Because of increasing technological change in work situations, adult education has begun to focus more upon the role of occupations in urbanized societies. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between participation in adult education and measures of occupational status, category, mobility, and job satisfaction among non-farm residents of two rural areas in British Columbia. West Kootenay and Vanderhoof West, representing areas of low and high socio-economic standing, were selected for analysis from fifteen areas surveyed by the ARDA Canada Land Inventory Socio-Economic Project in British Columbia. Interview schedules completed in 1967 surveys of those areas were used as the source of data. Excluded were schedules for farmers, retired, and unemployed persons. The West Kootenay sample consisted of 104 respondents, twenty of whom were participants in adult education, while Vanderhoof West was represented by 130 respondents, including twenty-four participants. Opportunities for participation in adult education appeared to be equal between the two areas, although the areas differed significantly with respect to the distribution of courses among functions of adult education. Participants differed significantly from non-participants as they had higher occupational status than non-participants in both survey areas. West Kootenay participants exhibited upward sequential job mobility to a significantly greater extent than did West Kootenay non-participants. A general trend for participants to have greater upward occupational mobility than non-participants was evident, although the differences were not always significant. When participants in both areas were compared, no significant differences were found with respect to any of the four occupational variables. The results of the study suggest that participation in adult education by non-farm residents of rural British Columbia is not strongly associated with occupational measures. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

The trend to mainstream visually impaired students in British Columbia over the last seven years has resulted in new teacher roles--those of itinerant or resource room teachers. Changing caseloads, teaching technology and philosophy have created a dynamic milieu in which such teachers operate. This study was undertaken to fill a gap in exploratory research data on some of the factors that determine the role of these teachers in this province. A questionnaire was designed and completed by the 44 teachers of the visually impaired in British Columbia. Results of the study gave information from 40 responding teachers regarding teaching training characteristics, work setting, details on the size and characteristics of caseloads and the orientation of services. A beginning was also made in determining some common concerns and issues in the field. The need for further research in many of these areas in addition to role definition was suggested to be of benefit to both specialist teachers and other professionals with whom they consult. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This dissertation is an ethnography. It explores the ways that people within a First Nations adult education centre make sense of taking control of education. Michel Foucault's open-textured analysis of power frames the research. He argues power not only represses but also "forms knowledge and produces discourse." Control and power as used by the "new" sociologists of education, and the National Indian Brotherhood in its policy statement Indian Control of Indian Education further locate the study. Extensive use of the participants' words allows a consideration of meanings inscribed in discourse. The study is based on a year of fieldwork including interviews, observations and the researcher's direct participation as a teacher in the centre. It places expressions of people's understandings of control within a series of contextualizations. The centre exists in contemporary Canadian society. Documentary evidence of British Columbia's First Nations efforts to control formal education and re-presentation of the centre's twenty years of growth and development illuminate an historical context. The study examines the current significance of the building where students find "a safe place to learn." Biographies, furnishing additional context for people's words, situate the study in relation to life history. Their engagement in a variety of the centre's programs provides the immediate context. Students and teachers explore what it is to be First Nations people seeking knowledge which will enable them to make choices about employment and education in First Nations or mainstream locations. References to the document Indian Control of Indian Education reveal its continuing significance for those people who are taking control. Study participants identify as crucial many of the issues raised within the document such as Native values, curriculum, First Nations and non-Native teachers, jurisdiction and facilities. At the same time, their discourse reveals the complex process of refining the original statements as policy translates to practice and people ponder the implications. A final chapter, something of an epilogue, argues that the dialectical contradiction is a useful analytical tool for examining the dissonances which arise in attempts to meet First Nations needs and desires within a predominantly non-Native society. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This study describes the evolution of the British Columbia business education curriculum from 1875 to 1990. Since the 'official' curriculum document at any particular time represents the central focus of formal educational endeavours, it and related ensuing specific business subject curricula were the central objects of analysis for this study. The primary or "parent" document of the general curriculum for each important revision period was examined first for such clues as its language, purposes, aims, emphases and concerns gave to its philosophy and general orientation. Next, each of the commercial/business programmes that issued from that major revision was examined in order to determine its relationship to the "parent" document. Individual courses within the programmes were then analyzed. Finally, each curriculum was examined to ascertain its relationship with its social, economic, political and historical contexts. Some important themes have emerged: a shift in the clientele for business education, a series of changes in the focus of the programme, and some related changes in the status of the field. The evolution of commercial education from a course of study for 'gentlemen' into one for an almost exclusively female clientele by mid-century, into one for both genders by 1990 greatly affected the contents and emphases of prescribed programmes. The contents and emphases of those prescribed programmes were also determined by the broader social, political and economic contexts in which they operated. During certain periods, the programme presented an image of business as "offic work", and thus utilitarian, functional, nonacademic, and of primary interest to female students. Emphasis on "entry-level" skills for office employment characterized the programme. At those times its prestige within the school subject hierarchy tended to be low. At other times business education was a more general course, theoretical, and fairly academic in nature, presenting a broad conception of the business world. In those periods business education included theories and practices related to owning, directing and conducting business as well as office skills and routines. During these times, business education enjoyed high status within the school subject hierarchy, and appealed to both male and female students. In addition, the status of business education depended on the attention it received from such influential entities as strong business interest groups, and the federal and provincial governments. While more tentative than some of the other considerations the thesis does examine the interrelationships amongst such elements as curriculum, academic and nonacademic streaming, gender roles, employment training, and political and economic agendas of government. Although the exact impact that each had in determining business education curricula is not yet entirely clear, their central role in the process is made amply clear in this descriptive study. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Career Preparation programs have been offered in British Columbia since 1980. However, in that time very little formal evaluation has been conducted to determine if Career Preparation programs are achieving the stated objectives. This study, based on Business Education Career Preparation programs in Vancouver secondary schools, surveyed Career Preparation students one, two, and three years after graduation. Schools which had started Business Education Career Preparation programs in September 1982 or earlier were selected. Graduates of these schools who completed a Business Education Career Preparation program in 1984, 1985, or 1986, were surveyed to determine their employment and post-secondary education experiences, whether their post-secondary education or employment was related to their Career Preparation specialties, and their perceptions of the program. The purpose of the study was to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the Business Education Career Preparation programs offered in Vancouver Secondary Schools in order to make recommendations for program improvements. The results show that 94% of respondents held at least one job since graduating from secondary school; 77% of respondents continue their education at a post-secondary institution; 67% of post-secondary programs enrolled in by respondents were at least somewhat related to their Career Preparation specialty; and 67% of jobs held since graduating from secondary school were at least somewhat related to their Career Preparation specialty. The Career Preparation program was rated at least somewhat helpful in facilitating progress in post-secondary education by 81% of respondents; 93% of respondents rated Career Preparation at least somewhat helpful in making career choices; 91% rated it at least somewhat helpful in providing employable skills; 85% rated it at least somewhat helpful in providing job search skills; and 68% rated it at least somewhat helpful in providing employment contacts. Overall, the Business Education Career Preparation program offered in Vancouver was judged as meeting the program objectives of the provincial curriculum. Recommendations are made for the program, including: matching students more carefully to work experience placements which meet their interests, career goals and specialty; more careful monitoring of work experience sites to ensure that appropriate tasks are being assigned; offering programs which will interest both males and females; coordinating employment opportunities for graduates; improving articulation with post-secondary programs; and structuring Career Preparation programs to allow for flexibility in course requirements and work experience. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Problem: With a few notable exceptions, the history of adult education in British Columbia has received relatively little attention. What information there is, is often confined to somewhat narrow time frames, locations, or topics. A general overview of the history of adult education in British Columbia during the 20th century seems to be lacking. This study is a modest attempt to begin adding voice to this important but largely overlooked area. Conceptual Approach: The approach taken is one of historical review. The study, while to some degree quantitative, is much more interested in the qualitative aspects of the material examined. Newspapers, which the author suggests provide a unique historical record, serve as the sole source of data. Methodology: The B.C. Legislative Library Newspaper Index from 1900 -1999 is the source of documents for this study. A thorough reading of all newspaper articles (550+), cited as being related to adult education, was undertaken. Articles were grouped by decade and recorded. Within the decades certain themes were identified and also recorded. Two specific themes (lifelong learning and distance education) received special attention and were examined and recorded separately. Findings: There are a number of reoccurring themes that arise during the period examined. Many of these themes have a direct correlation to issues facing adult education today. These issues include, but are not limited to: • lifelong learning • distance education and related educational technology • duplication of services • libraries and adult education • defining/purpose(s) adult education. Since these and other issues are part of the current discourse about adult education, it seems reasonable that lessons learned/not learned in the past not be forgotten. With the benefit of historical hindsight, which includes sources that are not confined to potentially narrow interests, adult educators may become better informed by considering these issues.

Improved techniques (particularly electrical apparatus) make it possible to teach hearing-handicapped children the use of language at an age when their motivation and their capabilities for this learning are at their peak. The result has been to ease considerably, the burden of basic educational training, and also to permit the balancing of this with the broader socialization of the child. This makes early diagnosis more important than ever; but it also makes family participation a vital ingredient. Two companion studies - one concentrating on the pre-school child, and the other on the school-aged child - have been undertaken to sharpen this part of the focus - the family, parental, and related influences which bear on the progress in his early years now possible for the hearing-handicapped child. With the co-operation of the Parent-Teachers Association of the Jericho Hill School, and the School personnel, information was obtained from some eighty parents of children of school age residing in British Columbia, who responded to a questionnaire enquiry. This was followed by interviews with families living within Great Vancouver. The area of enquiry included a) the implications of the handicap, and b) the contributions made by parents in the treatment of the child; an assessment being made of more helpful and less helpful family situations respectively. Information and interpretation is an evident need, for both children and parents, and as training potential as well as behaviour consequences. Attributes which distinguish the more helpful family from the less helpful are indicated. Some general findings relate to (a) community attitudes and (b) services for the hearing-handicapped child. Because of its exploratory nature, this study must leave several questions unanswered; but the importance of early diagnosis and co-operative relationships between clinics, parents, and school, are clearly indicated. Social Work Services are particularly relevant if the differential needs of children (in family terms as well as degrees of hearing loss) are to be met. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This paper provides preliminary information on consumer opinions and perceptions on various mental health issues. Recognizing that citizen in-put is an essential marketing tool for responsive and accountable program planning, the Canadian Mental Health Association - B.C. Division, is in the process of acquiring consumer data as part of its information bank. This pilot study has provided a 'dry run' of what is expected for future research projects. Through telephone interviews with 46 Vancouver City telephone subscribers and mail-out questionnaires to 46 community service: personnel, the Canadian Mental Health Association was able to acquire some relevant information to aid in its decision-making process for planning mental health educational programs. The majority of survey respondents, for example, feel that information on coping with stress is the most important to them while information on the more serious, mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, is least important. This has important implications for program planning if the organization is to enlist public support and market its services to a broader clientele. Focusing on promoting mental health and functional competence versus mental illness focused is recommended if the Canadian Mental Health Association hopes to attract normal population groups as its consumers. Furthermore, learning through friendship and familial support is the most desirable, and helping professionals should not place too much emphasis on pamphlets alone as an educational tool. Other implications arising from the consumer data are discussed in this paper. For the most part, the consumer data has served to verify assumptions about what decision-makers already know ... but the research process is able to ground such assumptions into fact ... and this helps to further legitimize and speed up action. This pilot study serves as an initial starting point for the organization in its attempt to incorporate consumer research as part of its overall planning process. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

In order to predict the possible future of adult education in British Columbia over a period of ten years to 1984, a panel composed of 20 adult education directors completed this Delphi forecasting study whose objective was to extrapolate current trends in adult education and to establish specific goals for those who will be involved in making decisions affecting future adult education policy. The methodology employed was that of the Delphi forecasting technique. The instruments' designs were a modification of those utilized by Enzer, et al. in their study: Some Prospects for Social Change by 1985 and their Impact on Time/Money Budgets. The study was conducted over a period of six months with three sequential rounds of questionnaires. The first questionnaire displayed thirteen graphed statistical indicators reflecting trends from 1961 to 1971 in areas relevant to adult education. Each indicator was accompanied by three possible developments related to the future changes in the indicator. The panel's responses to this material became the basis for the second questionnaire. The portion of the study dealing with the graphed statistical indicators was completed with the return of the second questionnaire. The second portion of the study which dealt with projected potential events, their likelihood of occurrence by 1984, their estimated effect on adult education, and the expected changes in adult education should the events occur constituted the material for both the second and third questionnaires. From 64 potential events listed on the second questionnaire, the panel narrowed the number of potential events to 29 for re-evaluation on the third questionnaire. This information plus the extrapolated graphed trends comprised the final data for analysis. The data received were both objective and subjective. With both portions of the study the total group response was considered (as in all Delphi studies) to lie in the median, therefore the results were analyzed only through the median response. Consensus was set at a 70 percent (or higher) panel agreement, and this consensus in addition to the number of reiterations of any individual trend constituted the refining of the data. An analysis of the panel's responses as well as the implications revealed seven specific trends in adult education. These trends were then correlated into goals presumed to be of primary importance in the next decade for those involved in decision making in the field of adult education. These goals were: the expansion of technical and vocational facilities, co-ordination of adult education services, training of all adult educators, recognition of and adjustment to the changing roles of British Columbia's community colleges and universities by adult educators, the recognition of and subsequent adjustment to the changing role of women in the labor force, the expansion and usage of existing public school facilities to embrace continuing education activities and the recognition of the equality of the status of adult education with present public school education. Accompanying each of the goals was a list of supporting events through which the goals might be achieved. It is an established fact that in a world of rapid technological change there can be a choice of futures. However, many routes or paths should be examined in order to choose the future most desirable in terms of achievement of objectives. The conclusions of this study should be considered therefore as representing one of a number of possible directions through which the best possible future for adult education in British Columbia may be implemented. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Problem: With a few notable exceptions, the history of adult education in British Columbia has received relatively little attention. What information there is, is often confined to somewhat narrow time frames, locations, or topics. A general overview of the history of adult education in British Columbia during the 20th century seems to be lacking. This study is a modest attempt to begin adding voice to this important but largely overlooked area. Conceptual Approach: The approach taken is one of historical review. The study, while to some degree quantitative, is much more interested in the qualitative aspects of the material examined. Newspapers, which the author suggests provide a unique historical record, serve as the sole source of data. Methodology: The B.C. Legislative Library Newspaper Index from 1900 -1999 is the source of documents for this study. A thorough reading of all newspaper articles (550+), cited as being related to adult education, was undertaken. Articles were grouped by decade and recorded. Within the decades certain themes were identified and also recorded. Two specific themes (lifelong learning and distance education) received special attention and were examined and recorded separately. Findings: There are a number of reoccurring themes that arise during the period examined. Many of these themes have a direct correlation to issues facing adult education today. These issues include, but are not limited to: • lifelong learning • distance education and related educational technology • duplication of services • libraries and adult education • defining/purpose(s) adult education. Since these and other issues are part of the current discourse about adult education, it seems reasonable that lessons learned/not learned in the past not be forgotten. With the benefit of historical hindsight, which includes sources that are not confined to potentially narrow interests, adult educators may become better informed by considering these issues. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate