An evaluation by mail questionnaire of services at a veterans guidance center

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AN EVALUATION BY MAIL QUESTIONNAIRE OE SERVICES AT A VETERANS GUIDANCE CENTER

A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School The University of Southern California

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts

by John Edward Westeen June' 1950

UMI Number: EP64003

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This thesis, w ritten by

John Edward Westeen under the guidance of h.X-.P... F a c u lty Comm ittee, and approved by a l l its members, has been presented to and accepted by the C ouncil on G ra duate Study and Research in p a r t ia l f u l f i l l ­ ment of the requirements f o r the degree of

Master of Arts

Faculty Committee

arman

TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I.

PAGE

THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED. . . The problem

• • • • • • • . «

Statement of the problem Importance of the study Definitions of terms used

III. IV.

•

• • • • • . * * •

1 1

...........

2

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

4

Vocational guidance

• • • • • • • • • •

4

Vocational counseling

•

4

Vocational advisement

...

...

Counselee, client, claimant II.

1

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

........

•

4

. ♦

4

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

6

DESCRIPTION OF THE VETERANS GUIDANCE CENTER . .

14

THE MATERIALS USED AND GROUPS STUDIED

....

21

. . . . . . . .

21

The questionnaire

Method of sampling and other technical matters V.

« • • • • • • • . • • • « • • • •

25

DESCRIPTION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS . . .

28

Discussion of item results of both groups • •

30

Summary and discussion of questions and. comments on items thirteen andfourteen

• •

38

Significance and interpretation of inter­ item and inter-individual comparisons with P. L. 346 group

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

42

CHAPTER VI.

PAGE

SUMMARY.AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . .

BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX

. .

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

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

. . . . .

50 53. 55

LIST OP TABLES TABLE

PAGE

I. Influence of Intelligence as a Factor in Satisfaction with Vocational Guidance Giving Percentages of Responses to Each Category (Gordon)

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

11

II. Numbers and Percentages of Questionnaires Returned by P. L. 16 and P. L. 346 Groups

• «

29

III* Analysisnof Responses to Each Category of Questionnaire Items by P* L* 16 and P* L. 346 Groups and Significance of Differences Between Groups IV*

•

• • • • • •

Frequency with Which Categories on Item Twelve were Checked by Both Groups

V*

* * * * *

36

Percentage of Checks in Each Category on Item Twelve for Both Groups

VI.

32

• * • • • • • • •

37

Correlations Between Individual Items and Total Questionnaire for P. L. 346 Group Using Satisfaction Point Scores

VII.

• • • • • • «

46

Frequency Table of Point Scores of One Hundred Thirty Six P. L. 346 Questionnaires........

47

v:. TABLE VIII.

PAGE Summary Table of Computations in Finding Significance of Difference in Means of Line Check Values Between P. L. 16 and P. L. 346 Groups. • • • • • • • • • • • • •

IX.

55

Summary Table of Computations in Finding Significance of Difference in Point Scores Between P. L. 346 Respondents Answering All Items and Those Not Answering All Items

gg

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED The establishment of veterans guidance centers by the Veterans Administration at the close of the war caused great expansion of psychological techniques of vocational guidance* As of May 1, 1947, approximately 292,000 veterans applying for rehabilitation training were required to go through this advisement process and some ninety thousand other veterans voluntarily elected to be interviewed and tested in the hope that they would then be better able to choose a suitable vocation#-*-

The task of carrying out this program has been

handled almost entirely by colleges and universities.

Because

it was in colleges and universities that vocational guidance was originally developed only a few years ago, this program of the Veterans Administration became a valid as well as severe test of T/tfiat vocational guidance could accomplish# I.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the problem#

The.purpose of this study

1 This information was obtained for the writer by a V.A* Training Officer through a telephone call to the V.A* Regional Office. Because these figures do not appear in any V.A. publication (in the form of cumulative monthly totals), the Regional Office in Los Angeles secured the information from V.A* Headquarters in Washington by telegram.

2 was to find out as accurately and objectively as possible how well one veterans guidance center was performing its function of providing vocational guidance to those veterans coming to it*

Specifically, it was hoped that useful information might

be obtained relevant to the following points (1 ) present activity and goals of the claimants; guidance experience;

(2 ) attitudes toward the

(3) attitudes toward the Center and to­

ward the counselor; and (4) opinions with respect to weaknesses and possible ways the service might be improved* Importance of the study*

At the time this study was

begun, the guidance center selected for study had been in operation about eighteen months and no organized effort had been made to evaluate its services. effort should be made.

It was felt that such an

The director and his staff were eager

to know of ways in which the service might be improved# Because the Center 1 s methods .-.were considered basically repre­ sentative of current guidance techniques it was believed in­ formation obtained about the Center’s services would be relevant to an evaluation of vocational guidance in general* In this study the primary criteria for evaluation were the personal, private feelings of the counselees regarding the various aspects of the service.

There are no reports in

the literature of a similar approach to the problem.

3 The writer believes that the work of Carl Rogers

o

and

others in the development of iron-directive counseling prin­ ciples .with its emphasis on recognition, acceptance, and clarification of feelings provides abundant justification for an evaluation of vocational guidance usings feelings as criteria# Rogers

3

includes vocational guidance among the counseling

activities where non-directive techniques should be used* Briefly, the attitude of non-directive counselors is that the importance of emotions in governing behavior cannot be ignored in the guidance situation any more than in any counseling situation*

Advice, even when bolstered by test

data, will be of little value to a counselee if it runs con­ trary to drives and ambitions.

Failure to recognize and ac­

cept a counseleefs feelings seems certain to cause dissatisfac­ tion, even though it may be vague.

It was felt that a ques­

tionnaire which emphasized feelings would reflect even vague feelings.

Thus, the questions of accuracy of test results

and advice were bypassed to get at the more basic matter of what the counselee got out of his advisement.

2

Carl R. Rogers, Counseling and Psychotherapy Houghton Mifflin, 1942>♦ 3

(Boston:

Carl R. Rogers* "Psychometric Tests and ClientCentered Counseling,* Educational and Psychological Measure­ ment, 6:141-144, 1946.

4 II.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED

Vocational guidance.

There are many ways by which

persons are influenced by others in their choice of a voca­ tion.

^he term vocational guidance, as used in this study,

refers to a process of discussion between a counselor and a counselee in which the counselee is aided in his consideration of vocational possibilities.

The counselor is trained in the

use of psychological tests of intelligence, interests, person­ ality, special aptitudes, and achievement. knowledge of jobs and job requirements,

He also possesses

Tn brief, the guidance

process begins with the gathering of Information about the counselee, continues with the administration of appropriate tests, interpretation of test information to the counselee, and concludes with assistance in the consideration and tenta­ tive selection of vocational objectives.

The guidance process

as conducted at the Center is described at length in Chapter III. Vocational counseling.

This term is used synonymously

with the term vocational guidance. Vocational advisement.

This is the official term of

the Veterans Administration and is used synonymously with the term vocational guidance♦ Counselee, client, claimant.

These terms all refer to

5 the person being counseled and are used synonymously with the exception that the term Claimant is an official V. A. term and refers only to those veterans who have made a claim upon the V. A. for benefits.

Vocational advisement and training

are among the benefits for which claim may be made*

CHAPTER II REVIEW OP THE LITERATURE At the time this study is written there are no reports in psychological or educational literature of evaluation by questionnaire of vocational guidance,

‘ ^here are no reports

of evaluation by direct questionning of counselees*

A brief

summary, of the results of studies using other methods will be given.

The studies reviewed are not just representative;

they appear to be the only studies evaluating vocational guidance as the process is defined in this study. Williamson and Parley-*- made a study on 130 men and sixty-five women students at the University of Minnesota who took vocational guidance at the University’s student testing bureau.

They compared those who followed the counseling re­

commendations ’’wholly,1’ ’’partly,” and ’’not at all,” on the basis of the following criteria of adjustment; 1*

Student is satisfied with his vocational adjust­

ment as to date of the follow-up interview. 2.

The interviewer’s judgment.

3.

Alleviation of distracting factors which interfere

with vocational choice.

Work

**• E. 0. Williamson and J. G. Parley, Student Personnel (New York; McGraw Hill Book Co., 193,777^

4.

Achievement in a given training program to limits

of aptitudes and interests as measured by tests and honor point ratio* Results: No change

Satisfactory

Less Satisfactory

*

Wholly

91

2

2.

Partly

48

14

3.

Hot at all

3

14

20

142

30

24

1

Total

1

94

3

65 37 196

Within the limits of the validity of the criteria of adjustment this study seems to demonstrate clearly the value of vocational guidance in a university,

The authors admitted,

however, that those in the "not at all1* group did not ignore the recommendations from choice; reasons to follow the advice.

they were unable for various

It seems reasonable that under

these conditions they would be less motivated to succeed, especially if parental domination were the reason for their not following the recommendations.

This would not in Itself

disprove the value of vocational guidance, but would certain­ ly account in part for the difference in adjustment rating.

p

Edward L. Thorndike^ made a ten year follow-up study

^ E. L. Thorndike, "Prediction of Vocational Success," Institute of Educational Research, Teachers College, Columbia University, Oxford University Press, 1934.

8 of persons taking vocational guidance tests.

It is reported

here more because of its familiarity than its value, in the present author1s opinion. The study consisted of a ten year follow-up of 2,156 cases all given tests of clerical activities, mechanical assembly, clerical aptitude, arithmetic and reading.

The

scores on these tests were adjusted statistically to a base year of fourteen and in the follow-up the two criterion periods of ages eighteen to twenty, and twenty to twenty-two were used.

The occupational status at that time was grouped

into clerical, mechanical, mixed, and professional.

The

criteria of vocational success were financial earning, level of work achieved, and interest in the work done. The inadequacy of this fourfold occupational classifi­ cation becomes apparent in consideration of the complete heterogeneity of the jobs included in each. included in the mechanical group.

Even boxers were

There was inadequate knowl­

edge of the capacities required on the various jobs and the tests in the battery were entirely too few to measure the capacities involved.

The criterion of financial earning is

an especially unreliable one, fluctuating from time to time and place to place. All the correlations between the test battery and the criteria are of a very low order.

For example, for the

clerical worker the correlations of earnings was .26, for

9 level of job *2 1 , and for interest in the job *1

0

.

The techniques in vocational guidance have improved so much in the past fifteen years that this study, even if per­ fectly valid, would have little significance for the present time* A study was made at the Adjustment Service of the New York American Association for Adult Education by Emma Seipp^ of one hundred clients who took vocational guidance*

The

criteria of the success of guidance was the extent to which the client left the agency with a definite program of adjust­ ment and the extent to which they followed it.

Judgment of

this was made on the basis of personal contacts, letters, telephone calls, reports on attendance in training classes and a questionnaire.

She states that a “large portion 11 of the

outlined programs centered about specific vocational goals such as shipping room clerk, beauty culture, and aid condition­ ing.

With such relatively pin point counseling it is rather

unusual that the results were as positive as they were* Results: Degree of adjustment Satisfactory Unsatisfactory No report or no guidance

Men 34 18 2 ~54

Women 23 18 5 46

Total 57 36 7 100

^ Emma Seipp, !,A Study of 100 Clients of the Adjust­ ment Service,” Report IX of the Adjustment Service Series, American Association for llcfalt Education, Ifew York, 193£>*

10 It is apparent to anyone engaged in vocational guidance that the possibilities for helping persons of superior intelli­ gence are far greater than for helping those with below average intelligence*

The difference increases toward both extremes

of the intelligence scale*

In evaluating guidance by react­

ions of counselees, the question arises whether the difference exists in feelings of satisfaction between the two groups.

A

study by Gordon4 using an adaptation of the writer’s question­ naire was conducted a few months after the present study at the same guidance center*

He attempted to discover differences

in satisfaction with counseling in persons of superior and in­ ferior intellectual ability using the A.C.E* college aptitude test as the criterion of intelligence* study are presented in Table I* the result he expected*

The results of his

As may be seen, he obtained

Due to his inclusion of a middle,

’’uncertain,11 category for responses, his results are not directly comparable with the results of the present study* The factor of intellectual level was not controlled in the writer’s study and so cannot be used to interpret or ex­ plain any of the results*

The writer believes that Gordon’s

finding reflects primarily the knownfact that the most success­ ful guidance is done with persons whose range of vocational

4 Bruce R* Gordon, ’’Intelligence: A Neglected Factor in Vocational Guidance,” (unpublished Master’s thesis, Univ. of Southern California, 1949)*

11

TABLE I INFLUENCE OF INTELLIGENCE AS A FACTOR IN SATISFACTION WITH VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE GIVING PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSES TO EACH CATEGORY (GORDON) PERCENTILE GROUPS ON A.C.E. COLL­ EGE APTITUDE TEST 6-25~‘ %lTe ' 75-100 file AGREE %

? %

DIS-

AGREE

AGREE %

? %

%

1*1 feel I know more about the type of work I would be happiest doing.

52

DIS-

AGREE %

17

31

70

12

18

2.1 feel that enough time 65 was spent with me.

13

22

79

6

15

3.1 feel that the counse56 lor was truly interested in me. 4.1 feel that I bene35 fitted from the job infor­ mation made available to me. 5.1 feel I would recommend83 the counseling service to others. 6.1 feel that I know more 70 about my abilities. 7. I feel the test results61 were presented to me in such a way that I could clearly understand them.

35

9

84

11

5

30

35

41

31

28

13

4

94

4

2

13

17

78

8

14

17

22

84

6

10

22

26

59

21

20

4

74

11

12

77

8.1 feel I am more sure of52 my plans in the future. 9.1 feel dissatisfied with counseling results.

22

12 possibilities is not restricted by such an important handicap as low intelligence.

The most important implication of his

results is that advisement with persons of different intellec­ tual capacities should be adapted to the intellectual level* The basic goal of clarifying feelings and ambitions should be paramount with all eounselees, but different tools and modifi­ cation of techniques are needed* This problem is similar to that of differences between counseling mTith men and with women.

An example of this simi­

larity is illustrated by restrictions on vocational possibili­ ties faced by women.

The reasons for these restrictions are

completely different than for low intelligence, but their in­ fluence in the advisement process is similar. Restrictions of any kind upon the vocational possibi­ lities open to any individual whether based on intellectual capacity, sex, skin color, or whatever, are potential sources of frustration to that person, and incidentally, potential causes of dissatisfaction with guidance. These restrictions are felt by most counselors*

To

what extent the counselor accepts them depends on his social, economic, political, and religious convictions.

It is not,

of course, simply a matter of how a counselor openly advises. Counselees are quick to sense how a counselor feels about such" things.

Whether or not a counselor should encourage accept­

ance or rejection of a restriction must be decided by each

13 counselor for himself.

It should be decided in each situation

separately. For those counselors who favor the non-directive prin­ ciples of counseling, this is not such a problem.

They need

only guard against revealing their own feelings in their attempts to understand, accept, and clarify the counseleefs feelings.

CHAPTER III DESCRIPTION OF THE VETERANS GUIDANCE CENTER The Veterans Guidance Center at which this study was conducted is operated by the University of Southern California in Los Angeles tinder a contract with the Veterans Administra­ tion# The Guidance Center staff consists of both University and Y. A. personnel who share the duties and responsibilities of operation*

The Y. A* personnel are under the direction of

a man with the title of Chief, Advisement and Guidance Section# He is responsible for execution of all V#A. poliey and pro­ cedure.

He or an assistant must interview all veterans re­

questing advisement and determine their eligibility for this service.

He also must approve all vocational objectives re­

commended for eaeh veteran by a counselor.

In the case of a

Public Haw 16 (rehabilitation applicant! veteran who is found to be technically "not in need" under the law, the Chief or his assistant must personally inform the veteran of the decision.

The Chief and his assistant are also available to

the counselors for help in the advisement of any veteran# In addition to the Chief and his assistant, there is a training officer who is at the Center part-time to help coun­ selors with problems relating to institutional and on-theJob-training.

15 The University personnel include a director, a senior counselor, counselors, psychometrists, and clerks. The director is responsible for the selection and super­ vision of University personnel, the establishment of policies and their execution.

He is directly responsible to the

University*s Coordinator of Veteran Affairs. The senior counselor, or supervisor, is in close con­ tact with the director and with the counselors at all times. He interviews all veterans coming to the Center, determines what kind of assistance or information they are seeking, and if it is advisement they want, he explains the counseling pro­ cess to them, arranges for V.A. personnel to determine their eligibility for advisement, and introduces them to the coun­ selor who will work with them. The number of counselors depends upon the case load. The average number of veterans receiving advisement at this Center each month is about 275.

Each counselor has a case

load of one person for every four hours.

This means ten

persons each week for counselors on a full time basis. counselors work forty hours a week. half-time basis.

Hot all .

Many are employed on a

The average number of counselors is about

twelve. All routine testing is done by p s y c h o m e t r i s t s T h e

^ Occasionally counselors will personally administer special clinical tests when they feel it desirable to do so. Such tests do not become part of the advisement record.

16 number of psychometrists also depends on the case load;

nor­

mally the equivalent of six full time psychometrists are em­ ployed. The rest of the staff includes receptionists, a librarian for the library of occupational information, and clerk-typists. The Guidance Center is located in a former public school building very near the U.S.C. campus. entire third floor of the building.

The Center occupies the The floor contains four

large classrooms, a small office, and a central area at the head of the stairs which serves as a waiting room.

Two of the

large rooms are partitioned into small offices for the counsel­ ors, one is used for testing, and the fourth contains all ad­ ministrative offices. The guidance process as it is done at the U.S.C. Guidance Center, and more or less as it is done at all Veterans Guidance offices, may perhaps best be described by telling what happens to a veteran from the time he first walks up the stairs until he leaves after his final interview. A veteran, upon reaching the third floor, usually pauses for breath and looks for someone who can help him.

The sign

over the door of the information office catches his eye and he goes in.

The receptionist greets him and ascertains whether

he wants to wtake the test1* or if he should be directed to some other veteran facility.

17 Assuming this veteran wants guidance and the Center does not have a waiting list that day, the receptionist will see that he is introduced to the senior counselor.

The

senior counselor attempts to learn what is the nature of the veteran’s problem, and briefly describes the advisement pro­ cess.

Either before or just after this interview, the V.A.

Chief determines the m a n ’s eligibility for advisement.

This

is a necessary step because the University will receive pay­ ment for counseling a veteran only if he is eligible to re­ ceive advisement.

If eligible, he signs a small piece of paper

and from then on is referred to as a claimant by every one at the Center. After his brief interview by the senior counselor, the claimant is introduced to the counselor who will work with him to the completion of his advisement.

If possible, the

counselor best able to understand claimant’s problem and help him to a solution is selected. The beginning of the first counseling interview is spent finding out why the claimant came in and what he hopes to learn about himself.

Usually this is.best done by letting

the person talk freely until he stops and waits for questions. During this hour information is gathered about the claimant’s background:

his family, education, work experience, and

service experience. When the claimant’s reasons for coming have been

18 clarified, a series of tests is recommended which will, to­ gether with all other information, help him to answer ques­ tions about himself and the world of work.^

At the close of

the interview an appointment is made for a second interview to be held after the claimant has completed his tests.

Any

appointments for special tests are also made at this time and the claimant is taken into the testing room and introduced to the psychometrist at the desk. Claimant is free to take the tests whenever he can come in and to complete them at his convenience. In the second interview the goal is a decision upon the most suitable course of action. which is seldom achieved.

This is, of course, an ideal

The test results are interpreted

and tentative objectives are evaluated in light of test infor­ mation.

In those instances where one or more objectives are

supported by the tests and counselors considered opinion, there is usually no serious problem. exist -- financial, etc. —

Such problems as may

are not the kind which can be

handled within vocational guidance. In those cases where there is a conflict between claim­ ant’s ambitions and his interests or abilities, as measured by

^ A copy of the counselor’s test check sheet (V.A. Form 7-19026) is Included in the Appendix. This sheet lists nearly all of the tests most frequently used.

19 tests, the course of action is determined by claimants re­ actions.

Although the aim of the counselor is to promote

acceptance of test findings, if claimant is unable to relin­ quish his ambitions, this must be accepted and no objectives are agreed upon*

In the great majority of cases some object­

ives can be agreed upon.

Often these are jobs on a lower

level than those to which claimant aspires.

For example, if

a claimant declares an ambition to be an accountant or even a C.P.A*, he will usually agree to the job of bookkeeper as a suitable intermediate objective*

Counselors, of course, differ

considerably in their treatment of these situations*

Some are

strongly directive while others tend toward non-directiveness* The procedure with claimants applying for rehabilitation training under Public Law 16 is different in several important ways*

One of these results from the requirement that need for

rehabilitation be established. steps:

This involves the following

First, it must be found that claimant is physically

unable because of a service connected disability to pursue any of the kinds of work he engaged in before entering service* Next, a suitable objective for which training is feasible must be found.

This step is substantially the same as the advise­

ment process for other claimants*

The main difference lies in

the lesser freedom of choice, for the rehabilitation applicants objective is subject to the approval of his counselor and the Veterans Administration.

When an objective has been selected

20 and approved, the claimant is assigned to a,V*A. training officer who supervises his placement in a training institu­ tion and follows his progress while in training* Counselors usually do not see the claimant after the interview in which the objective or objectives are selected unless a special question arises or perhaps the veteran returns to seek further information in the occupational library* Completion of 'the case involves a written summary of what happened, approval of the case by V.A. personnel, miscell­ aneous paper work, and transfer of the case to the V.A* region­ al offices. The library of occupational information, already men­ tioned, contains job descriptions and, to some extent, employment possibilities, filed by code numbers from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

Catalogues from education­

al institutions are filed according to name or kind of training offered*

CHAPTER IV THE MATERIALS USED AND GROUPS STUDIED ■r The questionnaire#

1

The questionnaire consisted tof ..

fifteen items and an individually addressed covering letter explaining the purpose of the questionnaire.

Claimants were

urged to give frank* personal opinions and were assured that their names were not desired. The first question asked whether or not the claimant was working, or if he was in school.

It was felt that their

status in this respect might have an effect on their attitudes which was not in itself a result of their counseling exper«* ienee# The second question asked whether or not they had the same vocational aim as when they completed their guidance interviews.

This also was believed to be a possible important

Influence on their attitudes. Question number three was divided into three parts. The claimants were asked to indicate if they felt that as a result of their counseling experience they did or did not know more, about their abilities, their interests, and the re-^ quirements in training for the work they wanted to do.

This

was the key question and the most important area in which in­ formation was sought.

Inasmuch as the great majority of

claimants were either in school or on-the-^ob training, it was

An exact copy of the questionnaire is included in the Appendix#

22 not possible to use success or even engagement in one's chosen field as a criterion of effectiveness of guidance pro­ cess*

Therefore, a feeling on the part of the claimant that

he had profited from his guidance in one or more of these areas seemed the best, though imperfect, criterion of effect­ iveness of the guidance process* dual responses —

The validity of the indivi­

as well as the total results —

depends on

the ability of the claimants to make an accurate evaluation of themselves.

In particular it assumes a discrimination

between their attitudes toward their experience and toward their counselor and the Center* these points cannot be made,

An a priori assumption on

^n the following chapter on

analysis of results, there will be evidence to help answer these questions. Question number four asked whether or not the claimants felt enough time was spent working with them.

Budget limita­

tions require that only four hours be spent on each case in­ cluding written summary (but not including testing time) and it seemed possible that claimant dissatisfaction in some cases might be more directly a result of this limitation than of anything else. The fifth question was designed to reflect a general attitude toward the testing part of the guidance process. asking whether it was felt that enough, too much, or not enough testing was done, it was hoped that some narrowing

By

23 might be accomplished of the area in which dissatisfaction occurred*

This question alone is too general for interpreta­

tion, but when compared with other questions, valuable data regarding specific weaknesses or failures in the advisement process might be uncovered* Degree of rapport between counselor and claimant was the object of question number six*

The claimant was asked

whether or not he felt that his counselor was truly interested in him*

Lack of rapport could be a cause for general dissatis­

faction even though a technically skillful job was done by the counselor and psychometric staff. In question number seven the claimants were asked to indicate what kind of tests they had been most interested in taking, aptitude, intelligence, interest, and personality. This item was not intended to be evaluative of the service. The writer was simply curious to learn if there would be any significant preference for tests of a certain kind.

It seemed

just possible that dissatisfaction with the service might have been due to personal problems of the claimant, and some of these persons might have been more interested in personality tests.

As a matter of fact, this was the case on a few re­

turns as will be described in the next chapter. Questions number eight and nine were included to as­ certain whether the claimants to any great extent failed to understand or remember the results of their testing and

24 counseling.

Many persons believe that some kind of written

summary of tests and recommendations should be furnished to all vocational guidance counselees*

It was hoped that ques­

tion nine would furnish quantitative evidence of the demand for such a summary. Question number ten asked whether the general feeling was one of satisfaction or dissatisfaction at the time coun­ seling was completed.

This item aimed at reflecting a more

general, overall attitude toward the counseling experience. Question number eleven asked the claimant to indicate whether or not he would recommend the Guidance Center to a friend desiring the kind of assistance for which he himself went.

It was thought that by such a question dissatisfaction

reflected by responses to other questions might be shown to be a feeling that the claimant’s personal needs were not met, but confidence in the Center itself was not destroyed. Another means of expressing general feelings of the value of the counseling service was provided by question twelve.

Claimants were asked to check anywhere along a line

from Extremely valuable at one end to Of _no value at the other end. Item number thirteen provided space for any unanswered questions which the claimants might have regarding their coun­ seling experience or their original problem. Item number fourteen provided space for additional

25 comments and suggestions.

This item as well as item thirteen

was quite extensively used by the claimants responding. Question number fifteen permitted claimants to indicate whether or not they would like to return to the Guidance Center for further discussion of their vocational plans.

This item

was not intended to reflect an attitude for purposes of eva­ luation.

The director of the Center desired this information

for practical reasons. At the end of the questionnaire the claimants were again assured that their names were not desired. Method of sampling and other technical matters.

Veterans

eligible for educational benefits are in two groups, those ac­ cepted under Public Law 546, the so-called G. I. Bill, and those accepted for rehabilitation training under Public Law 16* Because the two groups are different in a number of ways, the most important of which for this study is the amount of super­ vision of training and control of vocational choice, it was deemed necessary to consider them separately.

At the same

time,.the same questionnaire was to be used with both groups so comparisons could be made between them.

A simple yet fool­

proof means of using the same questionnaire for both groups was achieved by putting page numbers only on those sent to the P. L. 346 groups. The sampling method was equally simple.

All claimant

26 case summary sheets are filed alphabetically separately for each month the Guidance Center has been in operation.

It was

decided to send two hundred fifty questionnaires to each group, choosing twenty-five from each of the previous ten months beginning with April, 1947.

From the files for the months of

July, 1946 through April, 1947 the first twenty-five names from each group were selected.

Presumably the only sampling

bias by this method was in the beginning letters of the sur­ names, not in the Important areas of personality or vocational problem. It might have been theoretically desirable to keep each month separate for analysis of the effect of time on attitudes, but inasmuch as only about a 20 per cent return was anticipated, numbers within each month group would have been too small for reliable interpretation.

Furthermore, clerical problems forced

the giving up of any further refinements.

Perhaps the most

serious fault was not keeping sexes separate.

Again clerical

limitations were responsible, but too late it occurred to the writer that the great preponderance of male claimants (over twelve to one) would have justified not sending questionnaires to female claimants.

Perhaps the heavy preponderance of males

makes it unlikely that mixing the sexes is of any importance in the trends of the results. With each questionnaire, of course, was enclosed a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

27 As the questionnaires came back, they were opened and the postmark date was noted on each questionnaire. cy table was prepared of the postmark dates.

A frequen­

Slightly more

than one half of those returned were mailed the first three days.

After two weeks the number had slowed to one or two

each day. more weeks.

They kept coming in at about this rate for three .Because it was felt that late returns might

possibly differ significantly from those first returned, tabulation was kept open until seven days elapsed without any questionnaire returned. next two months.

Even so, seven more came in during the

Informal examination of these showed no sig­

nificant group trends nor any unusual individual character­ istics.

CHAPTER V DESCRIPTION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS Five hundred questionnaires were mailed, two hundred fifty to veterans counseled under Public Law 346 and two hundred fifty to veterans counseled under Public Law 16*

A

total of 253 were returned within five weeks, at which time totals and percentages were computed* naires were returned undelivered*

Thirty-one question­

The net return equaled 54

per cent of the number mailed and delivered*

Figures for

P*L* 346 and P.L. 16 groups are given in Table II* The significance of the difference between the two groups in the per cent of questionnaires returned was tested by the formula for uncorrelated proportions*

The difference

was found to be significant beyond the 5 per cent level, but not at the 1 per cent level*

Thus, it can be held with fairly

high confidence that there is a real difference between the two groups in their tendency to return the questionnaire* The author is not able to offer a positive explanation of this difference, but feels that the greater independence and self-reliance of the P*L. 346 group naturally fosters a greater awareness and concern for their vocational problems, and that it is these feelings which prompted them to return their questionnaires In greater numbers. Table II presents a reproduction of the questionnaire

29 TABLE II NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OP QUESTIONNAIRES RETURNED BY P. L. 16 AND P. L. 346 GROUPS

Group

Number sent

Delivered

Returned

Per cent returned

P. L. 346

250

231

136

58.8

P. L. 16

250

238

117

49.1

TOTALS

500

469

253

53.9

30 with tabulations at the sides of each question of the numbers and per cent of responses to each category. Differences between the two groups on each item were examined and tests for significance were made where desirable# Discussion of item results of both groups#

in both

groups the greatest numbers of responses came from veterans in school.

Of the two the P. L. 346 group had the higher propor­

tion in school, while the other group showed a higher propor­ tion of persons working.

In all cases those persons indicating

that they were both in school and working were classified as in school only.

It was felt that this was the only way to make

the two categories meaningfully different. A significantly higher proportion (beyond the 1 per cent level) of Public Law 16 veterans had not changed their vocational objective after completing advisement.

This was ex­

pected in view of the greater supervision of training given this group.

However, only 19 per cent of the P. L. 346 group

said they had changed their objective.

This seems a favor­

able result when one considers that many of this group make only tentative decisions regarding objectives. At least three out of four veterans of both groups felt that they knew more about their abilities after advisement# The difference between groups favored P. L. 16s, but was sig­ nificant only at the 5 per cent level#

51 Slightly fewer felt they knew more about the kind of work they might be happiest doing.

The difference again

favored the P. L. 16 group, but was not significant. One of the greatest weaknesses of the advisement pro­ cess was revealed by Part Three of the third question.

°nly

half of the P. L. 346 group felt that they knew more about the requirements in training for the kind of work they wanted to do.

The implication of this would seem to be that coun­

selors are weakest in the knowledge of the world of work. Expansion of the library of occupational information and greater use of it by both counselor and claimant is needed. A significantly higher percentage of P. L. 16 veterans felt that they had gained in this area;

again this undoubtedly re­

flects the greater amount of supervision which they receive. There was little evidence of dissatisfaction in either group with the amount of time spent working with them.

The

difference was obviously not significant. Most of the claimants felt that enough testing was done in their case.

However, about one-quarter of the P. L. 346

respondents felt that not enough testing was done in their case.

It seems probable that this reflects the inadequacy of

tests In many of the instances. weakest in the

This- question was one of the

questionnaire for Its meaning is ambiguous.

There were no significant differences between the groups. Results were nearly identical in both groups on the

32 TABLE III ANALYSIS OP RESPONSES TO EACH CATEGORY OP QUESTIONNAIRE ITEMS BY P.L. 16 AND P.L. 546 GROUPS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS

11 1 . Status: Not working 61 In school iforking -45 2 . Same Voc.aim: do have 106 10 do not 99 3a » Abilities: know more do not 14 b • Interests: know better 94 18 do not

9 12 52 94 38 30 91 106 9 26 85 101 12 34 80 96 15 40

SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE t ratio

o •

o •

ITEM

FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES P.L.16 P.L.346

9 69 22 78 19 74 25 71 29

Conclu­ sion

2.757

Beyong 1% level 2.162 Beyond 5% level 1.615 Not sig. at 5% level 4.340 Beyond 1% level Not sig. (By inspect.) 1.79 Not sig. at b% level

69 65

51 48

105 90 117 11 9 15 94 81 95 6 10 9 11 9 35

86

90 122 9 9

90 7

No diff.

68 95 57 65 40 72 44 53 91 124 6 11

70 48 53 39 91 8

Not sig* (By in­ spection)

9. Clearly recall do 89 76 90 results: do not 26 22 44 satisfied 105 90 102 10 • General reaction: dissatis. 11 9 29 would 107 91 123 11 • Recommend Center: would not 8 7 11 12 • Like to 56 48 66 would return: would not 54 46 59

66 32 75 21 90 8 49 43

Not sig. at 1% Beyond 1% level No diff.

c • Training know more requirements: do not 4. Time:

Enough Not enough 5. Testing: Enough Too much Not enough

91 78 24 21

Feel yes 105 6 . Counselor interested: Do not 11 7. Tests Aptitude 80 wanted: Intelligence 67 Interest 47 Personality 51 8 . Presentation Clear 101 of results:. Not clear• 7

70 4 24

No diff.

3.029

No diff.

33 next item and provided strong evidence that rapport between counselor and claimant is not a weak point in the advisement process at the Guidance Center. Both groups indicated somewhat greater preference for aptitude tests over all others,

She writer has since learned

through personal experience that a great many persons think of the whole advisement process as "aptitude testing."

Shis

fact has implications for advertising and promotion of -voca­ tional guidance, if nothing else.

Probably it also suggests

that counselors should make certain that all technical terms used by them in counseling are clearly understood by their counselees. Only a small percentage of either group admitted to not understanding the test results as presented, tween groups was negligible.

difference be­

She writer later felt that a

claimant might have felt disinclined to admit that he did not understand the test results despite the fact the questionnaire was anonymous. to himself,

Shat is, he might have hesitated to admit it

if the phrase "one could clearly understand" had

been used such feelings might have been avoided.

She re is,

of course, no objective evidence for this. About one-third of P. L.. 346 respondents indicated that they did not remember the results of their counseling exper­ ience as well as they would have liked to remember them.

Shis

seems substantial evidence of a need which should be met in

34 some way.

Whether It should be by use of a written summary

given to the counselee or by more careful interpretation is not decided by the question.

Certainly the results indicate

this point should be considered seriously.

Difference between

groups was not significant, but was on the side of greater satisfaction from P. L. 16 veterans. Question number ten revealed a significant difference between the groups in their general feeling of satisfaction with their counseling experience.

Less than 10 per cent of

Pl.L. 16 veterans were dissatisfied whereas 21 per cent of the other group expressed these feelings.

An additional 4 per

cent of this group omitted answering this item.

The greater

amount of supervision and assistance given rehabilitation veterans appears to make an important difference in their feeling of what they get out of their advisement.

The impli­

cations of this for vocational guidance are complicated by the fact that the rehabilitation program Is a special situa­ tion costing the Veterans Administration millions of dollars. It is paralleled in civilian life only by state rehabilita­ tion programs which also involve far more than what has been defined here as vocational guidance.

It seems unmistakable,

though, that when vocational guidance is supplemented by further supervision and financial aid the result is quite successful in terms of counselee satisfaction. The two groups were nearly identical In strongly

35 indicating that they would recommend the Guidance Center tbO a friend desiring the kind of assistance for which they them­ selves went. The results of item number twelve are presented in Table IV, page 36, and Table V, page 37.

The P. L. 346 group

most frequently checked the service as being Of some value and the P. L. 16 group most often checked their experience as Quite valuable. Item twelve was also evaluated by measuring the exact millimeter distance of each checkmark from the left hand margin (zero point). computed.

The values were totaled and the mean

The mean values came very close to the values for

the categories checked most frequently by each group.

That

is, the mean value of the P. L. 346 group was 83 mm. and the millimeter value of the category frf some value is 71.

The

mean value of the P. L. 16 group was 45 mm. and the millimeter value of the category Quite valuable is 33. significant beyond the 1 per cent level.

The difference is

Actually, by this

more precise method, both group averages fall further toward 'k*1e Valuable ehd of the scale.1 Questions and comments made by respondents on items thirteen and fourteen are summarized in the next section. Item fifteen, which was not included for evaluative purposes, nevertheless produced a surprising result.

Of both

groups nearly half Indicated they would like to return to the

1 Table VIII, In Appendix A, presents summarizing computations•

36 TABLE IV FREQUENCY WITH WHICH CATEGORIES ON ITEM TWELVE WERE CHECKED BY BOTH GROUPS

Group

No value

Little value

Some value

Quite valuable

Extr*. valuable

Total

346

4

15

56

50

11

136

16

3

4

30

50

29

116

TOTALS

7

19

100

40

252

86

37

TABLE V PERCENTAGE 'OF CHECKS IN EACH CATEGORY ON ITEM TWELVE FOR BOTH GROUPS

Group

No value

Little value

346

3

11

Some value

Quite valuable

41

37

Extr. valuable

8

Total

100

16

2.6

3.4

25.9

43

25

100

TOTALS

2.8

7.5

34.1

39.7

15.9

100

38 Guidance Center for further discussion of their vocational plans.

Examination of individual returns revealed that

neither strong satisfaction nor strong dissatisfaction was accompanied frequently by a desire to return.

Most of those

who checked that they would like to return appeared to have profited in some ways, but not to have felt that they got all possible benefit out of their advisement. Summary and discussion of questions and comments on items thirteen and fourteen. greater than anticipated.

The response to both items was

Analysis of responses showed both

items evoked questions and comments so responses were treated together.

It was possible to some degree to classify the

responses into categories which are presented below. sponses are presented — could not be determined.

All re­

condensed -- except where meaning Duplications are indicated by numbers

in parentheses after the responses. 1

.

Against validity of tests.

There were nine ex­

pressions of doubt regarding the validity of tests.

Of these:

a.

Two expressed the opinion that the Kuder Preference Record could be influenced.

b.

One remarked that although his art aptitude was low, his grades in art have been high.

c.

One wanted evidence of test validity by correlation with success (income) in various fields.

d.

Three persons Indicated general distrust of personality, aptitude, and Interest tests (one each)*

39

2.

e.

One claimant thought there should be better ways to measure ability than with ques­ tions (not further explained).

f.

One thought the "advertising1* tests anti­ quated.

There were two expressions of distrust of reli­

ability (not further explained). 3.

Eight persons desired more interpretation of

tests:

4.

5.

a.

Three specified personality test interpre­ tation.

b.

One specified aptitude tests.

c.

One recommended use of graphs to improve interpretation.

d.

One wanted more and clearer interpretation of all tests.

e.

Two made no specifications.

Regarding the world of work: a.

One wanted to know future possibilities in certain professions*

b.

One inquired about general pay and chances for advancement in certain fields.

c.

One asked how to get a job in the occupa­ tion for which he feels best suited.

d.

Five made unspecified requests for more information.

Misunderstandings: a.

Why give a musician math problems? They kept him out of college although his Seashore Music test performance was good.

b.

One did not understand percentiles.

c.

One asked, ,fWhy am I dissatisfied with my work ? 11

d.

One said, nIn what occupation am I most likely to be successful and happy?1*

e.

One didn!t learn what his vocational interests are.

f.

One wanted nanswer!* to one aptitude test.

g*

One asked should he take college training*

In the direction of more specific tests:

a.

Tests for specific jobs in business field (4).

b*

Test for executive ability.

c.

Math reasoning ability.

d.

Specific work for which suited*

e.

Another work for which suited*

f.

Interest and personality tests were too general*

g.

More advanced tests (2).

h.

Law aptitude tests were inadequate (not explained).

I*

Test for interior decorating*

Counselor faults: a.

Claimant did not know what tests to ask for and so felt frustrated*

b.

Claimant had no opportunity to choose any tests himself*

c.

Pelt dissatisfied with counselor*

d*

Counselor too sold on validity of tests.

e.

Interviews should be longer*

41

8

.

f.

Pelt counselor was unsure of his own ability*

g.

Counselor poor and unqualified.

h*

Counselor not sufficiently interested*

i.

Counselors should be better versed in parti­ cular fields.

j.

Counselors should be better qualified.

k.

Counselors should be more mature.

Ten persons indicated they would like a written

record of their tests. . 9.

10.

Regarding training: a.

Wanted list of schools for non-college aptitude.

b.

Training needed for a specific job.

c.

Scholastic requirements for his objective.

d.

Wants to attend school for plastics and woodwork. (This was a P.L. 16 claimant who may have been denied this objective.)

e.

Ratings of colleges and professional schools•

f.

Curricula for various fields of study.

g.

Specific training (college majors) in field of interest.

h.

Would like to have his test results sent to a college for a record. .

Miscellaneous questions and comments: a.

Claimants would benefit from talks with men active in their fields.

b.

Wanted his I. Q. (2).

c.

Wanted to know the basis for interest tests. (This could be a misunderstanding or a

42 counselor fault)* d.

Wranted more advice.

e.

Wanted personal counseling with follow-ups*

f*

Tests should be given to all high school students.

g.

What aptitudes has he for his secondary interests. These should be combined with primary interests in choosing a vocational field.

h.

What percent of persons get jobs in their highest interest*

i.

Personally dissatisfied with results, but not with idea (2 ).

It is obvious that many of these comments are of no value for possible ways to improve vocational guidance tech­ niques.

Some criticisms are valid, but raise problems ex­

tremely difficult to solve.

Many serve best to illustrate

points brought out by other questionnaire items.

They show

clearly that the veteran population are concerned about their vocational problems and are thinking actively about them. This is especially true of the P. L. 346 group which is con­ siderably more independent and responsible for itself.

This

group made a majority of the comments. Significance and interpretation of inter-item and inter-individual comparisons with Pm L. 546 group.

Because

the vocational guidance process as it was conducted with the P. L. 346 group is more representative of vocational guidance procedures in general, it was felt that further analysis of

43 responses would be more valid if confined to that group*

The

sample of 136 cases is large enough for adequate statistical reliability* With a questionnaire containing fifteen separate items of categorized data a very great many inter-item comparisons are possible*

Much of this comparison can be done informally

by studying Table II, page 29*

A few comparisons seemed worth

making statistically* Items six and ten were compared to see if a tendency to feel that the counselor was not interested in the claimant would be accompanied by a general feeling of dissatisfaction* A contingency correlation was made using a four-fold table* A coefficient of **.29 resulted, indicating the presence of the predicted relationship*

Because of the mathematical complexi­

ties of contingency correlation no more exact statement of the relationship is possible* Comparison was made between items ten and eleven to determine whether dissatisfaction at the time counseling was completed meant that the claimant would not recommend the Guidance Center to a friend desiring the kind of assistance for which he himself went.

Of 129 persons answering both

items, twenty-seven felt dissatisfied but would recommend the Center to a friend, and nine were satisfied but would not re­ commend the Center to a friend. negatively*

Only two answered both items

It is clear the two items measured different

44 reactions.

The rest of the respondents (91) answered both

items in the positive direction. Many interesting intercomparisons are made possible by assigning a plus or minus one point value to the favorable and unfavorable responses respectively on items ,3a, 3b, 3c, 4, 5,

6

,

8

, 9, 10, and 11.

The algebraic sum of these point

values for each questionnaire provides a useful quantitative expression of the claimantfs reaction to his advisement* This point score provided a means for answering the question whether or not a difference existed in feeling of satisfaction between those who first and those who last returned their questionnaires.

The mean point value of the

first twenty-five questionnaires was 5.24 while the mean for the last twenty-five was 5.44. 346 group was also 5.44.

The mean for the entire P. L.

Thus, it appears that degree of

satisfaction is not the deciding factor in the tendency to return this questionnaire. It was also found by using point scores that persons not answering all items were as a group less satisfied than those ifcLO answered all items.

The mean score for the former

was exactly 4.00 (higher scores mean greater satisfaction). When this is compared with a mean value of 5.98 for those answering all items a difference of 1.98 points is seen. The t value of this difference is 2.60 with 134 degrees of freedom.

A t value of 2.61 is necessary for significance

45 at the 1 per cent level.

Thus it seems very likely that this

difference did not occur by chance * 2 The point score analysis also provided a means of determining which of the items most closely reflected the general reaction as measured by the total point score for each questionnaire.

A series of correlations was computed

between each item point score and the total point score* Results are presented in Table VI* felt ^gatisfied6^

^^J3ie

Item ten (In general I

counseling was completed)

proved to correlate highest and is thus validated as an in­ dicator of over-all satisfaction* It was also interesting to note that the items corre­ lating lowest with total point scores (Nos*

8

, 9, and 11)

were intended for a different purpose and are thus also in a sense validated*

Items eight and nine were not meant to

elicit feelings of general satisfaction, but to ascertain whether the aspects of the guidance process covered by these items needed improvement.

The low correlation of item eleven

indicates that the respondents would, for the most part, re­ commend the service to others even if they were not satisfied themselves* Table VII, page 47, presents a frequency distribution of questionnaire point scores for the entire P* L. 346 group*

2 Table IXII in Appendix A presents summarizing computations.

46

TABLE VI CORRELATIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL ITEMS AND TOTAL QUESTIONNAIRE FOR P.L. 346 GROUP USING SATISFACTION POINT SCORES ITEM MO.

5a

CATEGORY RESPONSE FREQUENCY 34 101

POINT SCORE TOTALS

CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS Pbi r Pbi

33 700

•566

.888

3b

96 40

661 71

.513

.807

3c

69 65

245 489

.431

.676

4

117 15

706 22

.561

.881

5

95 41

627 106

.354

.556

6

9

6

.358

.562

.218

.341

8

9

10

11

122

746

124

715

11

22

44 90

90 566

•304

.478

29 102

18 702

.614

.964

123

737

.314

.494

11

1

47 TABLE VII FREQUENCY TABLE OF POINT SCORES OF ONE HUNDRED THIRTY SIX P.L. 346 QUESTIONNAIRES

POINT SCORE TOTAL

FREQUENCY 5

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5

10

15

TOTALS 20

25

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx X X X

29 I 25 3 24 2 15 1 14 2 7 5 5 1 1 1 136

48 As may be seen the distribution is very skewed.

In view of

this the only correlational technique possible was Phi. Pour fold tables were made by using the two categories of each item for one division and above or below mean point score of all P. L. 346 questionnaires (M - 5.44) for the other division.

It is assumed that both variables in each

correlation are continuously, though not noimally, distri­ buted and therefore each coefficient is divided by ,637 to make it numerically equivalent to a Pearson r.

The writer

does not wish to imply certainty on his part that all of the variables purported to be measured by individual question­ naire items are continuously distributed.

In many of them

it would be foolish to make an assertion of either con­ tinuous or discrete distribution for their nature is not that well understood.

For this reason all coefficients are

presented in both numerical values. It should be noted also that all of the coefficients are spurious to the degree caused by the contribution of variance of each Item to its correlation with the total point scores.

This is an error ordinarily not excusable in statis­

tical research.

However, the main object here was to rank

the items and obtain a general notion of the relationship between individual items and the questionnaire as a whole. This was accomplished satisfactorily without resorting to the very great amount of additional computations involved in

49 obtaining ten different total score means and standard deviations•

CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The purpose of the study was to evaluate the vocational guidance services at a veterans guidance center.

It was felt

that the services offered were sufficiently typical and the population served amply heterogeneous that such an evaluation would have implications and value for the improvement of guid­ ance procedures in general* The method chosen for evaluation was a mail question«

naire.

This method was chosen as a relatively quick, simple,

and inexpensive means of securing valid data on the reactions of persons to their counseling experience. The questionnaire was developed by the writer for the study.

Emphasis in the construction of items was toward elici­

tation of feelings rather than supposedly objective appraisals. This is based on the belief that a counselee is better able to describe accurately how he feels about his counseling ex­ perience than, what objectively occurred.

This fact alone

would be irrelevant were ^it not that emotions determine how one uses what he has learned, and whether he will use it at all. The guidance center selected for study handles both P. L. 34@ (U. I.) and P. L. 16 (Rehabilitation) veterans. Normally, about two hundred seventy five veterans, referred

51

to by the Veterans Administration as claimants, are counseled, each month.

To obtain an adequate sample, twenty five of

each group, P. L. 546 and P. L. 16, were chosen from the alphabetical files for the ten months from July, 1946 to April, 1947, making a total of five hundred cases. Both groups responded with a higher percentage of returns than was anticipated. Two hundred fifty three quest­ ionnaires came back.

One hundred seventeen of these were

from P. L. 16 veterans and one hundred thirty six were from P. L. 346 veterans.

The P. L. 16 group was on the average

better satisfied and presumably better adjusted vocation­ ally than the P. L. 346 group.

An explanation for this was

suggested by the extra-vocational guidance service which they receive.

The P. L. 346 group was described as being

more representative of non-veteran counselees. The majority of P. L. 346 respondents indicated over­ all satisfaction with their counseling experience.

The most

serious weakness seemed to be a failure to secure adequate information about training requirements and the world of work in general, and a feeling that they did not remember the results of their advisement as well as they would like to remember them.

Neither of these weaknesses was unknown to

vocational guidance counselors and directors of guidance programs, but the need for solving them gained new emphasis. There was evidence that measurement and interpretation of

interests and aptitudes both could be improved from the claimants 1 point of view*

There were few instances o£ strong

dissatisfaction, and virtually none of unqualified dissatis­ faction.

The great majority of respondents felt that enough '-C

time was spent working with them, that adequate te.sting was done, that their counselor was truly interested in them, and that their test results were clearly presented*

They made

numerous comments and criticisms of the service, displaying evidence that they are interested in the activity of those who try to help them with their vocational problems as well as being actively concerned with their own future. A general conclusion can be made that the U. S* C. Veterans Guidance Center is doing a worthwhile job which is appreciated to a satisfying degree by those taking advantage of its services.

Certain weaknesses in the services and

other possibilities for improvement were gathered which can be used by the Center in any way it wishes.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY A.

BOOKS

Rogers, Carl R., Counseling and Psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1942V

Boston:

Thorndike, E. L*, Prediction of Vocational Success. New York: Institute of Educational Research, Teachers College, Columbia University, Oxford University Press, 1954. Williamson, E. G., and Darley, J. G., Student Personnel Work. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1937. B.

PERIODICALS

Rogers, Garl R., tfPsychometrIc Tests and Client-Centered Counseling,n Educational and Psychological Measure­ ment, 6 :141-14i, 1946• Seipp, Emma, A Study of One Hundred Clients of the Adjustment Service. New York: Report IX of the Adjustment Service Series. American Association for Adult Educa­ tion, 1935. C.

UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS

Gordon, Bruce R . , Intelligence: A Neglected Factor in Vocational Guidance. Unpublished Masterm's thesis, ■University of Southern California, 1949.

APPENDIX

56 TABLE VIII SUMMARY TABLE OF COMPUTATIONS IN FINDING SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE IN MEANS OF LINE CHECK VALUES BETWEEN P. L. 16 AND P. L. 346 GROUPS STATISTIC

P. L. 346

P. L. 16

N

136

116

M

71

33

Sigma

31.8

38.1

SigmaM

Sigma^

2.74

3.56

4.492 38*0

t

8*44

TABLE IX SUMMARY TABLE OP COMPUTATIONS IN FINDING SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE IN POINT SCORES BETWEEN P. L. 346 RESPONDENTS ANSWERING ALL ITEMS AND THOSE NOT ANSWERING ALL ITEMS ANSWERED ALL

STATISTIC N

DID NOT ANSWER ALL

99

M

37

5.98

Sigma

3.595

Sigma

.363

SigmaaM

4.00 4.047 .67

.762

Dm

1.98

t - Dm

1.98

M

.762

=

2.60