The primary problem of this study was to evaluate the post-high
school plans component of a high school counseling program. The
intent was to determine the effectiveness of the program component in
relation to the purpose it was designed to serve: providing information
and guidance for high school students who were making decisions about
what they would do after graduation from high school. Secondary
problems were the choice of an approach to evaluation and the methods
to be used to implement that approach. A humanistic approach, which
would give access to qualitative information, implemented through
intensive interviewing and participant observation, was selected.
The method of intensive interviewing was implemented through
an open-ended interview format which asked for both information and
opinions from respondents. Participant observation was carried out
during both formal program activities and informal events which
occurred relative to the program component studied, and involved
counselors, teachers, students, administrators, and parents. Ninety-eight
of the 107 students in the 1982 graduating class of Douglas High
School participated in interviews conducted between December 1, 1981
and March 15, 1982. Observations of formal program events took place
throughout the academic year during which the study was conducted.
Informal observations had occurred throughout the four years during
which the researcher had been a member of the professional staff of the
institution in which the study occurred.
Major findings included support for the efficacy of the methodology
employed as well as evaluations of the program component. As
regards methodology, the interview and observation techniques revealed
material unlikely to emerge in more objective (rating scale, management-by-
objectives, or classic research design) methods. Students in interviews
explained their reactions to program events, providing qualifications
that more objective but less sensitive methods would obscure.
The interviewer clarified questions to be certain students understood
what they were answering, a procedure impossible with an objective
rating scale. Observations of activities revealed the nature of
relationships which existed in the institution, variations in relationships
over time or changing situations, and the influence of relationships
on the effectiveness of program components.
As regards evaluation, the program component was weak in the
following areas: counseling services were inadequately publicized;
students were inadequately informed of career options in the military
(specifically, in military academies and through Reserve Officer
Training programs); scholarship information was poorly organized for
student use and inadequately publicized; and career guidance beyond the
freshman career exploration class was insufficient. The program
component showed positive strengths in such areas as annual pre-enrollment
of students; keeping students informed of progress toward credits
for graduation; providing informational workshops in preparation of
scholarship applications, financial aid, and the Scholastic Aptitude
Test; providing access to military recruiters at student request;
maintaining a library of college and career information; responding to
student and parent requests for assistance; and exhibiting concern for
and providing counseling services for individual students. / Graduation date: 1983
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/38248 |
| Date | 20 May 1982 |
| Creators | Haugen, Maureen McCurdy |
| Contributors | Clark, Glenn E. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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