Publication Date

1967

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Crank, Floyd L.||Maxwell, Lyle

Degree Name

M.S. Ed. (Master of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Education

LCSH

Business education--Study and teaching; High schools--Alumni and alumnae

Abstract

The purpose of this follow-up study of graduates is to determine the effectivences of the advanced business courses offered at Sterling Township High School for the years, 1956, 1962 through 1966, with implications for curriculum revision. The study will determine (1) whether the business courses adequately prepare the advanced business education graduates for their first jobs, and (2) to what degree the training was sufficient for specific secretarial and clerical duties. The following information was obtained: (1) The knowledges and skills that should receive more emphasis in the curriculum. (2) The most important knowledges and skills provided in the advanced courses. (3) The reasons graduates have left certain jobs. (4) The various machines and skills used by the graduates. (5) The occupational status of the graduates since graduation. (6) The methods used by the graduates to secure their first office positions. (7) The salaries received by the graduates. (8) General information about the graduates. (9) The geographical locations where the graduates were employed. (10) The types of firms employing the graduates. (11) The types of office positions held by the graduates. (12) The amount and type of additional education undertaken by the graduates since graduation. (13) The business courses that graduates believe should be included in students’ programs. PROCEDURE The normative-survey research method was used to obtain the information needed to conduct the study. The questionnaires were sent to all the business education graduates who had completed a minimum of three business courses with at least one of these courses: secretarial office practice, clerical office practice, Typewriting III, Shorthand II, and cooperative office education. The study covers a period of six years (1956, 1962-1966). Of the 211 questionnaires mailed, 170 were completed and returned. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS Over 50 per cent of the graduates are now employed full time. More than 47 per cent of the graduates had additional training since graduation. Forty-three per cent of the graduates indicated that they had held one full-time job since graduation and 46 per cent indicated that they had held more than one full-time Job since graduation. Seventy per cent of the graduates are employed within a 13-mile radius of Sterling, Illinois. The majority of the graduates are employed in the manufacturing industry or in banks and lending agencies. Over 48 per cent of the graduates are at the present holding office positions. Marital obligations and pregnancy was rated first as the reason for leaving the initial employment. Applying directly to the employer ranked first as the major source leading to initial employment. More than 91 per cent of the respondents stated that they were never refused employment because of not having had a particular business subject. Ninety-eight per cent of the respondents stated that they had not failed to secure employment because of the lack of knowledge needed for operating an office machine. The manual typewriter was rated first in adequate preparation among the graduates; a number of the graduates are using data processing machines but had received no high school training on them. Following instructions and accuracy are the two office traits considered most important by the graduates; industry and fairness were considered to be of secondary importance in office traits. More than 55 per cent of the graduates were required to make written applications for their jobs. Over 82 per cent of the graduates were required to have personal interviews for their jobs. Cooperative office education was rated first and Typewriting III was rated second by the graduates as having great on-the-job value. Business mathematics ranked first in course choice of some on-the-job value. Consumer economics ranked first in course choice of no on-the- job value. For subjects having great personal-use value Typewriting I was rated first and business mathematics was rated second. Shorthand I ranked first as having no personal-use value and Shorthand II ranked second. Business letter writing and data processing were each mentioned 17 times as courses to be added to the business education curriculum.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

viii, 72 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS