A comparison of measured interests and expressed interests of senior high school pupils

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COMPARISON OF MEASURED INTERESTS AND EXPRESSED INTERESTS

OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Education University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Education

by Aimee Arthur Walker June 1950

UMI Number: EP56162

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Dissertation PLbl.shing

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T h is thesis, w r it t e n u n d e r the d ir e c t io n o f the C h a ir m a n o f th e candidate's G u id a n c e C o m m itte e a n d a p p r o v e d by a l l m em bers o f the C o m m itte e , has been p re se n te d to a n d accep ted by the F a c u lt y o f the S c h o o l o f E d u c a t io n o f the U n iv e r s it y o f S o u th e rn C a l i f o r n i a in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f the re q u ire m e n ts f o r the degree o f M a s t e r o f Science in E d u c a tio n . Date....

Dean Guidance Committee

Chairman

TABLE OP CONTENTS CHAPTER I.

PAGE

THE STATEMENT OP THE PROBLEM . . ................ 1 Importance of the p r o b l e m

•

1

The p r o b l e m ........... ......................4 Scope of the problem . . . .................... 5 Limitations of the study • • • • • • • • • • •

6

Definitions of terms • • • • • • • • • • . • •

7

Vocational guidance Interests Aptitudes

. ....................

7

. . .......... • ................. 8 .....................

. 10

Organization of the remainder of the study . • 11 II.

REVIEW OP THE LITERATURE....................... 13 Standardization of interest inventories The permanence of interests

...

15

. . ............. 18

Discrepancy between interests and aptitudes. . 23 Vocational choices of students III. IV.

............. 27

COLLECTION OP DATA AND METHODOLOGY............. 32 EXPRESSED INTERESTS- OP SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AND G I R L S .............

.

39 •

Subjects liked best related to chosen vocation Reading interests of youth

; .. 40 ........ . . 43

The influence of outside activities

.....

44

iii CHAPTER

PAGE Extra-curricular activities and vocational ch oi ce .....................................48 Leisure time activities of boys and girls

. . 50

Part-time employment and vocational choices of boys and g i r l s ......................... 54 Vocational choices of senior high school p u p i l s .................- .................. 54 V.

COMPARISON OP MEASURED INTERESTS AND EXPRESSED I N T E R E S T S ................................... 61

VI.

SUMMARY AND C O N C L U S I O N S ....................... 71

BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX

1

........................................

. . .....................................

78 85•

LIST OP TABLES PAGE

TABLES I.

Subject Matter Interests of 164 High School Students Shown According to Sex . . . . . . .

II.

42

Favorite Magazines of 82 Boy and 82 Girl Senior High School S t u d e n t s .................

III.

45

Out of School Activities of 82 Boy and 82 Girl Senior High School Students . . . . . . . . .

IV.

Extra-curricular Activities of 82 High School Boys and 82 High School Girls . . . . . . . .

V.

. . . .51

Part-time Employments of 82 Senior High School Boys and 82 Senior High School Girls

VII.

49

Leisure Time Activities of 82 Senior High School Boys and 82 Senior High School Girls

VI.

47

. . . .55

Vocational Choices of 164 Senior High School Boys and Girls in Professional and Semipro­ fessional Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

VIII.

Measured Interests of 82 Senior High School Boys and 82 Senior High School Girls . . . .

IX.

57

62

A Comparison of Measured Interests and Expressed Interests of 82 Senior High School Boys and 82 Senior High School Girls • • • • • • • • •

64

CHAPTER I THE STATEMENT OP THE PROBLEM Importance of the problem. Educators are beginning to discover that the solution to most of the problems of youth lies in vocational adjustment.

The desire for social,

and economic security, for social recognition, for marriage, and for parenthood, can be adequately satisfied only through the medium of gainful employment in a socially useful occupation, Karl Menninger claims "perhaps three-fourths of the .patients who come to psychiatrists are suffering from an in­ capacitating impairment of their satisfaction in work or their ability to work.

In many, it is their chief com­

plaint The key in Mr. Menninger's statement, more than the percentage of patients, is the word "satisfaction,"

Satis­

faction in vocation cannot be obtained without the desire to do a job well and an interest in the activities required. It is the task of the schools to meet this challenge and direct, train, and advise their pupils into the voca­ tional field.for which they are best fitted by interests, temperament, aptitudes, and abilities.

It is the right of

^ K. A. Menninger, "Work as a Sublimation,** p. 177,

each pupil to receive an inventory of terests.

his abilities and in­

Only in the light of such information can he

wisely and realistically select an occupatipnal future. Pascal was not far from wrong when he said, HThe most im­ portant thing in life is the choice of an occupation; chance now. decides it.** The chief function of education should be to discover those talents which are needed in the service of society, of whatever rank and character they may be--whether to play the violin or to lay bricks-— and to train each individual so that he may render the most effective service to society and at the same time achieve the highest degree of self-real­ ization of which he is capable. Progressive educators recognize that the most critical problem in American education today is the problem of vocational adjustment of youth.

What little guidance has

been given has been narrowly academic and bookish, and has been in terms of courses and curricula rather than in terms of individual and life needs. Commenting on the lack of vocational guidance services for American youth, the Presidents Advisory Com­ mittee said in 1938: In few fields of endeavor are the existing social facilities more inadequate than in vocational guidance. The ever increasing complexity of our industrial economy emphasizes the need of young persons for vocational guidance in choosing and preparing for occupations that

3 will b© suited to their respective abilities, needs, and interests, and in which they will have opportunity to secure employment Three outstanding factors in educational development bear directly on the importance of this problem.

First, the

studies that have been made deal with the field of educa­ tional guidance in its more general aspect.

Secondly, the

trend seems to be toward the broadening recognition of the vocational factors in all branches of study.

Courses of

study and subjects are selected with the increasing idea that they will help the individual in making a living, and growing in his chosen profession or vocation.

Thirdly, the

clearer recognition of individual differences makes it im­ perative that boys and girls, have all the help possible in deciding for themselves on what their life’s work shall be. The above factors emphasize the importance of inter­ est and motivation in the process of learning.

The individ­

ual’s interest in his vocation is so closely tied up with every learning process and so many failures in school have been definitely traced to the pupil’s lack of interest in school work that is would seem any plan for specific organization of these vocational interests and linking them definitely with the school- subjects would be of inestimable

2 president’s Advisory Committee, Report of the --Committee,.p . 107.

4 value in the educative process. The problem.

It was the purpose of this investigation

to find the relationship between measured interest profiles and expressed interests, as recorded by senior high school students on a questionnaire prepared by the author. The measured interest scores were taken from the Kuder Preference Record Vocational Form CM.

This test was

used as a means of making a systematic approach to the prob­ lem of interests.

Its specific uses for vocational guidance

are'to point out vocations with which the student may not be familiar but which involve activities of the type for which he has expressed preference, and to check on whether a per­ son’s choice of an occupation is consistent with the type of thing he ordinarily prefers to do.

In no case, however,

were preference scores used by the counselor as a substitute for measures of ability. Scores were obtained in the following nine general areas:

(1) outdoor, (2) mechanical, (3) computational,

(4) scientific, (5) persuasive, (6) artistic, (7) literary, (8) musical, (9) social service, and (10) clerical.

The

students* scores were plotted on a profile by the use of national -norms for boys and girls of this

age.3

The questionnaire for expressed interests prepared by

3 Kuder Preference Record, Examiner Manual, p. 24.

the author surveyed the same group of senior students at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, with respect to their hobbies, best liked subjects, least liked subjects, favorite magazines, leisure time activities, extra-curricular activities, work experiences, and, lastly, choice of life work. An attempt was made to find a simple workable plan whereby the measured interests scores and the expressed interests could be analyzed, based on the assumption that pupils will, participate in those activities where their greatest interests lie. Knowledge of expressed interests is an aid to the counselor in advising and guiding pupils.

Expressed inter­

ests are indicative of future trends in the development of the student.

They help substantiate the analysis of other

factors and could offer hidden vocational possibilities. Scope of the problem.

This study has been confined

to senior pupils at Woodrow Wilson High School in the city of Lpng Beach, California. 'The experimenter has been actively interested in the problem of vocational guidance during her four years as a junior high school teacher.

Senior high school students

were chosen for the study, however, since Professor Strong of Stanford University has determined that interests change

only slightly from fifteen to twenty-five although they remain surprisingly.stable from fifteen years of age on­ ward.*^

-The problem has been developed through the evident

weakness of present methods of student inventory for guid­ ance purposes, The school where the study took place is one of four high schools serving a city of approximately 250,000. located in a residential suburb.

The population of the com­

munity is almost entirely of American birth. It ranks well above the average.

It is

In character,

Many of the inhabitants

follow business or professional pursuits. The high.school administration has been zealous to provide for the needs of the pupils, and to meet the needs of the community.

In addition to the college preparatory

courses a variety of terminal courses have been inaugurated to meet the needs of those pupils who do not expect to enter institutions of higher learning, but who demand training to meet the needs of the work-a-day world.

They required some

employable skill upon graduation from high school. Limitations of the study.

Since this study took

place in only one high school and the size of the sample

4 Edward K. Strong, Jr., Vocational Interests of Men and Women, p. 312.

was relatively small, all conclusions will have to be tempered in the light of these facts.

The character of the

school community could have influenced the findings.

Many

of the pupils’ vocational choices were determined by the desire on the part of their parents for them to attend college.

Yet providing for the normal, natural development

of all youth, the interest scores can be assumed to be accurate.

Measured interests and desire for security and

financial recognition are two separate entities. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS Vocational guidance.

In attempting to give briefly

a clear understanding of the meaning of the above term, vocational guidance, it might be appropriate to quote from the Committee on Vocational Guidance and Child Labor, White House Conference.Vocational guidance is the process of;assisting the individual to choose an occupation, prepare for it, enter upon it, and progress in it. As preparation for an occupation involves decisions in the choice of schools and colleges, it becomes evident that vocational guidance cannot be separated from educational guidance.^ Individuals vary widely in natural endowment and in .conditions of environment.

It has become necessary in our

5 White House Conference' on Child Health and Protection, Vocational Guidance, p.3.

modern complex educational and vocational system to know the individual, his intelligence, special aptitudes, his under­ standing of work, work experiences, character, interests, and temperament.

In a school system where several hundred

or even thousands of individuals are training for life*s work the tremendous and important task of guidance becomes at once evident. More completely, vocational guidance may be stated as the process of discovering interests, measuring abili­ ties, giving occupational information, directing training, providing placement, and conducting follow-up surveys or evaluations. Interests.

The power of interest is an excitement

of feeling, accompanying special attention to some object. It is a tendency to become absorbed in an experience and to desire to continue it, while an aversion is a tendency to turn away from it to something else. The term interest as used in this study is a person*s like or dislike for the activities representative of fields^ of occupations.

These fields for convenience sake are

divided into ten general areas, including outdoor, mech­ anical, scientific, artistic, clerical, persuasive, com­ putational, musical, social, and literary. Vocational interests of students are of two kinds. First, they may be measured interests.

Measured interests

9 are those of the student as determined by scores on stand­ ardized interest inventories.

Of course, the decisive test

of measured interests of students will always be the occu­ pational try-out.

Secondly, studentsf interests may be

expressed, that is, they are determined from an analysis of the pupils* participation in hobbies, extra-curricular events, and leisure time activities. Interests being liked and disliked activities are all obviously learned.

Having learned to like an activity

it is quite possible later on to learn to dislike it, and vice-versa. Interests are, and must be, separate from abilities in the measurement sense. ologically.

They are not the same psych­

Results of research -show them to be fairly un­

related. There are many reasons for attempting to measure a person*s vocational interests*

First, the most obvious

reason is to find out whether he will probably like to do the work of the occupation in question.

A second reason

is to ascertain whether the personal relationships within the occupation will probably prove to be congenial.

A third

reason is.that by so doing the pupil*s attention may be drawn to possible fields of activity -which might otherwise be overlooked..

In the fourth place, any tool of the coun­

selor in helping the student in his self-analysis is

valuable. Interests are not the final word but a point of de­ parture in vocational guidance.

Actual ability will, in the

long run, determine the type of work for which the individ­ ual is fitted. steps.

Interests help to channel the guidance

They lend precision to the program and help to elim­

inate much useless and unnecessary preliminary testing and questioning. Only

those interests should be made a matter

of

record that

are backed up by physical participation

onthe

part of the

student.

leisure­

For this reason home hobbies,

time recreation, and extra-curricular

activities throw

special light on what are actual and participating concerns of the individual. Aptitudes. Aptitudes must be defined as they are often confused with interests.

Aptitude is a condition

indicative of a person’s power to acquire specified behav­ ioral patterns of interest, knowledge and skill.

It Is a

present condition regarded as indicative of potentialities. Aptitude tests do not directly measure future accom­ plishments.

They measure present performance.

The test

data supply a means of estimating future potentialities. The concept of aptitude carries with it certain as­ sumptions .

Three generalizations which may be stated are:

an individual’s potentialities are not all equally strong,

11 individuals differ one from another in their potentialities, and many of tbss© differences are relatively stable. There is a temptation to think of a person*s aptitude as though it were a substance, a possession, a thing which belongs to him.

Actually, it points to a quality--a quality

or characteristic of a person.

Aptitude refers to those

qualities characterizing a person’s ways of behavior which serve to indicate how well he can learn to meet and solve certain specified kinds of problems. Knowledge of aptitudes is important to the counselor because students making wise occupational choices should do so in the light of both interests and aptitudes. ORGANIZATION OP THE REMAINDER OP THE STUDY In Chapter II the writer has reviewed the literature that is pertinent to the field of interests.

A brief sum­

mary is given of the early standardization of interest tests.

The theory of the permanence of interests is dis­

cussed pro and con with citations from prominent researches in this area.

And lastly, findings, are presented on the

vocational choices of students. Chapter III relates the writer’s methodology and techniques in the collection of data.

A description of the

Kuder Preference Record and the questionnaire for expressed interests is given.

The study proceeds with an analysis of the expressed interests of high school seniors, a comparison of their measured and expressed interests.

^The fina.1 ‘chapter offers

summaries, conclusions, and suggestions for further re­ search.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE In reviewing the literature that bears on the place and use of the interest factor, from the standpoint of the participated interests of the pupil in the scheme of. voca­ tional guidance, one is impressed with its seeming neglect.. Little if any attempt seems thus far to have been made to take full advantage of the studentfs vocational and avocational interests to motivate his classroom work and help him make a more realistic decision regarding his future. John W. Brewer in Education as Guidance takes as his thesis the idea that the school should guide pupils*

He

attempts to establish the thesis by maintaining three points 1. The problem of guiding students, as a problem, should be discussed among teachers. 2. The problems of living, as problems, should be made the subject matter of school and college work. 3. These discussions should eventuate in the best kinds of activities for young people, and in guidance therein, which we can cooperatively formulate. -Brewer has pointed out three ways in which guidance may be approached: In the first place, there may be direct'attack, with a curriculum of, activities and guidance, designed to give children the opportunity to learn living in the

John W. Brewer, Education as Guidance, p. 7,

14 laboratory of life* Secondly, there may be set up alongside the present entrenched studies of the curric­ ulum and in no way interfering with these studies, a system of counselors, home room teachers, class advisers, student deans, or other agencies to be used for the purpose of guidance. Thirdly, with or without a system of counselors, the present studies of the curriculum may gradually be modified in content and method, so that they will bear upon life activities, and presumably aid the pupils in the improvement of their- living.17 , The emphasis throughout Mr. Brewer’s discussion has been upon nlife a c t i v i t i e s I n d e e d , modern educators have become increasingly anxious to introduce their pupils to the work-a-day world.

The trends in recent years have been

gradually towards helping students evaluate themselves in regard to aptitudes, abilities, and interests; thereby enabling them to make intelligent decisions about future occupational plans. In an article entitled, **An Analysis of Vocational Interests,J. B, Miner, University of Kentucky, presents some fascinating facts.

He prepared a questionnaire for

use by students, in self-analysis of vocational interests. The blank was tried out in the Pittsburgh high schools with approximately.ten thousand pupils.

As stated by Miner,

nIt is frankly experimental and is far from perfect. Certain of its features, which many vocational counselors used in one form or another; do function in assisting

7 Ibid., p. 5.

15 youths to study their work interests.1*® Some of the results of the study as conducted were: 1. It allows a classification on the basis of similar interests. ’ 2. It assists in discovering vocational bents. 3. It assists individuals in choosing a field of activity by narrowing the range of vocations to be considered through the grouping of vocations under types which tap similar interests. 4. It interests young people in starting to make their vocational choice. 5. It Interests parents in the vocational adjustment of their children. 6. The information assists the counselor and shortens the interview and makes it more effective. 7. It enables the counselor to point out apparent consistencies and inconsistencies In the individual*s thought about his vocational preferences. Standardization of interest inventories. The interest inventory does more than secure an estimate of the individ­ ual’s feeling experience.

It takes these estimates and

summarizes them into a score indicating interest in a certain field of stimulation, for example, an occupation. Work was begun in 1919 at the Carnegie Institute of Technology upon the interest inventory, as we know it in

® J. B. Miner, nAn Analysis of Vocational Interest,** School Review, 33:744-754, December, 1925. 9 Ibid.. p. 752

16 its standardized form today.

This work began in the col­

lection of items for the inventory in the graduate student seminar of Clarence S. Yoakum in 1919-1920.

Prom these

beginnings has grown the general interest inventory in its various forms. The earliest investigation in this group undertakingwas one by Bruce Moore^ in which an attempt was made to measure the mechanical and social interests of engineers. Other early investigations from this source were studies made by Ream-*--*- who endeavored to distinguish by their interests between successful and unsuccessful salesmen. Following this initial measurement of interests by means of the inventory at the Carnegie Institute of Tech­ nology, various kinds of interest inventories have been developed, including the forms of the inventory using activity items, such as, the Kuder Preference Record^ and the Strong Vocational Interest Inventory Blank.1^ Research under the direction of Strong at Stanford

1^ B.'-V. "Moore, ■WA Tested Method of Using Tests for Vocational Guidance,” School and Society, 1923, 18:761-764. 11 M.'J. Ream, Ability to Sell:,, Its Relation to Certain Aspects'of Personality and Experience, 24 pp. 12 g . Frederic Kuder, Manual for Kuder Preference Record, 31 pp. 13 E. K. Strong, Jr., Manual for Vocational Interest Blank, 11 pp.

17 University has been most fruitful in increasing the scope and standardization of the inventories and the development of scoring keys designating the interests of various social groups.

His test has been standardized not on students, but

on successful adults.

This interest blank permits an analy­

sis of the extent to which an individual’s basic dislikes and likes are comparable with those of successful men and women.

In other words, if a student has interests similar

to those of a doctor, it is likely that he will find medical work congenial and that he will be successful, provided, of course, that he has the other requisite abilities. The Strong and the Kuder inventories are related in some ways.

The Kuder has more validity for women than does

Strong’s women’s blank.

The Kuder Preference Record, the

more recently developed of these two tests, has the advan­ tage of being more easily administered and scored than the elaborate Strong blank.

The Strong Vocational Interest

Inventory Blank has the disadvantage of requiring a special expensive scoring technique which makes its use prohibitive to the individual school counselor.

On the other hand, the

Kuder test has a unique scoring plan which may be completed by the student. The standardized interest inventory has grown from small beginnings in the short space of thirty years. Douglas Fryer has adroitly summarized the trends for

18 the selection of interest inventory items, claiming they have progressed in two directions: 1. To sample all interests (likes), aversions (dis­ likes), and indifferences of human beings. The,.aim here is not to collect into an inventory all items of in­ terest, aversion, and indifference. This would mean a listing of all stimulating objects and activities of the human being-. ' In the occupational field alone there are over 20,000 different specialized occupations. A task of this kind would be impossible. The aim is rather to secure a sample representing all these stimu­ lating objects and activities. 2. A second working aim has been to select interests, aversions, and indifferences that distinguish between groups of people, occupational groups in particular, and to discard from the items of the inventory the common interests, aversions, and indifferences of the different groups.I4 The permanence of interests.

There have been many

studies to determine the permanence of interests.

On the

one side the proponents favoring the stability of interests are E. K. Strong, E. L. Thorndike, and A, C. Rosander. Strongly claims interests are static. three outstanding characteristics.

They have

First, they have sta­

bility which may be defined- as the lack of change over a relatively short period of time.

Second, they have reli­

ability or self-consistency which is a measure of the de­ gree to which individuals will respond in the same manner to a test on two separate occasions.

Thirdly, interests

14 Douglas Fryer, The Measurement of Interests, p. 85. E. K. Strong, Jr., Vocational Interests of Men and Women, pp.353-380.

19 possess permanence which means persistence in time without change. ’Professor Strong used five;methhds of measuring permanence of interest test scores.

They were (1) the

correlation between test/retest scores; (2) the comparison of mean scores— decrease or increase--in a given direction; (3) the changes in interest ratings indicate how far reli­ ance can be placed upon different rating as a guide to future behavior; (4) the changes in the total profile of occupational scores indicate how likely it is that the same general deduction from all scores will be valid in the future; and (5) interest scores before and after train. 1 6 xng. Prom all of his studies, Strong reaches the conclu­ sion that vocational interests found among college students, and to a lesser degree among juniors and seniors in high school, cannot be attributed to formal training or experience in those pursuits. 17 Hence, it appears that the interests characteristic of occupational groups are present to a large degree prior to entrance into the occupation and so are presumably a factor in the selection of the occupation.

16 Ibid., p. 357-358 17 Ibid.. p. 380.

20 Elsewhere Strong states that changes in interests are relatively slight in decades after twenty-five years of age.

In fact, they change only slightly from fifteen

to twenty-five, although they remain surprisingly stable 18 from fifteen years of age onward. The greatest change in interests in this ten year period pertains to physical skill and daring.

Older men

do not like activities requiring display of physical strength and prowess.

Also, the choice of occupations

suggestive of such activities decreases markedly. The second greatest change pertains to occupations involving writing.

Many young men select occupations in

fields of linguistic abilities, but this interest is short­ lived possibly due to a more realistic approach to the world of work. The third greatest change in interests is registered by items suggesting change or interference with established habits or customs, proving the old truism that the older we grow the less likely are we to.make a radical .change in our everyday activities. Edward L. Thorndike in his book Adult Interests supports these primary conclusions of Strong by stating, ”The decrease in the total volume of interest from the

18 Ibid., p. 312.

21 twenties to the fifties is slight, and is restricted largely to physical activities.

The interests most needed to

support adult learning show no decrease.11^ In another article written many years before the above reference Thorndike again substantiates the perman­ ence of interests by claiming, !lIt would indeed be hard to find any feature of a human being which was a much more permanent fact of his nature than his relative degrees of interest in different lines of thought and action, Another experiment favoring the stability of interests was conducted by A, C, Eosander studying the relationship between age and sex patterns of social attitudes,

Mr,

Eosander studied thirteen thousand males and females ranging in age from sixteen to twenty-four, regarding seven basic social attitudes.

He discovered little or no

change with the exception that females showed increased drinking, decrease in church attendance, and decrease in willingness to go to war.

The same social pattern atti­

tudes were found in the sixteen year olds as the*twentyfour year olds.

Therefore, it could be concluded that

attitudes as well as interests are well established by

19 Edward L. Thorndike, Adult Interests, p. 12. 20 Edward L. Thorndike,- "The Permanence of Interests and their Relation to Abilities,11 Popular Science Monthly, 81*456, November, 1912,

22 sixteen years of

a g e . 21

0n the other hand, Douglas Pryer did not uphold the stability of interests.

He asserts, "It is the environment

that determines the specialization of our interests."^2 Throughout his book on the Measurement of Interests Pryer claims there, is only a fifty-fifty chance in pre­ dicting development of an interest trend.

He likens

interest patterns to a kaleidoscope in that they are ever changing focus.

Since they are ever changing, interest

patterns, in Pryer1s estimation are not practical for guidance purposes. However, even Pryer noted, a stability of trend throughout.

Past interests may be the foundation of one1s

present interests. Other researches conducted by Hirsch, Lehman and Witty found experimental evidences of instability of interests and their lack of permanence.

They, also, found

21 A. C. Rosander,'."Age and Sex Patterns of Social Attitudes," Journal of Educational Psychology, 30:481-496, 1939. 22 pryer> op. cit., p. 211.

23 very low correlations of interest with true ability.^-* Discrepancy between interests and aptitudes.

When

we speak of the discrepancy between interests and aptitudes, we refer to the fact that both interests and abilities vary in type and amount.

There are different types of

abilities and each type varies in amount possessed by a given student.

The same may be said for interests.

More­

over, students may claim the possession of aptitudes and interests which they actually do not possess.

This type

of wishful thinking adds to the complexity of counseling and necessitates the checking of a student*s qualifications for'the occupational training he desires.

This becomes

of serious concern to the counselor when he finds a student preparing for a vocation in which he has no genuine, inter­ est or a student genuinely interested (so the student thinks) in a vocation in which he has not the ability either to compete or to render efficient service. Evidence of the fact that interests are not always associated with the aptitudes necessary to the expression of those interests is summarized in Pryer*s table showing the

^ N. D. M. Hirsch, “Relationship between Interests, Ability, and Self-Estimated Ability Among Maladjusted Boys,** Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 34:395-399, July, 1939. H. C. Lehman and Paul A. Witty, “One More Study of Permanence of Interests,*1 Journal of Educational Psychology, 22:481-492, October, 1931.

probability with which ability may be predicted from voca­ tional interests.

He found that there were only 49 chances

out of 100 that ability could be predicted from interests.^ In another study, Pryer cited data on ’the occupa­ tional interests of 321 adult men.

Using the Army Alpha

as a measure of intelligence, he found that 75 per cent of the men rated higher in intelligence than the average of men in their occupations, 9 per cent were about average for their occupations, and 16 per cent had ratings less than average.25

This would seem to indicate that a large

number of men in this group were engaged.in occupations which did not afford optimal satisfaction both for their abilities and interests. An indirect indication of discrepancy between interests and abilities is shown by Barley who found that 71 per cent of general college students at the University of Minnesota claimed interests in the professional and executive vocations although their aptitudes were similar

24

t Douglas Pryer, i "Predicting Abilities from Inter­ ests,11 Journal of Applied Psychology, 11:212-225, Table p. 224, 1927. 25 Douglas Pryer, "Intelligence and Interest in Vocational Adjustment; A Statistical Study,” PedagogicalSeminary, 30:127-132, June, 1923.

25 to those of nonprofessional whitecollar workers. ^ The' results of this study support the statement of Koos and Kefauver that, "The lack of harmony between ca­ pacity and vocational plans (interests and abilities) exists more frequently and to a greater degree for students of lower capacity.11^ In one study by the Darleys it was found that meas­ ured interests and measured abilities seem to coincide in general as to types, but not as to levels, of interests, and abilities.

Among a sampling of general college students

at the University of Minnesota, they found that the distri­ bution of measured interests showed "major concentration in the nonprofessional, business-contact, and businessdetail occupations," while their measured abilities fitted them for these same types of occupations, but on a dis­ tinctly lower level than that aimed at by the students. Seventy-one per cent of the students were aiming at occupations on the professional levels of these types of work. 28 A .cause of this discrepancy m a y Tbe the failure of

^ John G. Darley, "Student Personnel Work in the General College," pp. 46-47. 27 Leonard V. Koos and Grayson N. Kefauver, Guidance in Secondary Schools, p. 297. 2B John G. Darley and Kathleen McConnon Darley, "The Keystone of Curricular Planning," Journal of Higher Edu­ cation, 8:18-26, January, 1937.

26 the school to provide varied outlets for the expression of individual differences.

The failure of the school to recog­

nize and to encourage the development of individual differ­ ences in both abilities and interests leaves the student without a chance to develop simultaneously his abilities and his interests which correspond to these abilities.

Our

schools exert pressures which level out unique interests and tend to force the artificial development of a uniformity in aptitudes, interests, and personality.

Only with respect

to hobbies and some recreational habits are deviations encouraged.

When every student passes mechanically through

the irequired courses in English, mathematics, history, science, etc., and is required only to get a "passing grade," there is little chance for him to develop his unique interests by pursuing related material on his own initiative.

In such a uniform school system, interests

are often ignored and therefore, allowed to develop in a hit-and-run manner.

The student is left to outside influ­

ences which may or may. not foster the development pf his interests in activities and subjects which are congruent with his abilities. It is true' that interests and abilities are not highly related, one trait may not be inferred from the other and students may not be expected without assistance to choose occupational goals which are consonant with both

27

interests and aptitudes.

Because of this lack, of general

association, many students will choose goals consonant with interests but not with aptitudes and vice-versa. Vocational choices of students.

Occupational goals

should bear a relationship to the student’s qualifications for realizing those goals.

The choice of goals which are

beyond capacities often lead to disappointment, frustration, and even to feelings of general inadequacy.

While students

should be encouraged to attempt difficult tasks rather than drift into situations which require little effort and less enthusiasm, yet the reckless urge to aim for the top must often be redirected toward a top within the range of poten­ tialities of students.

High ambitions without the means of

achieving them often lead to failure.

Our national pastime

of taking a chance must be restrained by the common sense of the limitations of capabilities.

There are risks

everyone must take, but this does not condone foolhardy undertakings in which failure is probable if not certain. Unwisetvocational choices are those which are not supported by dependable evidence of probabilities of suc­ cessful attainment.- While no one can foretell the future with certainty, nevertheless, one can identify choices, which involve such an element of risk as to make the under­ taking unwise unless the person making the choice is pre­ pared and able to withstand the disrupting result of

28 failure. Students must be encouraged to risk the future but to temper that spirit with judgment. One of the most serious discrepancies in vocational choice, as disclosed by an investigation by Proctor, is the tendency for high school seniors to aspire to the pro­ fessions,

Not only do they ignore limited employment

possibilities, but they also are unreasonably certain that they possess the ability to succeed,

Proctor found that

91 per cent of 930 high school pupils in California chose white-collar jobs while only 16 per cent of the vocational opportunities are white-collar jobs,^^ That vocational choices of college students tend to cluster around medicine, law, and teaching to a greater extent than seems justified by the proportion of graduates engaging in those professions is shown by a survey conducted by Sisson at Wesleyan University,

Sisson found that 16

per cent of undergraduates planned to enter medicine while only 2.05 per cent of the graduates had done so.

About

47 per cent of the graduates were in the professions while about 83 per cent of undergraduates were preparing for the professions.

^ W. M. Proctor, "Psychological, Educational and Vocational G-uidance of High School Pupils," Journal of Educational Research Monograph 1, pp, 42-44. -ZA

E, Donald Sisson, "Vocational Choices of College Students," School and Society, 46:765-768, December 11, 1937.

29 Vocational choices are decidedly impractical during later adolescence, especially among students with low mentality but with high ambitions.

Sparling reports that

37 per cent of the Long Island students planned to enter vocations involving college courses in which their grades were low.*^ More recently, James H. Bedford has conducted a survey of the vocational interests of.secondary school students here in California.

He discovered a marked change

in vocational choices seems to occur between the second and third year of high school.

The percentage of students

who are undecided in their choice of a vocation jumps from 8.9 per cent in the sophmore year to 13.6 per cent in the junior year. 32 He concludes, "This may be due to the increased knowledge of the occupational world which the high school has given to the student and the wider variety of choices which have been opened up to him, or it may be due to the factor of elimination which begins to operate quite strongly at this particular point.

The period between sophomore and

junior years appears to be on of change and -readjustment in

E. J. Sparling, Do College Students Choose Voca­ tions Wisely?, p. 32. 32 James H. Bedford, Vocational Interests of Second­ ary School Students, 140 pp.

30 the lives of many boys and girls.11^ In December, 1942, Elmo Roper for Fortune Magazine conducted a survey of youth1s occupational choices. professions in this order:

The

engineering, nursing, teaching,

arts, medicine, and law, received the greatest number of votes, 35.8 per cent.

Business occupations, mainly clerical

and secretarial, ranked second with 21.1 per cent.

Factory

work, skilled trades and mechanics polled 8.6 per cent. Government work, mostly armed forces, rated 4.5 per cent. Farming work attracted 3.2 per cent of the nation's youth. Of all the students questioned 15.4 per cent didn't know their occupational choice, and 11.4 per cent listed their choice under the vague classification of “other.11^ This seems to mean that our youth has set its sights tragically high much as it maybe in the American tradition. The new working members of our population will not be content to start at the bottom or to work in occupations that are essential to the functioning of any economy. What will happen to them? Either there will be shocking shortages and dislocations in the balances of our manpower supply. Or the supply will be provided by disappointed and possibly embittered young people who have been forced to the bottom, and forced by ruthless competition and economic necessity . into.work they don't like arid forced to receive less for it than they think they should. It is in that vast potential of disillusion that lie whatever dis­ ruptive forces may be dormant in our youth. The only alternative is for farsighted leadership, working on a broad front to start now making the vital mass of occupations more attractive, showing farming as a

33 Ibid., p. 75. 34 Fortune Magazine, 26:8-18, December, 1942.

rewarding way of living, and revealing the drudgeries and the risks that beset so many crowded professions. This thesis can be made a part of education, and it can appeal to youth. For this survey also finds that a great many students would choose security in low paid occupations over very high pay in a very insecure one.^5 In conclusion, these various surveys show that voca­ tional counselors need to impress these young aspirants with the significance of the relatively small percentage of the population engaged in the professions.

However,

Fryer assures us that the opportunity for high school graduates to enter professions is not much greater than one in twenty, since 50 per cent of pupils in elementary grades never enter high school and a goodly number of the remainder never graduate.

This opinion is based on his

assumption that there is a 5 per cent opportunity and a 50 per cent choice of the prpfessions among high school pupils.36

•p

33 Ibid.. p. 8

CHAPTER III COLLECTION OP DATA AND METHODOLOGY At Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif­ ornia, all senior students are required to take a course in social living. .This class is designed to introduce graduating students to the problems which they will face in continuing their education, seeking work, and adjusting to an adult way of life* One of the major units of this course pertains tp a study of the student, his interests, aptitudes, and abilities.

The pupil is given tests in various fields.

All scores are interpreted with the belief that an under­ standing of his potentialities will help the pupil realize and direct his future ambitions. He is given pertinent, up-to-date information on the occupational labor market, trends and future possi­ bilities.

His interests are related to jobs and oppor­

tunities in the occupational field.

It is presumed that

such an overall picture of himself and the world of work will assist the student in making a realistic decision and vocational choice. It was in this class that the present research took place^. Form CM.

The students were given the Kuder Preference Record This interest test measures interests in ten

33 important areas.

High scores indicate the area of activ­

ities that the student probably liked best.

The low scores

indicate the kinds of activities which are not enjoyed. Highs and lows should be considered in the complete pattern of interests. Each student had all his scores plotted on a profile with the use of standardized norms.

In the individual

analysis of a student*s interest profile many aspects were taken into consideration.

A small range of scores indi­

cated little vocational interest maturation on the part of the pupil.

His likes and dislikes were not developed to

an extent to be valid information for the guidance counselor. Such a person probably requires more exploration into the various fields of interest by carefully selected courses in high school before he will have a distinct interest pattern which may be used in guiding him into the world of work. On the other hand, a straight line profile with a spread of only twenty per cent inferes the pupil lacks an • outstanding interest in anything in particular, yet he had an interest in everything.

Interest in everything

also indicates a maladjusted person.

Such interest profiles

may be caused by the extreme pessimism and/or optimism of the subject. ests.

He may lack exploration into the other inter­

And, of course, there is always the pupil who does

34 not cooperate with the directions for the tests. Peaks and dips in the profile show marked interests, yet the range of scores is necessary to compare with other fields to find out if the difference is significant.

A

twenty point span at either end of the percentile-scale is more significant than a thirty point range in the middle. A marked range of forty to fifty points shows vocational maturity. On the Kuder Preference Record mature profiles seldom drop below the thirtieth percentile mark.

The dom­

inate interest range is anything above the eightieth or ninetieth percentile points.

For the purpose of this study

any scores lying above the seventy-fifth percentile point were chosen, as suggested by the Kuder Manual. This convenient point lies between the one per cent and five per cent points of significance for normally distributed scores from tests having a reliability of .90. Of course, test reliabilities vary somewhat from group to group as well as with the method used for estimating them. There is probably little to be gained by attempting to set up separate cutting points for each scale, and there is much to be lost in convenience of interpretation. In this connection, it should be remembered that no cutting point is completely sat­ isfactory; Scores well above the seventy-fifth per­ centile can be regarded with greater confidence. Those somewhat below this point may deserve some consideration but must be regarded as less likely to be an expression of a true interest in the field. Considering the normal bell distribution a per­ centage change at either end of twenty points is about the

^

Kuder, o£. cit., p. 2-3.

35 same statistically as a thirty point range in the middle of the percentiles.

A marked range of forty or fifty points

shows much vocational maturity. Of course, the ability profile does not always coin­ cide with the interest profile.

A profile with interest

high and ability low may indicate the student!s hobby. The definitions of the ten areas measured by the Kuder Preference Hecord are as follows: Outdoor interest means the pupil might prefer work that keeps him outside most of the time and usually deals with animals, plants, and growing things.

Forest rangers,

naturalists, and farmers are among those high in outdoor interes ts. Mechanical interest means the student would like to work with ideas, concepts, and things, machines and tools. Jobs in this area include automobile repairmen, watchmakers, drill press operators, and engineers. Computational interest means a person would like to work with numbers.

A high score in this area suggests

such jobs as bookkeeper, accountant; or bank teller. Scientific interest means a desire to discover a new principle, facts and solve problems.

Doctors, chemists, ■-

nurses, engineers, radio repairmen, aviators, and dieticians usually have high scientific interests. Persuasive interest means meeting and dealing with

36 people and' promoting projects or things to sell.

Most

actors, politicians, radio announcers, ministers, salesmen, and store clerks have high persuasive interests. Artistic interest means desire to do creative work with your hands.

It Is usually work that has "eye appeal"

involving attractive design, color, and* materials.

Painters,: *

sculptors, architects, dress designer, hair dressers, and interior decorators all do "artistic" work. A literary interest shows a pupil likes to read and write. - Literary jobs include novelist, historian, teacher, actor, news reporter, editor, drama critic, and book reviewer. Musical interest shows a wish to go to concerts, play instruments, sing, or read about music and musicians. Social service interest indicates a preference for helping people.

Nurses, Boy and G-irl Scout leaders, •voca­

tional counselors, tutors, ministers, personnel workers, social workers, and hospital attendants spend much of their time helping other people. Clerical interest means the student would like office work that requires precision and accuracy.

Jobs such as

bookkeeper, accountant, file clerk, salesclerk, secretary, statistician, and traffic manager fall in this area. The Kuder Preference Record is an "activity" inter­ est test in that all the questions are stated in the form

37

of activities connected with jobs in the specified areas. The examinee is required to choose between three activities, selecting the one he prefers most and the one he would like least to do. If the student follows the directions explicitly he will have a Verification Score within the range of 38-44. If his score is not within this range, there is some reason to doubt the value of his answers.

The Verification Score

was prepared by G. Frederic Kuder and should always be used by the counselor in checking the reliability and validity of the individuals test scores.

For this research only

the profiles of students which fell within this 38-44 range of the Verification Score were used.

The complete sample

included 82 girls and 82 boys. The questionnaire used by the author to determine expressed interests was not very different from those now generally prepared in connection with individual pupil advice and adjustment in vocational guidance.

It was kept

in mind that these pupils in the sampling had cpmpletecL a course in occupations so the examiner included the* question, I!What is your choice of life work?”

This

question was placed at the end of the questionnaire so as not to arouse the suspicions of the class.

The reason

for this choice was felt important so this question was included, also.

The reasons for choosing an occupation

38 were so many and so varied no attempt was made to tabulate them. All questions were designed to give answers which would help the guidance worker analyze pupils* interests, both participated and measured. A sample copy of the questionnaire is given in the appendix.

CHAPTER IV EXPRESSED INTERESTS OP SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AND GIRLS In order to determine what relationship exists be­ tween the study liked best in school and the vocational choice of the students, a study was made of the cases in which the favorite study or subject was mentioned and in which the student had also made a vocational choice.

In

the study which was made, the following were considered to be definitely related, and were used as the basis of classi fieation:

ART, commercial artist, fashion designer, ad­

vertising salesman, model; COMMERCIAL, secretary, salesman, typist, bookkeeper; DRAMATICS, radio actor; ECONOMICS, business administrator; ENGLISH, teacher, creative, author, librarian, journalist; FOREIGN LANGUAGE, interpreter; HISTORY, archeologist; HOME ECONOMICS, seamstress, house­ wife; MATHEMATICS, bookkeeping, certified public accountant engineer; MECHANICAL DRAWING, draftsman, architect, en­ gineer, printer; MUSIC, radio performer; PHYSICAL EDUCATION coach, forest ranger; PUBLIC SPEAKING, radio announcer, salesman; SCIENCE, occupational therapist, optometrist, nurse, chemist, doctor; SHOP, carpenter, mechanic, tool and die maker.

These classifications and examples of

occupations within the fields were chosen from the actual choices of the students, using vocations which they named.

40 Subjects liked best related to chosen vocation. Using the above classification as a basis, it was found that, in 78 cases out of 164,-the subject named as the one liked best in school was definitely related to the voca­ tion chosen.

Nearly five times out of ten, in other words,

the student*s choice of a vocation was directly in line with his favorite study in school.

This would seem to

indicate that the subject matter interests of high school students are of some significance in the study of voca­ tional interests and trends. Each student was asked to name the subject which he liked best of all.

He was also asked to name the sub­

ject which he disliked most of all.

Table I shows the

subject matter likes and dislikes which were expressed by the students*

The figures given in the columns !tLike Most11

and "Dislike Most11 represent the number of times the subject was named.

For the purpose of comparison, the results of

this study are shown according to sex.

As the number of

students having studied each particular subject is un­ known, no direct comparison between subjects is possible. The only significant basis of comparison is the ratio of like and dislike. Comparing the various subjects on the above basis, it will be seen that, in general, these subjects, English, commercial subjects, history, for girls; and mathematics,

41 science, history, mechanical drawing, for boys; are the most popular.

Some allowance must be made for the fact that a

large proportion of the other subjects in the curriculum are not required. It jwill be noted that those subjects which show the highest ratio of dislike to like are English for boys and mathematics for girls.

The dislike of the average student

for these two subjects is well known.

It will be noted that

the girls dislike mathematics in almost the same proportion as the boys like it.

The same principle is true of boys

like for science and girls dislike for this subject.

It

is interesting that all pupils, boys and girls, are divided fifty-fifty as to like and dislike of history.

This may

be due to stimulating and/or innocuous type of teaching. Some pupils showed a “life-career motive11 by selecting practical subjects over academic ones.

The girls chose com­

mercial courses and the boys shop, mechanical drawing. In conclusion, it may be said that many of the forces which are at work in the lives of boys and girls which have caused the startling conditions which have been revealed, are to be found in the high school itself, with its tra­ ditional college preparatory background, and its false em­ phasis on the so-called “cultural” and “disciplinary” subjects.

The secondary school is far from being demo­

cratized.

In practice, if not in theory, it still retains

42

TABLE I SUBJECT MATTER INTERESTS OF .*164 HIGH SCHOOL ' STUDENTS SHOWN ACCORDING TO SEX

TABLE I SUBJECT Art Commercial Dramatics Economics English Foreign Language History Home Economics Mathematics Mechanical Drawing Music Physical Education Public Speaking Science Shop

Like Most

Boys Dislike Most

2

Girls Like Most

Dislike Most

9 14

4

3 29 18 21 12 2 16 6

1 35 16 17

14

15

.6

2 28

29

1 4 6 13 2 24

4

1 5

10

18

* The sample included 82 boys and 82 girls..Note: The above table should be read thus: Of the 82 girls included in the survey, 9 listed art as their favorite subject.

43 its traditional aims and purposes, Heading,interests.of youth.

The interest which

students of high school age have in preparing themselves for a vocation should be reflected in the character of the books and magazines which they read.

To what extent are

the reading interests of young people responsible for the vocational direction of our youth?

Are purposeful and con­

structive attitudes towards the world of work developed? Although the distribution in favorite magazines is somewhat encouraging, there is little relation between the reading interests of the sample here represented and the vocational choices of this group of students.

The per­

centage of boys who chose vocations included in manufacturing and mechanical industry was not adequate to meet the needs of the country as indicated by the census reports, yet we find that mechanical magazines rank high in popularity. Undoubtedly boys are genuinely interested in mechanical things, and if it were not for the foolish prejudice which exists in American life against mechanical work, a far larger percentage of boys would have chosen occupations in the mechanical field. The character of the magazines named as most pop­ ular with high school students is superior in quality. is an encouraging sign for our democracy to have so many young citizens reading current event magazines.

Perhaps

It

44 this can be accounted for by the Tact that magazines are seldom included in the lists of required readings in high school English classes. It stands to reason picture magazines would rank highest on the list for both boys and girls.

The girls,

on the other hand, are interested in reading women’s lit­ erature, household and fashion magazines; the boys in following men’s pursuits and hobbies, mechanical, sports, and outdoor magazines.

Although a very small number of

girls in the sample named housewife as a future occupation, it is significant that so many confine their avocational reading activities to periodicals of this type.

Their

choices in reading upheld the theory that interest in me­ chanical things is lacking.in girls. In Table II the small percentage of students reading movie magazines should be noted.

Of course, all of these

pupils were seniors in high school which may have influ­ enced this finding.

The immature students would tend to

more often choose the so-called ’’glamour” type of magazine. The influence of outside activities.

Valuable

opportunities are offered the youth of today for vocational exploration and the fixation of vocational choice through the medium of organized activities for boys and girls.

To

what extent are the vocational choices of the group of high school students under consideration influenced by organized

45

TABLE II. FAVORITE MAGAZINES OF 82 BOY AND 82 GIRL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Boys

Type of Magazine Number Current Events Fashion Literary Mechanical Men1s Movie Outdoor Picture Sports Women* s

Per Cent

47

57.

14 31 8

17. 38. 9.

10 70 25

12. 86. 30.

Girls Number Per Cent 33 51 16

40. 63. 20.

9

11 •

61

74.

33

40.

Not©: The above table should be read thus: Of the total sample of 82 boys, 47 or 57$, read a current events type of magazine.

46activities outside the school? Table III is intended to shed some light upon this question.

The distribution is shown in the table, both*by

number and by percentages. It will be observed that a number of organizations which have well-developed programs of vocational guidance are represented in the table.

The Boy Scouts and Girl

Scouts of America, for example, through their merit badge programs, offer comprehensive exploratory activities for boys and girls of high school age.

The "Y11 groups have

probably done more organized work in vocational guidance than any other agency except the schpol. The small number of students mentioning hobby clubs as an outside activity indicates the school should do more work in developing hobbies.

With the increasing amount of

leisure time made available to the modern worker through a wider distribution of work and the shortening of the hours of labor, the problem of the encouragement of worthwhile and constructive hobbies in youth has become of increasing im­ portance. There are a number of significant sex comparisons to be noted.

Although athletic activities rank high with

boys they are almost non-existent with girls.

Also, re­

ligious activities are by far the greatest out of school interests for both girls and boys.

47

TABLE III OUT OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES OF 82 BOY AND 82 GIRL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Organization or type of club Y. M. C. A. Y. W. C. A. Social Fraternal Hobby Athletic Religious Boy Scouts Girl Scouts Armed ForcesReserve

Girls

Boys Number 6 9 17 9 10 17 67

Per Cent

Number

Per Cent

7 11 21 11 12 21 7

2 7 21. 16 1 40

2 9 26 20 1 49

10

12

9

Note; The above table, should be read thus: Of the entire sample of 82 boys, 6 or 1%, named participation in the Y. M. C. A.

48 The number of organizations represented in the dis­ tribution is practically the same for girls as for boys, and the opportunities for vocational exploration offered to them through the medium of outside activities- are nearly identical.

Although popular opinion is to.the contrary,

the opportunities offered the girls today are almost equal to those given to the boys. Extra-curricular activities and vocational choice. The extra-curricular activities of the large modern high school afford the student an almost unrestricted avenue of expression for his individual interests, and provide a val­ uable means of occupational tryout and exploration. It is a somewhat ironical commentary on the second­ ary school program that In Table IV “athletics11 should head the list for boys and girls and “scholastic11 should be given such a minor position. That high school boys are more interested in com­ petitive athletics than in scholarship, and in preparing , themselves for the responsibilities of life, is not a legit­ imate conclusion to be drawn, however.

Young people are

prone to strive for excellence in those things which will gain for them the largest measure of social approval and the greatest material rewards.

Since society and the

school have not placed a proper evaluation upon scholarship and the ability to think, and have failed to set up the

49

TABLE IV EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES OP 82 HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AND 82 HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS Boys

Girls

Organization

Athletic Dramatics Musical Literary Student Body Language Social Scholastic Service Forestry Girls* League

Number

Per Cent

Number

37 7 5 4 10 3 5 5 13 4

45. 9.

28 12 9 5 15 4 4 14 15

34. 15. 11. 6. 18. 5. 5. 17. 18.

14

17.

6

.

5. 12* 4. 6

. .

6 16. 5.

Per Cent

Note: The above table should be read thus* Of the total sample of boys, 37 or 45^, were active in athletic clubs; of the total sample of girls, 28 or 34^, were active in athletic organizations.

50 same recognition and rewards for brains as they have for brawn, it is no reflection upon young people that they should consider scholarship of less value and importance than athletic ability* It will be noted that the boys and girls are inter­ ested in those extra-curricular activities which give opportunity for appearing in public, and for gaining public approval.

Those activities which are their own reward

stand in little favor. In general, the extra-curricular activities for both boys and girls are rather remotely connected with the work of the world.

The three leading groups of activities--

athletics, student body groups, and service organizations-are of minor vocational importance, yet each of these trains our youth to live peacefully in working harmony with one another. There was a notable lack of "Self-Analysis” and "Explore Yourself” types of clubs designed to assist boys and girls in the selection of a vocation.

Gould it be that

this important medium of guidance has been overlooked by our secondary schools? Leisure time activities of boys and girls.

Probably

no fact concerning an individual is more revealing of his true character than is his recreational habits.

"Tell me

how you spend your leisure time, and I will tell you what

51

TABLE V LEISURE TIME ACTIVITIES OP 82 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AND 82 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS Leisure Time Activities•

Outdoor sports Reading Sewing, Knitting Build things, Work on car Music Pishing, Hunting Social Collecting Stamps, scrapbooks

Boys Number of Cases

Girls

Per Gent

39 9

47* 11.

33

40.

5 18 18 11

6. 22. 22. 13*

Number of Cases

Per Cent

37 43 46

45. 52. 56*

22

27.

20 12

24* 15.

Note: The above table should be read thus: Of the 82 boys who indicated their favorite recreation, 39 or 47$, named 11outdoor sports,!t and, 37 or 45$, of the girls indi­ cated the same favorite recreation*

52 you are."

A study of the favorite recreations of the group

of young people now under investigation cannot fail to be of considerable significance in relation to vocational choice* In the study of boys and girls who have made, a voca­ tional choice and who had also named their favorite rec­ reation, it was found that 38, or approximately one-half of the girls, and 29, or three-eighths, of the boys had named a recreation which was definitely related to their choice of occupation. The following were considered to be definitely related:

OUTDOOR SPORTS, athletic coach, recreational

director; READING-, teacher, librarian, journalist, author, secretary; SEWING-, KNITTING-, seamstress, dress designer, milliner, housewife; BUILD THINGS, WORK ON GAR, occupational therapist, mechanic, craftsman; MUSIC, music teacher, musician; PISHING, HUNTING, forest ranger, farmer, SOCIAL, actor, dancer. Pour girls out of the entire sample named no occu­ pational future, whereas eighteen boys were undecided about their plans after high school.

This proportion should.be

in reverse to-meet the needs of.our society; for at the age of twenty-five, ninety-five per cent of the entire masculine population of the United States will be in the labor force, contrasted with only twenty-five per cent of

53 the women employed at that age* Considering the fact that most recreations are not very definitely related to work of any kind, the number found in which such a relation existed was' considered to be of significance.

It would seem, therefore, that a more

detailed study of recreations is justified. Table V -shows the number of boys and girls who named the various recreational activities listed. A comparison of favorite recreations with subjectmatter interests suggests certain conclusions.

A large

portion of the boys were found to dislike English; this is substantiated by the number of boys who named reading as a leisure time activity.

In the case of the girls the cor­

relation between subject interests and favorite recreations seems to be positive.

The boys seem to be interested in

activities which are unrelated to school work. In general, the boys tend to like outdoor sports, building and repairing things, fishing, hunting, and social activities, such as, card playing, movies, dancing, dating. The* girls, however, tend to like the sedentary types of recreations, reading, sewing, knitting, music.

The high

number of girls naming outdoor sports may be influenced by the fact that the community studied was located in a beach resort area.

Many girls listed a summer sport like boating

and swimming.

Otherwise, Table V shows sex differences in

54 favorite recreations quite pronounced. Part-time employment and vocational choices of boys and girls.

Among the boys a: total of 77 were employed

part-time in twenty-four different occupations, while among the girls 71 were found to be employed part-time in thirteen different occupations.

With the exception of

newspaper delivery in the case of the boys, the most common type of work is box-boy, stock boy, delivery-errand boy in a grocery store. The fact that retail selling is so common a part-time employment is upheld by the number of girls employed in this .field,

Next in importance for the girls is baby

sitting, with twenty-eight girls securing that type of part-time work. In general, Table VI shows that part-time employment does not seem to function as a means of vocational explo­ ration, except perhaps in a negative way. Vocational choices of senior high school pupils. The distribution of vocational choices of the 164 senior high school pupils are shown in order of frequency by Table VII,

Of the group studied, only 18 boys, or twenty-

two per cent, had made no choice of vocation, while among the girls, 4, or five per cent, had made no decision. The students choices were only classified into the

55

TABLE VI PART-TIME EMPLOYMENTS OF 82 SENIOR HIGH SGHOOL BOYS AND 82 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS Boys

Girls

Part-time Employment Number Per Cent Newspaper Delivery Grocery Store Sale sman Dishwasher Gardener Drug Store Handy Man Janitor Gas Station Fountain Girl Cashier Baby Sitter Waitress Clerk Usherette Miscellaneous

27 19 10 10' 12 4 5 4 6

Number Per Cent

33. 23. 12.. 12. 15. 5. 6. 5. 7. 9 8 28 6 30 5 14

11 10 34 7 37 6 17

Note: The above table should be read thus: Of the 82 boys included in the study, 27 or 33^, indicated that they were employed part-time delivering newspapers.

56 two categories of professional and semiprofessional. majority of pupils fell into these groupings.

The

Only eight

boys, or ten per cent, could have been classified into the ' skilled and semiskilled labor groups.

Twenty girls, or

twenty-four per cent, chose secretarial jobs which may have been grouped into a skilled labor grouping. Many young people considering the choice of an occupation single out one of the professions as their goal. Not many will be able to enter these fields, however, for they give employment to only seven per cent of all workers. The whole group of "white-collar” occupations, which may be broadly interpreted to include the groups, professional and semiprofessional, administrative, clerical, and sales workers--consists of only about thirty-five per cent of all workers.

38

In contrast, the largest group in the occupational picture is the semiskilled workers, of which machine operators and truck drivers are typical examples.

Skilled

workers are the next largest group, and clerical workers the third largest ‘ group. The great concentration found in the case of the teacher is easily justified in view of the conditions 33

p • 26.

Occupational Outlook Handbooks Bulletin No. 940,

57

TABLE VII VOCATIONAL "CHOICES OF 164 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AND GIRLS IN PROFESSIONAL AND SIM IPROFESSIONAL FIELDS S emiprofes sional

Professional Teacher Engineer Nurse Architect Doctor Author Missionary Chemist Minis ter. Lawyer Journalist Occupational Therapist Osteopath Dentist C. P. A. Child Psychologist Home Economist Archeologist Librarian Consul Total

16 7 7 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 39

Artist Salesman Homemaker Business Mechanic (aviation) Forest Ranger Armed Forces Aviation Actress X-ray Technician Laboratory Technician Interpreter

Total

10 7 7 6 6 3 2 1 1 1 1 1

46

Note; The above table should be read thus: Of the 164 students in the study, those choosing professional occupations were: teacher, 16; engineer, 7.

58 existing as to teacher supply and demand in California. The same cannot be said of the number of students choosing *the future occupation*of artist. At present time there is a serious shortage of -teachers.

Shortages are greatest in kindergartens and

other primary grades in the cities and in rural elementary schools.

Not only is there a trend toward extending public

school training to the younger groups, but the rising birth rate of the past 10 years has already increased the number of teachers needed in kindergartens and primary grades.

As the greater school population moves through

the system, the need for teachers in the succeeding grades will be increased, especially since each year a high pro­ portion of children completes elementary school and high school. On the other hand, there is expected to be an in­ crease in employment of artists, yet the competition is unusually keen.

There are large numbers of partially

trained persons with only average* artistic ability seeking work and enrolling in art schools.

Many of these people

who are attempting to enter the occupation will never succeed because of their lack of talent.

In the depression

periods even the experienced artists are likely to have less work and lower earnings though the occupations in this field tend to be less affected than many others by

59 declines in general business activity. The need for a scientific program, of vocational guidance in the secondary schools is forcefully illustrated here.

To consider this problem in detail would lead far

afield from the" purpose of this study.

It may be said,

however, that !the factors- which have brought about this condition are the false social ideals and attitudes with which young people are surrounded on every hand; the vaunting ambitions of proud parents; the influence of well-meaning but academically-minded teachers.

Our society

renders only lip service to the "dignity of honest labor." Not only students, but teachers, and parents, must be brought to face the realities of life.

The' gradual

change and decline in growth in our population will soon stabilize the heed for professional workers.

We must

guide our students into the variety of 30,000 occupations from which they may choose.

We must develop in the young

people a true sense of values.

The "white-collar" com­

plex appears to result from the present academic type of secondary education and guides young people toward those professional fields in which there is little opportunity. Crystallized viewpoints exist toward occupations. Occupations at the professional level are ranked highest while those at the semiskilled and unskilled levels .of labor are ranked lowest.

Difference in sex does not appear

to affect the esteem associated with various occupations♦ These discriminations are indicative of social approval or disapproval. . The schools should initiate a movement to endow with positive -social recognition all those occupations which are necessary to our social well-being.

The first step

would be the development of an appreciation of all worth­ while occupations in teachers themselves.

The second

step would involve training individual teachers in the techniques of counselling, securing occupational infor­ mation, and interpreting labor trends.

CHAPTER V COMPARISON OP MEASURED INTERESTS AND EXPRESSED INTERESTS The students1 scores on the Kuder Preference Record were tabulated and recorded and an overall picture of the measured interests of senior high school boys and girls is given in Table VIII.

Both boys and girls appear to rank

high in mechanical interest.

Girls may rank high in this

field because they like to 11tinker with broken sewing machines,” ,fwork at a telephone switchboard,11 “build a hand loom,” or "take apart a new mechanical toy to see how it works."

Each of these activities listed is one of the

questions on the Kuder Preference Record.

It could be

said that the mechanical area of interest measures some­ thing more than repairing automobiles and building radios-activities which the layman would assume to be mechan­ ical.

Mechanical interest should be described as a curi-

ousity in principles of operation, functions of machines and tools, and a desire to work with your hands. The boys, as a^whole, measured.high in mechanical, artistic, literary, and clerical interests.

The girls

rated high in mechanical, artistic, -literary, and per­ suasive.

These interests are undoubtedly environmentally

influenced.

The community in which this study took place

rates surprisingly high in the number of college graduates

-62

TABLE VIII MEASURED INTERESTS OP 82 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS ‘ AND 82 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS Boys

Girls

First Interest

Second Interest

First Interest

Second Interest

5

6

4

2

46

5

34

26

Computational

5

4

8

7

Scientific

1

5

4

5

Persuasive

6

9

4

9

Artistic

9

20

11

11

Literary

4

20

11

5

4

1

2

Interest

Outdoor Me chanical

Musical Social Service

1

4

1

7

Clerical

3

10

7

4

Note* The .above table should be read thus* Of the 82 boys included in the study, interest in outdoor activ­ ities measured the highest with 5 boys and second highest with 6 boys.

63 per capita.

The average intelligence quotient of the

pupils in the high school surveyed is 105; consequently the results of the measured interests may be skewed in favor of cultural activities stimulated by the students1 back­ grounds.

Ninety-five ,of the one hundred and sixty-four

pupils were enrolled in college preparatory courses and expected to enroll at a university the following year. A comparison of the measured interests and ex­ pressed interests is shown graphically by Table IX.

Care­

ful analysis of this table shows a pupil who measures high in an interest also expresses this liking by participating in a similar hobby* related reading material, part-time work, clubs, and, more often than not, has chosen an occu­ pation tfithin this general field. There is a high positive comparison between meas­ ured outdoor interests and expressed outdoor interest.

Boys

of the senior high school -age are keenly engrossed in athletics and sports activities.

Their leisure time

activities may include all sorts of sports, hunting, fishing. Part-time work experiences in this field for boys are newspaper delivery and gardening*

Many clubs they may

join are organized around all major sports in school.

it

is significant that eleven boys out of twenty-three have chosen a future occupation in the outdoor area. Considering the majority of students rated high in

64

TABLE IX

A COMPARISON OF MEASURED INTERESTS AND EXPRESSED INTERESTS OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS AND GIRLS Interest Area

Subject Liked Best

23 Boys Outdoor* 16 Girls 69 Boys Mechanical^ 90 Girls 28 Boys Compu ta ti onal 33 Girls 33 Boys Persuasive 36 Girls 17 Boys Scientific 18 Girls 45 Boys Artistic 40 Girls 35 Boys Literary 32 Girls 13 Boys Musical 26 Girls 19 Boys Social Service 28 Girls 19 Boys Clerical 16 Girls

Subject Liked Least

PartLeisure Choice Time Maga­ Time Clubs of Future Hobby zines Work

0

0

17

14

16

14

11

0 17

0 0

7 33

2 25

1 36

10 8

2 23

13 12

2 3

11 0

0 0

5 2

0 4

4 8

6 2

3 0

0 4

0 0

12 5

1 18

1 8

2 5

1, 1

1 0

1 2

16 1

25 1

10 7

6 5

0 0

0 12

2 1

0 0

0 7

8 12

15 6

1 3

22 6

5 9

1 0

10 0

15 1

19 1

0 0

25 13

6 0

3 1

7 4

4 2

1 1

0 0

3 1

0 0

1 0

16 6

1 6

4 0

1 0

. :o

0

0

o.

7 1

10 1

18 2

8

0

1

0

4

2

11

Not©: The above table should be read thus; Of 23 boys who ranked high in outdoor interest, 17 had an outdoor hobby, 14 read an outdoor magazine, 16 had part-time work in this area, 14 belonged to clubs having this tendency, and 11 had chosen an occupation in the outdoor field.

65 mechanical interest it is to be expected that only two persons would name a mechanical subject as their least liked course in school*

A great number of girls measured

high in mechanical interest by the Kuder Preference Record, yet very few follow this with expressed interests.

Girls

have more mechanical tested interest than boys, but society and tradition may have kept them from participating in this field.

Custom, also, has influenced their desire to choose

a future in this area. The boys are more inclined than the girls to ex­ press their interest by reading mechanical magazines, and working with cars during their leisure time.

They belong

to clubs and participate in extra-curricular activities having a mechanical interest.

Here, again, society may

be the deciding factor in preventing girls from expressing their likes and dislikes. In the computational area boys are noted to like this type of subject in school.

A sizable number made a choice

of future work in this field.

Computational activities

would be used in engineering,, chemistry, aviation, and business• More girls than boys have used computa„tional activ­ ities in their part-time work experiences.

These girls

probably worked in jobs requiring them to have a knowledge of basic arithmetic.

Actually computational interests

66 were secondary to the job.

For example, a waitress must

know how to add a sales check.

A cashier must be able to

make the correct change. The persuasive interest of boys and girls is ex­ pressed in their participation in extra-curricular activ­ ities. , Many of the students take part in student body organizations and clubs. the boys.

The girls are more social than

They are interested in a future in this field,

which may be influenced by their exploratory experiences in this area.

A number of girls listed vacation work of

selling and clerking.

Very few boys recognized the lucra­

tive values of salesmanship although thirty-three showed a keen interest in the persuasive area. The pupils who were serious about scientific sub­ jects in school chose a similar future occupation.

The

girls tended towards nursing, occupational therapy, and dietitics.

The boys named research chemist, engineer,

and doctor. It would seem the present shortage of nurses esti­ mated to be somewhat between 40,000 to 60,000 would be a just reason for the school counselor to point out the assets and liabilities of this profession to all girls who rated high in the scientific interest field. The students who ranked high in artistic interest had a similar hobby and chose a similar future.

Next to

67

mechanical this was the second highest interest Tor boys. This high interest may be attributed to better than average ability.

Girls may be more artistic than boys because of

"the desire to improve their personal appearance, dress in fashion, decorate their rooms at home. In an unpublished analysis of a-survey conducted by the Los Angeles City Schools in 1940 it was discovered that only seven per cent of the population of that city were employed in the aesthetic field.

This per cent would

include the multiple actors, musicians, directors, artists, hired by the movie studios of Hollywood.

Would it not be

well for a teacher of the vocations unit in high school to have these facts to present to students?

The pupils do

not realize the keen competition in this field. interests may just

Their

as well be expressed in avocational

activities and their work plans directed into a more promising labor area. In the literary field, girls like to read as a past­ time.

Their cultural interests may be responsible for this,

and vice versa.

The boys show a trend away from the sed­

entary leisure time activities of reading.

Only six out

of thirty-five boys named English as their favorite sub­ ject. Musical interests are expressed in leisure time activities.

More boys like to sing and play musical

68 instruments than girls, but more girls belong to glee club, orchestra, and church choirs than do boys. The feminine desire to improve mankind and help others is shown by the number of girls who have chosen future vocations .in the,field of:social service.

Two

thirds of the girls ranking high in this interest are planning to follow such pursuits upon graduation. The social service field including its many facets, amusement, education, health, law, nutrition, personal service, personnel, public service, religion, shelter, hires twenty-nine per cent of all.women employed in Los Angeles metropolitan district alone.

Every girl seeking

work in this area should be able to find employment. The school counselor should stress to the boys that opportunities are particularly good in the social service field.

The number of administrative jobs is increasing and

men are frequently preferred for these positions.

Social

workers are not likely to be as much affected by declines in business activity as are many other occupations. It has long been a known fact that girls are more interested in office work than boys.

A large number of

the girls who ranked high in clerical interest have chosen a future in this field.

This may be caused by knowledge

of ability, vocational exploration which proved satisfactory, or by an understanding of the working conditions of cler­ ical jobs.

69

These girls have chosen wisely.

The Occupational

Outlook Handbook predicts good employment prospects in the immediate future for well-trained workers in this field with a long-run employment trend upward.

The great

majority of the workers in the clerical field are women, ninety-four per cent.^ It should be noted that those students who have a high measured interest also had an expressed interest with participation in leisure time activities, reading, parttime work, extra-curricular activities, or future choice of vocation.

It would appear that every phase of a

student’s school and home life should be -taken into con­ sideration when the counselor is helping him to analyze his abilities, interests, and temperament. Here a few cautions should be stated. be based only on passing adolescent interests.

Hobbies may It should

not hastily be concluded that a boy should be an engineer merely because he likes to 11tinker11 with the family car, •or that he has. a genuine and lasting interest in literary pursuits because he likes to write for

the school paper.

The problem is to discover which of his hobbies reflects a genuine interest.

Furthermore, a competent counselor

should determine whether the student has ability in addition

39 Ibid., p. 147.

70 to the interest necessary for successful competition with others in the field. A-'student1s claimed interests may also be useful as an indication of his vocational possibilities.

Here again

his interests should be interpreted to determine whether they are based on inadequate experience, wishful thinking, influence of family or friends, the ”white-collar illusion” or some other irrational basis.

It is almost impossible

for a student to analyze his own interests objectively and dispassionately without the help of the school coun­ selor. A competent vocational counselor use3 tests to dis­ cover what aptitudes, and how much of each, the student possesses.

With such information at hand, and

interpreted

in the light of the student1s experiences and background, the counselor may discuss the kinds of jobs in which the student may use his abilities.

The first step, then, is

one of analyzing the student through life history, tests, and interviews; the second, one-of tentatively choosing, from among the many fields', where the revealed aptitudes' and interests can be employed most effectively.

The final

vocational choice of a specific job within* a field can be made usually only after experience, maturity, and observation have yielded the answer.

CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Enlightened educators all over the country are beginning to realize the need and importance of helping youth analyze, choose, train for, and progress in an appro priate occupation.

Therefore, many tools have been de­

veloped to aid the counselor in understanding the pupil. The most important of these to date' have been vocational interest and aptitude tests. Vocational interest tests should be supplemented by a careful study of the pupilfs expressed and partic­ ipated interests.

All interests, measured and expressed,

are not the final word but a point of departure in voca­ tional guidance.

Actual ability will, in the long run,

determine the type of work for which the individual is fitted.

Measured and expressed interests help channel

the guidance steps. This experiment, introduced into Woodrow Wilson High School of,Long Beach, during the school year of 19491950, dealt specifically with the problem of comparing students1 interest scores with their actual likes and dis­ likes.

An effort was made to determine if a pupil!s

participation record in and out of school could be used by the adviser as reliable data for guidance purposes. It is hoped that the presentation will be of value

72 to the reader for varied and individual reasons.

Every

effort was made to present the material accurately, con­ cisely, and clearly that no unnecessary time nor effort need be expended in the reading.

Possibly the facts learned

from this limited sampling may form a basis of comparison with similar problems.

The greatest desire of the writer

is that this study may bring about a more definite reali­ zation among administrators and teachers of the need for knowing their pupils individually in order to guide and direct them more efficiently. In order to determine the expressed interests of students a questionnaire was devised asking for the pupils to list their bes/t liked subjects, least liked subject, favorite magazine, extra-curricular activities, part-time work experiences, and choice of future occupation.

The

answers of the questionnaire were analyzed separately and then were compared with the students’ test scores in the ten areas of the Kuder Preference Record. Conclusions.

Prom the study of. the measured and

expressed interests of senior high school students the following conclusions were evolved: 1. Nearly five times out of ten the student’s choice of a vocation was directly in line with his favorite study in school. 2. The subjects which showed the highest ratio of

73

dislike to like are English for boys and mathematics for girls. 3. There is some relation between the reading inter­ ests of the sample here presented and the vocational choices of this group of students. 4. The character

of the magazines named as most

popular with high school students is superior in quality. 5. The girls are interested in reading women!s magazines; the boys in following men1s pursuits, mechanical, sports and outdoor magazines. 6. The small number

of students mentioning hobby

clubs as an outside activity indicates the school should do more work in developing hobbies

and leisure time

activities. 7. There are significant sex comparisons.

Athletic

Clubs rank high with boys, although they are almost non­ existent with girls. 8. Religious activities are by far the greatest out.of school interests for girls and boys. 9. Boys and girls a.re interested .in those extra-

-

curricular activities which give opportunity for appearing in public, for gaining public approval. 10.

In general, the extra-curricular activities of

both boys and girls are rather remotely connected with the work of the world.

The three leading groups of

activities--athletics, student body groups, and service

74 organizations--are of minor -vocational importance, yet each of these trains our youth to live peacefully in working harmony with one another. 11.

A comparison of favorite recreations with sub­

ject matter interests suggests that girls possess similar 41 • * ►" subject matter interests and recreational interests, and boys seem to be interested in activities which are unre­ lated to school work. 12.

The majority of studentsboth boys and girls,

chose a future vocation in the professional and semiprofessional fields. The need for a scientific program of vocational guidance is realized in studying the vocational choices of students.

Students today usually make their choices un­

aware of the existing labor market or future trends of employment. 13.

A knowledge of students1 hobbies, reading

interests, part-time work experiences, extra-curricular activities, and participation in out of school organi­ zations, helps the counselor to complete the vocational interest picture. interests.

Expressed interests complement measured

They are a noteworthy factor which must be

considered by every school counselor. In conclusion, considering the large number of students who expect to find employment in the professional fields, it follows that the secondary school is educating

75

boys and girls away from the work which they must in­ evitably do in the world rather than for it.

Young people

are not free to choose vocations wisely when a few occu­ pations are placed in high regard and the majority are. looked on with contempt. Youth must be taught that the true distinction and honor in any occupation is the spirit of service, and devotion to one1s ideals and convictions.

The class dis­

tinctions that have been set up in the occupational world are purely artificial.

One occupation is not better than

another; it is only different.

If the same amount of

training were required and if the same fees were paid an automobile mechanic as to a physician, there would be little social distinction between them. Other factors which have brought about this con­ dition are the false social ideals and attitudes with which young people are’surrounded on every hand; the ambitions of fond parents; the influence of well-meaning school teachers; the lack of professionally-trained, vocationallyminded counselor in the schools.' Much of this problem could be solved if schools would endeavor to introduce many occupational fields to the pupils.

Our schools should develop a program of voca­

tional exploration.

Extra-curricular clubs could be

organized around the ten areas tested by the Kuder Pre­ ference Record.

These clubs would help the individual

76 actually test his measured interest in science, music, outdoor activities.

Membership in such a club would be a

trial and error experience.

The enrollment should be

flexible, and if the student finds he dislikes those .activities he could apply for entrance into another club and continue his exploration. All teachers could acquaint students with the voca­ tional avenues leading from their courses which the pupils have a fair chance of following.

For example, the science

teacher in his semester work would include information about men, materials, machines, and processes arising from a knowledge of the course; biographical information about men and women who have used the course to prepare for a life career; instructional tours; visual aids; fictional reading.

Attention should be focused on the importance

of a wise vocational choice, the part ability and interests play in achieving occupational success.

The final test

would be to encourage the student to obtain some paid work experience in the area of his choice. In all .of this the“teacher and/or counselor would be the guiding influence.

It remains for someone to

coordinate the thinking of the.pupil.

The results of all

tests must be interpreted and analyzed to give the in­ dividual a working understanding of himself. In view of the findings of this study all phases of a pupil1s development must be weighed and considered.

Expressed interests, as well as measured interests, offer insight into possible vocational trends of the student. More studies should be done in this field in larger schools, diversified communities and different regions of the country.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. BOOKS Allen, Frederick J., Principles and Problems in Vocational Guidance. New York: Tbe McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1927. 390 pp. Baker, John C., et al, On Going Into Business. The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1936.

New York: 233 pp.

Bedford, James H., Vocational Interests of Secondary School Students. Los Angeles* Society for Occupational Research, Ltd., 1938. 140 pp. Bingham, Walter Van Dyke; Aptitudes and Aptitude Testing. New York; Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1937. 390 pp Bloomfield, Meyer, Readings in Vocational Guidance. Boston; Ginn and Company, 1915. 723 pp. Brewer, John Mark, Cases in the Administration of Guidance. New York; The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1929. 304 pp. _____ , Education as Guidance. Company, 1932. 668 pp.

New York;

The Macmillan

Clarke, Harry Newton, Life Planning and Building. Scranton Pennsylvania* International Tex tbook Press, 1940. 251 pp. Fryer, Douglas, The Measurement of Interests. Henry Holt and Company, 1931. 488 pp.

New York;

Gallagher, Ralph P., Courses and Careers. New York; and Brothers, 1930. ?C4 pp.

Harper

Hamrin, Shirley A. and Erickson, Clifford E., Guidance in the Secondary School. New York; D. Appleton-Century Company, 1939. 465 pp. * Jones, Walter B., editor, Basic Units for an Introductory Course.in Vocational Guidance. New York: The McGrawHill Book Company, Inc., 1931. 194 pp. Keller, Franklin Jefferson and Viteles, Morris S., Voca­ tional Guidance Throughout the World. New York; W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1937. 194 pp. Kitson, Harry Dexter, Finding a Job During the Depression. New York: Robert C. Cook Company, 1933. 32 pp.

80 , How to Find the Right Vocation. New York- The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., T933. 214 pp. ______, HOw to Find the Right Vocation. New York; The McGraw-HillBook Company, Inc., 1938. 202 pp. _____ I Find My Vocation. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1937. 227 pp. * ____ , Psychology of Vocational Ad jus tment. J. B. LippincoH Company, 1925. 2^3 pp.

Philadelphia: *

, Vocational Guidance Through the Library. American Library Association, 1932. 31 pp.

Chicago:

Koos, Leonard V., and Grayson N. Kefauver, Guidance in Secondary Schools. New York* The Macmillan Company, 1932. 640 pp. Kuder, G. Frederic, Manual for Kuder Preference Record. Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1949. 31 pp. Lee, Edwin A., Objectives and Problems of Vocational Edu­ cation. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1928. 451 pp. Lockhart, Earl Granger, My; Vocation. New York: Brothers Publishers, 1935. 3H1 pp.

Harper &

Logie, Iona M. R., Careers in the Making. New York: & Brothers Publishers, 1938. 334 pp.

Harper

Macrae, Angus, Talents and Temperaments; Psychology of Vocational Guidance. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1933. 211 pp. Merton, Holmes W., How to Choose the Right Vocation. New York: Three Series Press, 1938. 309 pp. Myer, Walter E. and Closs, Clay, The Promise of Tomorrow. Washington, D. C.: Civic Education Service, 1938. 541 pp. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bulletin No. 940. Washington, D. C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1948. 435 pp. Parker,'Willard E. and Mayer, D. H., editors, Bibliography of Occupational Information. New York: National Occupational Conference, 1934. 402 pp.

Parsons, ]/rank, Choosing a Vocation. Mifflin Company, 190H. 165 pp.

Boston:

Houghton

Platt, Hutherford Hayes, The Book of Opportunities. York: G. P. Putnams* Sons, 1933. 479 pp.

New

Presidents Advisory Committee, Report of the Committee. Washington, D. C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1938. 243 pp. Ream, M. J., Ability to Sell: Its relation to Certain Aspects of Personality and Experience. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1924. 64 pp. Reilly, William J., How to Find and Follow Your Career. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1936. 161 pp. Sparling, E. JV, Do College Students Choose Vocations Wisely? Teachers College Contributions to Education 561, Teachers College, Bureau of Publications, Columbia University, New York, 1933. 110 pp. Strong* Jr., Edward K., Manual for Vocational Interest Blank. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, T^SO. 11 pp. ______ , Vocational Interests of Men and Women. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1948. 746 pp. Thorndike, E. L., Adult Interests. New York: millan Company, 1935. 335 pp.

The Mac­

White House Conference on Child Health and Protection, Report of the Committee on Guidance and Child Labor. New York* The Century Company, 1932. 604 pp. ^Williamson, E. G., How to Counsel Students. New York; McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1939. 526 pp. *

, Students and Occupations. and Company, 19371 437 ppT

New York:

Henry Holt

B. PERIODICAL ARTICLES Cory, Stephen M., ”A Neglected Aspect of Vocational Guid­ ance,” School and Society, 42:44-46, September 21, 1935.

82 Carter, H. D* and Jones, M* C., "Vocational Attitude Patterns in High School Students," Journal of Educational Psychology, 29*321-334, May, 1938* Carter, H. D. and Taylor, K. von P., "Strong Vocational Choices and Interest Test Scores of High School Students," Journal of Psychology, 11*297-306, April, 1941 . Bowman, D. 0., "For What Shall the College Man Train?", Journal of Higher Education, 7:433-436, November, 1936. Barley, John G., and Kathleen McConnon Darley, "The Key­ stone of Curricular Planning," Journal of Higher Edu­ cation, 8*18-26, January, 1937. Fryer, Douglas, "Intelligence and Interest in Vocational Adjustment: A Statistical Study," Pedagogical Sem­ inary, 30*127-132, June, 1923. , "Predicting Abilities from Interests," Journal of Applied Psychology, 11:212-225, No. 3, 1927. Harris, D ., "Factors Affecting College Grades: A Review of the Literature," Physiological Bulletin, 37:125-166, March, 1940. Hirsch, N. D. M., "Relationship between Interests, Ability, and Self-Estimated Ability Among Maladjusted Boys," Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 34:395-399, July, 1939. Miner, J.1 B., "An Aid to the Analysis of Vocational Inter­ ests," Journal of Educational Research. 5*311-323, April, 1922. , "An Analysis of Vocational Interests," Review, 33:744-754, December, 1925.

School

Moore, B. V., "A Tested Method of Using Tests for Voca­ tional Guidance," School and Society, 18:761-764, December, 1923. Proctor, W. M., "Psychological, Educational and Vocational Guidance of High School Pupils," Journal of Edu­ cational Research Monograph, No. 1, Bloomington, Illinois: Public School Publishing Company, June, 1923. 125 pp.

83 Rose, Wallace, ,fA Comparison of Relative Interests in Occupational Groupings and Activity Interests as Measured by the Kuder Preference Record," Occupations, 26:302-307, February, 1948. Rosander, A. C., "Age and Sex Patterns of Social Attitudes," Journal of Educational Psychology, 30:481-496, October, 1939. Lehman, H. G., and Paul A. Witty, "One More Study of Per­ manence of Interests," Journal of Educational Psych­ ology, 22:481-492, October, 1931. Sisson, E. Donald, "Vocational Choices of College Students," School and Society, 46*765-768, December, 1937. Taylor, K. von'F., "Reliability and Permanence of Voca­ tional Interests of Adolescents," Journal of Experi­ mental Education, 11:81-87, September, 1942. The Fortune Survey, "A Self-Portrait of Youth: Fortune, 26:8-18, December, 1942.

Part II,"

Thorndike,^E. L., "The Permanence of Interests and their Relation to Abilities," Popular Science Monthly, 81:449-456, November, 1912. Welsh, Maryon K., "The Ranking of Occupations on the Bases of Social Status," Occupations, 27:237-241, January, 1949. C. BULLETINS, PAMPHLETS, AND PUBLICATIONS OF LEARNED ORGANIZATIONS Menninger, K. A., "Work as a Sublimation," Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 7:170-182, November, 1942. National Vocational Guidance Association, Principles and Practices of Vocational Guidance, Cambridge: Bureau of Vocational Guidance, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, 1931. 126 pp.

84 D. UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Darley, John G., “Student Personnel Work in the General College,11 in Report on Problems in the General College» Minneapolis: ' University of Minnesota, March, 1936. Pp. 46-47. (Mimeograph).

APPENDIX

86

NAME What study do you like best? What study do you dislike most? Do you plan to finish high s c h o o l ? ______ Circle the course you are taking: Commercial Vocational Homsmaking Agriculture College Preparatory General Course What are your three favorite magazines? 1 , ____ 2|___________________________ 3*________ __ What school activities or clubs do you take part in?

What clubs or other organizations outside of school do you take part in?

What do you like to do most when you have spare time? List hobbies*

What part time or full time jobs have you held?

What is your choice of life work?

Why did you make this choice?