Master of Science

Problem The problem for this study was to determine the occupations entered by graduates of the agricultural education department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute from 1959-1969, their advancements, and the effectiveness of their training. Purposes The specific purposes of the study were to determine: the employment record of the graduates, their mobility, the effectiveness of their training, their financial advancement, their educational advancement, and certain of their other achievements. Method The study was based on data secured by mailing a questionnaire to the 245 graduates. The questionnaire was completed and returned by 179 (73.l percent) of the graduates. Findings There were 134 (74.9 percent) of the reporting graduates who began employment in the agricultural education field. In 1970 there were 96 (53.6 percent) of the reporting graduates who were still employed in the agricultural education field. The 104 (58.l percent) of the graduates who reported that they had changed occupations listed 39 reasons for changing occupations. The graduates reported a need for more courses in business and management. The graduates also reported a need for more training in the specialized areas of the agricultural education curriculum. The average beginning salary for the reporting graduates was $5,650.00. The average 1970 salary was $9,439.00. There were 41 (22.9 percent) of the graduates who held advanced degrees beyond the Bachelor of Science degree. There were 110 (61.5 percent) of the graduates who reported special achievements. / Master of Science

Master of Science

This study was undertaken in order to determine the specific business training needs of the office employees in Waynesboro, Virginia, and to develop recommendations for the institution of in-service training programs. A survey of a representative group was made by having the employers and the employee evaluate job competencies in selected areas of their work. The conclusions of this study were as follows: 1. The secretaries and their supervisors would like in-service training programs in the area of shorthand, typewriting, reception duties, and business English. 2. The accountants and their supervisors would like in-service training programs in the areas of handling depreciation and amortization, reserves and surpluses, taxation and social security, accruals and deferrals, and analyzing financial statements. 3. The clerical workers and their supervisors would like in-service training programs in the areas of typewriting, telephone techniques, reception duties, handling the mail, business English, human relations, usage of forms, penmanship, personality development, and grooming. 4. A majority of the participants of the survey would prefer that training programs covering the above areas be held in the schools in the evenings. / Master of Science

Middle school programs in agricultural education are unique educational experiences that provide middle school aged children in Virginia with a basic understanding of agriculture and its applied sciences. Curriculum innovations such as the one for Virginia middle schools provide guidance for teachers in the field and offer a base from which programs can operate. However, the benefits of educational innovations are never fully realized until the teacher in the classroom adopts and implements the changes. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher characteristics and the adoption of agriscience curriculum in Virginia middle school agricultural education programs. The population for this study consisted of the 57 middle school teachers of agricultural education in Virginia. All of the teachers were surveyed with an 81% response rate obtained. Selected conclusions drawn from the findings were: 1. There are two distinct groups of middle school agricultural education teachers in Virginia, those who are teaching a large part of the approved curriculum and those who are teaching only a small portion of the curriculum. 2. Teacher attitude toward agriscience is a significant predictor of the amount of agriscience curriculum taught. 3. Teacher knowledge of agriscience is a significant predictor of the amount of agriscience curriculum taught. 4. Teacher expectations of agriscience curriculum is a meaningful predictor of the amount of agriscience curriculum taught. Selected recommendations drawn from the findings and conclusions are: 1. Given the existence of the significant contribution of the teachers’ positive attitude toward the amount of agriscience curriculum taught by middle school teachers of agricultural education in Virginia, more effort by teacher education, the Virginia Department of Education, and agricultural interests in Virginia should be devoted to building positive attitudes toward agriscience. 2. Given the significant contribution of the teachers’ knowledge toward the amount of agriscience curriculum taught by middle school teachers of agricultural education in Virginia, more effort is needed by teacher education to prepare prospective teachers in agriscience content and methodology as part of their teacher preparation. The Virginia Department of Education and agricultural interests in Virginia should also commit to teacher training through inservice and other activities involving agriscience education. / Ph. D.

The study investigated the events that led to the establishment of the exemplary job placement projects,the organizational process of the projects in the secondary schools, the objectives most difficult to accomplish, and the current status of the projects. This study resulted from the awareness that no single accumulation of materials exists on exemplary job placement projects in Virginia's secondary schools. A review of the literature revealed that early job placement efforts for school students began with the work of individual teachers, settlement workers, vocational bureau counselors and community organizations. In 1914 the Placement Bureau of Roxbury, Massachusetts, which had been established by a civic group, was the first placement office to be incorporated into the public schools (Brewer, 1942). In the early 1960's, attention was drawn to the high unemployment rate of youth. In an attempt to reduce the high level of youth unemployment, Congress passed the 1968 Vocational Education Amendments (P.L. 90-576) which provided for exemplary activities to bridge the gap between school and work. In Virginia, the Vocational Education Staff, State Department of Education, chose to develop exemplary job placement projects to help students in the transition from school to work. By means of interviews and document analysis, the following findings relevant to the four major research questions were obtained. Findings of the study show that five events led to the development of the exemplary job placement projects: (1) a resurgence of interest in vocational education and placement as a part of the comprehensive vocational program; (2) a need for skills re-training due to a shift away from a manufacturing economy; (3) a demand for education to assume an equal responsibility for assisting students to enter the world of work as had been done with college bound students; (4) the equality of educational opportunity movement; and (5) a grass roots movement to upgrade public education (Caruthers, 1983). Eleven projects were organized across the Commonwealth within a three year period. The projects were funded for a three year period on a diminishing basis. Procedures and guidelines for organizing the projects were mailed to project directors. In-service workshops provided a time for sharing and developing materials. Eight project objectives established by the State Department of Education, Vocational Division were to: (1) assist in the placement of dropouts; (2) assist in the placement of high school graduates; (3) assist in the placement of students on part-time jobs; (4) assist students to advance in positions; (5) work closely with cooperative education coordinators; (6) work closely with guidance counselors; (7) advise students about continuing education opportunities; and (8) make provisions for preemployment training. The most difficult objectives to accomplish, according to project directors, were assisting in the placement of dropouts and preemployment training. Six of the eleven exemplary job placement projects are still in operation. Four projects were discontinued at the end of the three year funding period and a fifth project was phased out in 1982. / Ed. D.

All branches of the military service have humanitarian transfer policies which require that consideration be given to the special educational and medical needs of dependent family members during the reassignment process. These policies may result in certain school districts serving a disproportionate number of military-connected handicapped children. Despite the federal financial assistance received by LEAs under P.L. 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) and P.L. 81-874 (School Assistance for Federally Affected Areas) the presence of these children may create a fiscal burden on the LEAs. This study sought to determine if seven school districts in the Tidewater area of Virginia served a disproportionate number of military connected handicapped children, what the additional costs were to the LEAs to educate these children, and what percentage of military parents of handicapped children were assigned to the Tidewater area due to the special educational needs of their children. Analysis of the data indicated that 7.7% of the total military enrollment (40,824) of the seven school districts were enrolled in special education programs. This percentage is not considered disproportionate when compared with the 10.3% of the nonmilitary population enrolled in special education programs. A number of possible explanations were offered for these inconsistencies. Per pupil costs were calculated for four self-contained programs in the Newport News School Division. Analysis of the data indicated that additional costs were incurred by the LEA to educate students in these high cost programs. These additional costs varied due to differing amounts of revenue received under P.L. 81-874 and the state reimbursement formula. It was concluded that the findings_of this study would be applicable only to the Newport News School Division and to the programs and settings that were investigated. Nineteen percent of the parents of military-connected handicapped children from five school districts were surveyed. Analysis of the data indicated that 55% of those parents were familiar with the armed forces' humanitarian reassignment programs. Forty-one percent of those familiar with the humanitarian reassignment programs had requested a transfer to the Tidewater area on the basis of their child's special educational needs. A growing awareness of reassignment policies has implications for certain school divisions. These implications were presented and discussed. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to verify factors which are related to the provision of special education services in Virginia school divisions and to compare obtained results with similar research completed in the era of permissive legislation by Chalfant in 1965 in Illinois. A diagnostic technique was developed to indicate the proportions of children identified as handicapped expected to be found in a school division. Indicator variables selected for inclusion in the study were average daily membership, population per square mile, median school years completed, percentage of total civilian labor force unemployed, true value of property, percent black, median household income, percentage of families in urban residence, and the Composite Index. Criteria measures included the proportion of students identified as mentally retarded, learning disabled, speech impaired, emotionally disturbed, and total proportion of all handicapped students. Indicator variables found significant to the proportion of learning disabled students were median school years completed, percent of the total civilian labor force unemployed, percent black, percent urban, population per square mile, and median household income. Median school years completed, median household income, percent black, and population per square mile were found to be significant in predicting to the proportion of students identified as mentally retarded. Indicator variables related to the proportion of students identified as emotionally disturbed included average daily memh·.~rship, percent urban, median income, and percent of total civilian labor force unemployed. A low correlation was found between proportion of speech impaired students and percentage of families in urban residence, true value of property, and average daily membership. The total proportion of students identified as handicapped was best predicted by the percent of total civilian labor force ·unemployed, percent urban and population per square mile. A special education Expectancy Index was developed to provide a comparative measure for each school division on each criteria measure. The atypical school divisions were diagnosed as having overidentified or underidentified proportions of each criteria measure. The study confirmed the methodology utilized by Chalfant and yielded an operational model for predicting certain special education services. / Ed. D.

The present study was concerned with career maturity among black high school seniors. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship of career maturity to locus of control, academic achievement, socioeconomic status and sex. The population from which the sample was taken consisted of black high school seniors in one high school in Central Virginia. Data were gathered during the Winter, 1983 using a personal data questionnaire, Crites' Attitude Scale and Rotter's I-E Scale. Students responded to the three instruments in one sitting. The significance of the relationships was determined by correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. The analysis of the data revealed that: (1) Academic achievement was the most highly significant predictor of career maturity for the 302 subjects in this investigation; (2) Socioeconomic status was a significant factor in the career maturity of participants in this study; (3) The participants differed by sex in their levels of career maturity, and sex was a significant predictor of their career maturity; (4) Locus of control was not a significant predictor of their career maturity. The findings of the study and related literature suggest that there is a need for more study with black adolescents from a variety of settings involving several age, grade and socioeconomic levels, and there is a need for longitudinal studies involving only black adolescents to affirm their career development process. / Doctor of Education

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which teaching efficacy, a motivational construct derived from Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, is related to the referring of students for special education services. Secondary purposes were to gather information on the validity of The Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson, 1983) and to obtain a better understanding of the construct of teaching efficacy, and how it is manifested in high and low efficacy teachers. A three-phase study was designed to investigate the problem. A survey of all first, second and third grade teachers in a mid-size urban school district in Virginia resulted in individual referral numbers and a volunteer sample of eighty-one teachers. After elimination of ten of those respondents, a second survey was conducted to gain a measure of efficacy and potentially related environmental variables. Scores from the second survey defined a sample for the interview phase of the study. Findings suggest that high efficacy teachers refer fewer students to special education than do low efficacy teachers. Variables which appear to be related to a teacher's sense of efficacy include support from the administration, assistance I and personal support from the principal, type of school (high or low SES), successful experiences with low-achieving students, and a personal need to be successful with all students. Implications for building teachers' sense of efficacy indicate a two-pronqed change effort: assuring that teachers have the skills to be successful with a wide range of learning needs, and creating an environment which enables teachers to be decisive, independent professionals. / Ed. D.