Date of Award

1981

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract

This study was concerned with determining attitudes held by local school administrators in Louisiana towards vocational education and with comparing their attitudes towards specific vocational programs. The descriptive method of research using an opinionnaire was used to gather data. Opinionnaires were mailed to the 66 public school superintendents, the supervisor for vocational education of each of the 66 public school systems, and to a stratified random sample of 186 public school principals in Louisiana. Two hundred ninety-five of 318 opinionnaires were returned representing 92.8 percent of the population. Statistical procedures used for analysis were means, guidelines, developed by the researcher, to interpret practical significant differences, and the Spearman rho coefficient of correlation. Null hypotheses were tested and were accepted or rejected at the .05 level of confidence when testing for correlations. All groups of administrators tended to respond favorably to selected statements towards vocational education and towards six specific vocational programs. "Slight or low" practical significant differences existed among the three groups in 10 of 25 selected statements towards vocational education. Significant differences existed in attitudes among the three groups towards all six specific vocational programs. Attitudes that each school administrator has towards the six vocational programs vary significantly and tend to be favorable. Population density and classroom teaching experiences affect the attitudes that school administrators have towards vocational education in general and towards all six specific vocational programs. Significant relationships at the .05 level of confidence existed between school size and the attitudes that principals have towards vocational education. Based on the findings, it was recommended that: training institutions provide opportunities for administrators to acquire a knowledge and understanding of vocational programs, better counseling practices and better scheduling procedures be established, attention be given by teachers to placing vocational students in jobs for which they have been trained, efforts be made to increase student interest in vocational programs, course content in Vocational Agriculture, Vocational Home Economics, and Health Occupations be revised, continued efforts be made to train the physically and/or mentally handicapped, viable youth clubs be maintained, findings of this research be desseminated among vocational leaders.

Pages

247

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.3648

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