This study examined the influence of career preparation courses on student achievement at MacArthur High School, San Antonio, Texas. MacArthur is the only high school in the district to use the 6.5 scaled registrar’s grade point average (RPA) system, as opposed to the standard 4.0 scaled grade point average. Final computations were converted to the standard 4.0 scale for uniformity. The intent of the study was to determine if there was a relationship between enrollment in career preparation courses and grade point averages, absenteeism, and dropout rates. Moreover, the study sought to determine the relationship between students enrolled in career preparation courses and students not enrolled within these three areas of investigation. Data were collected from the student records of the population of the study, which consisted of 532 students, and was used in conjunction with descriptive and co-relational statistics, including ANOVAS and Scheffes. The results of this study support that career preparation students in the study possessed a higher grade point average. Additionally, this study supported the literature review regarding career preparation student absenteeism and dropout rates. The career preparation students spend more time at school, which enhances their propensity for learning. The study also compared career preparation students to students not enrolled in career preparation courses by grade point average at MacArthur High School. The results of this portion of the study showed that the non-career preparation students, the health occupation students, as well as the trade and industry students, all possess a higher grade point average than do the business and marketing students. This is attributable for the most part to skill sets needed for scientific definitions, higher math skills, and enhanced scientific knowledge. Further study should be done to ascertain the extent of individual factors in determining success in other district high schools.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION DEBORAH A. DIFFENAUER, for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Education, presented at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. TITLE: Job Satisfaction and the Perceived Organizational Culture of U. S. Military and Military Affiliated Personnel at a Midwestern University MAJOR PROFESSOR: C. Keith Waugh, Ph.D. This study examined the relationship between demographic characteristics, level of job satisfaction, and current/preferred organizational culture in a sample of 139 off-campus military degree program participants. Responses were received from undergraduate students in the fields of engineering, applied sciences and arts, and education. The Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985) was used to assess the participant's level of satisfaction in current occupations. The second instrument used to assess the participant's current and preferred organizational culture was a combined version of Harrison & Stokes (1992) Diagnosing Organizational Culture Instrument DOCI and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument OCAI developed by Cameron & Quinn (1999b). Descriptive characteristics, eta cross tabulations and Spearman's Rho bivariate correlations were executed on the data and statistically significant differences were found. The study provided evidence to validate the existence of correlations between levels job satisfaction and perceptions of organizational culture. Specifically, there exists a relationship between some of the participant's demographic characteristics (gender, status, and current occupation), with job satisfaction, and organizational culture within the military environment given the various subcultures and defined roles.

Published Article / The problem statement to be proposed in this article is that student employability suffers as a result of the fact that students do not make use of the available employment skills training, offered by the CUT, which will enable them to present themselves in a professional manner to prospective employers when entering the labour market. Certain suggestions will be offered in this publication of how the CUT could go about creating opportunities for students to enable them to successfully enter the labour market, after the completion of their studies.

Previous research has indicated the majority of athlete alumni do not give charitable donations to their alma mater or athletics department. With over 4 million former National Collegiate Athletic Association student-athletes, these athlete alumni should have an inherent affinity for their athletics department. The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between a student-athlete career preparation program (“Career Program”) and athlete alumni affinity for the athletics department. This study uses the theoretical framework of Social Exchange Theory to examine if an athlete alumni’s affinity for their athletics department increases when they receive support for their career launch. The quantitative quasi-experimental study had two groups of athlete alumni, career program varsity athlete alumni and non-career program varsity athlete alumni, who graduated from one large, public university at the Football Championship Subdivision level. The intervention of the Career Program was provided to one group of athlete alumni. An athlete alumni affinity questionnaire was developed and administered to both groups. The questionnaire received a low response rate with 71 respondents. The Pearson chi-squared test did not show a relationship between athlete alumni affinity and the Career Program. There was no statistical difference indicated between the two groups for the five latent variables of (a) career preparedness, (b) communication, (c) connection, (d) student-athlete experience, and (e) undergraduate experience. Two athlete alumni affinity statements did show significance, and they were related to student-athletes developing a LinkedIn profile and professional resume.