Student personnel workers need to understand the factors in educational and vocational career development in order to assist students in the selection of appropriate goals. This study was an attempt to identify the influence of social position, ability and personal preferences upon the plans of high school seniors.Three basic hypotheses were investigated to determine if subjects ordered according to plans, sex, ability and social position differed in their preferences as measured by the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS). The sample consisted of 219 male and 174 female senior students from two high schools in an industrial metropolitan area in the Midwest. The subjects were classified by ability on the basis of their scores on the Otis Quick-Scoring Test of Mental Ability. A personal information form was developed and administered to obtain information relative to social position and after-high school plans. Social position classification was determined using the Hollingshead Two Factor Index of Social Position.Analysts of the data revealed that the plans of many students did not reflect full utilization of their potential ability. Proportionally more males than females expressed plans for college while relatively more females than males stated an intention to obtain short-term practical training or to pursue non-degree educational objectives in local colleges or university extension centers. While the size and nature of the sample partially obscured the differences, it was concluded that social position may have been a significant factor in the planning of the males but not for the females.For both males and females, analyses of variance results indicated that the EPPS variables of Achievement, Exhibition and Intraception distinguished those subjects who planned training or education beyond high school from those subjects with other plans. High ability males who were non-college bound tended to score low on the EPPS Abasement and Nurturance scales and high on the Endurance scale while their female counterparts obtained low scores on the Achievement scale and high scores on the Succorance scale.Students of both sexes whose plans were commensurate with their ability seemed ambitious, confident and intraceptive. Males whose plans did not reflect their ability tended to manifest an independent and emotionally defensive attitude toward life typified by a willingness to work dogmatically toward the completion of their objectives. Un-aspiring but able females were characterized by a lack of achievement motives and by a need for support, both emotional and material, probably resulting in a desire for early marriage. The data further suggested that such males and females tended to be concerned about the success of their social relationships.While the study was not designed for the purpose of validating any of the constructs measured by the EPPS, the results rationally gave support to the descriptions afforded several of the constructs. Although the EPPS has been reported to be of limited value in the traditionally-conceived predictive studies concerning achievement, college admission, etc., the instrument showed promise in identifying students whose plans do not reflect their full potential as a result of lack of information, social discomfort and inadequate or distorted self concept. Thus, the EPPS, cautiously used, may be a useful tool for the guidance worker or counselor in his efforts to help students Plan post high school objectives.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175977 |
| Date | January 1964 |
| Creators | Dye, H. Allan |
| Contributors | Isaacson, Lee E. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | xii, 159 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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