Although manpower and educational planning have been used in Malaysia for a considerable time to ensure an adequate supply of qualified manpower for the economy, the problem of skilled manpower shortages still persists. Estimated employment targets forecasted by planners to meet the economic needs of the country often clash with the needs and capabilities of vocational students who are seeking employment in the labour market. These students face the problem of occupational choices. Sometimes their occupational preferences tend to be far removed from the demand of the country's manpower needs, resulting in shortages and surpluses in certain occupational categories. The upwardly distorted, educational system, the narrow range of available careers, inadequate careers information and limited careers guidance have frequently been cited as reasons why vocational stream students manifest these unrealistic career ambitions. A study of vocational stream students' occupational expectations could generate a wide range of information for formulating appropriate policies for the development of the vocational education system and the labour market. Unfortunately, despite the usefulness of such information, there is a paucity of research in this area. In view of the above, the study was formulated to achieve the following objectives: 1) to concentrate on the extent to which students of vocational schools are aware of national manpower needs and how their occupational expectations relate to them; 2) to explore the extent to which factors other than manpower needs may affect students' occupational expectations; 3) to investigate the role played by careers guidance in the vocational school in helping students to make their occupational decisions; 4) to acquire an understanding of the role of the technical and vocational education planners in relation to the way manpower and educational planning has developed and operates. To explore possible explanations for the persistence of manpower needs and students' occupational expectations, two kinds of data were used: sample surveys and interview data. A total of 420 Form V vocational stream students were surveyed. The interviews were conducted with three groups of key informants: 28 vocational stream students, 3 careers guidance and counselling teachers and 4 technical and vocational education planners. The analysis of the data confirms that: 1) a majority of vocational stream students were unaware of the country's skilled manpower requirements although there were efforts made by the schools to help them prepare for future occupations; 2) vocational stream students' occupational expectations were often not in accordance with the country's skilled manpower requirements. Vocational students' occupational expectations were unrealistic. Students tend to place priority on their own individual needs rather than being influenced by the occupational structure of the country; 3) except for job security and parents, other factors that affected vocational stream students' choice of expected occupations were not dominant. However, students' occupational expectations were negatively related to their fathers' present occupations; 4) the vocational course specialisation was a significant determinant in selecting expected occupations of vocational stream students, however, these did not make them renounce other occupations; 5) male vocational stream students were more likely to exhibit extrinsic reasons for job expectations than were vocational stream female students who showed a marked preference for people-oriented aspects of occupational expectations; 6) the secondary vocational schools' careers guidance and counselling programmes were generally appreciated and thought to be helpful, there is very little evidence that they provided the source of careers information; 7) there are limitations in manpower and educational planning models, and there is a lack of some of the conditions required for their optimal functioning. The secondary vocational schools are not demand driven, their output has not matched actual industrial requirements.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Judith Irvin, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 22, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 282 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1979. / Title from title page screen, viewed Feb. 11, 2005. Dissertation Committee: J.H. McGrath (chair), Ben Hubbard, Ned Lovell, Rod Riegle, James Hallam. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-101) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1980. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-80).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1981. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-193).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 155 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-116).

Bibliography: 129-134. / If the main objective of schooling is the holistic development of the learner, i.e. the development of cognitive skills, critical thinking skills, social skills, life skills, creativity and emotional maturity, then it stands to reason that a quality school is one which contributes to such a holistic development of the learner. Therefore indicators of quality schooling would be those factors which make the holistic development of the learner possible. The important point to bear in mind however, is that these factors (indicators) in themselves are not standard nor static, they are dynamic and context-specific. It is this conceptual framework which underpins the research study. Tue research study is informed by the work of West and Hopkins (1996), Schmelkes (1996), Heneveld (1994) and Govinda & Vargese (1993), who propose a more ''whole school approach" in the measurement of school performance. The indicators of quality schooling were measured separately, but it is their collective impact that must be considered when attempting to assess the quality of schooling. Over a seven month period a co-educational secondary public school centrally situated in a community which resides in an economically and socially deprived area of the Western Cape, was closely observed and studied. The items and questions used in the questionnaires, interviews and observations were significantly influenced by the following: the work of West and Hopkins' (1996) four domains of school effectiveness; the IIEP research on increasing and improving the quality of basic education and Heneveld's (1994) model: Factors that determine School Effectiveness. The case study illustrates that when assessing the quality of schooling of any school it is important to assess all the factors that impact on the quality of schooling.

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