This report on vocational training agreements and plans in Pennsylvania presents a uniform and systematic approach to formalize the relationships between vocational educators and employers in providing students with on-the-job training. First, the report briefly covers the purpose of formalizing on-the-job learning experiences, training agreement,…

This report documents a third-party evaluation of Career Decisions, an elective career exploration course to investigate the program's effectiveness in achieving its student outcome objectives. The report is organized into chapters by five general evaluation questions: (1) What did students experience in the classroom components?, (2) What did…

The "Career Approach to Natural Resource Management in Wildlife and Recreation" program has completed its second year at Conrad Weiser High School in Robesonia, Pennsylvania. It is a vocational natural resources course designed to prepare workers in wildlife and recreation management, with strong emphasis on field study and/or…

Promising methods utilized in small rural high schools to provide a wider range of experiences for students are identified and described. Programs reported on include the Arctic Nursing Program, Career Research Program, Contractual Study Program, Eye-opening Experience, Field Experience Program, Guitar and Folk Music Program, Individualized…

A study concerned with ways to increase occupational opportunities for women (but not intended as a study of sex discrimination) was undertaken to identify steps that can be taken to encourage young women to enter vocational areas that have been traditionally limited to males. Eleven vocational and comprehensive high schools were located that had…

The Skills and Knowledge Profile (SKP) is a tool developed in Canada to document learning styles and strategies of adult learners. The instrument was developed as a systematic approach to capturing the learning styles of unemployed and employed adults across sectors. It is made up of these six sections: (1) Learning Access and Personal…

This study used longitudinal data from the High School and Beyond study to examine how individuals' educational expectations change after high school, especially as related to postsecondary education. Data were from a nationally representative sample of high school seniors in 1980 and follow-up four years later. The dependent variable was…

A study involving 199 private liberal arts college freshmen found a weak but statistically significant correlation between high school grade point average and freshman grade point average (FGPA) but not between Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and FGPA. For academically underprepared freshmen, motivation-related noncognitive variables significantly…

A 1989 survey of over 1,400 doctoral students in chemistry, engineering, microbiology, and sociology at major research universities elicited perceptions of the graduate experience, faculty, departments, academic work, and prospective careers. Findings suggest greater attention should be given to supervision and training of teaching/research…

College and university institutional researchers can use unemployment insurance wage and related files to describe and compare students' workplace status before, during, and after enrollment. However, some issues must be addressed, including data delays, uncovered employment and other work status, confidentiality of records, information…

Tested school-based intervention in the developmental domains of skills/knowledge, attitudes, orientations, and exploration/commitment for urban minority youth. Quantitative results indicated positive gains on multiple indices; qualitative assessment illustrated positive effects of intervention and the possible obstacles to intervention efficacy.…

In this paper, factors that influence academic achievement and self-concept of Year 12 students in their final year of schooling at a Catholic co-educational school in Adelaide, Australia were investigated. The study hypothesised there were differences in attitudes and academic performance due to prior schooling experiences, sex, home experiences,…

A content area literacy course is examined to assess how teacher educators might respond to prospective teachers' beliefs in light of the particular goals of a particular course or teacher education experience. Content Area Literacy is a methods course that emphasizes teaching strategies and the rationales underlying them. It is examined to reveal…

Focusing on community colleges' role in enrolling students for their first year of postsecondary education, this monograph provides 17 essays on characteristics, programs, and outcomes related to students' freshman year. The following essays are included: (1) "The Freshman Year Experience: A Philosophy for Higher Education in the New Millennium,"…

This guide is designed to help junior and senior high school students acquire basic competencies in daily living. In addition to identifying 13 competencies, the guide explains how students can obtain certification in those skills by members of the community whose jobs require them to be proficient in them. The competencies include transacting…