13.7 9.6 11.1 14.2 13.6 18.7 18.0 6.2 9.7 10.0 16.7 22.6 20.3 7.3 28.4 22.7 27.1 15.3 23.0 20.4 12.2 11.4 17.2 12.6 23.9 df ■= 18 This concludes the testing of hypothesis one with regard to the re­ lationships between various demographic and other identifying variables and the reasons for enrolling for courses given by the respondents. 96 B2 « There are no significant relationships between various demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and the degree of concern toward specific problems given by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. Table 37 shows the relationships between age and the issues and prob­ lems of major and minor concern to all of the respondents, which were iden­ tified in Table 18. The X^ values for five of the major concerns were significant which indicated relationships between the age of the respon­ dents and the major concerns. Therefore, H£ was rejected for these five reasons— coordinating mv classes and Btudvine with mv iob and coordinat­ ing mv classes and studying with family responsibilities at the . 0 0 0 1 level, and getting a good iob after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, deciding what career to choose, and getting adequate aca­ demic and career/vocational counseling at the . 0 1 level. was not re­ jected for the rest of the major issues and all of the minor issues identified in Table 36 as the X^ values were not significant. 97 Table 37. Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Issues and Problems of Major and Minor Concern to Respondents Reason Major Concern Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with my job .................................... Deciding what career to choose . ................ Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate .................. . . . . . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ......................... Deciding what courses to take .................. Knowing how to study effectively ................ Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ............. .. ............. .. Taking tests and examinations .................. Getting into desired classes .................... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . ......................... Minor Concern Obtaining books and supplies .................... Worrying about my ability to succeed in c o l l e g e .................... .. ............ Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn ............................. Receiving necessary information and forms .......................................... Knowing what my weaknesses and limita­ tions a r e ...................................... **Significant at .01 ****Significant at .0001 X2 P 123.052 0 .0 0 0 1 **** 46.428 20.891 0 .0 0 0 1 **** 19.987 0.0028** 18.226 11.979 5.676 0.0057** 0.0624 0.4604 0.0019** 4.924 3.337 3.001 0.5536 0.7655 0.8087 1.963 0.9230 12.135 0.0590 11.673 0.0697 10.034 0.1232 7.769 0.2555 3.815 0.7017 df = 6 98 The following ten tables (Table 38 through Table 47) show that there were significant relationships between ten of the demographic and other identifying variables and certain of the issues and problems of major concern at .05, .01, and .001 levels of significance. The issues and problems used in these ten tables are the issues that the respondents identified as major concerns as well as two major concerns of Age Group 1— worrying about mv ability to succeed in college and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn, one major concern of Age Group 2— coordinating mv classes and studying with child c a r e . and one major concern of Age Group 3— maintaining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time. For the relationships between number term at OCC and the major concerns ofcredits enrolled for this of the respondents (Table 38), H 2 was rejected for all three age groups in-regard to getting a good finishing courses or graduating with a certificate. iob after It was rejected for Age Group 3 for knowing how to study effectively and getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling. H 2 was rejected for Age Groups 2 and 3 for coordinating mv classes and studying with family re­ sponsibilities . H 2 was rejected for Age Groups 1 and 2 for maintaining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time. For the relationships school before enrolling at between number ofyears since la 6 t attended OCC and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 39), H 2 was rejected for three relationships— for Age Group 1 for maintaining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time and for Age Group 3 for finding the necessary time to 99 attend classes and study and coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsibilities. For the relationships between marital status and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 40), H 2 was rejected for coordinating mv classes and studying with mv iob and finding the necessary time to attend classes and study— Age Group 2; coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsibilities— all age groups; worrying about my ability to succeed in college— Age Group 2; coordinating mv classes and studying with child care— Age Group 1 and 2; and maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of t i m e . For the relationships between number of children and the major con­ cerns of the respondents (Table 41), H 2 was rejected for only three relationships— coordinating mv classes and studying with family respon­ sibilities for Age Groups 1 and 2; coordinating mv classes and studying with child care for all age groups; and maintaining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time for Age Group 1. For the relationships between respondents' present occupations and the major concerns (Table 42), H 2 was rejected a total of fifteen times. The were ten rejections of the hypothesis for Age Group 1— getting a good iob after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, coor­ dinating my classes and studying with mv iob. deciding what career to choose. taking tests and examinations, deciding what courses to t a k e . knowing how to study effectively, coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsibilities, worrying about mv ability to succeed in col­ lege . coordinating mv classes and studying with child c a r e , and maintain­ ing my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of ti m e . There was only one rejection for Age Group 2— getting a good iob 100 after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate. For Age Group 3 there were four rejections— getting into desired classes, knowing how to study effectively, worrying about mv ability to succeed in college, and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn. For the relationships between occupations of respondents' husbands and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 43), H 2 was rejected for one relationship with Age Group 1— getting into desired classes. For Age Group 3, it was rejected for scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e . getting into desired classes, deciding what courses to t a k e , and worrying about mv ability to succeed in college. For the relationships between estimated annual income of respondents and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 44), H 2 was rejected for twelve relationships. For Age Group 1 there were six rejections— getting a good iob after finishing courses or graduating with a certifi­ cate . coordinating mv classes and studying with mv iob. finding the nec­ essary time to attend classes and study, deciding what career to choose. taking tests and examinations, and deciding whether to study for grades or to learn. Rejections for Age Group 2 were getting a good iob after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, coordinating my classes and studying with my iob. deciding what career to choose, coor­ dinating mv classes and studying with child care, and maintaining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of t i m e . For Age Group 3 there was only one rejection— scheduling classes to fit my available For the time. relationships between estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 45), there were a total of nine rejections of H 2 . Age Group 1 accounted for two 101 rejections— coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsi­ bilities and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn. For Age Group 3 there were seven rejections— scheduling classes to fit mv available t i m e , getting into desired classes, finding the necessary time to attend classes and study, taking tests and examinations, knowing how to study effectively, coordinating mv classes and studying with fam­ ily responsibilities, and worrying about mv ability to succeed in college. For the relationships between respondents' level of previous educa­ tion and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 46), there were nine rejections of H 2 — Age Group 1 rejections were getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, scheduling classes to fit mv available t i m e , deciding what career to choose, deciding what courses to t a k e , and worrying about mv ability to succeed in college. Age Group 2 rejections were finding the necessary time to attend classes and study, knowing how to study effectively, worrying about mv ability to succeed in college, and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn. For the relationships between education level of respondents' husbands and the major concerns of the respondents (Table 47), H 2 was rejected eight times— Age Group 1 for finding the necessary time to attend classes; Age Group 2 for knowing how to study effectively and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn; and Age Group 3 for getting into desired classes, deciding what career to choo s e , knowing how to study effectively, getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling, and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn. 102 Table 38. Chi-Square Relationships Between U m b e r of Credits Enrolled for This Tern at OCC and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a c e r t i f i c a t e ........... ............... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ............. ................... Coordinating my classes and studying with my job ........................... Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose . . . . . Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in c o l l e g e * ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... *Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at .001 CR = 16.919 CR = 21.666 CR = 27.877 32.2*** Age Group 3 41 & Above 26.7** 17.6* 6.6 10.1 8.2 5.4 4.7 14.2 8.7 12.3 10.5 5.8 5.1 9.9 9.9 14.1 13.0 16.1 10.2 11.3 14.4 8.3 15.5 20.9* 15.6 23.3** 16.9* 9.2 13.0 24.1** 9.6 13.6 16.3 11.7 12.7 14.4 8.3 16.4 6.4 22.3** 11.6 11.5 20.3* df = 9 •Not on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 SNot on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 tNot on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 12.3 Table 39. Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Tears Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my j o b ........... ............... Getting into desired classes . . . . . . Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ............. . Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... ♦Significant at .05 ***Significant at .001 CR = 40.113 CR = 55.476 Age Group 3 41 & Above 16.3 14.9 32.0 26.2 25.9 27.5 14.7 5.0 19.0 30.6 34.0 29.6 17.0 10.9 9.6 6.3 16.7 19.2 21.3 16.3 16.0 11.1 45.3* 21.7 28.4 28.7 18.6 19.5 18.8 43.5* 21.4 23.6 24.5 12.8 17.0 28.1 13.8 19.0 21.6 39.9 27.5 33.7 99.3*** 10.7 23.0 df = 27 •Not on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 iNot on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 tNot on overall respondent li 6 t , but major concern of Age Group 3 104 Table 40. Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my job ........................... Getting into desired classes . . . . . . Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ........... . . Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* .............. ............. Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* . . . ......... Coordinating my classes and studying with child ca r e S...................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of ti m e t ........................ ♦Significant at **Significant at ***Significant at .05 .01 .001 CR = CR = CR = 24 .996 30 .578 37 .697 Age Group 3 41 & Above 13.6 16.6 17.1 10.2 18.8 9.5 9.3 5.6 33.2** 7.9 15.1 15.1 11.5 8.5 7.5 8.5 13.4 30.5** 21.9 13.2 20.0 11.1 16.8 17.4 19.9 8.2 44.9*** 75.4*** 25.0** 24.1 14.4 13.7 27.1* 14.1 15.6 23.4 13.8 63.2*** 61.0*** 12.9 40.8*** 12.9 20.5 9.9 df = 15 •Not on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 §Not on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 tNot on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 10.6 105 Table 41. Chi-Square Relationships Between Humber of Children of Respondents and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my j o b ......... ................. Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ............... Worrying about my ability to succeed in c o l l e g e * ...................... .. . Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child caref .................. . Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... ♦Significant at **Significant at ***Significant at •Not SNot tNot .05 .01 .001 CR = 40.113 CR = 46.963 CR = 55.476 Age Group 3 41 & Above 5.0 28.2 19.2 6.1 27.1 19.0 22.1 36.3 27.7 21.3 14.5 29.1 30.7 19.2 15.7 4.8 5.1 5.0 7.6 2.7 7.2 22.2 11.2 33.6 26.4 15.5 24.2 90.3*** 28.0 3.1 31.6 25.5 2.6 16.4 29.4 3.8 29.7 26.8 56.6*** 216.6*** 46.9** 165.6*** 21.5 46.4* 19.2 df = 27 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 106 Table 42. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying ......... with my job . . . . . . . . Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ......... . . . Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ............... Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... *Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at .001 •Not iNot tNot CR = 40.113 CR = 46.963 CR = 55.476 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 69.8*** 29.5 19.0 25.2 20.0 31.1 45.2* 32.7 53.8** 36.7 20.4 40.5* 50.8** 50.7** 49.4** 20.7 33.6 29.4 22.5 28.9 37.5 21.3 29.1 24.2 52.1** 67.4*** 17.5 19.2 29.9 21.9 25.3 68.5*** 32.7 60.4*** 31.5 26.9 47.4** 41.7* 25.2 27.1 43.2* 38.1 30.6 5.1 6 6 .2 *** df = 27 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 107 Table 43. Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t ime.................................... Coordinating my classes and studying with my job ........................... Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in college 0 ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn® . ............. Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet . . . . ............. ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at .001 •Not iNot tNot CR = 40.113 CR = 46.963 CR = 55.476 Age Group 3 41 & Above 31 . 0 34.0 16 .3 38 .9 26.0 46,.4* 21 . 0 23.0 25.7 30 .1 55 .3** 20 .7 22 .5 .6 21.7 32.9 29.1 23.9 38.6 18,.4 49,.4** 20, .4 29 . 6 18.0 16,.3 36 .7 38.9 27 .7 28 .7 34.2 54 t3** 24 .7 19.0 31,.0 32 .2 19.0 32 .5 16 . 8 19.0 32,.5 62 .9*** 29 27 17 27 23 .0 .6 .5 .4 df = 27 onoverall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 onoverall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 108 Table 44. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Incone of Respondents and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a c e r t i f i c a t e ........... „ ............. Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my job . . . . . ................ Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS ..................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .0 1 ***Significant at . 0 0 1 •Not iNot TNot CR » 24.996 CR = 30.578 CR » 37.697 Age Group 3 41 & Above 56.3*** 37 .7 *** 17.8 20.1 10.4 26.6* 29.9* 17.2 25.2* 14.7 14.6 17.2 38.7*** 26.8* 34.2** 24.2 19.0 6.6 16.9 25.3* 16.7 16.6 7.7 20.0 12.9 21.9 10.3 22.2 15.9 6.3 39.6 17.1 15.3 41.2*** 14.4 16.3 19.2 29.3* 16.8 23.1 28.0* 14.7 18.2 15.5 22.4 df = 15 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 onoverall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 109 Table 45. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e .................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my job . . .................. .. . Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . . . . . . . . . . Deciding what career to choose . . . . . Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at .001 •Not SNot tNot CR = 24.996 CR = 30.578 CR = 37.697 Age Group 3 41 & Above 21 . 0 16.1 22 . 8 12 .9 20.2 43 _g*** 19 . 8 12 .3 12.9 10 .0 22.8 61 .4*** 21 . 6 17 . 8 13 . 0 9 .6 24 . 8 11.0 16.7 12.3 14.2 12.2 46, i*** 7.( 33,.5** 14,.4 36,.0 ** 27 .4* 16.3 33,.8 ** 15 .6 13.2 16,.9 9 .3 15.8 45,.5*** 35 .0 ** 12.4 23,.4 19 .4 17.2 6, .4 7 .7 19.1 13,.0 , df = 15 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 110 Table 46. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my j o b ............. ............. Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study .................... Deciding what career to choose . . . . . Taking tests and examinations ......... Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ............... Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... *Significant at .05 **Significant at . 0 1 ***Significant at . 0 0 1 ®Not iNot tNot CR « 36.415 CR = 42.980 CR = 51.179 Age Group 3 41 & Above 45.8** 16.8 25.4 78.3*** 21.3 18.5 36.4 23.3 17.2 15.9 21.5 15.6 28.5 38.2* 22.3 42.0* 30.8 38.6* 32.7 28.8 61.6*** 15.3 30.4 15.2 15.9 15.0 24.8 14.1 22.7 29.5 14.1 21.5 47.3** 40.3* 20.7 23.2 49.2** 15.9 26.8 21.7 27.2 16.5 20.6 16.5 12.1 df = 24 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 1 onoverall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 2 on overall respondent list, but major concern of Age Group 3 Ill Table 47. Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Issues and Problems of Major Concern by Age Groups X2 Issues and Problems Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below 26 - 40 Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate ........................... Scheduling classes to fit my available t i m e ................................. Coordinating my classes and studying with my job ........................... Getting into desired classes ........... Finding the necessary time to attend classes and study . .................. Deciding what career to choose ......... Taking tests and examinations . . . . . Deciding what courses to take ......... Knowing how to study effectively . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities . . . . Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ................ Worrying about my ability to succeed in college* ........................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn* ................ Coordinating my classes and studying with child careS .................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of timet ...................... *Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at . 0 0 1 •Not iNot tNot 39.8 29.4 18.4 24.2 25.5 21.6 28.1 20.0 22.9 35.1 24.9 50.9** 44.7* 25.0 9.7 27.2 20.9 30.2 31.1 32.4 21.3 42.4* 29.0 41.9* 26.1 30.4 40.3* 24.4 23.0 22.6 15.6 35.0 40.4* 29.4 14.5 30.5 39.7 43.8* 40.1* 14.6 40.0 26.9 14.7 25.2 20.2 CR = 40.113 CR = 46.963 CR = 55.476 on overall respondent list, on overall respondent list, on overall respondent list, Age Group 3 41 & Above df = 27 but major concern of Age Group 1 but major concern of Age Group 2 but major concern of Age Group 3 This concludes the testing of hypothesis two. 112 H3 . There are no significant relationships between various demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and the expressed educational and occupational goals given by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. This hypothesis was tested in two parts— relationships between the demographic and other identifying variables and educational goals (Tables 48 to 57) and relationships between the demographic and other identifying variables and occupational goals (Tables 58 to 67) of the respondents. Table 48 shows the relationships between number of credits enrolled for this term and the educational goals of the respondents. All but one of the rejections of H 3 were at the .01 or .001 level of significance. One of the rejections was at the .05 level of significance. For Age Group 1 H 3 was rejected at the .001 level for take some courses at O C C . complete the requirements for an associate degree at O C C . and transfer to another institution to take courses; and at the for work toward a baccalaureate decree. at the . 0 0 1 .01 level was rejected for Age Group 2 level for complete the requirements for an associate decree at OCC and at the a master's decr e e . .01 level for take some courses at OCC and work toward Two rejections of H 3 occurred for Age Group 3— complete the requirements for an associate decree at OCC (.001) and take some courses at OCC (.05). 113 Table 48. Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for This Term at OCC and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ......... Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ........................ Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC. . . Transfer to another institution to take courses ................ Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . . Word toward a baccalaureate degree Work toward a master's degree. . . Work toward a doctoral degree. . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ......... ♦Significant at **Significant at ***Significant at .03 .01 .001 26 - 40 15.0** 3.8 . . 28.8*** . . 25.9*** . . . . . . 4.6 13.5** 3.1 CR = 7.815 CR = 11.341 CR = 16.268 17.8*** 1.2 2.0 1.2 1 2 .0 ** Age Group 3 41 & Above 1 0 .2 * 3.9 23.2*** 3.1 2.5 5.3 4.3 3.0 0.0 0.7 4.0 df = 3 114 Table 49 reports the relationships between number of years since last attended school before enrolling at OCC and educational goals of the respondents by age groups. There was only one significant relationship; for Age Group 3, H 3 was rejected at the .001 level for the goal work toward a professional degree in another a r e a . Table 49. Chi-Square Relationships Between Humber of Tears Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 6.6 4.8 7.8 7.3 9.4 14.4 5.2 5.8 13.3 2.7 16.4 4.6 8.0 2.1 5.0 8.7 7.8 9.1 12.0 8.1 0.0 0.6 3.7 52.8*** 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ........... Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ........................... Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC . . . Transfer to another institution to take courses .................. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree ......... Work toward a baccalaureate degree . Work toward a master's degree . . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ........... ***Significant at .001 CR = 27 .877 4.2 0.9 df = 9 7.0 115 Table 50 sets forth the relationships between marital status and educational goals of the respondents by age groups. There were two rejections of H 3 for Age Group 2— transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree (.0 1 ) and work toward a professional degree in another area (.0 0 1 ). Table 50. Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and Educational Goals b y Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 26 & Above 3.6 5.2 5.7 3.5 4.4 4.6 9.9 6.6 2.4 7.3 5.6 1.9 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ............. Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ............................. Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC . . . . Transfer to another institution to take courses .................... Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree ........... Work toward a baccalaureate degree . . Work toward a master's degree . . . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ............. **Significant at ***Significant at .01 .001 CR = 15.086 CR = 20.517 0.7 3.3 0.7 8.8 15.8** 10.4 9.7 6.5 4.2 2 1 .4 *** 8.2 1.5 4.4 3.2 df = 5 0.0 116 Table 51 indicates that there were no significant relationships be­ tween number of children and any of the educational goals of the respon­ dents by age groups. Table 51. Therefore, H 3 was not rejected for all of the goals. Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Children of Respondents and Edncational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ........... Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ........................... Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC . . . Transfer to another institution to take courses .................. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . . . Work toward a baccalaureate degree . Work toward a master's degree . . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ........... 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 3.5 10.9 14.8 14.3 11.0 13.5 0.3 6.7 5.4 1.8 3.6 10.7 1.5 5.7 4.5 9.3 5.4 1.3 3.0 1.5 5.4 5.2 2.7 0.9 8.7 8.0 df = 9 0.0 117 Table 52 giveB the relationships between the present occupations of the respondents and their educational goals by age groups. There were three rejections of H 3 for these relationships— for Age Group 1 complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC (.05), for Age Group 2 work toward a professional degree in another area (.05), and for Age Group 3 work toward a master's degree (.001). Table 52. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Take some courses at OCC ........... Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ........................... Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC . . . Transfer to another institution to take courses .................. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . . . Work toward a baccalaureate degree . Work toward a master's degree . . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ........... ♦Significant at .05 ***Significant at .001 CR = 16.919 CR = 27.877 Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Above 26 - 40 4.4 9.8 4.7 8.6 3.4 5.4 19.2* 1.5 9.4 6.4 6.2 16.5 5.5 9.9 10.9 9.6 6.6 2.8 6.7 3.5 0.0 6.3 19.4* 6.7 df - 9 Age Group 3 41 & Above 2.3 14.0 83.3*** 118 Table 53 shows the relationships between occupations of respondents' husbands and educational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was rejected for Age Group 2 for complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC at the .05 level and for Age Group 3 for take some courses at OCC at the .05 level and for transfer to another institution to com­ plete the requirements for an associate degree at the . 0 1 Table 53. level. Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 13.2 9.6 20.4* 10.1 8.6 8.6 18.0* 16.6 12.1 8.0 13.9 6.8 6.1 0.0 9.0 8.7 7.3 4.2 25.3** 11.9 13.3 0.0 14.1 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC . . . . Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC . . .................. Complete the requirements for • • • an associate degree at OCC Transfer to another institution to take courses ............. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . • • • Work toward a baccalaureate degree . . Work toward a master's degree • • • Work toward a doctoral degree . • • • Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area . . . . ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 CR = 16.919 CR = 2 1 . 6 6 6 7.5 12.5 df = 9 0.0 0.0 119 Table 54 gives the relationships between estimated annual income H 3 was rejected and educational goals of the respondents by age groups. for only one goal— transfer to another institution to take courses— for Age Group 1 at the .01 level and for Age Group 2 at the .05 level. Table 54. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 5.8 4.2 1.9 4.7 5.1 4.7 6.5 6.1 0.4 13.1* 3.0 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC . . . . Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at O C C ............. .. . . . Complete the requirements for « an associate degree at OCC Transfer to another institution to take courses ............. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . • Work toward a baccalaureate degree Work toward a master's degree • Work toward a doctoral degree • Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area . . . . ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 • • 16.2** • . • • • . • • CR = 11.070 CR = 15.086 10.1 4.8 2.3 4.5 5.2 7.8 3.7 4.0 10.9 6.9 8.7 0.0 5.6 5.4 3,8 df = 5 120 Table 55 discloses the relationships between estimated annual in­ come of respondents' husbands and educational goals of the respondents by B 3 was rejected for five relationships. age groups. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree was re­ jected at the .05 level for Age Group 1, at the .01 level for Age Group 2, and at the .001 level for Age Group 3. Rejections at the .001 level for Age Group 2 were work toward a master's degree and work toward a doctoral deeree. Table 55. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents' Husbands and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 3.0 6.8 3.4 10.4 9.8 3.8 9.2 10.5 5.2 4.7 6.7 2.4 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ............. Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency ............................. at OCC Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC ........... Transfer to another institution to take courses .................... Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree ........... Work toward a baccalaureate degree . . Work toward a master's degree . . . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ............. ♦Significant at .0-5 **Significant at .01 ***Significant at .001 CR = 11.070 CR = 15.086 CR = 20.517 1 1 .1 * 1.6 2.5 0.0 0.0 17.9** 6.0 23.6*** 32.1*** 6.3 df * 5 33.0*** 2.1 3.9 0.0 0.0 121 Table 56 indicates the relationships between level of previous edu­ cation and educational goals of the respondents by age groups. rejected at the . 0 0 1 H 3 was level of significance for only one relationship for Age Group 1— work toward a doctoral d e gree. Table 56. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents* Level of Previous Education and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ......... Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ......................... Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC . . Transfer to another institution to take courses ................ Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . . Work toward a baccalaureate degree Work toward a master's degree . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ......... ***Significant at .001 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 5.5 8.0 6.3 4.7 . . 13.1 11.5 5.6 . . 4.4 9.2 8.3 . . . . . . . . . . CR = 27.877 4.4 4.7 12.4 30.1*** 4.8 6.7 1.9 8.1 7.8 15.4 12.0 12.6 0.0 5.2 4.3 df = 9 122 Table 57 shows that there were no significant relationships be­ tween education level of respondents' husbands and educational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was not rejected for all of the educa­ tional goals. Table 57. Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Educational Goals by Age Groups X2 Educational Goal Age Group Age Group 1 2 26 - 40 Age Group 3 41 & Above 6.9 11.4 9.7 5.8 15.1 13.1 6.9 14.6 1.6 8.0 7.4 5.4 6.1 10.2 8.6 6.0 2.8 25 & Below Take some courses at OCC ........... Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC ........................... Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC . . . Transfer to another institution to take courses .................. Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree ......... Work toward a baccalaureate degree . Work toward a master's degree . . . Work toward a doctoral degree . . . Work toward a professional de­ gree in another area ........... 7.9 9.5 9.5 7.7 0.0 10.0 0.0 0.0 3.1 0.0 df = 9 This concludes the testing of hypothesis three with regard to educa­ tional goals of the respondents. 123 The next ten tables test H 3 with regard to the relationships between the demographic and other identifying variables and occupational goals of the respondents. Table 58 shows the relationships between the number of credits en­ rolled for this term at OCC and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. the .001 H 3 was rejected for Age Group 2 for executive secretary at level. H 3 was not rejected for the rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 58. Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Credits Enrolled for This Tern at OCC and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court R e p o r t e r ...................... .. Executive Secretary .................. Legal Secretary ...................... Medical Secretary . . . ............. Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant ...................... Word Processor ......................... ***Significant at .001 CR = 16.268 Age Group 25 & Below 1 1.0 2.3 0.4 3.1 0.7 4.6 2.5 Age Group 26 - 40 2 Age Group 41 & Above 3 0.8 1.5 1.5 16.4*** 1.2 2.0 4.6 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.7 4.6 2.0 df = 3 124 Table 59 shows that there were no significant relationships between number of years since last attended school before enrolling at OCC and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was not rejected for all of the occupational goals. Table 59. Chi-Square Relationships Between Number of Tears Since Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC and Occupational Goal by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ........................ Executive Secretary .................. Legal Secretary . . . . . ........... Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant . . .................. Word Processor ........................ Age Group 25 & Below 1 Age Group 26 - 40 2 Age Group 41 & Above 3 9.0 2.5 2.3 5.9 4.3 5.9 1.8 6.8 8.2 11.5 3.3 4.7 7.2 5.7 13.1 8.5 11.0 6.7 0.9 11.6 5.1 df « 9 125 Table 60 reports the relationships between marital status and occu­ pational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was rejected for three relationships— for medical records transcrjptionist at the . 0 1 level for Age Group 1 and at the .05 level for Age Group 2 and for word H 3 was not rejected for the processor at the .01 level for Age Group 2. rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 60. Chi-Square Relationships Between Marital Status and Occupational Goals by A ge Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ......................... Executive Secretary . . . . . . . . . Legal S e c r e t a r y .................. .. . Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant .................. . . Word Processor ......................... ♦Significant at **Significant at .05 .0 1 CR = 11.070 CR = 15.086 Age Group 25 & Below Age Group 26 - 40 1 2 5.1 7 .'6 6.0 3.0 16.9** 1.7 2.3 6.4 5.8 3.9 10.3 14.4* 1.7 18.6** df = 5 Age Group 41 & Above 3 1.5 5.9 5.4 5.6 2.1 10.3 8.4 126 Table 61 indicates that there were no significant relationships between number of children and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. Table 61. h 3 was not rejected for all of the educational goals. Chi-Square Relationships Between Ntwber of Children of Respondents and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ........................ Executive Secretary . . ............. Legal Secretary ...................... Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant ...................... Word Processor ........................ Age Group 25 & Below Age Group 26 - 40 1 2 8.0 9.1 5.0 5.0 3.3 7.3 5.5 6.3 1.6 12.6 3.3 2.4 15.9 4.8 df = 9 Age Group 41 & Above 3 2.7 5.2 9.8 5.0 3.7 8.4 4.3 127 Table 62 discloses the relationships between present occupations and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was re­ jected for five relationships— Age Group 1 at the .05 level for court reporter. Age Group 2 at the .05 level for medical secretary and medical records transcriptionist. and Age Group 3 at the .05 level for medical secretary and at the .001 level for medical records transcriptionist. H3 was not rejected for the rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 62. Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Present Occupations and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ........................ Executive Secretary .................. Legal Secretary . . . . ............. Medical Secretary ................ . . Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant ...................... Word Processor . . . .................. ♦Significant at .05 ***Significant at . 0 0 1 CR = 15.507 CR = 26.135 Age Group 25 & Below Age Group 26 - 40 1 2 17.6* 14.9 3.3 10.7 9.0 9.5 8.7 17.3* 16.5* 7.0 11.8 8.1 8.8 8.6 df - 8 Age Group 41 & Above 3 15.0 4.0 2.2 17.0* 27.4*** 4.0 4.5 128 Table 63 shows the relationships between occupations of respon­ dents' husbands and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was rejected for Age Group 1 for court reporter (.05), for Age Group 2 for word processor (.05), and for Age Group 3 for medical secretary (.01). H 3 was not rejected for the rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 63. Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupations of Respondents' Husbands and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ......................... Executive Secretary .................. Legal Secretary ...................... Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant ...................... Word Processor ......................... ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 CR = 16.919 CR = 21.666 Age Group 25 & Below Age Group 26 - 40 1 2 18.0* 12.4 6.1 6.6 5.2 7.0 16.1 9.6 11.9 19.1* 6.8 10.1 7.8 5.0 df = 9 Age Group 41 & Above 3 9.0 4.9 3.8 24.1** 14.5 7.3 9.2 129 Table 64 shows the relationships between estimated annual income and occupational goals of the respondents. H 3 was rejected for Age Group 1 for court reporter at the .01 level of significance. H 3 was not rejected for the rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 64. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Income of Respondents and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court R e p o r t e r ......... ............... Executive Secretary .................. Legal S e c r e t a r y ........... .. Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant . . .................. Word Processor . . . .................. **Significant at .01 CR = 15.086 Age Group Age Group 25 & Below 26 - 40 1 2 2 0 .2 ** 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.7 10.4 9.4 9.2 5.5 6.3 3.9 3.5 4.9 df = 5 Age Group 41 & Above 3 6.4 10.0 4.6 4.7 0.7 4.4 7.2 130 Table 65 points out the relationships between estimated annual in­ come of respondents' husbands and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. H 3 was rejected for five relationships. Medical Secre­ tary (.05) was rejected for Age Group 2; and medical secretary (.01), medical records transcriptionist (.05), office assistant (.01), and word processor (.05) were rejected for Age Group 3. H 3 was not rejected for the rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 65. Chi-Square Relationships Between Estimated Annual Incone of Respondents' Husbands and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ......................... Executive Secretary .................. Legal Secretary ...................... Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant ...................... Word Processor ......................... ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 CR = 11.070 CR = 15.086 Age Group 25 & Below 1 2 Age Group 41 & Above 3 4.7 6.9 4.1 6.4 3.9 7.9 24.9* 1.5 8.4 5.2 1.5 2.5 1.7 16.8** 1 1 .6 * 15.4** 1 1 .2 * 8.8 5.9 7.2 3.8 Age Group 26 - 40 df = 5 131 Table 66 discloses that there were no significant relationships be­ tween level of previous education and occupational goals of the respon­ dents by age groups. H 3 was not rejected for all of the occupational goals. Table 66 . Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Level of Previous Education and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ........................ Executive Secretary ....................... Legal Secretary Medical Secretary .................... Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant .................... . Word Processor ........................ Age Group 25 & Below 1 5.8 8.1 7.4 9.5 9.5 4.1 5.3 Age Group 26 - 40 2 Age Group 41 & Above 3 2.2 6.0 6.8 5.2 4.0 2.9 4.0 2.3 4.6 5.4 6.7 9.8 4.0 df = 7 8.2 132 Table 67 shows the relationships between education level of re­ spondents' husbands and occupational goals of the respondents by age groups. There were three rejections of H 3 — Age Group 2 for legal secre­ tary and medical secretary at the .05 level and Age Group 3 for office H 3 was not rejected for the assistant at the .01 level of significance. rest of the relationships shown in this table. Table 67. Chi-Square Relationships Between Education Level of Respondents' Husbands and Occupational Goals by Age Groups X2 Occupational Goal Court Reporter ......................... Executive Secretary .................. Legal Secretary ...................... Medical Secretary . . . . . . . . . . Medical Records Transcriptionist . . . Office Assistant ...................... Word Processor ......................... ♦Significant at .05 **Significant at .01 CR = 16.919 CR = 21.666 Age Group 25 & Below Age Group 26 - 40 1 2 13.3 4.1 4.6 3.4 7.1 5.5 4.7 4.3 5.1 18.0* 16.9 12.0 13.3 4.2 Age Group 41 & Above 3 11.6 2.9 6.1 5.3 9.3 2 2 .1 ** 14.9 df = 9 This concludes the testing of hypothesis three with regard to occu­ pational goals of the respondents. 133 H4< There are no significant relationships between expressed edu­ cational and occupational goals and the issues and problems of concern expressed by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. This hypothesis was tested in two parts— relationships between issues and problems of concern and educational goals and relationships between issues and problems of concern and occupational goals of the respondents. Tables 6 8 , 69, and 70 are for educational goals for each of the three age groups. the These tables show the significant relationships at .05 level or above for each educational goal. each of the entries in Tables 6 8 , 69, and 70. H 4 was rejected for 134 Table 68. Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Educational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 1 (Age 25 and Below) Educational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Take some courses at OCC Being admitted to O C C 16.148 ............ . 13.259 Getting registered Worrying about my ability to succeed in college ............................................ 9.759 0.0011 0.0041 0.0207 Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC Worrying that academic success in college may lead to 6 ocial difficulties with friends . . . . . ........................ Obtaining books and supplies Getting into desired classes ............. . . . . . 10.441 9.729 8.249 0.0152 0.0210 0.0411 Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC Meeting the physical demands of being a student 9.746 0.0209 11.356 10.490 0.0099 0.0148 10.443 0.0152 Transfer to another institution to take courses Deciding what career to choose Adding or dropping of classes Worrying about my ability to succeed in college Worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with friends . . . . Finding the proper study environment . . . . . . . Feeling that my personal relationships with men may change as a result of my becoming a student Feeling uncomfortable around older students . . . . Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world Maintaining a positive relationship with my parents after becoming a student 10.316 10.188 0.0161 0.0170 9.321 8.356 0.0253 0.0392 7.837 0.0495 7.940 0.0473 Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time 14.823 Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling .......................................... 9.359 Needing academic tutoring . . . . . ................. 8.511 0.0020 0.0249 0.0366 135 Table 68. (Continued) Educational Goals Issues and Problems Work toward a baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S., B.A.) Feeling that teaching styles are not geared to my needs ...................................... Feeling uncomfortable around the older students .......................................... Worrying about my ability to succeed in .......................................... college Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations are ............................................... Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to l e a r n ................................. Work toward a waster's degree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) Needing academic tutoring ........................... Work toward a doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D.) Worrying that academic success in college may lead to 6 ocial difficulties with friends . . . . . ................................. Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally ......................................... Getting previous college course credits ......................................... evaluated Worrying about my ability to succeed in college Meeting the physical demands of being a .......................................... student Getting credit by examination for required courses ...................................... . . Knowing how to study effectively Work toward a professional degree in another area (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.) Getting previous college course credits evaluated ......................................... 12.625 0.0055 10.103 0.0177 9.449 0.0239 8.592 0.0352 8.378 0.0388 9.330 0.0252 13.813 0.0032 11.670 0.0086 10.463 0.0150 9.697 0.0213 8.988 0.0295 8.434 7.885 0.0378 0.0485 14.394 0.0024 df = 3 136 Table 69. Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Educational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 2 (Age 26 to 40) Educational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Take some courses at OCC Feeling uncomfortable around older students Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . . Finding the proper study environment ............. Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC Maintaining my 6 elf-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time . . . Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . . Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities .......................... Transfer to another institution to take courses Meeting the physical demands of being a student ............................. . Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree Maintaining a positive relationship with my. parents after becoming a student Deciding what career to choose Deciding what courses to take . Scheduling classes to fit my available time . . . . Work toward a baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S., B.A.) Determining what financial assistance is .................. . available Deciding what career to choose . . . Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . . Worrying that academic success in college may lead to difficulties with friends 10.789 0.0129 10.169 8.364 0.0172 0.0391 8.332 0.0396 18.249 0.0004 10.592 0.0142 9.967 0.0189 8.275 0.0407 13.646 10.738 10.240 9.948 0.0034 0.0132 0.0166 0.0190 12.366 11.010 0.0062 0.0117 9.456 7.998 0.0238 0.0461 137 Table 69. (Continued) Educational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Vork toward a waster's degree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . . . . . . . . . ................ . Needing academic tutoring ............................ Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities .......................... Obtaining needed financial assistance ............... Vork toward a doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D.) Feeling uncomfortable around older students . . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities .......................... 11.007 8.989 0.0117 0.0294 8.208 7.915 0.0419 0.0478 8.951 0.0300 8.504 0.0367 Word toward a professional degree in another area (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.) Being treated seriously by other students 22.616 Receiving necessary information and forms . . . . . 11.154 Needing academic tutoring ............................. 9.722 Being admitted to O C C ................................. 9.557 0.0001 0.0109 0.0211 0.0227 df = 3 138 Table 70. Significant Chi-Square Relationships betveen Educational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 3 (Age 41 and Above) Educational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Take some courses at OCC Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the firsttime 18.062 Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world 10.083 Coordinating my classes and studying with child care ................................ 9.854 Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations 8.357 a r e ............... ............................... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time ................................................. 7.975 Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC Being admitted to O C C 16.474 Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student 14.202 Receiving necessary information andforms ............. 9.755 Feeling that teaching styles are not geared to my n e e d s 8.544 Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time 8.606 Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . . Maintaining a positive relationship with my children after becoming a student Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities Coordinating my classes and studying with child care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Needing academic tutoring Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time . . . 12.051 0.0004 0.0179 0.0199 0.0392 0.0465 0.0009 0.0026 0.0208 0.0360 0.0350 0.0072 10.774 0.0130 10.327 0.0160 9.778 9.711 0.0205 0.0212 8.814 0.0319 8.070 0.0446 139 Table 70. (Continued) Educational Goals X2 P Issues and Problems Transfer to another institution to take courses Worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with friends .......................................... Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student ............................... 16.645 0.0008 14.189 0.0027 Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree Getting into desired classes ...................... Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . . 12.082 0.0071 7.894 0.0483 9.320 0.0253 8.120 0.0436 8.622 0.0348 Work toward a baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S.j B.A.) ...................... Obtaining books and supplies Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities ........................ Worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with friends . . . . Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student ............................. Scheduling classes to fit my available time . . . Work toward a master's degree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) Getting previous college course credits evaluated ........................................ Getting credit by examination for required courses .......................................... 8.442 7.900 0.0377 0.0481 15.509 0.0014 8.616 0.0349 Work toward a doctoral degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D.) Work toward a professional degree in another area (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.) Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student ............................... Worrying about how to deal with men in the work w o r l d .................... ................... 20.026 0.0002 9.185 0.0269 df “ 3 140 This concludes the testing of hypothesis four with regard to educa­ tional goals of the respondents. Tables 71, 72, and 73 are for occupational goals for each of the three age groups. the These tables show the significant relationships at .05 level or above for each occupational goal. each of the entries in Tables 71, 72, and 73. H 4 was rejected for 141 Table 71. Significant Chi-Square Relationships between Occupational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 1 (Age 25 and Below) Occupational Goals X2 IsBues and Problems Court Reporter Deciding what career to choose ................ . . Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . 15.019 9.820 0.0018 0.0202 13.219 0.0042 12.929 0.0048 12.639 12.567 9.763 0.0055 0.0057 0.0207 8.339 7.875 0.0395 0.0487 Medical Secretary Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling ........................................ 10.880 0.0124 Medical Records Transcriptionist Determining what financial assistance is available 11.115 0.0111 15.674 0.0013 11.966 0.0075 9.778 0.0206 9.492 0.0234 Executive Secretary None Legal Secretary Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling ........................................ Getting previous college course credits evaluated . . . .................................. Getting credit by examination for required courses ......................... . Deciding what courses to take Getting into desired classes . Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student Deciding what career tochoose Office Assistant Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally ........................................ Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time . . . Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations are ............................................... Getting credit by examination for required courses 142 Table 71. (Continued) Occupational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Word Processor None df = 3 P 143 Table 72. Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 2 (Age 26 to 40) Occupational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Court Reporter Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally . . ................................. . Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . Being treated seriously by other students Coordinating my classes and studying with child care Deciding what career to choose ................. Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn Finding the proper study environment ............. Deciding what courses to take ...................... Needing academic tutoring .......................... Executive Secretary Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world ........................................ 18.331 13.278 10.941 0.0004 0.0041 0.0121 10.507 10.081 0.0147 0.0179 9.966 9.446 0.0189 0.0239 0.0308 0.0492 8.888 7.849 8.530 0.0362 Legal Secretary None Medical Secretary Getting registered Feeling uncomfortable around older students . . . . Being treated seriously by other students Obtaining needed financial assistance ............. Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . Deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time Getting credit by examination for required courses 16.865 15.247 14.892 13.715 12.812 0.0008 0.0016 0.0019 0.0033 0.0051 11.315 0.0101 9.565 0.0227 8.455 0.0375 Medical Records Transcriptionist Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of t i m e .................................... Getting registered ...................... 11.478 8.921 0.0094 0.0304 Office Assistant Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time 8.792 0.0322 144 Table 72. (Continued) Occupational Goals X2 Issues and Problems Word Processor Deciding what courses to take Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . Meeting the physical demands of being a student . . Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally ........................................ Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time Getting previous college course credits evaluated Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations are 12.940 12.915 0.0048 0.0048 11.426 0.0096 11.163 0.0109 10.908 0.0122 9.520 0.0231 9.236 0.0263 9.108 0.0279 8.665 0.0341 df = 3 145 Table 73. Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Occupational Goals and Issues and Problems of Concern to Respondents in Age Group 3 (Age 41 and Above) Occupational Goals ________________________ X2 p Issues and Problems Court Reporter Deciding what career to choose .................... Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world 11.793 0.0081 8.091 0.0442 11.501 10.353 0.0093 0.0158 12.415 0.0061 10.625 0.0139 9.629 0.0220 34.474 26.336 23.123 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 20.698 0.0001 17.324 0.0006 13.286 0.0041 12.092 11.842 10.891 8.406 0.0071 0.0027 0.0123 0.0383 8.391 8.258 0.0386 0.0410 Executive Secretary None Legal Secretary .................. Knowing how to study effectively Adding or dropping of classes ...................... Medical Secretary Needing academic tutoring ............. . Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Feeling that teaching styles of faculty are not geared to my needs Medical Records Transcriptionist Worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with friends . . . . Needing academic tutoring ........................... Being treated seriously by other students . . . . . Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student ............................... Maintaining a positive relationship with my husband or boyfriend after becoming a student Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world .......... . . . . . . Needing to be more assertive or forceful personally . . . . . . . ........... . . . . . . Feeling uncomfortable around older students . . . . Finding the proper study environment Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . Knowing what my weaknesses and limitations a r e Getting registered . , ............. . . . . . . . 1A6 Table 73. (Continued) Occupational Goals X2 P Issues and Problems Office Assistant Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time ........... Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . Word Processor Getting credit by examination for required courses . . . . . . . ........................... Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree . . . . Being treated seriously by other students . . . . Taking tests and examinations .................... Meeting the physical demands of being a s t u d e n t .................................... Needing academic tutoring ........................ 9.312 8.705 0.0254 0.0335 9.862 0.0198 9.637 9.424 9.003 0.0219 0.0241 0.0292 8.578 7.919 0.0355 0.0477 df = 3 This concludes the testing of hypothesis four with regard to educa­ tional goals of the respondents. 147 H5 . There are no significant differences between the problems ex­ pressed by women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above. The respondents were asked to indicate their degree of concern with 42 issues and problems. Table 74 lists those items that were found to be significant from most significant to least significant. 25 items, the hypothesis was rejected. For these For the remaining 17 issues and problems, the hypothesis was not rejected. 148 Table 74. Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Issues and Problems of Concern and Age of Respondents Issues and Problems Maintaining a positive relationship with my children after becoming a student ............... Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with child care . . . .................................. Securing quality child care for my children . . . . Coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities ........................... Maintaining a positive relationship with my parents after becoming a student ............... Coordinating my classes and studying with my j o b ................................................. Feeling uncomfortable around younger students . . . Feeling that teaching styles of faculty are not geared to my needs .............. ............. Deciding what career to choose ...................... Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree ......... Feeling uncomfortable around older students . . . . Determining what financial assistance is available .......................................... Getting adequate academic and career/ vocational counseling ............................. Obtaining books and supplies ........................ Getting previous college course credits evaluated .......................................... Obtaining needed financial assistance ............. Worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with friends . . . . Worrying about how to deal with men in the work world ........................................ Maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time ............. Feeling that my personal relationships with men will change as a result of my become a student .......................................... Getting registered .................................... Adding or dropping of classes . . .................. Deciding what courses to take ...................... Worrying about my ability to succeed in college . . X2 326.464 0.0001 189.872 0.0001 162.019 139.058 0.0001 0.0001 124.148 0.0001 77.352 0.0001 49.972 42.770 0.0001 0.0001 27.396 24.787 0.0004 23.501 21.422 0.0006 0.0015 19.866 0.0029 18.081 18.063 0.0060 0.0061 17.697 16.100 0.0070 0.0132 15.951 0.0140 15.397 0.0174 14.310 0.0264 14.087 13.474 13.408 13.234 12.943 0.0287 0.0361 0.0370 0.0395 0.0439 df = 6 This concludes the testing of hypothesis five. P 0.0001 149 Hg. There are no significant differences between the expressed edu­ cational and occupational goals of women students age 25 and below* age 26 to 40* and age 41 and above. Table 75 shows the relationships between age and the nine educational goals of the respondents. with regard to the relationship between age and complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC and trans­ fer to another institution was rejected with a X^ significance of .0 0 0 1 ; with regard to the relationship between age and work toward a baccalau­ reate degree and work toward a master's degree H 5 was rejected with a X^ significance of .0 0 1 ; with regard to the relationship between age and work toward a professional degree in another area a X^ significance of .05. ficant was rejected with The remaining four goals did not have signi­ values so the hypothesis was not rejected for the relationship between age and take some courses at O C C . complete the requirements for a Certificate of P r oficiency, transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degr e e , and work toward a doctoral degree. 150 Table 75. Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Educational Goals of Respondents Educational Goals Take some courses at O C C .................. .. Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Proficiency at OCC . . . .................. Complete the requirements for an associate degree at O C C ................................. Transfer to another institution to take courses ........................................ Transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree . . . Work toward a baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S., B.A.) ............................. Work toward a master's degree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) ........................... Work toward a doctoral degree (e.g., P h . D ., Ed.D.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Work toward a professional degree in another area (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.) . . . . . . . ♦Significant at .05 ***Significant at .001 ****Significant at .0001 X2 P 3.863 0.1449 1.575 0.4549 18.469 0 .0 0 0 1 **** 18.547 0 .0 0 0 1 **** 5.294 0.0709 13.118 0.0014*** 12.587 0.0018*** 4.784 0.0915 7.839 0.0198* df = 2 This concludes the testing of hypothesis six with regard to educa­ tional goals of the respondents. 151 Table 76 depicts the relationships between age and the seven occupa­ tional goals of the respondents. with regard to the relationship between age and becoming a court reporter was rejected with a X 2 signi­ ficance of .05; becoming a legal secretary was rejected with a X 2 sig­ nificance of .01. The X 2 values for the remaining five occupational goals were not significant at the .05 level so the hypotheses was not rejected as it relates to these goals. Table 76. Chi-Square Relationships Between Age and Occupational Goals of Respondents Occupational Goals X2 Court R e p o r t e r ............. ............... . . . . Executive Secretary ...................... Legal S e c r e t a r y ......... ................. Medical Secretary ......................... Medical Records Transcriptionist ......... Office Assistant ......................... . Word Processor 6.868 ♦Significant at **Significant at .05 .01 2.353 P 0.0323* 0.2262 0.0036** 0.7826 0.5932 0.9033 0.3083 df = 2 This concludes the testing of hypothesis six with regard to occupa­ tional goals of the respondents. 152 H7 . There are no significant differences in the way women students age 25 and below, age 26 to 40, and age 41 and above evaluate academic and non-academic services offered by the college. was not rejected for all but seven of the college services. The X 2 values for parking on c a m pus, career/vocational counseling, orientation to college, iob placement, adequate dining facilities, counseling hours , and iob information were significant as indicated in Table 77; therefore, H 7 was rejected for these seven items. Table 77. Significant Chi-Square Relationships Between Respondents' Perceptions of College Services and Age of Respondents Services Parking on c a m p u s ............. .. Career/vocational counseling ........... Orientation to c o l l e g e ................- . Job p l a c e m e n t ............. ............. Adequate dining facilities ............. ......... Counseling hours ......................... Job information ................ .. X2 P 0.0001 9.951 0.0006 0.0013 0.0283 0.0413 0.0435 0.0486 df *= 4 This concludes the testing of hypothesis seven. The last part of this chapter will summarize the respondent inter­ views . 153 Respondent Interviews Six women who had completed the survey instrument were interviewed in order to obtain human, personal information that would enhance the statistical data obtained from the survey instrument. This information would provide a general portrayal of the women at Oakland Community Col­ lege who were the subjects for this study. When identified by age, the women who were interviewed were from all of the identified age groups as follows: Age Group 1— nineteen and twenty-three, Age Group 2— thirty-one and forty, and Age Group 3— forty-two and forty-eight. Two had never been married, one was di­ vorced, one was separated and about to be divorced, and two were married. Each of the women grew up in families with siblings— ranging from one to six. Two of the women came from home 6 where their parents had been divorced one or more times. In one family both parents had been college graduates, in one family the father had attended college, in three families both parents were high school graduates, and in one family the father had graduated from the eighth grade while the mother had graduated from high school. One of the women had a baccalaureate degree and had been a teacher. Two of them had attended a university for three years prior to enrolling at Oakland Community College. Two of them had taken some courses at the community college level previously. One of them came to OCC directly from high school. Three of the respondents are working part-time— one in a job re­ lated to the degree she intends to complete and two in unrelated jobs. What may not be apparent is the fact that even though each of these 154 women is completely different from each of the others, there are some common threads to be found in their lives. It is the purpose of this section of Chapter Four to examine each of the interviews and to point out the similarities and differences among the six women as they relate to educational attainment, clarity of purposes in life, process of self-discovery and self-realization, and varying degrees of support or non-support from family and/or friends. The complete text of each of the six interviews is found in Appen­ dix G starting on page 198. Subject A has at this point in her life attained more educational advancement than anyone else in her family. She was a successful stu­ dent in high school and now has a clear sense of direction in her life which grew out of her past successes both in school and on the job. Her purposes for being at OCC are clear to her and have surely contributed to the fact that 6 he has been motivated to do well in her classes and to ultimately obtain an associate degree. While she was still in high school, she discovered herself and found a career that she could enjoy. She is proud of what she has been able to accomplish in her parents and boyfriend have been extremely life. Her supportive of her educational endeavors at OCC. Subject B has at this point in her life surpassed her m o t h e r ’s level of educational attainment and ultimately may equal her natural father's educational attainment. She has spent three year 6 at a four- year institution trying to find some direction for her life, but it has only been since she enrolled at OCC that her life has begun to take shape. She has finally been able to identify some purpose and clarify some goals in her life. The members of her family have always been 155 supportive of her and have demonstrated their love for her. However, the instability of her parental family settings has quite possibly resulted in her sense of insecurity about herself, her inability to find positive direction in her life, and her fear of failure. She now feels that she has an opportunity to follow through on a goal she has set for herself. Subject C has at this point in her life surpassed her mother's level of educational attainment and probably will equal or surpass her her father's educational attainment. She has survived a disastrous first marriage and is struggling as a single parent just on the edge of solvency. While she is interested in dance, people, and psychology, her economic circumstances coerce her into focusing on obtaining a job. Her attendance at OCC has given her hope and a realistic opportunity to do this. She has had little, if any, support from her family during some difficult years. They were not particularly education-oriented; but despite this, she has been able to see the necessity of obtaining an edu­ cation if she is going to accomplish the goals she has set for herself and her child. Subject D has at this point in her life already surpassed the edu­ cational attainment of both her parents. There is an indication that in her life she let others make decisions for her. However, since she en­ rolled at OCC, she has begun to find opportunities for self-realization that she had not expected to find and seems headed for a sense of inde­ pendence she has never had in her life. She was always good at serving the needs of her family members, but never really served her own needs. While she successfully ran a house and raised a family, she was very much afraid of failing at OCC. However, she found that she did have the perseverance to be a successful student after returning to school. 156 Though she has had fine support from her present family members, they may not be aware of the significant transformations taking place in her life since she enrolled at OCC. She completed her associate degree at the end of winter term 1985 and will be looking for an office job. She is apprehensive about interviewing for a job but knows that she will succeed on a job after she is hired. Subject E has at this point in her life already surpassed the edu­ cational attainments of both her parents even though she was never en­ couraged to go beyond high school nor did she expect to go beyond high school. She had not really understood herself in high school; this self- discovery only began when she was working after graduating from high school and was promoted to office manager. After marrying and having three children, she realized that she needed more than this and, subse­ quently, decided that she would go to college after her children were in school. However, an untimely divorce action by her husband made going to college a necessity since she would need to find a job and did not have the necessary skills to do so. Thus, OCC offered her two opportunities— a way to fulfill her urge for more education and to attain financial se­ curity. Neither her mother or father were particularly supportive of her going to college after her graduation from high school, and her husband did not make it attractive for her either even though she had worked so that he could graduate from college. Subject F has at this point in her life reached the same educa­ tional attainment as her parents. This is not surprising since in her childhood years it wns assumed that 6 he would graduate from college. She had a stable, advantaged background, had a successful professional career as a teacher, and subsequently a successful marriage to a man who headed 157 for and achieved professional success as a doctor. Even though she had three children, she did not appear to be fulfilled as a person in her own right. She then became involved in a variety of activities and edu­ cational endeavors which were completely supported by her husband and children. However, even now she does not seem to be firmly focused on what she wants to do with her life. OCC has given her the opportunity to become involved in several curricular areas which she indicated were disciplines she had always wanted to explore. An examination of these six case studies vividly points out the many differences that exist between people, but it also highlights the common facets of their lives as they strive to fulfill the needs identi­ fied by Maslow: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Physiological needs Safety need 6 Belonging and love needs Esteem needs Self-actualization needs^ Each of these categories was illustrated in a personal sense through the case studies of the six women just discussed. There is no question that the six women who were interviewed were not highly motivated by a physiological need. Each of them was in a position where the basic needs to sustain life were already being met so they had moved beyond this basic need level. It is apparent that four of the six women interviewed were attempt­ ing to fulfill safety needs. nancially secure. The two married women certainly were fi­ Two of the women were preparing for careers and still had the support of their families. One of the women was the sole support of her child and herself, and her financial situation was one of severe need. The woman who was about to be divorced recognized that there would 158 be a financial need in the near future, and she knew that she had to de­ velop salable skills in order to obtain a job. Recognizing that there is some overlapping of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it is easy to see that each of the women interviewed was also concerned with belonging and love needs. Their personal situations, par­ ticularly with the divorced and separated women, contributed to this need substantially. Obviously, there were varying degrees of this need ex­ hibited in the case studies. Esteem needs were undoubtedly of more concern to the two married women than to any of the others. The two married women were both in the position of having raised their children, and both were in need of some other interests and time-consuming activities in their lives. They both needed the esteem of others a 6 well as their own self-esteem. This need was a factor, too, with the divorced and separated women— particularly the need for self-esteem, which is an internal and individual need. The two younger women were still concerned with safety needs primarily; the esteem need would be there, but it would not be of prime concern to them. Maslow's final and highest level of need, self-actualization, cer­ tainly was present to a greater or lesser degree in all of the women interviewed. However, it would seem that the two older women would find this need to be of most concern; and it was apparent that this one of the reasons that they had enrolled for courses at OCC. need was 159 Summary This chapter has been presented in three parts. The first part of the chapter found of pages 47 to 81 has answered the five research questions using frequency distributions and percentage tables. The research questions covered the demographic and other identi­ fying data describing the respondents, their reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC, their educational and occupational goals, the issues and problems of concern to them, and their perception of college academic and non-academic services. The second part of the chapter found on pages 82 to 152 has tested the seven hypotheses using two- and three-way Chi-Square Tests of Inde­ pendence. Relationships and differences between the independent and de­ pendent variables were tested for significance using the three age groups as a controlling factor. The third part of the chapter found on pages 153 to 158 has dis­ cussed the six respondent interviews. Similarities and differences among the women interviewed have been pointed out as they relate to edu­ cational attainment, clarity of purposes in life, process of selfdiscovery and self-realization, and varying degrees of support or non­ support from family and/or friends. 160 Chapter Notes 1 Bruce Ryan Swinburne, "Characteristics of Adult Part-Time Stu­ dents in Selected Public Community Colleges" (Ed.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970), 166. ^ Based on "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Motivation and Per­ sonality. 2nd ed., by Abraham H. Maslow. Copyright 1970 by Abraham H. Mas low. By permission of Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. cited by Zane K. Quible, Introduction to Administrative Office Management. 2nd ed., (Cambridge, MA: Winthrop Publishers, Inc., 1980), 324. CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS The final chapter contains a summary of the purpose and design of the study, major findings, conclusions, and implications as well as rec­ ommendations for further research. Purpose and Desinn of the Study The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the women students enrolled in Office Informations Systems (OIS) courses at Oakland Community College. The five research questions elicited demographic and other identifying information about the respondents as well as their ob­ servations about their reasons for enrolling for courses, the issues and problems that were of major or minor concern to them as well as issues that were not applicable or of no concern to them, and their specific edu­ cational and occupational goals. The respondents were also asked to give their perceptions of the effectiveness of the college's academic and nonacademic services. Seven hypotheses were tested in order to determine if there were significant relationships between the variables identified in the study. The data for the study were gathered by a questionnaire administered to all women students enrolled in OIS courses at the four campuses of Oak­ land Community College during the fall term of 1984. The administration of the questionnaire was carried out by full-time as well as part-time faculty members during class time between November 1 and 10, 1984. 161 162 Nine hundred seventy-five questionnaires were returned, which rep­ resented approximately 84 percent of the total population. The data from the questionnaires were then input via magnetic tape by data entry clerks at Oakland Community College. Following the verification of the data input, the Statistical Analysis System package was utilized with the IBM 4341 mainframe computer to analyze the data. Frequency distributions and percentages were used to answer the five research questions, and two- and three-way chi-square tests of independence were used to test the seven hypotheses. Maior Findings The first part of this section will be devoted to the five research questions. The purpose of research question one was to obtain the demographic and other identifying characteristics of the respondents. of respondents were established. Three age groups Age Group 1 consisted of women who were 25 years old or younger, about 53 percent of the total population. Age Group 2 consisted of women between the ages of 26 and 40, about 33 percent of the population. The remaining 14 percent of the population were in Age Group 3 and were women who were 41 years of age or older. The age distri­ bution of the women in this study was slightly different than the collegewide age distribution of women where 48 percent were in Age Group 1, 40 percent were in Age Group 2, and 12 percent were in Age Group 3. About 39 percent of the women were enrolled for 1 to 4 credits; 31 percent, 5 to 8 credits; 15 percent, 9 to 11 credits; and 15 percent, 12 or more credits. The largest percentage of the women had enrolled for the first time fall term of 1984 and thus were in their first year at OCC; the second 163 largest percentage had enrolled for the first time fall term of 1983 so were in their second year at OCC. The rest of the women had enrolled for the first time various terms with some enrolling as long ago as fall term of 1966. Many of the women had not attended school for many years. For about half of them, more than three years had elapsed since they had been in school. For about a quarter of the women, more than ten years had elapsed since they had attended school. Nearly half of the respondents were either married, divorced, sepa­ rated, or widowed; and the majority of the women in Age Groups 2 and 3 appeared in this category. Slightly more than half of the women were single with the majority of the single women found in Age Group 1. About 58 percent of the women had no children, and about 41 percent had one to five children; one percent had six or more children. The re­ spondents in Age Groups 2 and 3 had most of the children. Thirty-two percent of the youngest children of the respondents were five years old or younger; fifty-five percent of the youngest children were between six and eighteen year 6 of age. Thirty-two percent of the oldest children of the respondents were nineteen years or older, and about 51 percent of the oldest children were between six and eighteen years of age. The majority of the respondents were Caucasian American followed by about 9 percent Afro-American. The remainder were a combination of American Indian, Oriental American, Spanish American, and other. (See Chapter Note 1, page 160.) About half of the working respondents were office/clerical workers followed by 12 percent unskilled workers and 9 percent Bales workers. 16 A The employment pattern of the respondents' husbands was far differ­ ent than that of the respondents. About 21 percent were executives or managers followed by 19 percent skilled workers. Eleven percent were semi­ skilled workers, 11 percent were professional workers, and 8 percent were unskilled workers. About one-third of $5,000. The the respondents had annual incomes incomes of 20 percent were between $5,000 of less than and $9,999, and 23 percent had incomes between $10,000 and $14,999. Sixty-two percent of the respondents' husbands reported annual in­ comes of $25,000 or more, and about 26 percent indicated annual incomes between $15,000 and $24,999. An examination of two questions on the survey instrument— Your Pres­ ent Occupation If Working and Your Estimated Annual Income If Working— indicated the following percentages of working respondents: Age Group 1 - 87 to 90 percent Age Group 2 - 69 to 75 percent Age Group 3 - 73 to 80 percent About 58 percent of the respondents were high school graduates, 14 percent had attended or graduated from technical or business schools, 20 percent had attended a community college, 4-year college, or university, and about 4 percent held associate degrees or higher-level degrees. In most cases, the husbands of the respondents had attained higher levels of education than their wives. About 4 percent of the husbands of the respondents were not high school graduates while 25 percent had gradu­ ated from high school. Nineteen percent had attended or graduated from technical or business schools, 15 percent had attended a lege, a 4-year college, or a university, degrees or higher-level degrees. community col­ and about 37percent held associate 165 For research question two, the respondents were asked to indicate the degree of importance they attached to reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC. At least 45 percent of the respondents indicated that the following reasons for enrolling were very important to them: to gain skills for employment, to prepare for a career, to increase gen­ eral knowledge and education, to improve my ability to think and reason. to increase self-awareness and self-confidence, to broaden my intellec­ tual and cultural interests, to prepare for a career change, and to prepare for advancement in present career. However, 91 percent indi­ cated that to gain skills for employment was very important, and 83 per­ cent said that to prepare for a career was very important. Thirty percent percent or less of the respondents that to prepare for transfer to another institution of higher education, to meet people and make friends, and to provide leisure time activity were very important. The intent of research question three was to identify the issues and problems that were of concern to the respondents as well as the degree of concern the respondents had for each issue and problem. Eleven issues emerged as major concerns of the respondents which could be categorized into several groups— job acquisition, educational problems (counseling, studying, taking tests), time management, and family responsibilities. Of somewhat less concern to the respondents were issues having to do with obtaining supplies, forms, and information, being able to see one's own weaknesses and limitations, and feeling insecure about chances of success in college. Research question four identified the educational and occupational goals of the respondents. Slightly more than one-third of the respondents expected to obtain an associate degree while about 12 percent hoped to 166 to complete a one-year program and receive a certificate of proficiency. Nearly 20 percent of the respondents said they expected to work toward a baccalaureate or graduate degree. The occupational goal of most interest to the respondents was to become a word processor followed by executive secretary, legal secretary, office assistant, and court reporter. Of least interest were medical secretary and medical records transcrintionist. The information needed to answer research question five was obtained by asking the respondents to give their perceptions of the quality of the academic and non-academic services offered by the college. It would seem that the respondents were quite well satisfied with most of the services offered by the college. (See pages 80-81.) However, the services that at least 20 percent of the respondents ranked poor were narking on campus. academic counseling, orientation to college, career/vocationa 1 counseling. transportation to c a m p u s , social and recreational activities for w o m e n , and Womencenter activities. The next part of this section will summarize the results of the testing of the hypotheses. The chi-square tests for hypothesis one revealed that there were significant relationships between various demographic and other identi­ fying variables and the reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC. The age of the respondents was found to be significantly related to the following six reasons for enrolling for courses at OCC— to prepare for a career, to prepare for a career change, to gain skills for employment. provide leisure time activity, to meet people and make friends, and to prepare to transfer to another institution. 167 The testing of the relationships between other demographic and iden­ tifying variables revealed the following significant relationships by age groups. Age Group 1 - 2 5 and Below Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and to prepare for a career change, to prepare for advancement in present career Number of years since last attended school and to prepare for a career change Respondents' present occupations and to prepare for advancement in present career, to increase self-awareness and self-confidence, to prepare for a career, to prepare for a career change Estimated annual income of respondents and to prepare for a career change, to increase self-awareness and self-confidence, to meet people and make friends Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and to increase self-awareness and self-confidence Respondents' employment level of previous education and to gain skills for There were no significant relationships between marital status, num­ ber of children of respondents, occupations of respondents' husbands, and education level of respondents' husbands and any of the reasons for en­ rolling for Age Group 1. Age Group 2 - 26 to 40 Marital status and to prepare for a career change, to meet peo­ ple and make friends, to prepare for a career Number of children of respondents and to prepare for a career change Respondents' present occupations and to broaden my intellectual and cultural interests, to prepare for advancement in present career, to prepare to transfer to another institution, to gain skills for employment, to improve my ability to think and reason Occupations of respondents' husbands and to increase general knowledge and education, to increase self-awarenes 6 and selfconfidence 168 Estimated annual income of respondents and to gain skills for employment, to prepare for a career, to increase self-awareness and self-confidence Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and to prepare for a career change Respondents' level of previous education and to increase general knowledge and education There were no significant relationships between number of credits en­ rolled for this term at OCC, number of years since last attended school, and education level of respondents' husbands and any of the reasons for enrolling for Age Group 2. Age Group 3 - 4 1 and Above Number of year 6 since last attended school and to prepare for a career, to gain skills for employment Marital status and to prepare for advancement in present career Occupations of respondents' husbands and to increase general knowledge and education, to increase self-awareness and selfconfidence, to prepare to transfer to another institution Estimated annual income of respondents and to broaden my in­ tellectual and cultural interests, to prepare for a career change Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and to increase general knowledge and education, to increase self-awareness and self-confidence, to improve my ability to think and reason, to prepare for a career, to broaden my intellectual and cultural interests, to prepare for a career change There were no significant relationships between number of credits en­ rolled for this term, number of children of respondents, respondents' pres­ ent occupations, respondents' level of previous education, and education level of respondents' husbands and any of the reasons for enrolling for Age Group 3. The chi-square teste for hypothesis two showed that there were myriad significant relationships between the demographic and other identifying 169 variables and the degree of concern toward issues and problems of concern to the respondents. Age of the respondents was found to have a significant relationship with the following five issues and problems of major concern— coordinating mv classes and studying with family responsibilities, coordinating mv classes and studying with mv a good iob. deciding what career to choose, getting job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, and getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling. Testing the relationships between other demographic and identifying variables and issues and problems of concern revealed the following signi­ ficant relationships by age groups. Age Group 1 - 2 5 and Below Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certi­ ficate, maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Number of years since last attended school and maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Marital status and coordinating my classes and studying with child care, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities, maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Number of children of respondents and coordinating my classes and studying with child care, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities, maintaining my selfconfidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Respondents' present occupations and getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, worrying about my ability to succeed in college, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities, deciding what career to choose, taking tests and examinations, deciding what courses to take, knowing how to study effectively, coordinating my classes and studying with my job, maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time 170 Occupations of respondents* husbands and getting into desired classes Estimated annual income of respondents and getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, de­ ciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn, finding the necessary time to attend classes and study, taking tests and examinations, coordinating my classes and studying with my job, deciding what career to choose Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities Respondents' level of previous education and scheduling classes to fit my available time, worrying about my ability to succeed in college, getting a good job after finishing courses or gradu­ ating with a certificate, deciding what courses to take, deciding what career to choose Education level of respondents' husbands and finding the nec­ essary time to attend classes and study Age Group 2 - 26 to 40 Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certifi­ cate Marital status and coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities, coordinating my classes and studying with child care, coordinating my classes and studying with my job, finding the necessary time to attend classes and study, worrying about my ability to succeed in college Number of children of respondents and coordinating my classes and studying with child care, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities Respondents' present occupations and coordinating my classes and studying with my job Estimated annual income of respondents and getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, coor­ dinating my classes and studying with child care, maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time, deciding what career to choose, coordinating my classes and studying with my job Respondents' level of previous education and study effectively, deciding whether to study study to learn, worrying about my ability to finding the necessary time to attend classes knowing how to for grades or to succeed in college, and study 171 Education level of respondents' husbands and deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn, knowing how to study effectively There were no significant relationships between number of years since last attended school, occupations of respondents' husbands, and estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and issues and problems of major concern for Age Group 2 Age Group 3 - 4 1 and Above Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling, knowing how to study effectively, getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities Number of years since last attended school and coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities, finding the necessary time to attend classes and study Marital status and coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities Number of children of respondents and coordinating my classes and studying with child care Respondents' present occupations and worrying about my ability to succeed in college, knowing how to study effectively, de­ ciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn, get­ ting into desired classes Occupations of respondents' husbands and getting into desired classes, worrying about my ability to succeed in college, de­ ciding what courses to take, scheduling classes to fit my available time Estimated annual income of respondents and scheduling classes to fit available time Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and getting into desired classes, finding the necessary time to attend classes and study, worrying about my ability to succeed in college, scheduling classes to fit my available time, knowing how to study effectively, coordinating my classes and studying with family responsibilities, taking tests and examinations Education level of respondents' husbands and getting into de­ sired classes, deciding what career to choose, getting adequate 172 academic and career/vocational counseling, knowing how to study effectively, deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn There were no significant relationships between respondents' level of previous education and issues and problems of major concern for Age Group 3. The third hypothesis tested the relationships between demographic and other identifying variables and educational and occupational goals. Three variables— marital status, number of children of respondents, and education level of respondents' husbands— had no significant relation­ ship to the educational goals of the respondents in any of the age groups. A summary of the significant relationships for the remainder of the variables and the educational goals follows: Age Group 1 - 2 5 and Belov Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and take some courses at OCC, complete the requirements for an associate de­ gree, transfer to another institution to take some courses, work toward a baccalaureate degree Respondents' present occupations and complete the require­ ments for an associate degree at OCC Estimated annual income of respondents and transfer to another institution to take courses Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree Respondents' level of previous education and work toward a doctoral degree Age Group 2 - 26 to 40 Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and take some courses at OCC, complete the requirements for an associate degree, work toward a master's degree Respondents' present occupations and work toward a professional degree in another area 173 Occupations of respondents' husbands and complete the require­ ments for an associate degree at OCC Estimated annual income of respondents and transfer to another institution to take courses Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree, work toward a master's degree, work toward a doctoral degree Age Group 3 - 4 1 and Above Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and take some courses at OCC, complete the requirements for an associate degree Number of years since last attended school and work toward a professional degree in another area Respondents' present occupations and work toward a master's degree Occupations of respondents' husbands and take some courses at OCC, transfer to another institution to complete the require­ ments for an associate degree Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and transfer to another institution to complete the requirements for an associate degree Three of the demographic variables— number of years since last at­ tended school, number of children of respondents, and respondents' level of previous education— had no significant relationship to the occupational goals of the respondents in any of the age groups. A summary of the significant relationships for occupational goals follows: Age Group 1 - 2 5 and Below Marital status and medical records transcriptionist Respondents' present occupations and court reporter Occupations of respondents' husbands and court reporter Estimated annual income of respondents and court reporter 174 Age Group 2 - 26 to 40 Number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC and executive secretary Marital status and medical records transcriptionist, word processor Respondents' present occupations and medical secretary, medical records transcriptionist Occupations of respondents' husbands and word processor Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and medical secretary Education level of respondents' husbands and legal secretary Age Group 3 - 4 1 and Above Respondents' present occupations and medical secretary, medical records transcriptionist Occupations of respondents' husbands and medical secretary Estimated annual income of respondents' husbands and medical secretary, medical records transcriptionist, office assistant, word processor Education level of respondents' husbands and office assistant There were more significant relationships between demographic and other identifying variables and educational goals than between demo­ graphic and other identifying variables and occupational goals. The fourth hypothesis was tested to determine if there were signi­ ficant relationships between educational and occupational goals and the issues and problems of concern expressed by women of different ages. Many of the significant relationships for all age groups did not involve issues and problems identified as major concerns in Tables 19, 20, and 21. For Age Group 1 there were 33 significant relationships between educational goals and issues and problems of concern involving all of the educational goals. Seven of the major concerns of Age Group 1 were 175 not significantly related to any of the educational goals. The educa­ tional goal with the most significant relationships was transfer to another institution to take courses. The significant relationships between educational goals and issues and problems of concern were fairly evenly distributed among all of the educational goals of Age Group 2. Seven of the major concerns of Age Group 2 were not significantly related to any of the educational goals. There were 26 significant relationships. For Age Group 3 there were 30 significant relationships between educational goals and issues and problems of concern involving all of the educational goals except work toward a doctoral degree. Seven of the major concerns of Age Group 3 were not significantly related to any of the educational goals. Only three of the major concerns of Age Group 1— deciding what career to choose, getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling get­ ting into desired classes— were significantly related to occupational goals of this group, and there were 15 significant relationships. Though there 30 significant relationships between occupational goals and issues and problems of concern for Age Group 2, only three of the major concerns of Age Group 2— deciding what career to choose, deciding what courses to t a k e . getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree— were significantly related. For Age Group 3, there were 27 significant relationships between occupational goals and issues and problems of concern. Five of the major concerns of Age Group 3— deciding what career to cho ose, knowing how to study effectively, main­ taining mv self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse 176 of t i m e . getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate of d e g r e e , taking testB and examinations— were significantly related. From the testing of hypothesis five, it was determined that nearly 60 percent of the issues and problems of concern were significantly re­ lated to the age of the respondents. Of the 25 issues and problems of con­ cern that were significantly related to age, only six of them had been identified aB major concerns (Table 18) as follows: Major Concerns of All Respondents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Getting a good job after finishing courses or graduating with a certificate Coordinating my classes and studying with my job Deciding what career to choose Deciding what courses to take Coordinating my classes and studying with family respon­ sibilities Getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling In addition to the above six major concerns, there were three addi­ tional major concerns included in the 25 issues and problems of concern (Tables 19, 20, and 21) as follows: Age Group 1 - worrying about my ability to succeed in college Age Group 2 - coordinating my classes and studying with child care Age Group 3 - maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time Hypothesis six testing revealed that there were significant relation­ ships between age of the respondents and five educational goals. More than half of the respondents whose educational goals included complete the requirements for an associate degree at O C C . transfer to another insti­ tution to take courses, work toward a baccalaureate degr e e , work toward a master's degr e e , and work toward a professional degree in another area 177 were twenty-five years of age or younger. Between 12 and 14 percent of the women who were twenty-six to forty years of age indicated these same goals, but for women over forty years of age, the percentages were much lower— from 5 to 10 percent. It was also determined from the testing of hypothesis six that only two occupational goals— court reporter and legal secretary— were signifi­ cantly related to the age of the respondents. Of the respondents who in­ dicated these two occupational goals, about 94 percent of them were 40 years of age or younger; only 6 percent of the women over 40 indicated this same interest. The testing of hypothesis seven showed that of the 30 college ser­ vices, there were only seven significant relationships with age of the respondents as follows: parking on campus, career/vocational counseling. orientation to coll e g e , iob placement, adequate dining facilities. counseling ho u r s , and iob information. Looking at these seven services individually, it was found that Age Group 1 was most critical of campus parking while age Group 3 was least critical of campus parking. For the remaining services, the most critical age group was Age Group 3 while Age Group 1 was least critical. However, the responses of Age Group 2 closely resembled those of Age Group 3 regarding counseling, college orientation, and job information. Age Group 2 responses closely resembled those of Age Group 1 with regard to job placement, dining facilities, and counseling hours. The last part of this section will be a brief discussion of the spondent interviews, which can be found ip. Appendix G. The respondent interviews provided some interesting information about the kinds of students who attend Oakland Community College; and re­ 178 they further helped to reinforce the statistical results of the study as they relate to the reasons the women OIS students are attending col­ lege, the identification of their major problems, and their ultimate educational and occupational goals. The women interviewed, and quite possibly all of the women who were a part of the study, appeared to be taking advantage of an opportunity to to acquire an education that will help them clarify their own life pur­ poses, achieve an understanding of themselves, and meet financial needs that have arisen because of a variety of circumstances in their lives. The portraits of six women which have emerged from the interviews, though they are personal and human pictures of individuals, do perhaps help to clarify and give some additional meaning to the statistical pro­ file of the women in this survey. From these interviews it is possible to gain a more realistic understanding of the significant relationships between variables and perhaps why these relationships exist. Conelus ions 1. The four most important educational objectives for all of the respondents, regardless of age, were complete the reouirements for an associate degree at O C C . take some courses at O C C . work toward a bacca­ laureate deg r e e , and complete the requirements for a Certificate of Pro­ ficiency at O C C . The respondents apparently recognized the importance of obtaining a degree and, in fact, are even looking ahead to the possibility of obtaining a baccalaureate degree in the future. However, it was also apparent that some of the respondents intended only to take courses— an effort to prepare themselves for jobs as quickly as possible— since this was the second most important reason given for enrolling for courses at OCC. 179 2. As an occupational goal, word processor, a relatively new occu­ pational field, was of more interest to the respondents than any other occupational objective, but particularly to the women over 25 year 6 of age. Executive secretary, a more traditional occupation, was of slightly less interest to the women in the study. the most The women in Age Group 1 exhibited interest in executive secretary as an occupational objective. The keen interest in word processing could be attributed to the techno­ logical advances in recent years that have resulted in sophisticated office equipment replacing traditional equipment in the business world, which in turn has put a good deal of emphasis on training and re-training of office workers to use word processors and computers. 3. The three identifying characteristics of the respondents that ap­ peared to have had an influence on their reasons for attending OCC were present occupations of the respondents, their estimated annual income, and the estimated annual income of the respondents' husbands. This would lead one to the conclusion that the respondents were highly motivated by finan­ cial needs. Furthermore, the financial motivation seems to have been present regardless of the age of the respondents. 4. Major concerns of the respondents which were significantly re­ lated to their age were those that addressed problems of counseling, de­ ciding what career to choose, and ultimately getting a good job as well as those related to family responsibilities and time management. While there were significant relationships between all of the demographic and other identifying characteristics and some of the major concerns of the respondents, those identifying characteristics that seemed to produce a larger number of significant relationships than any of the others were 180 present occupations and estimated annual income of the respondents. This again leads one to the conclusion that financial need is a substantial one for all age groups in the study. 5. Only one identifying characteristic— number of credits enrolled for this term at OCC— produced a considerable number of significant rela­ tionships in the area of educational goals for all three age groups: namely, complete the requirements for an associate deeree at OCC and take some courses at OCC for all age groups. Since the older women in Age Groups 2 and 3 enrolled for considerably fewer credits than the younger women in Age Group 1, it could be concluded that responsibilities of family and children combined with employment responsibilities (between 69 and 80 percent of Age Groups 2 and 3 were working) were too time con­ suming to allow the respondents to carry larger class loads. However, even though between 87 and 90 percent of Age Group 1 were working, this group of women had fewer family and child responsibilities. It is con­ ceivable, too, that the times of course offerings were not convenient for the respondents in Age Group 2 and 3. 6. While there were some significant relationships between some of the demographic and other identifying characteristics and the educational and occupational goals of the respondents, the number of relationships was not large for any of the age groups. This would indicate that the demo­ graphic and other identifying characteristics of the respondents did not have an overwhelming relationship to the goals of the respondents. 7. The number of significant relationships between issues and problems of concern to the respondents and their educational and occu­ pational goals was substantial— 89 for educational goals and 67 for 181 occupational goals. Age Group 1 appeared to have many fewer concerns in relationship to the four major educational goals than did the other age groups indicating, perhaps, a higher level of self-confidence and fewer home responsibilities for these younger women than for the older women in Age Groups 2 and 3. 8. A great many of the issues and problems of concern were sig­ nificantly related to the age of the respondents— primarily academic concerns and time management concerns. Academic issues, time management related to jobs, and ultimately getting a good job were of more concern to the younger women while time management related to family responsi­ bilities and child care and concerns about self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a time lapse were of more concern to women between twenty-six and forty. Women over forty showed considerably less less concern for all of the issues just mentioned. The implications of these findings are directly related to the life circumstances of the women in the three age groups. It is apparent, therefore, that in addi- dition to the differences between age groups, there are also a great many individual differences between people, which could be seen from the six respondent interviews. It could be concluded that it would be diffi­ cult to identify a typical community college student. 9. Younger women students appear to aspire to higher levels of edu­ cational attainment than the older students. With the tremendous amount of emphasis currently being put on obtaining an education, it is not sur­ prising that the younger students would be motivated in this direction. However, this is not to say that women over twenty-six do not have the same motivations in many cases, but many of them have other immediate 182 responsibilities that need to be met which may not allow them to plan beyond short-term n e e d s . 10. Even though none of the hypotheses could be entirely rejected, it is apparent that there are a great many differences between the three ages groups of women that have been compared in this study. Recommendat ions 1. Because women comprise more than half of the enrollment at Oakland Community College and other community colleges as well, it is important that community college administrators, counselors, and faculty recognize that this large segment of the enrollment is not a homogeneous group. 2. Since women students at Oakland Community College and other community colleges have specific needs and goals that are somewhat dif­ ferent from any other large group of students, it is important that com­ munity college administrators, counselors, and faculty recognize these differences. 3. Because older women tend to have personal, domestic, and mari­ tal responsibilities that younger women do not have, community college administrators, counselors, and faculty should be aware of the problems of this unique and diversified group of women and provide services that will accommodate their needs and goals and make it possible for them to take college courses. 4. Because all students, and particularly women students, have goals and objectives that are very personal and individually motivated, it is important that community college administrators, counselors, and faculty understand the motivations of their students and how they are related to 183 their individual life circumstances and be in a position to help them meet their needs by providing adequate academic and career counseling, academic advising, innovative class scheduling, and remedial support for those students who need help with effective study habits and learning activities. 5. Though the women in this study were not unduly critical of the academic and non-academic student services provided by Oakland Community College, it would be advisable for the administrators, counselors, and faculty to examine those areas of which the women students in this study were critical (parking on campus, career/vocational counseling, orienta­ tion to college, job placement, adequate dining facilities, counseling hours, and job information) and facilitate needed changes which would better accommodate the needs of women students. 6. The information gathered in this study should be disseminated to interested administrators, counselors, and faculty at Oakland Community College in the form of a concise report containing the major findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Recommendations for Further Study Following are areas recommended for further research: 1. A replication of this study should be undertaken at other com­ munity colleges and the results compared. 2. A similar study should be conducted at four-year institutions of higher education for comparison purposes. 3. This study should be replicated in curricular areas other than Office Information Systems at Oakland Community College as well as at other community college to obtain further information about women students. 184 4. Research should be carried out which would address learning styleB of women in order to provide information for faculty teaching at community colleges. 5. Research should be pursued which would address different teach­ ing methodologies and their effectiveness with women students who are en­ rolled at community colleges. 6. A study should be completed which would examine the strain and stress that may affect family relationships as a result of wives or mothers returning to school. 7. Research should be carried out which would assess the effects of positive or negative family attitudes toward wives or mothers returning to school. 8. A study should be pursued which would examine the life circum­ stances that affect the vocational interests and goals of women returning to school. 9. A study should be conducted which would analyze the self-esteem and motivation of women who return to school. Reflections Women students have been and can continue to be a valuable asset to community colleges as a source of enrollment. While all institutions of higher education have become aware of this enrollment potential, commu­ nity colleges are in a unique position to take advantage of it because of their closeness to the population, their low cost as compared to four-year colleges and universities, their flexible scheduling, and their diverse programs, particularly in career areas such as Office Information Systems. 185 Community colleges in the past have demonstrated their ability to adapt to changing community needs and interests. Now they have an oppor­ tunity to adapt to a specific segment of the population— women— and their needs for employment-related training a 6 well as education geared to meet their personal needs which will help them become more fulfilled and pro­ ductive members of society. APPENDICES APPENDIX A MEMORANDUM TO 01S FACULTY 186 OCC M E M O R A N D U M TO: Office Information Systems Teacher FROM: Diane L. Laing.,. Department Head Office Information Systems, Orchard Ridge Campus SUBJECT: Survey of Women Students in OIS Courses DATE: October 31, 1984 I will appreciate it if you will administer the attached questionnaires to the women students in all of your Office Information Systems classes between November 1 and November 10, 1984. Permission to administer this question­ naire has been received from Michigan State University and Oakland Community College. This questionnaire will serve as the source of data for my doctoral disser­ tation at Michigan State University, and it will also provide valuable infor- . mation to Oakland Community College as it continues to plan for the future. Following are suggested guidelines for administering the questionnaire: 1. During the week that the data is to be collected, please administer the questionnaire at the first meeting of each class that you teach and at the beginning of the class period if possible. It should take only 15 to 20 minutes for the students to complete it. Please give each re­ spondent three things— the cover letter, the questionnaire, and an envelope. Do not allow students to take the questionnaires from the classroom. 2. Ask only women students to complete the questionnaire, and caution them not to complete it again if they have already done so in another class. 3. Ask the respondents to be 6 ure that they have completed all of the ques­ tions before turning in the questionnaire as this will have a bearing on validity and reliability of the statistical data. If they check an item which is designated other, ask them to fill in the blank next to the word other so we will know to what they are referring. 4. Please return the envelopes containing the completed questionnaires and extra questionnaires via the college mail to me by November 12, 1984. If you will put this letter with the questionnaires, then I will be able log the return of the questionnaires easily and accurately. I have provided a return label for your use, and I would appreciate it if you will use the large envelopes in which you received the questionnaires for returning them. Please keep each section you teach separate. I want to thank you for your cooperation and help. Enc1osures APPENDIX B LETTER TO WOMEN STUDENTS 187 acc November 1, 1984 Dear Student We are conducting a survey of the women students enrolled in Office Informa­ tion Systems courses at the four campuses of Oakland Community College. Since you are one of this group of about two thousand students, we will appreciate your completing the attached questionnaire. Your instructor will give you the necessary class time to do this. As you may or may not know, women comprise approximately 57 percent of the total student enrollment at OCC; and there is every reason to believe that this percentage will continue to increase in the future in the Office InformaSystems curricula as well as in other curricula within the college. There­ fore, we expect that the information we collect will be helpful to OCC as we plan for the future in our efforts to improve educational offerings, counsel­ ing services, and other support services that will be helpful to all students but particularly to women students at OCC. Additionally, this survey will be used as the basis for the research requirement for my Doctor of Philosophy degree at Michigan State University. Please be aware that this questionnaire will be completely confidential. You will notice that it is not necessary for you to supply your name or any other identifying characteristic on the questionnaire. The information collected will be reported only as statistical data. There­ fore, we hope that you will be completely honest and frank as you answer the questions. Please be sure to answer all questions as this will have a bearing on the validity and reliability of the statistical data. The original questionnaires will be destroyed; and a copy of the study will be available on each campus after it has been printed if you care to review it. After you have completed the questionnaire, please put it in the envelope pro­ vided and seal the envelope. On the envelope, please indicate your age range by checking the appropriate line. Also indicate your home campus. This in­ formation will help us to select the random sample accurately. We want to thank you for participating in this survey of women enrolled in Office Information Systems courses at OCC. Sincerely yours Diane L. Laing Professor and Department Head Office Information Systems Department Orchard Ridge Campus Enclosures APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE 188 SURVEY OF WOMEN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OFFICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSES AT OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Please check the correct answer for each item. The numbers in parentheses are for coding purposes only; ignore them. If you have already completed this questionnaire in another class, do not fill it out again. Please return your completed questionnaire to your instructor in the envelope provided. 1. Home campus Location (0 ) Auburn Hills ( 1 ) Highland Lakes (2 ) Orchard Ridge (3) Southeast 3. Your First Term at OCC (0 ) Fall of 19 ( 1 ) Winter of 19 4. Number of (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (3) 2 (1) 1 (2 ) 2 6 10. . Marital Status (0 ) single ( 1 ) married (2 ) divorced (3) separated (4) widowed (5) living together unmarried Ansver Questions 8 . 8 and 9 only if you have children. Age Range of Oldest Child Age Range of Youngest Child 3 4 (3 ) 5 (6 ) 6 (7) _ (8) (9) Spring of 19 Summer of 19 Years Since You Last Attended School Before Enrolling at OCC (4) (8 ) 31-35 11-15 Less than 1 1 -2 16-20 (5) (9) more than 35 (6 ) 21-25 3-4 26-30 5-10 (7) Number of Children (0) None (3) (4) Number of Credits Enrolled For This Term at OCC (0 ) 1-4 5-8 (1 ) (2 ) 9-11 (3) 12 or more (2 ) (3) Age (in years) (0 ) 20 or less ( 1 ) 21-25 (2 ) 26-30 (3) 31-35 (4) 36-40 (5) 41-45 (6 ) 46-50 (7) 51-55 ( 8 ) 56-60 61 or more (9) 7. . 7 8 (0 ) (1) (2 ) (3) "(4) (5) 0-2 yrs. yrs, 6 - 1 2 yrs. 13-18 yrs. 19-21 yrs. over 21 yrs. 3-5 (0 ) (1) (2 ) (3) "(4) (5) 0-2 yrs. yrs, 6 - 1 2 yrs. 13-18 yrs. 19-21 yrs. over 21 yrs. 3-5 9 or more Ethnic/Racial Background (0) Afro-American (1) American Indian (2) Caucasian American (3) Oriental American (4) (5) (6 ) Spanish American. Other ___ ___ I do not wish to respond PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE. 189 SURVEY OF WOMEN STUDENTS - Page 2 Please check the correct answer for each item. Answer Questions 12, 14, and 16 only if you are married or separated. 11 . 12. Your Present Occupation If Working (0 ) unskilled worker (e.g. laborer) ( 1 ) semi-skilled worker (e.g., machine operator) ( 2 ) skilled worker (e.g., electrician) (3) business owner (4) executive or manager (5) office/clerical worker (6 ) sales worker (e.g., retail sales) (7) service worker (e.g., police officer) (8 ) professional worker (e.g., doctor, lawyer) (9) other___________________ 14. 13. Your Estivated Annual Income If Working (0) less than $ 5,000 (1 ) $ 5,000 - $ 9,999 (2 ) $10,000 - $14,999 (3) $15,000 - $19,999 $20,000 - $24,999 (4) $25,000 or more (5) 15. Your Level of Previous Education 16. ( 0 ) less than high school ( 1 ) high school diploma or GED equivalency (2 ) attended technical or business school after high school (3) technical or business school graduate (4) attended community col­ lege, 4-year college, or university (5) associate degree (e.g., A.A.) (6 ) baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S ., B . A .) (7) master's degree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) ( 8 ) doctoral degree (e.g ., P h . D . , Ed .D.) (9) professional degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S.) Your Husband's Occupation If Working (0 ) unskilled worker (e.g. laborer) (1 ) semi-skilled worker (e.g., machine operator) (2 ) skilled worker (e.g., electrician) (3) business owner (4) executive or manager _(5) office/clerical worker (6 ) sales worker (e.g., retail sales) (7) service worker (e.g., police officer) (8 ) professional worker (e.g., doctor, lawyer) (9) other___________________ Your Husband '8 Estivated Annual Income If Working (0) less than $ 5,000 (1) $ 5,000 - $ 9,999 (2) $10,000 - $14,999 (3) $15,000 - $19,999 (4) $20,000 - $24,999 (5) $25,000 or more Your Husband's Level of Education (0 ) less than high school ( 1 ) high school diploma or GED equivalency (2 ) attended technical or business school after high school (3) technical or business school graduate (4) attended community col­ lege, 4-year college, or univers ity (5) associate degree (e.g. A.A.) (6 ) baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S., B.A.) (7) master's degree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) (8 ) doctoral degree ( e . g ., Ph .D ., Ed .D.) (9) professional degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S.) PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE 190 SURVEY OF WOMEN STUDENTS - Page 3 Below is a list of reasons given by women who enroll for courses at institu­ tions of higher education. Please indicate how important each of these items is to you by checking the correct answer. Not Somewhat Very Reasons for Enrolling for Courses at OCC Important Important Important 17. 18. 19. 20. 21 22 . . 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. to gain skills for employment to prepare for a career to prepare for a career change to prepare for advancement in present career to prepare for transfer to another inst itut ion to increase general knowledge and education to increase self-awareness and selfconfidence to improve my ability to think and and reason to broaden my intellectual and cultural interests to meet people and make friends to provide leisure time activity other (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) The next portion of this survey relates to issues and problems which may be or may have been of concern to you. Please indicate your degree of concern for each item by checking the correct answer. If the item is not applicable to you, check the Not Applicable column. Issues and Problems That May Be or Mav Have Been of Concern to You 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. being admitted to OCC receiving necessary information and forms getting adequate academic and career/vocational counseling deciding what career to choose deciding what courses to take determining what financial assistance is available obtaining needed financial assistance getting previous college course credits evaluated getting credit by examination for required courses getting registered scheduling classes to fit my available time getting into desired classes locating buildings and class­ rooms obtaining books and supplies Not AuDlicable Not A Concern Minor Concern Major Concern (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (3) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (3) (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2.) (2 ) (2 ) (3) (3) (3) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (3) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (3) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (3) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (3) (3) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (3) (3) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (3) (3) PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE. 191 SURVEY OF WOMEN STUDENTS - Page 4 Issues and Problems That May Be or Not May Have Been of Concern to You______ Applicable 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. adding or dropping of classes knowing how to study effectively_ deciding whether to study for grades or to study to learn finding the proper study en­ vironment finding the necessary time to attend classes and study coordinating my classes and studying with my job coordinating my classes and studying with child care coordinating my classes and studying with family responsi­ bilities taking tests and examinations needing academic tutoring being treated seriously by other students feeling uncomfortable around younger students feeling uncomfortable around older students feeling that teaching styles of faculty are not geared to my needs worrying about my ability to succeed in college getting a good job after fin­ ishing courses or graduating with a certificate or degree meeting the physical demands of being a student securing quality child care for my children needing to be more assertive or forceful personally knowing what my weaknesses and limitations are maintaining my self-confidence as a woman returning to college after a lapse of time maintaining my self-confidence as a woman entering college for the first time worrying that academic success in college may lead to social difficulties with friends feeling that my personal re­ lationships with men will change as a result of my becoming a student (0) Not A Concern Minor Concern Major Concern _ (0 ) (2 ) . ( 2) (3) _(3) . ( 0) .(2) _(3) . ( 0) J2) .(3) .( 0) J 2) .(3) . ( 0) .(2) .(3) - ( 0) _(2 ) (3) Jo) (2 ) (2 ) . ( 2) (3) (3) (3) J O) _(2 ) _(3 ) J O) J2) .(3) JO) J 2) .(3) J O) .(2) .(3) J O) .( 2) .(3) J O) .( 2) .(3) J O) J2) .(3) J O) J 2) .(3) J O) J2) .(3) - ( 0) J 2) .(3) _(0) J 2) .(3) J O) J2) _( 3) JO) J 2) .(3) (2) (3) (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE. 192 SURVEY OF WOMEN STUDENTS - Page 5 Issues and Problems That May Be or 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. Not A Concern Not worrying about how to deal with men in the work world maintaining a positive re­ lationship with my husband or boyfriend after becoming a student maintaining a positive re­ lationship with my children after becoming a student maintaining a positive re­ lationship with my parents after becoming a student other — Minor Concern Major Concern (0) (1) (2) (3) (0) (1) (2) (3) (0) (1) (2) (3) (0) (1) (2) (3) (0) (1) (2) (3) Below is a list of services and related items that OCC offers in an effort to Please use a check mark to indicate how you meet the needs of its students, Also please would evaluate each item in the list— Poor, Good, or Excellent. place a check in one of the last two columns— Needed or Not Needed according to your own personal needs. You should have two check narks for each item. Colleee Services 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. orientation to college admission procedure registration procedure academic counseling career/vocational counsel­ ing personal counseling counseling hours job information job placement information on course offerings transfer information veteran's information scholarship, grant, and loan information college work study program tutoring services Individualized Programmed Learning Laboratory Learning Resources Center learning disabilities services health services child care at the college transportation to campus parking on campus social and recreational activities for women Good Poor Excellent (0) (0) (0) (0) (1) (1) (1) (1) (2 ) (2 ) (2) (2) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (2 ) (2) (2 ) (2) (2) (0) (0) (0) (1) (1) (1) (2) (2) (2) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (1) (1 ) (1) (1 ) (1) (1) (2) (2) (2 ) (2) (2 ) (2 ) (0 ) (0) (0) (0) (0) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (2) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) (0) (1) (2) Needed S S S § § § S § § § § § § § § S § § § § § S § 5 § § § § § § PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE. Not Needed (3) (3) (3) (3) (4) (4) (4) (4) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (3) (3) (3) (4) (4) (4) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (3) (4) 193 SURVEY OF WOMEN STUDENTS - Page 6 Colleee Services 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. special interest clubs and organizations Womencenter activities athletic activities lounge and study areas adequate dining faci­ lities computer center provisions for handi­ capped persons other (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) (2 ) (0 ) (0 ) (1 ) (1 ) (2 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) (0 ) (1 ) (2 ) Needed § § § § § § § § § § § § § Rot Needed (3) (3) (3) (3) (4) (4) (4) (4) (3) (3) (4) (4) (3) (4) (3) (4) Check the item of items that best describe your educational goals at this time or for the future. Take some courses at OCC Complete the requirements for a Certificate of Pro­ ficiency at OCC Complete the requirements for an associate degree at OCC (0 ) (1) Transfer to another insti­ tution to complete the requirements for an associ­ ate degree Work toward a baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S., B.A.) (3) Work toward a master's de­ gree (e.g., M.A., M.B.A.) (6 ) Work toward a doctoral de­ degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D. ____ (7) Work toward a professional degree in another area (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.) (8 ) (2) Transfer to another insti­ tution to take courses ____ (3) 104. Excellent Good Poor Other (9) (4) Check the item or items that best < escribe the type of job or position you would like to obtain after you have finished the courses or degree you expect to complete. Court Reporter (0) Office Assistant (5) Executive Secretary (1) Word Processor (6 ) Legal Secretary (2) Other_____________________ Medical Secretary (3) Medical Records Transcriptionist (4) THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME Acknowledgment: ' (7) COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE. This survey instrument has utilized in adapted form parts of questionnaires prepared by Wilson (1982), Smallwood (1977), Hine (1975), Tate (1971), and Swinburne (1970). APPENDIX D QUESTIONNAIRE ENVELOPE Hone Canpus Location Age Range (in years) Auburn Hills 20 or less 41-45 Highland Lakes 21-25 46-50 Orchard Ridee 26-30 51-55 Southeast 31-35 56-60 36-40 61 or aore APPENDIX E STATISTICAL RUN FOR QUESTION 3 14:55 MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1985 OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE DIANE LAING SURVEY PROJECT DEMOGRAPHYCS“ 8Y "AGE "GROUPINGS'" RESPONSES AGE_GRP TO THE SURVEY TABLE OF "AGE_GRP BY 03--- FIRST TERM AT OCC Q3 FREQUENCY' PERCENT RUW PCT CL'L PCT ...... AGE GROUP 1 TALL 1961 FALL 196 FALL 196 F.LCJ_<.7| FALL 197 FALL 197 FALL 197 ^ L L 6 0 0. 00 - 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 o.ob -- 0.00“ - “ 0.00 Q.C3 0.00 2 - " C.-21 " 0.61 66. 67 1 0.1C 0. 31 5 0. 0 C 0 0.00 0.00 o.co 1 0.10 0.31 100.00 2 -- 0.21 0.61 100.00 ............ 1 “ 0. 10 0 .74 33.33 C-. 10 0.74 50.00 3 0.31 2 0.21 — AGE GROUP 2 ---- AGE GROUP 3 TOTAL (CONTINUED) 0 0.00 0.00 0.03 1 - 1 0. 10 0. 74 50.00 2 0.21 — 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 1 0.10 _. - - ----- -0-1 0.00 0.00 0.00 2 0. 21 0 0 .00 0. 00 3.00“ -- 0.00“ o.co 0.00 3 2 "0.“2I " - 0.31 0. 92 0.61 66 . 6 7 ICO. CO 0.21 0. 61 66 •67 o- “ 1 0.10 0.74 33.33 3 0. 31 2 " 0.00 O.CO o.co 0. 3 31 4 0. A 1 “ 0.78 44.44 513 52.62 4 " '0."41 1.22 50.00 4 C •41 1.22 44.44 327 33.54 2 C. 2 I I 0. 10 0.74 135 13.85 10 .1.C3 3.06 9C.91 0.74 33. 33 0.10 0.74 9.09 1.48 25.00 3 31 11 1.13 8 0.82 o . i r 0. TOTAL 0 2 0.00 0.21 TJ.00 " -- 0. 39 0.00 2 5.00 11.11 9 0.92 975 ICO.00 TABLE OF AGE_GRP BY 33 AGE.GRP__ FIRST TERM AT OCC Q3 FREQUENCY PERCENT ROW PCT ~CUL“ PCT— F ACL 197 JFULL I98IFALL 1981F ALL T981FALL19BI FALL 198{WINTER 1 in NTFR-TfRTNTER Tl WINTER 1 WINTER 1 979 9 10 II 12 |3 14 1971 97 5 1977 1978 79 49 1 14 22 I 213 0 0 0 1 AGE GROUP 1 13 „ ,1 - .. --... - --- 1.33 1.44 — 2.26 " “ "5.03 " 8.10 21.85 “ oroo "OTCO 0.10 “TT7U0" 1 0.10 4.29 9.55 0.19 2.73 15.40 41.52 0.00 0.00 j 0. 19 2.53 0.00 48.28 51. 16 57.65 59.40 59.83 0.00 1 50.00 25.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 ------— t 43 — 1« n 27" “98“ 12 1 2 3 I “AG£“ GRtTUP~~Z' 4.41 1. 44 2. 77 10.05 0.21 1. 23 0. 10 0.10 0.72 0.31 0.10 4.28 8. 26 13. 15 0.61 3.67 29.97 0.31 0.92 0.31 2. 14 0.31 31.76 32.56 32.33 41.39 27.53 100.00 100.00 _100.00 50.00 50.00 26.92 AGE GROUP 3 TUTAL (CONTINUED) 6 3.62 4.44 23.03" 26 2.67 "10.34 7 0.72 5.19 16.23 9 0. 92 6.67 “10.59 1.13 8.15 “8.27 45 4.62 33.33 12.64 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 “ 0700" 29 2.97 43 4.41 85 8.72 133 13.64 356 36.51 1 0.10 3 0.31 3 0.31 2.22 11 0 0.00 0.00 ■"0.00 1 0.10 TOTAL 513 52.62 327 33.54 o.go 135 13.85 0.00 1 0.10 0.74 25.00 2 0. 21 4 0.41 975 ICO.00 0 0.00 195 0 O.OC 0.00 o.oc 1 0.10 0.19 50.00 197 FALLJ97 FALL .197 FALL 197 j 196 3sO «M in h- m p O' o • • « I 1 | O O P 1 p , 1 oooo, M o O 't n • 9 * 0 iT N P fM 1 st • ; O PH 1 : ; ; ; * ; o 1 ( p 1 C M -* • H in c o P I i - CM s t P N -*-4 P , O P Onjco p in , in— *h-o nOin 0 "I I I I oooo •. • • O O O 1/) o M oooo ooo J O > ja : o: oa- f.• • > u O O : ooo •— *o o O O o hO*— *0 O O O O O O u H O •—4 • »* I ooo O O fM : CM O p O O oooo oooo ooo a: 0 1I D t/> 1a I -H O 1"^ • ooo o « * : O O O ! t M —• —l O i CM O O • • • • O O O 1 Oi oooo poo P o o o o oooo ooo • t • ooo 300 u —< P O —»^o ooo ooo tn , o ! < 0 2 H O 'f O •O H O 1 K • *1 O CL >- poo p d >UJ oooo ooo t • • o O O O M ^ U r U fM , r*J poo o —. m o •• • « f-N *O c o oo o 2 D E 2 0 O O O O ; r*m o O O O Luo O iu 3 P mO* — •o in^tnjo c o rJin O • • • c o < rO I • • « — •(MO 00 0* PsQ • • • r 1^ o u o i n —• O O ' inf*** co I• • • * P i »—• f \ j i n O O 'ln I iO 't O s T *-o , o o o in»t Q .! 2 2 0 0 s i) u jtu a .p - O 3 0 UJ; LULUCjt i; oo: 3 . o < c lc lc lo u. •O H O ; *H P O • • • D O O a. 3 O rs 1o N h in aom (M o r* Cl CQ t / 1 0 1' -•ooo CO CM CO • H O t O •Hf^O ooin CM st— 4 -t APPENDIX F RESPONDENT INTERVIEW THANK YOU LETTER 197 6075 Lahring Road Linden, MI 48451 April 20, 1985 Marne Address City, State Zip Dear I want to express my sincere appreciation to you for your willingness to let me interview you for my dissertation on April 19. I know that this is a busy time of the year for you, and I'm sure you had other important things you could have done with the interview time. However, I believe that the interview session we did provided worthwhile information that will add a dimension to my dissertation that could not be attained in any other way. Let me assure you again that the interviews I am doing will be used in com­ plete anonymity. If you would be interested in looking at my study, it will be available in bound form in the LRC on the Orchard Ridge Campus after its completion— hope­ fully by next fall. Sincerely your 6 Diane L. Laing APPENDIX G RESPONDENT INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS 198 SUBJECT A is a female married. She has one student nineteen years old who had never been younger sister. She was born in the Detroit area and attended a parochial school through the eighth grade; her family then moved out to a suburban area where she graduated from high school. She and her family have traveled some in this country, and she had en­ joyed these trips a great deal She talked some about her sister and said that they are totally different kinds of people. It appears that her sister is anxious to get away from the family constraints and be out on her own. She, the subject, is ex­ tremely home and family oriented, and has always listened to her parents and valued their opinions. Neither her mother or father is a college graduate. Her father runs his own business, and her mother went to work in real estate after raising the children. Her parents' attitude was that she would go to college after she graduated from high school. She did not think she wanted to go to college because she was working in a law office during her high school years and thought she would continue with that job. She liked her high school experience; and though she did not do well in school when she was in the ninth grade, during her last three years of high school she did very well. She w a 6 the recipient of an award for the outstanding business education student and also received awards for shorthand and typing achievement. She indicated that she had wanted to be alegal secretary for as long as she can remember, and she wanted to be a good one. The law had always fascinated her, and she had thought some about becoming an attorney but she felt that there would be too much pressure for her to handle if she became an attorney. She does have a boyfriend with whom she has gone for more than three years. Her boyfriend did not go to college but did take courses at a technical school and is in an apprenticeship program how. He is most supportive of her going to school. She expects that they will marry at some point in the future— after she finishes her associate's degree at OCC and has had a chance to work and build up some savings. She ultimately would like to work for a larger law firm and to make enough money so that she won't have "to scrape by." At this point she is not interested in having children; she is not sure if she is patient enough and can't really see them as a part of her life. She allowed that she may change her mind in the future about this issue. She decided to attend OCC because she has strong family tiesand wanted to stay at home rather than go away to college. She had heard that OCC had a good secretarial program; and even though it was a difficult pro­ gram, her high school counselor felt she could handle it. Though many of her friends went away to college, there was no peer pressure from them for her to do the same. 199 She came to OCC as a mature person who knew what she wanted to do with her life. She said that her experience at OCC has helped her to know that there are students who take school seriously and that it was not just one big party as she had heard. She thinks that she has been more successful at OCC than she would have been if she had gone away to school. She said that she takes herself more seriously now than she did in high school and that her secretarial skills have improved a great deal. Because of the time commitment to her part-time job, where she works half a day, she has not been involved in any campus activities outside of classes. It takes just about all the hours each day to go to school, to work, and to do homework. She ha 6 not thought about any additional education beyond getting an associate degree at OCC. She has given some thought to the paralegal field but nothing definite has surfaced. She sees no need at this time for a baccalaureate degree. SUBJECT B is female student twenty-three years old who has never been married. She has one natural brother. She was born out of state. Her mother had married her high school sweetheart and was subsequently divorced when subject was five years old. Her mother w a 6 remarried and her stepfather adopted her and her brother. She has always called her stepfather Dad and haB been very close to him during her lifetime. She has seen very little of her natural father— only a couple of times before she went to college— though she always heard good things about him from her mother during the time she was growing up. She moved to Michigan about the time her mother was divorced from her natural fat h e r . Her mother riage when stepfather as well as and she is was divorced from her etepfather after five years of mar­ subject was in the sixth grade, and both then remarried. Her started another family, and she loves her two stepbrothers her stepmother. Her mother married a man with two children, close to these children also. Her mother is not a college graduate; she worked so that subject's natu­ ral father could go to college. She described her mother as a high high achiever who was self-taught. She said her mother always told her that she herself was responsible for what she would learn and what she would be and that she had always encouraged her to do her very best. Her mother continues to work in the secretarial field as she has always done. Subject said that she never felt turbulent about the circumstances in her life; she was sad about the divorces, but felt she handled them well and adjusted to the changes with no adverse effects. She appears to have a good relationship with the various family members. 200 It was always assumed in her family that she would go on to school after high school though she had no idea of what she would do with her life. She just felt that she was supposed to go to college in order to be ready for the world and to be able to find a good job. Therefore, she took a college preparatory course in high school. It was her mother's top priority to make sure that she and her brother attained the educa­ tion they wanted. She described her school work in her first three years of high school as average to good. During her senior year she got away from peer pressure and the cliques and was able to improve her grade point average consid­ erably; she said 6 he had finally gotten it together during her senior year. She decided to go to a small university in Michigan because she felt too timid and shy to go to a larger school. She chose this school because it did have a good reputation. She spent three years at the university, and in this time she changed her major three times; she seemed unable to make a decision about her future. As she took different classes, she became interested in dif­ ferent things— architecture, drafting, religion, sociology, psychology, and marketing. She said she felt as if she were "picking at straws" be­ cause she did not seem to be able to make a decision and stick with it. During her second year at the university she met her boyfriend whom she continues to date. He left the university during his senior year to go into business, which he subsequently lost, and now is back at another university finishing his degree. She had begun to feel that perhaps if she left the university for a year or so and worked that she would be able to make some decisions about what to do with her education, but she did not want to be called a fail­ ure for quitting college even though her mother w a 6 supportive of her leaving college at the time. However, after her boyfriend left the uni­ versity she felt that she finally had a reason not to stay. In her own eyes she was not making any progress toward getting a future job pinned down. She began to feel scared and to experience a lack of selfconfidence. She found it difficult to concentrate on any one thing so she made the decision to move home and look for a job. Since her mother had been doing secretarial work all her life, she sug­ gested this field; and subject then decided to enroll at OCC in the Office Informations Systems department and get an associate's degree so she would be able to get a job and support herself. She is happy with this decision because she believes that what 6 he is doing now is purposeful and tangible and will help her to become financially inde­ pendent . She has not worked much during her life except for camp counseling during the summers, some restaurant work while she was in high school, and some retail sales work now while she is in college. 201 During her grade-school years she was outgoing and was involved in such things as swimming, softball, bowling, dance, art, etc. She now feels more reserved and is not interested in extracurricular activities be­ cause she is afraid she will not succeed in them; she says she feels she is inhibited. While she was at the university, she did just enough school work to get by; but now she is concerned about getting good grades which will then help her get a good job after graduation. However, she does feel that she can do better work in school but doesn't seem to be able to give the last ounce because if she does and it doesn't work out, then she will feel she has failed. She does not see marriage in her immediate future though believes that she will marry someday. She said she has to learn to take care of her­ self because she does not want to be dependent on someone e l s e 18 money as had been the case with her mother. However, she does wonder if she will be willing at some point in the future to devote the time and money necessary to raise children. She likes the security of being home with her family— with people 8 he loves and trusts— because this will help her to regain her self-esteem. She also said that she now has a daily goal. She has started toward an obtainable goal and she feels good about herself. Before in her life, she had never set a goal and accomplished it. She views secretarial work as a stepping stone to something else. She does want to continue to take classes after she graduates from OCC and spoke of ultimately getting a bachelor's degree, though she was not sure about what area— perhaps a health occupation. She said that even if she doesn't like secretarial work, she will have the training and will be able towork while pursuing something else. She said she feels very positive about OCC and the people she has met since she started taking classes. She thinks that the atmosphere is a more mature one than she found at the university and attributes this to the fact that so many OCC students are older students, are working, and are serious about studying. In her mind there doesn't seem to be the peer pressure to do other thing 6 as she found to be the case at the university. SUBJECT C is a female student thirty years old who is divorced and who has one child. She is the first of six children in her family. Both of her parents are high school graduates. Her father attended col­ lege but did not graduate. Her mother ha 6 never worked, and her father is a construction company foreman. She has three brothers and two sis­ ters . She was an average student in high school though she did not particu­ larly like school. She took business courses in high school because her 202 parents thought that if a person knew how to type, then a job would al­ ways be available. She had been interested in the arts— particularly dance and was active in the high school dance club. Following high school she worked in two offices doing typing and filing and did not like this work. She did do some receptionist work which she did like because it gave her a chance to see people, and she wasn't doing the same thing all day long. She then got a job as a waitress and subsequently went out of state to work as a waitress, where 6 he stayed about a year before she returned to Michigan. Upon returning to Michigan, she continued working as a waitress. Her parents had not encouraged her to think about going to college. She was anxious to get out and geta job so she could be independent and support herself. She did take one class at OCC four or five year 6 ago. Following that time, she was dancing and taking dance classes. She became pregnant and was married. The marriage ended in separation and divorce when the child was about one year old. Contributing factors to the divorce were her former husband's drinking problems and lack of ambition and motivation to do something better with his life. The period following the divorce was a difficult one for her, and she found herself having to accept aid from the government because it was not possible for her to work and care for a small child. She had not been close to her family so did not have either financial or emotional support from them. When the child was about three years old, she again started working as a waitress and a baby sitter. She was able to get an educational grant and is now going to OCC part time and is taking a secretarial course because she believes that she will be able to get an office job and have more stability and security in this kind of job than as a waitress. As a single parent, having a job that will support her and her child is utmost in her mind. Even though she does not like the night hour 6 required as a waitress, it is necessary in order to make good tips. She wants to find a daytime office job as soon as possible— perhaps at one of the automotive companies. She believes that there are many office jobs available, and that from an office job it will be possible to move on to something else. She does not want to be "locked" in an office job forever as she felt might have been the case ten years ago. She has put herself under tremendous pressure to get to the point where she can obtain a job and be self-sufficient. She i 6 the sole support of herself and her child, and she must be able to build a life for the two of them. She thinks getting a job will turn things around for them. Since her family was not close, they did not get together very often; they did not know that she had gone back to school. While her mother thinks it is good for her and her attitude and outlook, her father has not been supportive; he thinks she should get out and make money working 203 in an office. ,She was surprised about her father's attitude because she is training to improve her office skills before trying to get a good office job. She has thought some about additional education and expressed an in­ terest in psychology. If she is able to get a good office job, then she would like to take some night courses and perhaps work toward a baccalaureate degree. However, then she thinks that working all day and going to school at night might not be fair to her child. She has also thought about the possibilities of having her own dance studio where she could teach dancing one day. She might consider marriage again despite the difficulties of her first marriage though she did say it might be easier to live together than to marry. She wants a companion; she is lonely. However, she would rather be lonely and alone than in a miserable marriage. She said that coming to OCC has given her hope for her life and that the conditions in her life will improve. It has helped her mental and emotional attitude and has put some direction back in her life. She feels that now she has more understanding about herself but some­ times has an inner conflict about whether she is suited for office work. This worries her, and she plans to work with a counselor on a job preference inventory. She is also doing some work to improve her reading skills. She particularly this is good for thinks she would in her life, she to use the child likes the variety of people at OCC and believes that her because she doesn't feel out of place as 6 he at a four-year college. Because of the obligations has not been involved in campus activities other than care center. SUBJECT D is a female student forty years old who is married. has one sister, and she and her husband have three children. She She was born out of state and did not come to Michigan until after she was married. She grew up in the same house with the same friends until she went to the university at the age of eighteen. Neither of her parents was college-educated. Her father owned a drug store and then worked in industry. Her mother had a civil service job. However, the assumption was always there that she and her sister would go to college. She did well in high school; high school was not difficult for her. Her prime motivator was getting good grades so she could go to college. However, she went to the university with no burning desire to do any­ thing. She went from living at home with parents to being married so was never out on her own. She went to the same university where her sister had gone, and this seemed to be a source of irritation to her because she had no input to the decision. She had taken a college preparatory course in high 204 school. At the university she studied psychology and had planned to be a social worker; 6 he did not do too well at the university the first year, but after she met her husband, she did much better because he was scholastically oriented. They were married; and after she had com­ pleted three years of college, she became pregnant and had their first child. At this point she quit going to the university even though her family said she would regret not finishing her degree. She felt that she did not need the degree because she would stay home and raise her family for which she had the major responsibility be­ cause her husband was in medical school at the time. From that time until two years ago she devoted herself to her family and children— one now in college, one in high school, and one in grade school— with no regrets that she had not finished her university degree. She thinks her youngest child was somewhat bothered when she came to OCC because she did not have the same amount of time with her family as she had in the past. She felt guilty about this at first and almost quit but felt that she did not really want to quit. Her husband, who is a doctor, has more recently suggested that she may want to look for parttime work rather than full-time work. This is a new phase in their married life because in the past 6 he was always home for the entire family. She said that her husband tend 6 to forget all of the years that she did only those things that the family needed; it is her turn to get out and be independent. Two years ago her family talked her into going back to school. At the time she was depressed and bored because she no longer had the major responsibility for the children as they were growing up. She found that she did not have enough to do; therefore, the decision was made that 6 he would come to OCC. She insists that the decision was made by her family, not by her. It was clear that she really was not sure about going back to school because she was afraid. Her philosophy was that if she didn't try it, she couldn't fail. She had not been in competition with anyone for eighteen years and was not sure if 6 he could handle it. The reason she decided to come to OCC instead of to a 4-year university to finish the degree she had started years before was that she felt she would like to learn something that would lead her to a job, not because she and her family need the money but because she wishes to have some money of her own. After she had been at OCC for two weeks, she knew that she had made the right decision. She would like to get a secretarial job where she will be busy all the time. She found the skill courses very difficult, and there were times when she almost quit. However, she didn't because she couldn't stand the thought of failing. She said she really loved taking classes; and while she didn't always get the best grades, she felt that she was really learning the subjects she studied. This was somewhat different from her attitude in high school when she studied just to get good grades. After her first semester at OCC, she knew that she would be able to do the work. 205 Her family has been supportive of her educational endeavors and usually has been willing to do a little extra around the home to make it possible for her to devote the necessary time to her studies. Again she mentioned her fear of failing in school and failing to get everything done at home. She particularly likes the regimen going to school has put into her life; before she came to OCC, everyone in her family had something to do— another life outside of the home— and she did not. Most of her friends are college graduates— teachers and a few nurses; most of them, however, are not working. They immediately thought that there was a problem in her home with her marriage. Otherwise, why would she be pushing herself so hard. She had some difficulty trying to explain her feelings to her friends. She said that the young students intimidate her because they are so sharp. She feels that she may not be as 6 harp as they are, but she will devote her all to doing good work. She has put extreme pressure on herself to be successful at school. However, she has enjoyed her friendships with the students at OCC. She indicated that she is terrified of going on an interview for a job; she does think that once she gets a job, she will be able to handle it. She also knows that if she waits too long to pursue a job, then she will lose some of the skill she has built up. She has never been independent in her life and would like to now. Perhaps, she said, this will be enough of a motivator to get her out looking for a job. She said that though she does not have great ambitions for herself, she has given some thought to finishing a baccalaureate degree. SUBJECT E is a female student forty-two years old who is separated and about to be divorced. She is the fourth child from her father's second marriage. She and her husband have three children. Her father was married two times; there were three children from the first marriage which ended in divorce and five children from the second marriage. Her father was a bus driver, and her mother had worked from the time she was ten years old. She lived with her family in a subsi­ dized housing project until the time she was twelve years old. They they moved into a home in the Detroit area where she went to high school. Her mother had worked in order to help them move into their own home. Consequently, she had more responsibility than would normally be ex­ pected of a child her age. This may have contributed to her feeling that she wanted to stay home and raise her children. She said that 6 he had felt cheated because her mother was never there when 6 he felt 6 he needed her. She has had some of these same feelings herself recently with regard to her youngest child; however, her going to school now is a necessity so she hopes her children understand this. She said that they have been very helpful to her and have not com­ plained about the amount of time that her going to school had taken. 206 After 6 he graduated from high school, she had no desire to go to col­ lege because she had been brought up to think that she would graduate from high school, marry, and raise a family. Pew of her high school friends went to college. Her father was orphaned when he was twelve and only went through eighth grade. He thought it was quite an ac­ complishment when his children graduated from high school and did not encourage them to go to college. Financially it would have been diffi­ cult to send that many children to college. Her mother, however, was a high school graduate. Subject felt that she was very immature when she graduated from high school and did not look ahead to the future in a long-run sense. She said that she should have thought more about life in general at that point in her life. However, her family environment was not conducive to this kind of thinking, and she does not blame her parents for this. Following her graduation from high school, she worked in an insurance office for several years. There she found that she had some intelli­ gence she did not know she had and was made office manager. She did not like this job very much, but her father thought she should stay with this job. However, when she was twenty, her father died; and shortly after that she went out of state, where she stayed several months and worked in an insurance office. Since her mother was then alone, 6 he decided to return to Michigan. Back in Michigan she again worked in an insurance office and started taking some courses at a junior college. She went there only one semester, then married, and became pregnant. At that time in her life she thought that she would be a housewife for the rest of her life— a feeling that her husband also shared. She stayed home and took care of the family. They had two children and then moved to a farm where there were animals to care for. She then had their third child. As the children grew up, she became active in their school activities; but she was already beginning to think about going to school because she was getting tired of being a housewife. Her husband had never been completely supportive of her wanting to go to school. When her youngest child was five years old, she and her husband went overseas because of her husband's job.They stayed out of the country for three years and during this time did considerable traveling. The marriage began to show strains from overwork and other problems. She knew that when they returned to the States, which was to be soon, she would return to school. Her children were all in school, and she felt that it was then her turn to go to school. She checked at OCC as soon as they returned to the States and was set to start, and about that time her husband asked for a divorce. At this time she knew that she must go to school so she would be able to get a job and that it would no longer be a luxury as she had thought about it during the time that her children were growing up and there was not a financial need. At this time in her life she found herself in the posi­ tion where she felt that she must be successful in school so she would be able to get a job. 207 As she looked at advertisements for office workers, she found that many want people with experience and degrees. She may have to settle for something in the meantime before she finishes her degree and then con­ tinue to take classes and hope for a better job that will be a challenge to her. She does not want to sit at a typewriter all day; she wants to be in touch with the outside world. She views the training she is get­ ting at OCC for secretarial work as a "starter" and hopes to be able to find something satisfying and challenging— perhaps a management job. She has thought about becoming a lawyer, but she thinks she is too old for that now. She has also thought about the possibility of running a nursery school. During her life she had often found herself with groups of educated people, and while she had no difficulty with these situations, she soon knew that she wanted to know more. It was not that anyone had made her feel uncomfortable, but that she felt that she had missed something by not having gone to college and that it was important for her to get out and learn. Furthermore, she feels she must soon be able to support herself and her children, and she needs to know what is going on in the world. Though she had a fear of not being able to do the work at OCC, this fear soon disappeared as she found that she could do the work and enjoyed doing the work. She has felt comfortable with the students, many of whom are much younger than she is; if she had a criticism of them at all, it would be that they don't take going to school seriously enough. Scheduling her time has been difficult and learning to study again has been hard for her; however, 6 he enjoys school and hates to think of having to give it up to go to work. There have been some very difficult times for her and her children since the divorce became imminent, and she has felt the strain of being both mother and father to her children and giving them the emotional support they have needed through trying times. She indicated that it is some­ what overwhelming to suddenly be a single parent with three children and that she had no idea just how difficult it would be. SUBJECT F is a female student forty-eight year 6 old who is married. She has one older brother and a younger brother and sister. She and her hus­ band have three children. She was born and raised in Michigan not far from Detroit. Both of her parents were college graduates; her mother was a school teacher, and her father was a successful businessman. She is the second oldest of the four children, and she described her childhood as rather uneventful as she spent her entire childhood years in the same town. She always knew that 6 he would go to college and ultimately went to a small university in Michigan where 6 he intended to become an elementary teacher. She had taken a college preparatory course in high school and had been especially interested in art and music, but when she found that elementary teachers no longer did all of 208 the specialty fields, she decided to change her curriculum. Since she had a reading disability, she did not think she wanted to go into literature or history so she decided on mathematics. She really did not want a career; she only wanted it to fall back on in case she needed it. What she thought 6 he actually wanted to do was to be a wife and mother. Following her graduation from the university, she decided she wanted to continue her education so took a teaching fellowship at an out-ofstate university. There she found that she was devoting more time to her teaching than to her own classes. She also discovered that she loved teaching a remedial class and subsequently left at the end of the next semester without a master's degree to be a high 6 chool math teacher. She taught high school math for three years in suburban Detroit and then met her future husband— then a medical 6 tudent— now a doctor. Following three years of courting, they were married. He had a fellow­ ship for advanced study out of the state, and she had thought she would be able to obtain another teaching job. However, in the meantime she became pregnant and did not teach on a regular basis after that. After her first child was born, she had back problems and surgery. Ultimately she had two additional children. When it was time for her to be thinking about getting married, she said she had a hard time deciding if she really wanted to get married. She had become quite interested in teaching and had developed a fine rapport with her students. She thought perhaps that was all she needed in her life. Obviously, she did decide to marry. While she had been active in school affairs as her children were growing up, she felt that she had not done much for herself. She decided it was time to do some fun kinds of things, not at all degree-oriented. She took some art classes and piano lessons. She was involved with a swim club and teaching aquatic activities, skating and learning a foreign language. She indicated that there were other things that she was interested in— culinary arts, photography, tennis. She was never a person to have time on her hands; she always had many things to do, and she liked finding the time to do things for herself. However, since she described herself as a putterer, she never seems to have enough time to do everything 6 he would like to do. While she feels no need for a career for self-fulfillment at this point in her life, she does wish she had a way to get some sort of job to help defray the education expenses of her children. She does think that she will start some activities that are job-oriented. She has taken some classes at OCC and decided to take a typing course since she had never learned to type well previously; 6 he is not enrolled in an office education curriculum. She has found that her age has been a problem for her because she does not remember things. She also feels 209 that her powers of concentration are not now what they used to be and has had to spend much more time studying than she should have. Her family has been supportive of her school activities, and she always let them know that she would be there if they needed her. However, the needs of her children have decreased as they have gotten older so she does have more time to devote to her own activities. She indicated that her husband has been involved in some research and writing and that while he is "doing his thing," she studies. She said that her husband h a 6 always been most supportive of whatever she has wanted to do. She said that she had more feeling of confidence as a child than she does as an adult; and this appeared to have been related to some prob­ lems with her children. One of her children is troubling her right now, and it bothers her that his childhood will be remembered as an unhappy o n e . She was somewhat critical of some of the teachers Bhe has had at OCC and is not sure if she would recommend OCC to others though she did say that her experience at OCC is somewhat limited and that this may not be an entirely accurate or valid criticism. BIBLIOGRAPHY 210 Books Anastasi, Anne. Psychological Testing. Company, 1972. Toronto: Borg, Walter R., and Meredith Damien Gall. York: Longman, Inc., 1979. The Macmillan Educational Research. New G a b e r t , Glen. The Public Community College: The People's University. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1981. Glass, Gene V., and Julian C. Stanley. Statistical Methods in Educa­ tion and Psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970. Gleazer, Jr., Edmund J. The Community College: Values. Vision & Vitality. Washington, DC: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, 1980. The Impact of Report. Community Colleges on Michigan and Its Economy. University Center, MI: Delta College, 1984. Research The Impact of Report. Community Colleges on Michigan and Its Economy. University Center, MI: Delta College, 1981. Research Mas low, Abraham H. "A Theory of Human Motivation." Motivation and Personality. 2nd e d . (1970) cited by Zane K. Quible in Intro­ duction to Administrative Office Management. 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Ed.D. dissertation, Duke University, 1977. Saltoun, Synthia. "Differences in Perceived Needs for Educational Train­ ing as a Function of Variations in Self-Esteem and Role Strain Among Demographically Identifiable Subpopulations of Returning Women Stu­ dents in Community Colleges." Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern California, 1982. Smallwood, Kathie Beckman. "The Problems of Mature Women Students En­ rolled in a Selected Community College." Ph.D. dissertation, North Texas State University, 1977. Splain, Pamela A. "Analysis of Selected Characteristics that Contribute to the Success of Returning Women Students." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Maryland, 1979. Swinburne, Bruce Ryan. "Characteristics of Adult Part-Time Students in Selected Public Community Colleges." Ed.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970. Tate, Mildred Christine Jackson. "An Analysis of the Relationship Between Selected Personal Socio-Economic Characteristics of a Ran­ dom Sample of Adult Women and Their Reasons for Enrolling in an Urban Community College." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State Uni­ versity, 1971. Wilson, Linda Coon. "A Study of the Problems of Mature Women Students Enrolled in a Selected Rural Junior College." Ed.D. dissertation, Auburn University, 1982. 212 Yates, Doris Denise. "An Exploratory Study of Women Who Return to Com­ plete a High School Education." Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1982. Government Documents U.S. Department of Commerce. 1980 Census of Population Vol. 1; Char­ acteristics of the Population. Part 1. United States Summary. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1983. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Projections of Education Statistics to 1990-91. Vol 1 . Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1982. U.S. Department of Commerce. 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"Challenging the 'Model and the M y t h 1," Community and Junior College Journal 47 (November 1976), 22-25. Lahti, Robert E. "New Markets for Community Colleges," Community and Junior College Journal 48 (December 1977-January 1978), 8-11. Lawson, Katherine. 1978), 41-2. "Marketplace," Community College Frontiers 6 (Spring 213 Lenning, 0. T., and G. R. Hanson. "Adult Students at Two-Year Colleges: A Longitudinal Study," Community/Junior College Research Quarterly 1 (1977): 284-6. Miller, Jimmie C., and Phillip A. McGill. "Forecasting Student Enroll­ ment," Community and Junior College Journal 54 (May 1984), 31-33. Parnell, Dale. "Five Critical Issues," Community and Junior College Journal 54 (May 1984), 40-41. Waterhouse, Pearl G. "What's So Non-Traditiona1 About Non-Traditiona1 Students?" Community and Junior College Journal 48 (February 1978), 39-40. Wheaton, Janilee B., and Daniel C. Robinson. "Responding to the Needs of Re-entry Women: A Comprehensive Campus Model," NASPA Journa1 21 (Fall 1983), 44-51. Microform Materials Aanstad, Judy. A Study of Mature Women at Santa Fe Junior College. Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 057 797, 1972. Adelstein, Diane, et al. Dimensions Underlying the Characteristics and Needs of Returning Women Students. Bethesda, MD: ERIC Docu­ ment Reproduction Service, ED 216 597, 1979. Ames, Nancy R., and Patricia F. Archer. Building Success in the Class­ r o o m . Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 200 267, 1980. Cross, K. Patricia, et al. Current Issues in Higher Education. The Adult L e a r n e r . Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 171 887, 1978. Galliano, Grace, and Kathleen Gildea. Non-traditional Students: New Faces and New I s s u e s . Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 216 615, 1982. Magill, Kathleen, and Kathryn Cirksena. Problems and Information Needs of Women Reentering Higher Education. Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 167 199, 1978. Mangano, Joseph A., and Thomas J. Corrado. Meeting the Academic Success Needs of Re-entry Adults. Final R e p o r t . Bethesda, MD: ERIC Docu­ ment Reproduction Service, ED 169 967, 1978. Richards, Lillian S. Women's Perception of Their Psychological and Practical Needs Upon Re-entry to a Community College: Implications for Restructuring the Learning Environment. Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 130 713, 1976. 214 Steele, Gertrude M. The Mature-Woman Student at Skyline College. Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 129 367, 1974. Zarakov, Selma. What If the Consumer Holds Us Accountable? Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 156 252, 1978. Newspapers Meyer, Thomas J. "2-Year Colleges Facing Serious Enrollment Decline." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 7 November 1984, p. 3, cols. 1-4. 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