Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Document Type
Thesis
Date of this Version
7-1953
Citation
Thesis (M.S.)—University of Nebraska—Lincoln, 1953. Department of Vocational Education.
Abstract
An attempt is being made in this study to determine the occupational status of graduates from Guardian Angels and West Point High School who have had one or more years of instruction in vocational agriculture from 1938-1951 inclusive.
Purpose of the Study
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To determine what occupation vocational agriculture students from Guardian Angels and West Point High School have entered.
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To determine what factors influenced their choice of occupation.
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To determine whether the vocational agriculture course is meeting the needs of farm boys.
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To determine whether changes in arrangement between Guardian Angels and West Point High Schools in vocational agriculture should be made.
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To provide opportunity for former students of vocational agriculture to suggest improvements in the vocational agriculture courses.
West Point is a town of approximately 3000 population. It is located in the Elkhorn valley in Northeastern Nebraska. It has two accredited four year high schools—one Catholic (Guardian Angels), and the other a public high school. When vocational agriculture was first offered in the public school in 1935 it was the desire of many farm boys of the Guardian Angels school and of their parents that arrangements be made whereby the boys could study agriculture in the public school. Both schools cooperated in forming a schedule which made it possible for the Guardian Angels students to walk the two blocks to the public school in order to take advantage of the vocational agriculture courses, then return to Guardian Angels for their other subjects.
A study of the first jobs engaged in by the 94 students of vocational agriculture after leaving high school showed that 61 went into farming the first year after graduation. The present occupations of the former students show 62 or 65.9 percent engaged in farming, and 32 or 34.1 percent in other occupations. The armed forces and “no opportunity in what I wanted to do”, constituted 62.8 percent of all the reasons given by graduates for employment outside the community.
Nearly 100 percent of the comments from the former students in regard to improving arrangements between Guardian Angels and the public schools indicated that no change was necessary and that the present arrangement was satisfactory.
Advisor: C. C. Minteer
Comments
Copyright 1953, the author. Used by permission.