University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

A follow-up study of drop-outs from Helix High School

(USC Thesis Other)

A follow-up study of drop-outs from Helix High School

PDF

Download

Open document

Flip pages

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content A FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF DROP-OUTS FROM HELIZ EIG-H SCHOOL A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of Education University of Southern Oalifomia . In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by June Mason August 1954 UMI Number: EP55579 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Dissertaiion P_bi.sl^n3 UMI EP55579 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 e d 'SS M This thesis, written under the direction of the Chairman of the candidate's Guidance Committee | ^ ( and approved by all members of the Committee, 0 \ j ^ ^ ( has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education of the University of Southern California in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Education. Date................. , .. Dean Guidance Committee Chairman ÎABIE OP COOTEIÏS 0H4PTPR PAGE I. AED DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED l i The problem . . . .. . . .. . .. . 2 Statement of the problem ...... 2 Importance of the study........... 3 ' Names of terms and schools used .... 6 Drop-out .................. 6 Helix High School ............... 6 Interview................ 7 Returns .................. 7 Organization of the thesis......... 7 I II. REVIEW OF THE DITERATURE............. 9 Literature on the holding power of the American high school ....... 10 Literature on why boys and girls leave school .................... 17 Factors that contribute to withdrawal 1 21 What happens to drop-outs? ...... 23 III. IhWDl JUID ]^BTHOD OF FROOEDURE . . . . . . 29 Data and method of procedure ..... 29 Background of the study ........ 29 Conducting the study ............. 30 Problems encountered in making the study 32^ iii OHAPIER ]PA&E ^Organising the data ........ 32 Drawing conclusions from the data ... 33 IV. BACKGROUND OR THE DROP-OUTS........ 35 Sex of the drop-outs ............. 35 Grade last attended .............. 38 Age and grade distributions......... 40 i The home ................ 40^ lumber of children in families of the ^ drop-outs ................ 44 Place of birth.................... 44 Marital status of the drop-out .... 471 Do married youth have homes of their own?....... 47 Intelligence .................. 49 Reading abilities ........... .... 52 Summary....................... 521 ir . g ? H E I 3 ] 1 A J S ( D 1 S I D I t C X E P C C l C t (D U T 0]P E S C Z f l O f D ] ^ 5)6 Reasons for dropping o u t .......... 57 The drop-out and the counselor • • • • 65' Courses taken in school by the drop-out 67 Changes which could have encouraged i youth to remain in school ..... 70 Summary 77 CHAPTER VI. THE DROP-OUT AND HIS JOB . . . Initial employment ...... Job stability ........ Jobs held .......... School subjects and present job Preferred occupations ....... School subjects desired for present job Summary ........................... iril. SIBKMAinr, C(INCI1%3IC%?8, ÎÜBCOBn&ENIbADICÜïS, AND SUGGESTED PROBLEMS FOR STUDY . Summary ..................... Conclusions ................. Recommendations . . . . . . . . The counseling staff and the drop-out The vocational guidance program and the drop-out . ............. The drop-out study and the student body The drop-out and the curriculum . . The drop-out and the teaching personnel The co-curricular program and the drop- odt .............. Suggested problems for study Bibliography ........ IV PAGE: I 82, 84 85 87 891 92: I 95: 97; I 100! I 1001 105' 108' 108 111 115 116 119 120 121 125 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. School Enrollment and Ion-enrollment for the United States; October 1950 . ♦ 13' II, Grade Distribution of 161 Drop-outs by 8ex 37, III. Age-grade Distribution of 161 Drop-outs , 411 IV. Home Status of 50 Drop-outs in Special | Study 43j V. Home Status of Drop-outs Compared with * National Figures on Home Status .... 451 1 VI. Number of Children in Family 46; VII, Place of Birth of 161 Drop-outs....... 4s| I VIII. I.Q. and Grade Distribution of 127 Drop-outs 50} I IX. Scores Achieved on the Iowa Silent Heading ' Test by 102 of the Drop-out Population 53 X. Frequency of Reasons Given by 50 Youth as of First Importance in Decision to Drop out of School................ 59 XI. Secondary Reasons Given by Those Indicating Lack of Interest in School Work as Primary Reason 61 > XII. Secondary Reasons Given by Those Indicating Preference for Work as Primary Reason • 62 XIII. Frequency of Reasons Given for Dropping out 64 V TABLE PAGE XIV. Consultation with Teachers, Counselors, or Parent on Decision to Leave School 66; XV. Courses Taken by 50 Drop-outs ...... 69* XVI. Changes Suggested by Drop-outs .... 72; XVII. Sources of Occupational Advice of Drop- i outs .. ... ....... 83 X7XEI. Number of Jobs Held by Drop-outs • • • 86| I XIX. First Jobs of 50 Drop-outs and Jobs at | Time of Interview ......... 8B| 1 1 XX. Subjects Specified by 24 Drop-outs as | Most Helpful ............ 91' I XXI. Job Preferences of 50 Drop-outs .... 93! XXII. Subjects not Taken But Desired for ; Present Job..................... 96 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED During the past three years many California schools have made follow-up studies as a part of the California Co-operative Study of School Drop-outs and Graduates. The following study is an outgrowth of a follow-up on drop-outs which was carried on in the school year of 1951-1952 at Helix High School in co-operation with the above mentioned state study. The objective of the present study was to as certain if the holding power of Helix High had improved after certain recommendations and policies which were out lined by the earlier study on drop-outs had been completed* Many students leave school before graduating from the twelfth grade. The United States Office of Education esti mates that on a nation-wide basis about 50 per cent of all children entering the first-grade drop out of school prior to graduation-.^ This is likely substantially correct, al though exact statistics are not available. Various studies of the state of California^ s holding power reveal that one out of three students quits school ^William H. McCreary and Donald E. Kitch, "Now Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, XXII, No. 9:51, October, 1953. 2 before graduation from high school. California^s atten- I dance records exceed those for the entire United States in i I all categories. Nonetheless, the picture for the holding power of the schools of California leaves something to be desired when one out of three youth of California forfeits a high school education--voluntarily or involuntarily. The drop-out represents a serious problem to the educa tor, the home, and the community. The solution of the problem is one of the most complex situations that has faced % American education.-^ The highest standard a school can maintain is based on what it does for the community that i supports it. I Through such follow-up studies as these, the secondary ' I school has one means of appraising its program and of shap- i ing more adequately to the needs of youth. This is a continuous job, a complex and difficult job, but not an impossible one. I. THE PROBLEM Statement of the problem. It was the purpose of this > p. 27. % Sam M. Lambert, "Increasing Education's Holding Power," National Education Association Journal, 39: 664-6, December, 19$0# study to attempt to answer at least four specific purposes: (1) Had the holding power of Helix High changed from the initial drop-out study of 1951-52 to the present study of 1952-1954? (2) Is either geographical area of the elemen- ' tary schools which contribute to Helix High producing more drop-outs than the other? (3) Why do boys and girls leave school before graduation? (4) What work history did the ' drop-outs of Helix High School contribute to the economic picture of the community? Importance of the study. During recent years many schools and parents have raised questions as to the holding | i power of the schools of California* How many students re- 1 main in school to complete graduation from high school? Howj 1 many drop out and at what point of their school career do they leave school? Why do those who quit school do so? It is difficult to answer some of these questions with exact precision. ' The 1950 census gives the most reliable information concerning the holding powers of the schools of California. Census enumerators made a sampling count of persons enrolled; in "regular" schools between Februrary 1 and April 1, 1950.^ In general, the figures indicate that practically all of 4Ibid., p. 27. 4 California young people remain in school until they are 16 I years old. Generally there has been a steady growth in | school attendance from 1910 to 1940 with very little change in most age groups from 1940 to 1950. From area to area within the state, school attendance | appears to vary considerably. Young people in both rural : and urban areas tend to stay in school from the first grade , through the age of 16. The urban children are likely to ! start school somewhat earlier and attend kindergarten in | larger numbers. Rural youth appear to be somewhat more in- ! dined to leave school at the age of 16* ! Youth lists many reasons for leaving school early. > i More than half the drop-outs (57 per cent) are associated j with difficulty or lack of interest in school. "Marriage" accounted for the most common single response (25 per cent). Financial need accounted for 13 per cent and the remaining five per cent entered the armed forces.^ i The administration and staff of one contributing ele mentary school district were especially interested in try ing to ascertain why three times more of the high school ^ drop-outs occurred from their elementary school district in the school year*1951-52. It would seem to indicate some ^Ibid., p. 35* ' 1 environmental factor which could be alleviated to a large I degree by counseling earlier in the school life of the | individual during the elementary school. This study should have the most vital implications for the individual communities which send students to the Helix High School. The quality of the education of a communities*! citizens determines to a large degree the success of its j civic, social, and economic life. Since Helix High School ' marked the termination or completion of many of its I students * education, it was felt that no efforts to increase. I the holding power of this school could be too great. I The drop-out problem assumes especially serious proper-I I tiens when viewed in the light of expanding enrollment. When the present bumper crop of war babies reaches the end I of compulsory attendance, will they be held by schools long i enough to receive the full benefit of a secondary education? Since so many young people try high school beyond the I age of compulsory attendance, it is clear that youth wants | to be educated. Today, nearly all boys and girls begin a high school education, but nearly one-half do not complete i it. If, as statistics indicate, 50 per cent of the poten tial high school graduates leave school before the comple tion of secondary education, we can hardly look to them for 6 support for our schools when they become voters. If they leave, it is because the schools fail to give them what they' want. The percentage of drop-outs indicated the school*s failure to do a complete job for all of its students. ^ In order for the school to increase its holding power, l/ / it was first necessary to discover the reasons for the with-1 drawals of students. The forthcoming study represented the many ways put into effect to find the reason for drop-outs. II. NAMES OP TERMS AND SCHOOLS USED j Drop-out. In a broad sense the personnel of the entire school system from kindergarten through the twelfth grade should be concerned with all school leavers. In this study,i the word drop-out referred to any student who withdrew from full time school before completion of the twelfth grade. Students transferring to other schools within the district or outside the district were not classified as drop-outs. Those enrolled in continuation high school or vocational high school were listed as a drop-out from full time school.: Helix High School. Helix High School indicated a geographical area of one hundred and fifty square miles. Two elementary school districts adjacent to Helix High School contribute high school students to the school. They each contribute fifty per cent of the freshman enrollment. 7 ; j Interview. The interview which was used in this study ; was an informal conference "between the drop-out and the examiner. The purpose of the interview was to ascertain enlightment in regard to the questions tallied as the objec tives of the study. Returns. The term returns, referred to the question- ’ 1 naire which was used by the examiner in the interviews, ; é ! I I I . ORGAiriZATIOlT OP THE THESIS ' An attempt was made to organize the following study so ! that it would be of practical use to either of the two local! I elementary schools or the high school involved. | Chapter I in this study had as its objective a state ment of the problem to be considered. There were certain definite limitations to the study by the stated purposes. The terms which were used throughout the study were defined. ' The literature which was pertinent on the subject of drop-outs is the discussion in Chapter II. Chapter III discusses the procedure which was used in j the drop-out study. The manner in which the interviews ! were conducted with the drop-outs, the methods used in con tacting the drop-outs, and the implications of the questions' used in the questionnaire-interview situation. 8 The population interviewed in the drop-out study was ; described in Chapter IV. Permanent school records, inter- ■ views with personnel of Helix High School, ^and the results of the interview with the drop-out furnished this informa tion. In Chapter V the educational experiences of the drop outs were summarized* An attempt was made to describe the drop-outs* school experiences at Helix High School* j The work history of the drop-outs was the discourse in Chapter.VI. The jobs held, the possibilities for the fu ture of the job and the number of jobs held by the drop-outs were discussed and tabled. The final chapter of the thesis was devoted to sugges ted procedures which will be studied for merits and demerits by faculty committees. A complete bibliography of selected references was included in the last section of the paper. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The literature which is available in the field of the drop-out is immense. In the report on the California Co operative Study of School Drop-outs and Graduates there were some 28 different study projects, involving 73 secondary I schools, conducted in various parts of the state, most of , them during the 1950-51 school year.^ Many of the studies | were carried out as projects contributing to theses and dissertations. These represent an excellent example of the ' manner in which school districts, colleges and universities,| I and the Department of Education can cooperatively undertake to study educational problems of state-wide concern. Three major types of drop-out studies are reviewed. One is written on national estimates; a second investigates , state reports; and the third discusses city reports. Each I of these three kinds of literature is exceedingly valuable. : The review of the literature includes a description of ’ each of the studies reported as well as a critical analysis. Two criteria were used in the selection of these studies. ' Did the research article under consideration add additional ' ^William H. McCreary and Donald Kitch, "Now Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, 22:5, October, 1953* 10 information to the problem under study? Did it stand up ; under rigid critical inspection? There was no attempt to * I review all of the available materials, but instead a ser- ; ious effort was made to screen the good from the poor* Literature on the holding power of the American high school* Two methods are commonly used to determine the number of drop-outs on a nation-wide scale* The one used by the United States Office of Education consists of start ing with 1000 pupils in the fifth grade in public and non- } public elementary schools and counting the number in each I grade in succeeding years. Because so many children repeat | j the earlier grades, and because compulsory education laws j keep children up to the fifth grade, the enrollment for | that grade is considered a practical basis for comparison* The numbers of pupils remaining in the last year of high school per 1000 enrolled in Grade V, for the years 1936 to 1948, are as follows. lumber of pupils in last year of high school per 1000 enrolled in Year Grade V. 1935....... T?:---- 1937 .......... 454 ^United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, School Enrollment and Educational Attainment of Workers: October 1948, May, 1949. 10 pp. 11 1938 . 1939 . 1940 . 1941 . 1942 * 1943 . 1944 . 1945 . 1946 . 1947 1948 . 463 * 481 . 510 . 489 . 512 . 466 . 425 . 428 • 444 . 476 . 507 These figures are for public and non-public schools. They do not make allowances for children who die before | reaching the last year of high school or who repeat grades. ■ However, it can be assumed that these factors are constant and use the figures for comparisons. For example, in 1942, ; I 512, or more than half of those starting the fifth grade in I I 1934, had reached the last year of high school. ^ This was ^ I the peak year. With war industries at top production, this number had dropped to 425 in 1944. Since then it has picked 8 up, and it passed the 50 per cent mark again in 1948. How ever, the National Child Labor Committee found a rising trend in full time and part time employment among school age' children beginning in 1950, and on inquiry among schools found that some of them were having more pupils drop out ; than they had been having. The committee urged the schools , ^National Education Association of the United States, School Drop-outs, April, 1952, p. 3- 12 to take steps to combat the attractions of outside employ- 9 ment. The other method of determining the number of drop-outs consists in subtracting the number of children enrolled in school from the number of children of school age. The Uni- i I ted States Bureau of Census reports that, of the 31,511,000 | children and youth from five to seventeen years of age, j 27.514.000 were enrolled in school as of October, 1950, and j 3.997.000 were not attending school, public or private.* Table I gives the population of school age and the en- I rollment for one year, 1950, broken down into age groups. , Five year olds are omitted. The group of 16 and 17 year olds has the largest proportion not enrolled in any school— 28.7 per cent. IP Bell in one of the most complete studies ever at- temped on the problem of youth found that one of every twen ty young people between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four, 9 Zimand, Gertrude Folks, "High School Drop-outs in 1950-51," American Child, 33:1-4, April, 1951. ^^United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Commerce, School Enrollment of the Civilian Population; October, 1950, July," XPpp. 11 Ibid., p. 4. 12 H.M. Bell, Youth Tells Their Story. (Hew York: American Council on Education^ 1938). p. 273# 13 TABLE I SCHOOL ENROLLMENT AND NON-ENROLLMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES: 11 OCTOBER 1930 Age group Total population Sumber enroll ed. in school Number not enrolled Per cent not en rolled 6 years 2,865,000 2,719,000 146,000 3.1 % 7 to 9 years 8,301,000 8,210,000 91,000 1.1 10 to 13 years 9,146,000 9,012,000 134,000 1.5 : Total 20,312,000 19,941,000 371,000 1.8 1 14 to 15 years 4,313,000 4,087,000 226,000 5.2 16 to 17 years 4,070,000 2,901,000 1,169,000 28.7 Total 8,383,000 6,988,000 1,395,000 16.6 Grand Total 28,695,000 26,929,000 1,766,000 6.2 ^ , 14 eight never went beyond the eighth grade ; five entered high i school but did not graduate ; and five others did not go ; beyond secondary school* The percentage figures for the total study showed that more than one-third of the sixteen year olds, one-half of the seventeen year olds and three- fourths of the eighteen year olds left high school. There ; were over four thousand cases involved in the Bell research , program in Maryland; and because of the sampling and the caution taken in reporting the findings, it was considered a most adequate study* The West Virginia State Education Association studied the survival rates of two classes in the State, those who would be seniors in 1936, and those who would be seniors in 13 1946. Starting with the fifth grade enrollment they found that only 31 per cent of the class of 1936 and 35 per cent of the class of 1946 graduated from high school* The greatest' loss of pupils came between the ninth and tenth grades where about 18 per cent drop out* Another great loss was between the eighth and ninth grades where 13 per cent left school. The Association also found that the correlation be tween the holding power of the schools and the per cent of ^^West Virginia State Education Association, Where *s the Other 65^?, 4:1-7, October, 1947. 15 adults who are high school graduates was 0.68, and between holding power and average training of the teachers was 0.69,' showing that these two factors do influence young peoples’ continuing in school. Per capita income appeared to be less effective since the correlation between it and the holding power of the schools was 0.44. . Bringing the data on the drop-outs for the State more nearly up-to-date are statistics presented by the West Yir- I ginia State Education Association in the secretary’s report. It says that of 44,803 boys and girls in the fifth grade in I 1940-41 only 27,892, or 62 per cent, entered the ninth grad^' and 15,724, or 35 per cent, graduated from high school.' Over the three year period of this study the drop-out I rates remained about the same: about one in three pupils : left school before the ninth grade, and only about one-third of the original fifth grade group graduated from the high school. A distribution of counties showed that some school \ systems were increasing their holding power and others were losing it. In the California study it is shown that practically all California young people remain in school until they are sixteen years old. A steady increase in percentages for the ^^West Virginia State Education Association, Report of . Secretary; 1948-1949, May, 1949. 77 pp. 16 five and six year olds reflects the growth in kindergartens throughout the state.The differences between 1940 and 1950 for the 18 and 19 year old group which was 41.1 per cent and 36.4 per cent respectively and the 20 to 24 year I old group (10.4 to 14.9) probably reflects the current move ment of older adolescents into the armed forces and the consequent delay in college attendance. By and large there | has been a steady growth in all ages from I910 to 1940 with ’ very little change in most age groups from 1940 to 1950. ! In the percentage of youth of 14 and 17 years of age ' I enrolled in school, California ranks third among the states.' This percentage is 88.1 for the United States and 90.5 for j California. The wide variation within the state is again 1 i apparent when the percentages for the various California ' counties are compared. One county had 95.6 per cent of its 14 to 17 year olds enrolled in school when the census was taken* Another had only 83.8 per cent. Warren K. Layton^^ surveys the drop-out problem in the Detroit Public Schools from an enrollment of 42,317 who were in school September of 1950. There were 4386 students re- ; McCreary and Donald Kitch, "Now Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, 22;27, October, 1953* i ^^W.K. Layton, "Special Services for the Drop-out and Potential Drop-out," National Child Labor Committee, October, 1952. p. 6. I 17 ported as drop-outs. Of the 4386 students reported, 2987 I were classified as voluntary and 1399 involuntary with- I drawals. Layton classified students who leave because of | physical disability, entering the armed services through induction, marriage, urgent and immediate need at home, and , other factors which take precedence over the students’ own i I wishes with respect to school as involuntary withdrawals. ! The classification that Layton used leaves some doubt in the I i mind of the reader as to the results of his study. Is ; marriage a voluntary or involuntary reason for leaving ! school? Most studies consider it to be voluntary, however, Layton places it in the involuntary classification. There- i I fore it would seem that the overall percentages which Layton presented could not be compared with other studies. Anyone familiar with the high "mortality" rate in our present day high school must surely agree that some means must soon be found to keep students in school until the completion of their secondary education. This applies not only to students with high ability, but to all students. Literature on why boys and girls leave school. Much has been said and written on the subject of why students leave school. In the survey of the literature, there is little agreement as to why secondary students leave school. The complexity of the problem accounts for this apparent : 18 discrepancy. It is now pretty generally accepted that the primary causes are those associated with dissatisfaction in school. Economics or family factors usually are secondary or contri butory causes although in individual cases they may be primary. Danger signals are frequent failure, retardation, excessive absences, little or no participation in school 17 activities, and lack of friends. In the California Study some 500 former students told i why they had quit school. They were asked to state frankly the real reason or reasons for leaving. Their replies were ' analyzed, and placed under the four headings; dissatisfac tion with school which accounted for 57 per cent of the j reasons; marriage which took 25 per cent of the drop-outs; : financial need which accounted for 13 per cent; and the remaining five per cent entered the armed forces. In Maryland, Bell found that 50 per cent of the drop outs in that study dropped out of school for economic 18 reasons. Aslaug commented in his study of Pittsburgh, California schools that the economic status of the family : McCreary and Donald Kitch, "Dow Hear Youth, ” California Guidance Bulletin, 22:32, October, 1953# Bell, Youth Tells Their Story. (lew York; American Council on Education, 1§38), p# W. 19 was a real factor in boys and girls leaving school at the ! secondary level.Brewer, too, in a study in the state of 20 Texas corroborated the findings of Bell and Aslaug. How ever, Brewer discovered broken homes was the first cause and financial need the second. Since both Bell and Aslaug made their studies in 1938 and 1941 respectively it could be conceivable that the economic status of the family was a | real reason for withdrawal from school when the depression | had just passed. Brown in Ann Arbor, Michigan, agreed with the findings | in the Oalifornia study in that lack of interest or dissat- I isfaction with school caused the largest percentages of dropi outs. Brim’s research which included five different high i schools each in Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, California and Oregon listed 25 per cent of the drop-outs dissatisfied 22 with school life. McGee in a study of Croton-on Hudson in ^^Hovde Aslaug, "A Study of Withdrawals from High . School,” California Journal of Secondary Education, 16:297-' 98, May, 1531: ! 20 Weldon Brewer, "Why Do Students Quit School?" Texas Outlook, 34:8-9, August, 1950. • ^^Howard H. Brown, "Why They Leave School," Education Digest, 15:40-41, Eebruary, 1950. I ^^Paul Grim and Vernon Anderson, "Is the American High School Serving Today’s Youth?" Educational Leadership, 7:338-348, March, 1949. 20 Hew York found over-age, retardation and failure at the time of leaving to be the reasons for leaving school. Generalizations on the causes for leaving school before, I graduation are almost impossible with researchers concluding' I so many different reasons for withdrawal. Layton conducted : a study which included the reasons for leaving school early ' by students, parents, and the high school. Of the three , persons quoted 19 per cent disagreed, two agreed in 37 per , cent of the causes, all three agreed in 44 per cent of the reasons ; thus there was partial or total agreement in 81 2 4 - I per cent of cases. ^ ' In the Camden, Hew Jersey survey over-ageness seemed to be a factor in drop-outs. In 1940-41, 88 per cent of the drop-outs from the seventh grade were overage ; from the / eighth grade 81 per cent; from the ninth grade 75*6 per 25 cent; from the tenth grade, 46.8 per cent. It could be safely concluded from the above that the reasons for youth leaving school vary from urban to rural ^George A. McGee, "We Increased Our Holding Power with our Secondary School Students," national Education Association, 42:482, Hovember, 1953. Layton, "Special Services for the Drop-out and the Potential Drop-out," national Child Labor Committee, Hew York, October, 1952, p. 10. Harry H. Richman, "Drop-outs," Clearing House, 13: 548-30, May, 1939. 21 areas and even from school system to school system. There- ' fore,it seems obvious that it is the task of each school to. ascertain why their drop-outs are leaving. Research pro jects will only point out the general direction but not the actual reasons for an individual school’s drop-outs. factors that contribute to withdrawal. As other studies have disclosed, drop-outs come from the ranks of bright as well as dull students. Of some 1500 drop-outs in San Diego, 40 per cent were of average intelligence (90 to ' 110 I.Q.), 34 per cent were below average, 12 per cent were above average, and 14 per cent had no recorded test scores. 1 I In comparison, 50 per cent of the graduates were of average ■ intelligence, 12 per cent were above, and five per cent had ! no test scores.Benson conducted a study of 1989 pupils in Minnesota, jibout 16 per cent of those who did not com plete high school had I.Q.'s equal to or exceeding the medi?. 27 I an of those who graduated from high school. Dillon found : 28 that 39 per cent of 1084 drop-outs had I.Q.’s of 95 or more. ^^William H. McCreary and Donald Kitch, "How Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, 22:34, October, 1953. Benson, "The Intelligence and Later Scholastic Success of Sixth Grade Pupils," School and Society, 55:163- 167, Eebruary, 1942. PR H.J. Dillon, "Early School leavers," national Child Labor Committee, Hew York, 1949, p. 39. 22 Ekstrom in his study of two counties of farm children in Minnesota showed that mental ability was a factor in j pQ I keeping pupils in school. ^ He found that those who were in' I high school had higher average scores than those who had ; dropped out of school, and that those who had dropped out of high school had higher average scores than those who had never entered. Aslaug, in his study conducted in Pitts burgh, California, found that drop-outs had much lower intelligence scores than did the secondary school graduates. Again, it would seem that generalizations on the intel ligence of drop-outs are impossible on a national scale. The nature of the drop-out population will change the sta tistics from community to community. In his study of drop-outs of Ithaca, Hew York and Hew Haven, Connecticut, Gragg analyzed data about pupils who graduated as well as those who dropped out before gradua tion to find those factors which distinguished one group from the other. Since no one factor separated all of one group from all of the other group, Gragg concluded that dropping out results from the working together of several ^^G.E. Ekstrom, "Why farm Children Leave School," School Review. 54:231-37, April, 1946. ^^W.L. Gragg, "Some factors Which Distinguish Drop outs from High School Graduates," Occupations. 27:457-59, April, 1949. 23 factors. He found the most significant one was retarda tion. Others were sex (twice as many boys as girls dropped : out of school), verbal intelligence and achievement as i measured by standard tests, extra-curriculum activities, ! divorce, or death of parents, and parents’ occupations. , According to Gragg, the following factors have no signifi- ; cance: racial stock, health, school attendance, personality ; I rating, length of residence, size of family, and grades ' in certain subjects. The California Co-operative Study con-! I curred with Gragg in that the size of family had little ; 51 ■ apparent relationship to the drop-out rate.^ j What happens to drop-outs? As of October, 1931 the | / United States Bureau of Census estimated that 2,476,000 | youth, 14 to 17 years of age, were employed or looking for work,and 7,216,000 were in s c h o o l . In other words, about 29 per cent of the 8,472,000 youth of high school age j I were working full or part time. McCreary and Donald Kitch, "How Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, 22:36, October, 1953* ^^United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Cen sus, Monthly Report on Labor Force ; Hovember, 1951» Current Population Reports',' Series P-$7, Ho. Il2, ïibvem’ ber, 1951* 12 pp . ^^United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Cen sus, School Enrollment: October 1951, Series P-20, Ho. 37, 1952. 2 24 The United States Department of Labor in 1947 made a I study of the employment problems of youth 14 to 19 years of age, to find out what happens to those who drop out of ! school*The Department chose Louisville, Kentucky as a i typical city and interviewed 524 young people* Forty-six | per cent of the 14 to 15 year olds, 36 per cent of the 16 to! 17 year olds, and 21 per cent of the 18 to 19 year olds were' unemployed* The younger children, then, were more likely to I be out of a job* Employers preferred high school graduates because their general background was better, and they chose the older youth because of their maturity and ability to get along with others* The younger children were more reckless*| The youngest workers earned a median wage of 48 cents ; I an hour, and the 18 and 19 year olds earned 71 cents an hour* The 14 and 15 year olds held the poorest jobs and worked the longest hours— in grocery stores, laundries, or in private homes as domestics. The 16 and 17 year olds I were mostly in manufacturing and trade. ' Very few of the young people in this group had gradua ted from high school; two-thirds of those under 18 had only eight years of schooling# ^%iriam Keeler and Caroline E. Legg, "Why Young People Leave School," Bulletin of the Hational Association of Secondary Principals, 32 :l4-2TT Hovember, ÏF4B1 25 There are several reasons why young people should he kept in school as long as possible--through high school graduation if they can profit from the school program. I First, there is a positive correlation between the earnings of workers and their educational attainment. The United i States Bureau of Census estimated that in 1946 non-farm workers, 25 to 44 years of age, who had less than seven grades of schooling were earning an average of about $1600 a‘ year; those who had graduated from high school, $2400; and | those who had a year or more of college work, $3000.^^ ; Secondly, educational attainment determines to a great ' extent the type of work a person must do. The United States! Bureau of Census in a recent survey^ found that most of the I clerical and sales personnel had graduated from high school;' skilled and semi-skilled manual workers usually had had some| high school training but had not graduated; and laborers and farm workers had had five years of schooling or less. ! Thirdly, workers under 18 years of age in manufactur ing industries are more often injured on the job than are 55xjnited States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Cen sus, Income. of the Hon-farm Population; 1946, Current Popu-! lation Reports, Series P-50, Ho* 3, June T948. 25 pp. ^^United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Cen sus, School Enrollment and Educational Attainment of Work ers in the United St at e s; October 1948, Current Population , Reports, Series P-50, Ho. 14, May, 1949* 10 pp. 26; workers 18 years or over. Those under 18 have 22.9 disab- I ling injuries per million man hours as compared with 15*7 for older workers. Besides, the younger workers have al most twice as many permanently disabling injuries as do older workers. Those under 18 years of age have 1.1 per million man hours, as compared with 0.6 for older workers. 58 ' The California Co-operative Study also found that job wise, the student who leaves school early is at a consider- , I able disadvantage. Because of his youth and lack of experi-: ence, he faces difficulty in finding good jobs, even in j times of high employment (as in 1951)'. Four times as many ^ drop-outs as graduates reported that they were unemployed | and seeking work. i Layton in his research of the drop-outs’ employment found 62 per cent stated that they had full time jobs wait- ' ing when they left school, while 34 per cent expressed a desire to complete their high school education, usually in I evening school. However, in this study there is no indi- ! ^"^Miriam Holl, "Minors are Major Risks," Safety Edu- ' cation, 27:22-34, March, 1948. McCreary and Donald Kitch, "low Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, 22:34, October, 1953. ^^W.K. Layton, "Special Services for the Drop-out and the Potential Drop-out," Rational Child Labor Committee, October, 1952. p. 7* 27 cation as to what type of job the drop-out was assuming, remuneration, or possibilities for the future # In many areas, jobs are very hard for the drop-out to find. For example, in heavy industries a minimum of 18 years is very common, while most drop-outs are 16 or 17* Upon reaching 18, the drop-out must compete with high school graduates for employer preference in an era of rising educa tional standards. A study of job opportunities for youth from 16 to 21 between 1945 and 1950 in one city showed a marked decline for the 16 and 17 year old group and corres ponding increases for the 18 through 20 group. In many cases, after the peak of World War II employment had passed, youth under 18 who had been hired for the emergency were the first to be released from their jobs. That every child who is at all capable of doing so should complete his high school education has been affirmed by the Rational Association of Secondary School Principals, the Educational Policies Commission and the American Youth Commission. But under present conditions thousands are withdrawing at 16 with many jobs unavailable to them because; they are not graduates and are below the 18 year minimum age ' established by many employers. It is open to some question, to try to solve the question by raising the legal leaving age to 18 without first building up more understanding on 28 the part of youth, their parents, and teachers. From the survey of the literature on drop-outs one is ovenvhelmed at the great number of studies which have been undertaken or are in progress. This is an excellent and essential sign, since the reasons youth quit school vary from community to community. It is only by local examina tion of the causes of drop-outs and consequent remedial measures taken at the local level, that we are going to reduce the drop-out figures nationally. CHAPTER III DATA AHD METHOD OF PROCEDURE Data and method of procedure* The greater part of the data used for this investigation came from first hand infor mation, principally interviews. The questionnaire which was used as a basis for these interviews is found in the Appen- ; dix. It was felt that first hand contact with fifty of the ' drop-outs of Helic High would make a much more valid study ' than to attempt a mailing of the questionnaire to all of the one hundred and sixty-one drop-outs. It was evident from the records which were perused at Helix High that a rather ' large percentage of the boys had already left the geographic cal vicinity, usually for military service, so that a mailed questionnaire would yield a small percentage of returns* I Background of the study. Certain recommendations and changes were made as a result of a study of the drop-outs of Helix High made in the school year of 1951-1952. This was the first year of this high school’s existence. It was felt that after a period of two years had elapsed; it would be worthwhile to determine if the changes made had materially effected the rate of drop-outs. , The next step in the background of the thesis was the gathering of significant literature in the field of drop- 30 out studies. First there was an emphasis on how to conduct the study I and secondly on findings which had been reported by authors ! in both national and local projects. This part of the the- ’ sis writing afforded an excellent opportunity for viewing pertinent written materials in the field. I After the review of the literature, decisions had to be: made as to techniques which would be employed in conducting the thesis study. The main task of the study was to gather | as much information as possible on the reasons why drop-outs; leave school early and on the personal problems and descrip tion of the drop-out population. Different techniques had | I to be used depending upon the type of information which was j I desired. The questionnaire proved to be valuable as a i guide for the interview. School records afforded excellent information on questions of absence, tardiness, health re cords, school grades, and test scores. However, it was ■ early decided that the most valuable of all the techniques ^ would be the personal interview. This early assumption proved to be correct as the gathering of the data progressed.' Conducting the study. The first step in the actual accumulation of data was the selection of the drop-out popu-' lation. Because Helix High had been in operation only three years and a study had previously been made of the drop-- 51 between September 1951 and June 1952, this problem easily ' resolved itself. The population studied was made up of the i I one hundred and sixty-one students who dropped out of Helix High School between September 1952 and June 1955 as well as j I from September 1953 and February 1954* I The location of the population proved to be a more difficult problem due to the high mobility of this particu- , lat group of students. The first step in locating the ' population was the search of school records. Addresses ' taken from the records often proved to be inadequate. In I these cases it was necessary to institute a thorough search utilizing the help of the neighbors, the county directory, and the phone book. Even with all of these methods, it proved impossible in several instances to locate the drop out. The actual time involved in interviewing varied from fifteen minutes to thirty minutes depending upon the will ingness of the interviewees to discuss his feelings about Helix High School. For the most part the drop-outs were cooperative in their attitude and appeared willing to give satisfactory answers* The interviews were conducted mainly in the homes of the drop-outs, and the investigator was made welcome by the majority of the parents. The fact that about fifty per cent of the enrollment of Helix High School 32 comes from the elementary school in which the investigator ; i works made rapport in many instances a much easier task. Problems encountered in making the study. Certain ob- i Stacies were encountered in conducting a study of this I nature. First, there was the problem of school records. : I While the total drop-outs of September 1952 to June 1953 and September 1953 to February 1954 totalled one hundred and sixty-one, it was not possible, because of inadequacy of re-| cords, to get complete data for each of these one hundred ; and sixty-one individuals included in this study. All too | often it was caused by inadequate record keeping in the system studied. ! Second, there was the problem of unresponsive youth, I some of whom responded only with "shoulder shrugging" when asked to give pertinent information about themselves. Organizing the data. The next step after the accumula- I tion of data on the drop-outs was the reorganization of this ; data into a comprehensive description* It was desired to ! present this material so that it could be easily interpreted■ by the readers of the thesis. In order to facilitate the interpretation of the data, ' it was decided that a chart showing the statistics on each individual drop-out should be constructed. From this chart 33 it proved an easy matter to determine the statistical aver- ! I ages on the different descriptions of the drop-outs. Drawing conclusions from the data. Probably the most valuable phase of the entire study is the attempt to draw conclusions from the statistics which had been presented. It is through this phase of research that actual improve ments are brought about in the educational program of the ' local high school. Therefore, much careful attention was | I paid to this part of the thesis. | It was imperative that safeguards be taken in the in- | terpretation of the data. There was no place for wild claims which were unsubstantiated by the statistics which were gathered. Several cautions were taken to prevent this from happening. The first basis for acceptance of a con clusion was the number of cases in which the element was present. The second safeguard was to make sure that there was no great deviation from the findings on the national and local levels. Third, no radical curriculum or program changes would be proposed without further study. The principal method in drawing conclusions from the statistics presented in the fourth and fifth chapters were the number of times that the factor was mentioned by the drop-out. Coupled with this was the ability of the investi gator to rule out other factors which might be operating to 34 produce the observed factor. Because the study dealt with human capacities, it proved very difficult to rule out or to hold constant different factors in the study. It was obser ved that often the interviewee did not readily grasp the reason for many of his actions in the school program. Be cause of this some of the results were seriously open to argument ; but when one observed 70 to 90 per cent agreement by the drop-outs, certain basic conclusions were justified. CHAPTER IV BACKGROUHD OF THE DR0P-0UT8 I The purpose of this chapter was to describe the person-' al characteristics of the drop-out. Elements that were in- ■ eluded were the sex of the drop-out, grade last attended, age and grade distribution, the home, number of children in ' the families of the drop-outs, place of birth, marital | status of the drop-out, intelligence of the drop-out and other significant personal history. ! One main method was utilized in gathering statistics ! I for this chapter. It appeared from the outset that the ! I interview was going to prove the most successful tool. | Fifty of the total of one hundred and sixty-one drop-outs ! were selected on the basis of random sampling for interview ing. The personal data card which was maintained on each student at Helix High School proved valuable as a method of , verification. All of the information was cross-checked and verified against the statistics given on the cards. Sex of the drop-outs. Rational as well as local studies frequently have shown that the greatest number of drop-outs are boys. These statistics range from 75 to 90 per cent, depending upon the geographical location of the study. Lambert in a comprehensive study conducted in West 1 Virginia found that over three-fourths of all drop-outs were boysDillon cites 54 per cent of the drop-outs were boys and 46 per cent were girls. Some studies have indicated that boys constitute a ' higher percentage of the drop-outs than girls. Where this is the case, several factors might have a bearing on it, such as what percentage boys are of the total high school I population in comparison with girls; v^hether more jobs are | available for boys, and at higher wages than for girls; j whether curriculum offerings are more varied for boys than , for girls; etc, j The present study of drop-outs at Helix High School j showed that out of a total of 161 drop-outs 89 were boys i and 72 were girls. This meant that 55 per cent of the drop outs were boys and 45 per cent were girls. The group of 161: drop-outs included in the study shows,' in the total of four ' grades, that five per cent more boys than girls left school before graduation (Table II). Grade nine varied by having a much higher percentage (44 per cent) of boys than girls a- mong the drop-outs and in grade ten the girls were 18 per ! ^^Sam M. Lambert, "Increasing Educational Holding ; Power," Rational Education Association Journal, 39:664-66, December, 1950. " | ^^Harold J. Dillon, Early School Leavers, Rational Child Labor Committee, Rew York, Rew York, p. 23* 37 TABLE II GRADE DISTRIBUTIOR OF 161 DROP-OUTS BY SEX Grade Male Ro, Per Cent Female Ro. Per Cent Ro. Total i Per Cent 1 9 23 72 9 28 32 100 10 16 41 23 59 39 100 11 26 52 24 48 50 100 12 24 60 16 40 40 100 i ■ All Grades 89 55 72 45 161 100 38 cent higher than the boys; in grade eleven the difference was only four per cent higher for the boys and in grade twelve the difference between the boys and the girls was 20 i per cent. There is much variability among the grades but on' a total comparative basis the Helix High figure of five per cent difference agrees generally with the eight per cent ; A2 variability reported by Dillon.' [ Fifty-one per cent of -the total enrollment were boys ; and 49 per cent were girls* Therefore, the makeup of the j total population was not the operating factor. The conclu- j Sion must be that boys are somewhat more prone to quit ! school before graduation than are girls. Grade last attended. In considering the last grade attended by the students before they left school, the find ings must not be taken as evidence that maladjustment occur red at that level or that there was anything particularly unsatisfactory about the curriculum or experiences at that point. The fact that in many cases compulsory school attendance laws made it impossible for students to assert their dissatisfaction by leaving school earlier must be kept in mind. For example, if children could leave legally at the age of twelve, when they had completed the sixth p. 23 39 grade, the frequency of withdrawals at that level might increase considerably and it is fallacious to assume that students who leave at about the tenth grade are happy and satisfied up to that time. On the contrary, critical appraisal by school personnel of experience, prior to this grade level, that may be causing students to make up their , minds to leave as soon as they become 16, is imperative. It is important to put an end to conditions which permit the | maladjustment of students to become a cumulative process. | Very little can be accomplished if nothing is done, until : the student is 16, to provide for his needs and to arrange S j program that will meet his interests and aptitudes. The : challenge is primarily one of recognition of treble at an | early stage so that action can be taken in time. It will be noted in Table II (Page 37) that the largest' group of students included in this study terminated their schooling at the eleventh grade level and that the next ; largest group left from the twelfth grade. Probably the * most disheartening fact is that almost one-fourth were in ; the twelfth grade when they left school and nearly one-third: were in the eleventh grade. These students were within a few months of graduating and it is a matter of serious con- ; cern whether every effort was made to encourage them to I complete their programs in order to graduate. 40 A special examination was made of 87 drop-outs who had reached the eleventh or twelfth grade to determine whether their reasons for leaving differed from the reasons of those who left from lower grades* It was found that approximately 42 per cent were not failing in their school work but their reasons for leaving school were not significantly different from those given by other students* Among the reasons given by this group for dropping out of school were : preferred work to school, needed money to buy clothes, lacked interest' in school. Among these 87 eleventh and twelfth grade drop- ; outs there were 16 drop-outs or 18 per cent who had joined the military. ! Age and grkde distribution. The age-grade distribution! of the drop-outs is shown in Table II* The age distribu tion shows that the large majority had terminated their education by the time they reach 17 years of age. Assuming | that youth normally enter the first grade at six years of j age and progress at the regular rate, they would be in the | eighth grade at age 14 and in the tenth grade at age 16. I With this normal rate of progress in mind, it will be noted i that about one-half (74 or 46 per cent) of the students were retarded one or more grades. ! The home. Much of the conditioning and many of the 41 TABLE III I AGE-GRADE DI8TRIBUTI0R OF 161 DROP-OUTS Age Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Total Ro. Per Cent 14 3 1 — - 4 2.4 15 11 1 — - 12 7.0 ' 16 10 17 5 — 32 20.0 17 7 17 25 13 63 39.0 18 1 4 15 20 40 25.0 : 19 - 1 2 6 9 6.0 ! 20 - — - 1 1 .6 32 41 48 40 161 100.0 42 impressions and attitudes of youth can be traced to the early relationships that exist between parents and child. ; Whether young people come from normal homes where they live i with both parents, or from homes in which there is only one : parent or no parent, can be an important factor in emotional; and social adjustment. Information was obtained on 50 of the youth included in! I the study indicating whether they lived with both parents; with one parent; with a relative; or with someone else. The' findings (Table IV) show that about 75 per cent of the drop-* outs came from homes where they lived with both parents ; i that 20 per cent lived with one parent and the balance with j relatives. Approximately the same percentages are found : when grades are examined individually. This would suggest i that the sampling in each grade was representative of the home status of drop-outs in each grade. 45 Estimates by the United States Bureau of the Census ; I (1940) showed that about 80 per cent of children 14 through | 17 years of age in 1940 were living with both parents; about 16 per cent were living with one parent or other relatives; while three per cent were living as lodgers, resident servants or hired hands, or as inmates of institu- ^^John Kieran, Information Please Almanac (Rew York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., ll9?7) P# 26TZ 43 TABLE IT H0BD3 8TJ1TU8 (IP 50 DIK%?-0tED8 8H%]IAIj STiniY Both. Parents Per Cent One Parent Living with Relatives j All grades 76 20 4 9 86 14 10 73 27 - 11 73 20 7 12 70 20 10 ! 44 tions. Therefore, though drop-outs from broken homes were in a minority, the proportion from such homes was somewhat larger than for the 14 through 17 year age population in ' general (Table T)• Bumber of children in families of drop-outs. Data were' available for 50 of the drop-outs showing the number of children in the family (Table VI). This information was ob tained to determine whether it would indicate a relationship! I between the size of the family and the probability of drop- ; ping out of school. The evidence seems to point to no | relationship. The number and percentage of drop-outs from ' I families with one child was the same as from families with | seven children. Families with three or four children contributed a larger proportion of drop-outs than families with five or seven children but families of this size may have been more numerous in the school population than those with five or seven children. Place of birth. Of 161 drop-outs, for whom informa tion on the place of birth was available, 42 per cent had been born in the state of California where they were attend-’ ing school at the time they dropped out (Table VII). This , does not mean that 42 per cent were born in the same town where they attended school as the data refer only to state 45 TABLE V EOICE E ) 3 ! A Z C U 8 O J P I ) R C Ü ? . . C y U ' T Z 3 : 2 L A Z D ] [ C ) 3 Ü 9 J L I T K Z I J R E I I S C ) N I I C I N I E E S T A j E U E i j I Y-outil living with 50 Drop-outs Per Cent Rational Figures , Per Gent Both Parents 76 81 1 One Parent or Relative 24 16 ! 1 Other — ! 3 ; 46 O P J L B T G J S V " : [ R C n V D B I S E t ( ) ] ? ( 3 S ] : I J D R I 3 R ] [ R J P j L M C I l b i r Size of Family Ro Drop-outs , Per Gent One child 2 4 2 children 15 30 3 children 16 32 4 children 7 14 5 children 4 8 6 children — — 7 children 2 4 8 or more children 4 8 50 100 47 residence. The actual number from outside the state was .rather large* This is likely due to the fact that there are so many naval personnel stationed in the area as well as the aircraft factories which hire and fire at the caprice of world affairs. Marital status of the drop-out. Because of the recency of the study after the 50 drop-outs left school, only one of| the boys was married. Marriage in the present study was al most entirely confined to the girl drop-outs* nineteen of ' the girls drop-outs reported that they were married. Seven-; teen of the boys interviewed reported that they were still | I single and in most instances had no plans for marriage in i the near future * Over 56 per cent of the girls were mar- ! ried, and 94 per cent of the boys were unmarried. Marriage definitely seemed a characteristic of the girl drop-out, but not of the boys. These statistics are in accord with find ings reported in other national and local studies. The j longer the period that elapses before the study is under taken, the more this difference between the sexes tends to disappear. Bo married youth have homes of their own? Perhaps the ■ most significant fact with respect to the conditions under which married youth are living is the fact that over one- ; 48 TABLE V I I 3 P LA.0 E OF B :[E H I C K P l& l I^ROP-OITTS Grade Born in State where attend ing school Ro. Per Gent Born outside State where attending school Ro* 1 Per Gent 9 15 47 17 53 : 10 19 46 22 54 ! 11 18 39 30 63 I 12 16 40 24 60 1 1 All grades 68 42 93 58 I 49 half of the married youth were found to be residing with their parents or other relatives. There were children of the drop-outs in half of those who were still in the home. There are likely psychological as well as social problems ; I involved in this sort of doubling up" situation* : I I Intelligence. It is not the intention of this study to- discuss the validity of test scores or whether the I.Q. I changes as the youth matures or changes his environment. It does seem important, however, to determine from an examina- ' tion of the I.Q.*s what proportion of drop-outs appear to have the ability to achieve average success in typical high j school programs. The data presented in Table Till were ob- | tained from scores of general intelligence tests available ^ | from the school records of 12? drop-outs. Rot all tests were given to all students at the same age or grade level, nor were the same tests used in all instances. The table , shows the grade distributions of these drop-outs at the I time they withdrew from school. | Uniformly low test scores do not seem to be character istic of the drop-outs, since the table shows that twelve per cent had I.Q. *s above 114 and that over one-fourth had I.Q.*8 above 105. Students in this I.Q. range (above 105) are generally recognized as having intelligence adequate for post-high school education. « 50 !DAI8IE i n i l I.Q. AND GRADE DI8TRIBUII0R OF 12? DR0P-0UT8 Grade I.Q. above 114 I.Q. 105-114 I.Q. 95-104 I.Q. 85-94 I.Q. below 85 Total 9 4 2 6 4 5 21 10 2 2 7 10 15 56 11 5 9 12 7 5 58 12 4 9 9 5 5 52 Ro. 15 22 54 26 50 127 % 12 17 27 20 24 100 51 When students who had I.Q.^s of 95 to 105 are included, the number who could be considered of average intelligence is appreciably increased* Fifty-six per cent, five out of every ten, fall into the group having I,Q.*s of 95 or over* These are significant figures since it is entirely possible to provide for the needs of students in the 95 or over I.Q* | range in the average school program. | The remaining 44 per cent, with I.Q. *s below 95, pre- > sent a special challenge to those responsible for curricular' organization. Since this group should not be considered I "uneducable" and dismissed from consideration in educational | I planning, the real challenge is to find out what programs | I are adapted to their capacities and interests in order to j provide them with a profitable and useful school experience I even though they are more limited than others in general ■ intelligence. In many school systems throughout the coun try, students in this intelligence range complete high ^ school successfully as a result of curriculum adaptation and other measures which stimulate their interest and enable them to experience the satisfaction of achievement* It will be noted that 73 per cent of all students who had I.Q.'s above 105 had reached the eleventh or twelfth grade and that those having I.Q.'s above 114, 60 per cent had reached the eleventh or twelfth grade. It is evident 52 that these students could have profited from post-high school education and could most certainly have succeeded in | ! passing the requirements for high school graduation. Of thei drop-outs having I.Q.*s from 95 to 104, approximately two- thirds had reached the eleventh or twelfth grade. This group, too, had the intellectual ability to profit from and ■ to complete a full high school program. I ' I Reading abilities. The most essential tool for succ- ; essful work in the modern American secondary school is the ability to read. The drop-out group with several exceptions| received the Iowa Silent Reading Test. Table IX illustratesj I the scores achieved on this test. In the ninth grade nine j I drop-outs or 41 per cent were reading at their grade level : or above. On the tenth grade level only five drop-outs or 17 per cent were reading at their grade level or above. Only one drop-out or four per cent of the eleventh graders were at their grade level or above. On the twelfth grade i level there were three or 13 per cent of the drop-outs who were reading at their grade level or above. The lowest | grade reported was at the fourth grade reading level, and | the highest score was grade fourteen. Several generaliza tions as to ways in which improvements could be made in the : area of reading instruction are included in Chapter VII. 53 TABLE IX SCORES ACHIEVED OR THE IOWA QRIBllRQP-OHT ! 3 ] [ ] L E : R T ! T ] 3 E > T ] 3 1 f POPULATIOR ] L C ) 2 < ] ] ? Reading Grade Grade When Dropped Out 9 10 11 12 Total Per Cent 4 1 2 — - 3 3 5 1 4 - 1 6 5 6 1 4 2 1 8 8 7 4 5 4 1 14 14 8 6 8 10 6 30 29 9 4 2 4 5 15 15 10 2 1 6 4 13 13 11 3 1 1 2 7 7 12 — 2 - * * 2 2 13 - 1 - 2 3 3 14 - — - 1 1 1 Totals 22 30 27 23 102 100 54 Summary. Forty-two per cent of the drop-outs whose I place of birth appeared on the school records, were native I I to the state in which they obtained their schooling. Fifty-; eight per cent were bom outside the state in which they were attending school* This shows that teachers did not have the opportunity to know these youth in their early school life and to become acquainted with their needs and interests. ; I The effect of school attendance laws is reflected in ; the fact that most of these young people remained in school until they were 17 years of age. It was found that 39 per cent of the drop-outs terminated their education at this age I and an additional 25 per cent at 18 years. The great majo- j rity terminated their school prior to completing the eleven-! th grade. Boys constituted 55 per cent and girls 45 per cent of the drop-outs. From the information on family background, recorded in this chapter, it is apparent that the average drop-out did not come from a broken home, the percentage from broken ' homes among the drop-outs (20 per cent) being the same as i national figures of children 14 through 17 years of age in I broken homes. However, a clear majority of the drop-outs— | 75 per cent— came from homes where they lived with both parents. To the extent that the presence of both parents 55 in the home contributes to the stability of the home, it may be assumed that the majority of the drop-outs studied lived in a home atmosphere where this/^ability factor was present. There was no evidence of any relationship between the size of family and the percentage of drop-outs. Approximately 55 per cent of those for whom intelli gence data were obtainable had I.Q.'s above 95, and approxi mately 29 per cent were above 105. It can be legitimately assumed that the 55 per cent of the youth whose I.Q.*s were above 95 were educable in programs of secondary education as now constituted. It must be remembered that the incomplete school records reduced seriously the amount of information obtainable on ' the 161 drop-outs included in this study. Every attempted correlation of two or more facts about the drop-outs reduced materially the number for whom the facts were available. | I If the schools are to recognize the needs of all youth and attempt to provide for them, recording all pertinent | I experiences of students and sharing records by school ; personnel are essential requirements. CHAPTER 7 I I THE REAS0R8 FOR DROFFIRG OUT OF SCHOOL I I All youth included in this study were interviewed to supplement information obtained from the school records and to determine whether there were reasons or motives in their ! decisions to drop out of school that might not have become ' a part of the school record. It was important, too, to ! le am something of what had happened to them since leaving ; school and to get their ideas on what the schools might do to hold more students in school until they graduate. ' I Interviewing youth with the objective of obtaining ■ usable“ information is a difficult procedure. Rot all of the' interviews were successful in getting all of the former students to express definite opinions. Even simple ques tions requiring merely a "yes" or "no" response were some- times unanswered. Questions invloying decisions or choices- such as courses they would have preferred— were particularly difficult for many of the former students. Questionnaires were prepared to help the interviewer in. securing information from each former student ( see Appendiz). Those interviewed were permitted to know what items were included on the questionnaires and every effort was made to convince them that the information was wanted in order to 57 help the schools serve other students better while they were I still in school and that no effort was being made to per- | suade them to return to school* The queêtionnaire was not ( used merely as a checklist but as a guide in directing the , I interview and, in all cases, provision was made for record- ; ing information not called for on the questionnaire. | Practically all interviews were conducted in the former stu-| I dent 's home and the interviewer tried not to permit parents i or other family members to influence the youth in making his own decisions on questions asked of him. Reasons for dropping out. The information that had I been secured from the school record as to why the indivi dual had left school had not always been helpful. Usually ! such notations as "overage," "left," "working," or "failing" were the only reasons for withdrawal from school. Special attention was therefore given to reasons in talking with the former students and the interviewer urged each individual to • give the most important reason that motivated him to drop out, the reason which was second in importance, so that the , various factors that had entered into his decision to termi-, nate his schooling might become apparent. These reasons were weighted in order of their impor tance in the mind of the youth being interviewed* A classification of "other reasons" was included in the 58 questionnaire but in recording responses, it was found t h a t ,in many cases "other reasons" were merely a different way of' e x p re s s in g those which had already been suggested by the individual and in these cases th e y were included in the appropriate category of suggested reasons. In many cases the young person could not seem to get at the basic cause and indicated that he "had other reasons" but could not identify them. | Table X shows that "was not interested in school work" was given most frequently with 26, or 52 per cent, listing I this as the p rim a ry reas o n for their termination of school- t I ing. lext in order of fre q u e n c y was "preferred w ork to : school" which was mentioned eleven tim es (22 per cent). j I Third in order of fre q u e n c y was "needed money to buy clothes' and help a t home" which occurred four times ( e ig h t per cent) . Other reasons, while occurring less frequently, are impor tant in indicating, in a general way, whether the young ; person*s decision had a r is e n from factors connected primari ly with his school experiences or his fa m ily background ’ circumstances* ; It will be no ted that th e primary reason for leaving g iv e n by 44 o f the former students, or a p p ro x im a te ly 88 per | cent, was one which specifically related to school. Since these reasons were g iv e n by th e young people 59 TABLE X 1 FREQUEROY OF REA80RS GIVER BY 50 YOUTH AS OF FIRST IMPORTAROE IR DEG I8I0R TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL Reasons Ro Frequency ! • Per Cent ' Reasons Relating to School 1 Was not interested in school 26 52 Preferred work to school 11 22 D is lik e d a certain teacher 2 4 D is lik e d a certain s u b je c t 2 1 4 1 Could leam more o u t of school than j in school 2 4 Could not learn and was discouraged 1 2 Financial Reasons Reeded money to buy clothes and help at home 4 8 : Personal Reasons Friends had left school 1 2 ' Parents wanted youth to leave school 1 2 1 Totals 50 1 100 : 60 themselves, it must be borne in mind that they a re subject to such limitations as may be due to the immaturity of the ' individual. They may not represent the a c tu a l underlying ' causes in every case, but they are nevertheless significant because the individual presum ably felt that th e reasons he gave were those which had motivated him in his decision to ! terminate his s c h o o lin g . It should be remembered, too, thatt t these youth had been out of school for periods ra n g in g from ! one month to e ig h te e n months and their answers m ig ht reflect| I their opinion as they lo o ked back on their school experience| r a t h e r th a n at the time they left school* | Of th e 26 who stated that they l e f t because they were ] not In te r e s te d in school work, six gave this as the o n ly | rea s o n (Table XI). The eleven youth who indicated as a pri mary reason, that they left school because th e y preferred work to school, gave their secondary reasons as listed in Table XII. Of the four who stated that th e y left because i they needed money to buy clothes and help at home, two gave as their secondary reas o n that th e y p r e fe r r e d work to school, one felt that he could leam more out of school than; in school and the final one listed the secondary reason o f wanting spending money* : In order to determine the reasons uppermost in the ! minds of the drop-outs from the standpoint of the number of 61 TABLE XI 8E00RDARY REA80R8 GIVER BY THOSE IRDIOATIRG LACE OF IRTERE8T IR SCHOOL WORE AS PRIMARY REA80R Reasons Ro* Frequency ; Per Cent' Ro Other Reason Given 6 23 ' Reasons Relating to School ^ Disliked a certain teacher 5 19 Preferred work to school Gould leam more out of school 4 15 j i th an in school 4 15 ^ Could not learn in school and was discouraged 3 12 Personal Reasons Friends had left school 2 8 F in a n c ia l Reasons Wanted spending money Reeded money to buy clothes 1 4 and help at home 1 4 Totals 26 100 TABLE XII 8EC0EDARY REA80R8 GIVER BY THOSE IRDIOATIRG PREEEREROE FOR WORE AS PRIMARY REASOR 62 Reasons Ro, Frequency Per Cent Financial Reasons Reeded money to buy clothes and help at home 2 18 Reasons Relating to School Gould not leam in school and was discouraged 2 18 D is lik e d a certain teacher 2 18 Could leam more out o f school than in school 2 18 Was not interested in school work 1 9 F a ilin g and didn*t want to repeat grade 1 9 Disliked a certain subject 1 9 Totals 11 99 63 times the reason was mentioned (whether as a primary or ; contributing reason), a tabulation was made of the frequency' of occurrence (Table XIII). ! I When reasons in this table are grouped under the three I classifications, "school," "financial," and "personal," i t i is found that those relating to school had the highest f r e - ' j quency since they occurred 96 times o r approximately 79 per , cent; t h a t financial reasons occurred second in frequency ! I (16 times or about 13 per cent); and personal reasons t h ir d (ten times or about eight per cent). This seems to leave I little doubt that of all the factors t h a t are important in I motivating youth to leave school, those t h a t reflect diffi culties o r dissatisfaction in school lead in importance. Since school records shed little light or reasons for leaving when such statements as "overage" or "went to w ork" are a l l that appears on the records, the reasons given by the drop-out himself are significant as r e f l e c t i n g what is in his mind and how it may be coloring his th in k in g and his recollection of his school experience. These impressions are likely to be reflected in th e attitude toward school which he expresses in talking with o th e r youth who may be considering leaving and may be reflected in later years when he exercises his right to vote on measures affecting the schools. 64 TABLE XIII FREQUEROT OF REA80R8 GIVER FOR DROFPIRG OUT Reasons Frequency of Occurrence Was not interested in school 31 Preferred work to school 22 Disliked a certain teacher 13 Could learn more out of school than in school 12 Could not learn in school and was discouraged 10 1 Reeded money to buy clothes and help at home Wanted spending money 7 i Disliked a certain subject 6 Friends had left school 5 111 health 3 Parents wanted youth to leave school 2 I Was failing and didn*t want to repeat grade 2 65 The drop-out and the counselor. The former students jWere asked whether they had discussed their intention to ! leave school with a teacher, a counselor, or a parent. This! information, which was available for 50 individuals, showed j that six or twelve per cent consulted their counselor, one I or two per cent had discussed their decision with both i teacher and counselor; but that 20 or 40 per cent had dis cussed their decision with both counselor and parent (Table I XIV). Twelve or 24 per cent had discussed dropping out of school with a parent# Four or eight per cent had discussed dropping out of school with all three--teacher, counselor, and parent, Seven or 14 per cent had not consulted any of the three— teacher, counselor, or parent in their decision to drop out of school. Discussion with a teacher or coun selor would have a definite bearing on the youth* s ability to appraise the real reason or reasons underlying his final decision to drop out of school. The findings clearly indi cate that the majority of drop-outs made the important decision to drop out of school after consulting either a teacher, a counselor, or a parent or^all three. There would be general agreement that young people vdio are poten tial drop-outs find it difficult to identify their own problems and are clearly in need of counsel and advice of school personnel. It is evident that counselors and teach- 66 TABLE XIV 00R8ULTATI0R WITH TEACHERS, C0URSEL0R8, OR RARERT ON DECISION TO LEAVE SCHOOL Counselor Teacher Counselor Teacher Parent No One and and Counselor, Counselor Parent Parent Ho. % Ho. % Ho. % Ho. % Ho. f o No, % 6 12 1 2 20 4-0 4 8 12 24 7 14 Ho. 50 Total Replies Per Cent 100 67 must make their services more effective. I The fact that the drop-outs included in this study con-i tacted, in 52 per cent of the cases, the available counsel- | ing services of teacher or counselor indicates that a large | number of students feel an intimate contact with teachers or counselors and look to them as persons to whom they may turn; for counsel* Perhaps the reason the counseling was not more effective in keeping the students in school is the fact that it is the practice of the school to send students to the * counselor for disciplinary action, so that students inevit ably think that punishment, not help is the function of the I # guidance service* 1 ! It must also be borne in mind that although it is im portant that the students have someone to turn to in making a decision to drop out of school--and to be aware that advice and help are available, efforts to prevent dropping out of school at this late stage, when the student’s deci sion is practically made, will not succeed very often* It j is essential that schools know their students and be able to identify, at an early age, those whose problems may lead to dropping out in order to work with them at a time when an effective adjustment is possible. Courses taken in school by the drop-out* This study attempted to determine the course most frequently taken by ' 68 those who dropped out of school, illustrated in Table XY, All students at Helix High School are required to take a core of common learning plus certain electives depending upon the interest and ability of the individual student. The mere fact that one particular area of the curriculum has a smaller holding power than another part is no sign that there is a fundamental weakness in the courses in the de partment responsible for that particular area* On the contrary, the curriculum area may have a greater collection of students with problems that will never be answered by any type of curriculum change. The smallest number of students who dropped out was contributed by the straight college and university prepara tory courses. The implication of these statistics must be prefaced by a statement that the largest number of students are enrolled in this segment of the program. Out of a total of 50 responses, four indicated that they had enrolled in the college or preparatory group. fifteen of the drop-outs replied that they had taken the general education core of common learnings plus a mix ture of other courses. This is 30 per cent of the total drop-outs interviewed. It would appear that this group were more or less floundering as to why they were in high school. They apparently had no vocational plans in mind for the TABI0 XT f U J i B i E B r ]Bi r 5)() i)ito]p..()%j[CE; 69 Fame of Course Humber of Oases Participating Ho# Per Cent College Preparatory 4 8 1 General Education plus Industrial Arts 8 16 General Education plus Homemaking 6 12 : General Education plus Commercial 12 24 I General Education plus Art 5 10 ' General Education plus a mixture 15 50 Totals 50 100 i 70 time they were in high school* General education plus a commercial course was selected by twelve or 24 per cent of the drop-outs at the time they left school* Eight or 16 per cent of the drop-outs answered that they had taken industrial art education plus the general education core of common learnings. Six of the girl drop-outs reported that they were en rolled in homemaking plus general education at the time of their school leaving* five of the early school leavers stated that they had taken courses in art plus general education. i It would prove almost impossible to single out one area; of the curriculum and assign to it the responsibility for Helix High* s drop-out problem. The educational dilemma of students leaving school is one so complex that one area is not the sole cause, but simply one of the causative factors* However, the above statistics are significant in that they point up areas where changes within the existing framework of the educational curriculum could be profitably be made* ! Changes which could have encouraged youth to remain in ; I school* The former students were asked what changes in | school programs, educational services, or other factors might have encouraged them to remain in school had these 71 changes been made available to them* In order to help them : identify possible program or other changes, several were i 1 suggested* The interviewer advised them, however, that they might suggest others not included in the sample list. The possibilities suggested to the students are given in Table XVI. This table was tallied as the question was stated to the drop-out--"What would have encouraged you to remain in school?" (question six of the questionnaire, see Appendix). 1 A comparison of these suggestions with previous find- j I i n g s o n s u c h p o i n t s a s t h e d r o p - o u t * s r e a s o n s f o r leaving I s c h o o l , a n d h i s l i m i t e d u s e o f a counselor*s a d v i c e i n t h e I I school, provides some useful correlations* It will be re- ! I called that the majority of the drop-outs indicated as their ! primary reason for dropping school, that they were not interested in school work* This correlates with the most frequent reason given as to the element that would have encouraged them to remain in school— specific vocational instruction. Many of the drop-outs when interviewed men tioned the lack of work-experience programs— the opportunity to work part time and attend school part time* It was mentioned previously that "preferred work to school" was listed 22 per cent in order of frequency. Again, it can be assumed that more specific vocational instruction might well have held some of these drop-outs in school* 72 TABIE XVI 0HAHGE8 SUGGESTED BY TEE DROP-OUTS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th Specific vocational information 21 3 5 6 2 4 1 6 More personal contact with teachers - 2 4 3 11 5 4 7 12 More participation in school activities 11 4 1 4 3 6 5 10 6 Information on taking part in community affairs 2 2 — 5 5 16 9 9 Ability to read well 3 2 7 4 7 5 5 7 10 More courses on using basic math skills 2 7 4 9 6 5 6 6 3 Information on under standing your abi lities and interests 6 10 1 10 3 8 6 1 2 Information on conduct ing your om busines affairs 1 s 6 12 6 8 7 3 4 1 i Responses 30 48 46 48 47 48 48 48 50 Ho Response - 2 4 2 3 2 2 2 Total Responses 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 ; 73 Information on taking part in community and civic affairs seemed of little importance as a holding power for the drop-"outs since 68 per cent of them placed it as their seventh,- eighth, and ninth selection as to a change which would have encouraged them to remain in school. It is quite probable that because of the recency of the study many of the drop-outs had no realization or felt need for this type of information since they had not become an integral part of their community from their own standpoint* ! I Twenty-four per cent of the drop-outs indicated as | their second choice of changes which would have encouraged them to remain in school, information on marriage and family life. It must be remembered that 20 of the 50 drop-outs in terviewed or 40 per cent were married at the time of the interview. At Helix High School this type of information is dissimilated in the twelfth grade in a class called Senior Problems. Since the largest number of the 161 drop-outs terminated their education at the eleventh grade level, this entire group did not take the class* It seems possible that it should be offered in the curriculum at the tenth grade level to accomodate this large group that otherwise does not get the chance to take the class* Because 24 per cent of the 50 drop-outs placed more personal contact with teachers as their ninth choice there 74 appears to be a correlation with the data in Table XIY, page! 66, where it is shown that 24 per cent of the drop-outs interviewed discussed their decision to leave school with a : parent only and 14 per cent simply dropped out of school* : It is possible that many of these youth do not recognize the! teacher or counselor as one who is available for advice in ; these areas* In addition, the high ratio of counselees to | a counselor which is found in most school systems makes it practically impossible for the counselor to render more than a "too little and too late" gesture of service# It was hoped that by polling these young people to de- ' termine what might have encouraged them to remain in school ^ I definite elements might be identified that would be useful in increasing the holding power of the school. The findings' show that no one experience or service or program would have been effective in holding the drop-outs and that a series of new elements or educational experiences must be provided if ' i the needs and interests of potential drop-outs are to be ; successfully met. While the addition of specific vocational! I information may be an adaptation that will encourage some of| them to remain in school, information on marriage and family life, and information on abilities and interests are also important in the opinion of the drop-outs. Too much stress cannot be placed on the need for flexibility and variety in : _ _ ^ in the curriGulum instead of adherence to a rigid pattern of i subject matter. Many vocational programs require two or three years of work to complete the subject matter as pre sently organized. Experiments in short term, specific, ^ terminal courses might be useful to those who are not inter ested in, nor qualified for, the longer programs. Special , attention should also be given to revision of the content of the related courses in the general vocational area and par- • ticularly when terminal courses are introduced. I Another factor listed in Table XV, such as personal ; contact with teachers, presented in a negative aspect, | points to the need for more patient, sympathetic and under- ! standing teachers, if youth are to be encouraged to remain ! in school. This call's for serious attention since this study shows that many drop-outs have experienced failure; "lack a sense of belonging" ; have had little chance to ex perience achievement * Unless teachers take a personal interest in the problems of the individual student, there is probably not much hope of increasing the holding power of the schools. This implies that the teacher should be able to teach youth more than subjects ; should be familiar with data on the cumulative records ; should make use of the ser- - vices of the guidance personnel; and should work coopera tively with other school personnel. The guidance program must become a vigorous force in the total school program# Students must be taught to use it; i to gain a better understanding of the needs of the indivi dual rather than a "limbo" to which the disciplinary cases ' in the school are relegated# Educators are in general agreement that the needs of many are not, and cannot be, met| by the secondary school program as it is presently constitu-' ed. It is necessary that the schools have a thorough under standing of the individual, of his interests, abilities, and j limitations and that they provide a program for him compa- j tible with these findings. Teachers must take greater ; initiative in knowing the students who are in their classes. | The needs of students can be met and holding power increased i only by getting at the basic causes of unrest and discontent among students and by applying remedial measures prior to the time when the youth has convinced himself that he should drop out of school* The evidence in this study emphasizes | the need for counseling youth on the elementary level and for making this service a continuing process throughout the time| the student is in school# All too frequently panaceas have ; been sought by adding a course here or a new experience there in the hope that the interest of students might be : held longer# In cases where such additions to the curricu- | lum appear to have been effective, it is probable that i 77 provision has also been made for other needs beyond the .currioulnm. Better understanding of youth by the schools would require increased expenditures for smaller classes, more teachers and more counselors— but this additional fin ancial cost would be low in comparison with the extremely high cost of the maladjustment resulting from absence of understanding• Summary* It should again be noted that data are not complete for all youth interviewed in the study. While the interviewer made every effort to obtain pertinent informa tion from the interviewees, some of them were either reluc tant or unable to give answers on all points included in the interview* Obviously, to receive answers on every item, the interviewer would have had to put specific ideas into the minds of those interviev/ed* The price of getting youths * own answers therefore, was incomplete data but this was preferable to insistence that responses be made and thereby getting responses which might give a false picture of the individual * s convictions. All the youth were interviewed to supplement informa tion obtained from the examination of the school records. Questionnaires were prepared that would be helpful to the interviewer in obtaining this information# They were not used as a check-1ist but as a guide in directing the inter 78 view. Provision was made, in all cases, for recording information not included on the questionnaire # Youth were asked to indicate the reason or reasons influencing their decision to leave school. They were asked to indicate, if possible, the reasons in order of their importance. In many cases youth did not seem to be able to get at i the basic cause and indicated they had "other reasons" than j I the suggested ones but did not identify them. Occurring j most frequently as a reason for leaving school was lack of ' I interest in school work. This was given by 52 per cent of the youth as the primary reason for leaving. The second | most frequent reason, given by 22 per cent, was preference for work. The third most frequent reason, given by eight per cent, was need for money to buy clothes and help at home. Of those giving lack of interest in school work as the primary cause, 23 per cent gave it as the only reason. While one-half indicated they lacked interest in school, it must be remembered that 48 per cent gave other reasons. These reasons are worth study by teachers and counselors, though the fact that the range of distribution is wide makes the problem of what measures to take to meet the needs more complex. In combining the three reasons that occurred most frequently as primary reasons for leaving school, it was found that 82 per cent of the youth said 79 they left school either because (1) were not interested in I school work; (2) they preferred work to school; or (3) need ed money to buy clothes and help at home. The reasons given by the majority therefore fall within these three general areas, though it is important to keep in mind that an individual often finds it impossible to decide which are the most important or primary reasons influencing his deci- i sions# Supplementary or contingent reasons may, in many | cases, have more significance than the individual attributes, to them, I In appraising the reasons given by the drop-out, it j should be understood that they are his impressions or feel- | I ings about his school experience which led him to terminate j his schooling and that as such they will do much to color | his thinking and his recollection of school experiences, ' In the replies to the question of whether the youth had discussed his decision about dropping out of school with a , teacher, counselor, or parent, it was found that approxi- ' mately 59 per cent of the 50 drop-outs who answered the question talked it over with a teacher or counselor, or a i I counselor and parent, while of the remaining 37 per cent, 23 per cent discussed dropping out with a parent and 14 per cent did not discuss it with any of the above, Prom this it seems clear that 37 per cent of the drop-outs go ahead 80 on their o?m in taking the important step and that they do ! not think of the teacher or oouhselor as someone to turn to ; for help in making the decision. Regardless of whom it is ; within the school who might he helpful to the individual, the fact that youth do not see the importance of discussing their problems with someone attached to the school staff before withdrawal from school is costly for them and for society. Another unfortunate fact is that teachers and counselors are frequently so overburdened with other and less important jobs that their knowledge of the individual student is too limited to enable them to give any real help if he asked for it. Youth were also asked to indicate what factor elements might have encouraged them to remain in school^ had they been offered to them. Ho one course or experience or pro gram was mentioned with sufficient frequency to indicate that any single avenue approach would be effective in hold ing more youth in school. While the desire for specific vocational information was suggested most frequently, it appeared in combination with other elements or factors. Second in frequency was more participation in school acti vities but here again this appeared in combination with others. Other suggestions such as information on abilities and interests and information on conducting your own 81 business affairs, etc. were about evenly distributed. Many comments were made on the need for more patient, sympathetic and understanding teachers. The findings point to the importance of knowing and understanding the individual student and of determining what combination of experiences will meet his needs and thereby encourage his continuance in school. Youth must be taught to recognize guidance as a service of benefit to him and the teachers and counselors must see it as a source of help to them in gaining better understanding of their indi vidual students. There is ample evidence of the need for counseling on the elementary level and for continuing this service to the students throughout the years they are in school. CHAPTER VI THE DROP-OUT AM) H IS JOB I What is the work history of the drop-out? Prom whom j does he.obtain occupational advice? Did th e school contri- ^ bute to his job performance and adjustment? If he were in , school again, what would he choose for subjects? Is he sat isfied with his employment or does he have job ambitions? j I These are among th e many questions asked of the interviewee. { fifty y o u th responded to the question, "from whom did you j seek advice on occupational problems?" ( T ab le XYII). I t ; I was made clear to th e individual t h a t this referred to any j decisions he was making while in school as to the kind he | would like to do when he fin is h e d school# Only two or five I per cent had sought advice from a counselor# Thirty-six per cent discussed job questions with friends and 49 p e r cent made decisions c o m p le te ly on t h e i r own# ; It is apparent that these young people do n o t use re- ' sources w it h in the school to assist them with t h e i r p ro b - | lems. It will be recalled that 37 per cent of the drop-outs did not discuss their intention to leave school with e it h e r a teacher or a counselor. This becomes a l l the more signi ficant i n c o n n e c tio n with the f a c t that preference for w o rk , was g iv e n by 22 per c e n t of th e drop-outs as the primary 83 TABIÆ X V II SOURCES OP OCOUPATIOHAL ADVICE OP DROP-OUTS Counselor Priend Ho One Parents or Relatives Total Ho. % Ho. % Ho. % Ho. % Ho. % 5 15 36 20 49 4 10 41 100 84 reason for leaving school# If the decisions of youth are , not made known to teachers and counselors, little help can be given to make the transition from school work an easier , one# And since many teachers are not in possession of | sufficient data about the students, they are unable to take the initiative in offering counsel to those who need it* Throughout this study there is ample evidence that the I school has not gained the confidence of the students to the ' point where they regard the school as something more than ah' agency of formal instruction and see it as a place where they can get help with their many problems# I I Initial employment # Information available for 50 youth! shows that 29 started work immediately while 21, or about 42 per cent, did.not begin at once# The reasons most frequent ly given-for not obtaining work immediately were : (1) plan ning marriage; (2) needed at home; (5) wanted a "good" job# The question as to how they obtained their first job I was answered by 41 of the 50 drop-outs# Approximately 50 per cent found work thropgh a friend; and only five per cent obtained work through the school# That the school had little chance to assist these youth in obtaining employment is hardly surprising since many of them did not let the school know they intended to leave. It is possible that many youth first secure a job 85 and then drop out of school* A check on this co u ld be I maintained through the junior employment office so that school officials would know whether a student who is still registered in school has applied for a work permit# If work’ seems to be the only solution for the individual * s problem- - and there is often no other alternative if he has had no prior help in meeting them— the school ought to be able to | I get a better job placement for the drop-out than he can get ! by taking the advice of a friend or "going on his o w n ." These findings add to the evidence that the drop-out is I an individual who makes d e c is io n s by himself. He does not | have the advice of someone experienced in the needs of youth; and trained to make the best possible type of adjustment f o r ' him. Job stability. The drop-outs were asked to indicate the number o f jobs they had held since leaving school# At I the time this information was requested, many of them had i been out o f school approximately one year# W h ile there were many job changes this does not necessarily mean that th e youth who changed had different kinds of employment experi ences. Often the change was from one store to a n o th e r where the young worker did the same type of work for a different employer* Table XVIII shows that approximately tw o -th ir d s of the TABIûS XVIII mmBER 0? JOBS EEiæ BY DROP-OUTS 8 6 One Two Three Pour Percentage' Job Jobs Jobs Jobs Total 1 Ho. % Ho. % Ho. % Ho. i o Ho. % i 25 68 8 22 2 5 2 5 37 100 1 1 87 youth held one job during their first year out of school* This shows a great deal of stability* In a previous study of.controlled programs of work ex- i periences,^^ it was found that youth who secure employment j ! through the school are usually provided with more suitable employment than they would choose or could obtain by them- i selves, and that this tends to keep job turnover at a ' minimum* These programs provide occupational counseling for students, prior to taking jobs, including discussion of ! elements important in getting along well on a job* Jobs held* The drop-outs were asked to specify the first job they had upon leaving school and the job they held at the time they were interviewed* Data were obtained from 50 youth on this question (Table XIX) and it can be seen that 50 or 60 per cent had the same type of job when interviewed as they had when they first left school* This does not mean they were necessarilyl with the same employer but they were in the same type of I work* for instance, an individual in this group who secured factory work upon leaving school was listed as in the same ; work even if he was employed in a different type of factory | 44 Harold J, Dillon, Work Experience in Secondary Education: A Study of Part Time School and Work Programs, Rational Child Labor Committee, 1946• P* 8* o g § i o l O o o H o & H H P m B i o rH 1 — 1 1 — 1 Oi rH rH 03 ■ P 0 O C D rH O C V 2 4 h O i> iH 0 0 g «. 03 0 Æ Î O P lO 1 — 1 1 — 1 rH o H o 4 - 4 O ^ 1 — 1 a o •H p to iH r4 rH 0 P F h p 03 0 * r 4 Q 1 — 1 iH O 0 P S ^ o ^ 0 r M rH 0 ^ 0 F h Q 0 0 O to H rH rH to rH 03 03 03 rH rH 03 O tO rH P 0 *H ^ O .H , ! % i E H I— 1 # 0 o o 03 02iH03tOlOH<H^tOrH02E002tOtO P S lO rH o E H 0 a o o 0 *H 0 i>>P 0 O * f H r - 4 Q O 0 © • r - 3 ^ O 0 pq p O 0 > 0 0 O 44>»FH CQFh C 3 _ 0 p 0 Pi OFh 0 ► > > O « H 0 > s 0 rH O 0 O A ^ 4 0 P M A P b O O F - 4 0 A rH P 0 0 O 0 0 0 rH •iH 0 0 O 0 ^0 A (^«rH'U'H A 0 'H A P m 0 0 > ^ O A rH 0 O n H {> 0 P |0 A A 0 p rH Opj O «rH 44 P rH A S 0 Pl p# A 0 44 0 0 O 0 p | 0 0 0 0 F H 0 0 A 0 P i 0 C 0 p 4 C 0 C 0 o o t-lQ C 0 *^ o p < tJ :^ 88 A 0 p p b D •H « 0 o A •rH •H P 0 1 0 P f0 1 O CO 0 0 >5 A p 0 b O O p 0 O 0 rH 0 0 -H •H A 0 A > A 0 A A A A 0 O A 0 0 0 Pq ^ CO ^ P • • to O 00 C O o 1 — 1 A C Q < D 0 H O c d 0 3 0 % » I —1 I — I w o © o •H J h O - A O 0 0 4 -1 0 C O J X , P m H o O rH C V J to n H lO 89 at the time of the interview. Cafe work ranked first among I the first jobs held with five drop-outs, or ten per cent of , the youth in this type of work. Delivery boy and laborer I took four or eight per cent each of the drop-outs. Of the I four (eight per cent) who had begun as laborers, two had i gone into the forestry service as firefighters while the re-1 maining two were still laborers. Thirteen girls or 2 6 per i ! cent left school for the job of marriage. The remaining 4 8 , per cent were scattered among ten other types of work. | I i School subjects and present job. The young people in- j terviewed were asked to indicate the specific subjects they : 1 felt had been most helpful to them on their present job and ' on this point data are available for 50 youth. Of this number, 26, or about 52 per cent, stated that none of the subjects taken in school were of help to them. On the more general question which was asked them whether school had prepared them for their jobs, 8 0 per cent replied that it had not# The explanation of this 2 8 per cent difference may be that some youth recognize subjects as helpful but cannot appraise the entire school experience in terms of its con tribution to their adjustment or do not feel that a few courses constitute much in the way of "preparation". But the fact that 52 per cent of the drop-outs felt that their schooling gave them nothing which helped them as workers— 90 not even a slight benefit in some areas--is something for schools to think about. | Table XX shows, in order of frequency, the subjects | mentioned as most helpful by the 48 per cent who found some subjects useful. Subjects grouped under "Other" included agriculture and photography. It will be noted that the subjects mentioned most fre- i quently are the "tool" subjects and are probably closely 1 related to the type of job the individual secured upon the leaving of school. Mathematics, English, and business sub- | jects would be useful to the former students engaged in ‘ I sales work and mathematics and shop subjects to those em ployed in factories. Because it has been found in other | studies that difficulty in getting along with people is the ! most frequent cause of losing jobs, the fact that the social] / - ' studies courses are not even mentioned by these young people, should be given serious consideration by the school since : this is an indication that the value of these courses in future work and living relationships is not impressed on students. In fact, many of the social studies as presently constituted emphasize historical facts and processes in- ; stead of getting at the underlying need to understand the i importance of human relationships in every day life and in current political and social developments. The introduction 91 TABLE XX 8UBJEGT8 8PE0IEIED BY 24 DROP-OUTS AS MOST HELPEUL Subject Order of frequency Mathematics 11 ' English 5 ' Shop Subjects 4 I Business Subjects 4 1 Leadership 3 Other (Agriculture, Photography) 2 Physical Education 1 Driver Education 1 Home Economics 1 t 92 of courses in elementary psychology in t h e schools would help to point up factors of human behavior and human under- ; S t a n d i n g w h i c h y o u t h n e e d t o c o m p r e h e n d i n o r d e r t o g e t a l o n g with people in school, at h o m e, on the job a n d i n the ! community. i ! The classes in leadership which were indicated by three of the drop-outs in Table IX as most h e l p f u l are a l o n g this ' I line o f e n d e a v o r . These classes as c o n s t i t u t e d are valu- | able ; the only criticism is that they do not reach all of ! ! the s t u d e n t b o d y - - o n l y the natural leaders of the student I body. 1 I Preferred occupations. The drop-outs were asked what : I k i n d o f occupation t h e y would like to follow if they had | t h e i r choice. Since they h a d already i n d i c a t e d their first job after l e a v i n g school and their j o b at the time of t h e interview, the data were compared to see if there w a s a re-, I lat ions hip between the j o b they were d o i n g at the time of | t h e interview and the j o b t h e y would l i k e to d o if t h e y had| a choice. Information was obtained at the same time on how ■ m a n y wanted t o r e m a i n in their present work area. In other | w o r d s , t h e individual in an o f f i c e who wanted to remain within o f f i c e work was listed as w a n t i n g upgrading within his present work area. Information was obtained from 50 youth, three of whom were unemployed and ten married (Table' C O 5 4 (3 0 1 o l O 0 1 I P i f p o h a M E - i 00 rH 1 — 1 o rH rH to rH rd rH ® A lO rH iH A rH ® q - 4 H ® rH A f t C O 1 — 1 rH A i A M rH O #H 1 — 1 rH q -« iH o o C O rH 0 1 tH ® & 1 — 1 f t 00 rH rH A o- rH ® f i to 1 — 1 p O lO rH rH rH 1 — 1 C O tH 03 rH 03 tH 1 --1 03 rH rH in 03 A ïîD»H ® ® Pi nd ® P fO «H (d ® o 03 C V 3 C O g P A A ha P Pi C Î5 ft ^ C d 1 ^ Pi Pi îb o rp A < D P ® .H f i p P (D P A ® »H m o t — 1 t — 1 tH 02 3 »H ^ ® 1 -3 ^ P A c d ft C O P O * ® •H f t tlD k » P ^ * C D p O ® f t rH o ® P Q p ® td 1 rH i>) A C O Ü 0 I O M A C d > ) * H ® î > > î > s O ® p cdo A A p A P t j D O A *rH p A P ® ® o ® p o d r H P A A ® ® ® nd A > * H * H A P * H f t r a w O O 0 1 AiArHCl)0*Ht>p®AA g ® ® .H p ® O O f t q - i P r H A COfi PiA ® H A p O A ® ® p ® ® ® ® c d ® f t ( d pPOp JP ft f t C O o o f t f t C O o p - ^ â t b c o f t h D f t 93 i < D « ^ 43 O ^ W Æ Pi < D * H f t C d â S S o t o D - 0 0 iH tH rH O 5 O CO A > •H :g& I —I xi o w o •H cb E - i W P i •H f l O O J o o o C O t>s Ü A * H -P § Q ) p q rH C V 3 to lO I —I I —I rH r —I ( —I w P i Ü *H A *H A Pi ® >3 t o ® t t f ) Ai A < » â *H o .H tH A m c d c d c d c d ® p4 fP C O pH Q to O CO Oi o ® O •H > s C O >3 A c d -P ® A < D O q n ® Cd Ü •H Pi c d f : o ® A >s & A A t î D O ■P 5 iH C V 2 C O m 94 XXI). I It was toimd that five or ten per cent wanted to remalh in their present work area# A total of 38 wanted other work; of whom the largest group, five or approximately ten per j cent wanted to enter secretarial employment though only two I per cent were in office employment in their present job# One wanted to change to cafe work, an eight per cent drop t compared with the five whose first or last jobs were in | cafe work# ! Of the youth who became ushers and delivery boys (a to- I tal of four youth) not one would select these jobs if given | his choice of occupation, though some were satisfied to I I stay in them# Interest in one of the following occupations ■ were indicated by eight youth— teacher, nurse, désigner or beautician# These would all call for varying degrees of specialized training and success in any one would require high school graduation as a minimum, with anywhere from one | to ten years of post high school education or training, de- ' pending on the technical or professional nature of the specialty. The fact that the majority of these youth wanted to leave the area of employment in which they were working is important# This fact gives evidence of considerable occu pational instability, some of which might have been effec- 95 tively reduced had the services of a guidance counselor been available and sought before leaving school to take a job. Hot all of the statements on preferred choice can be attri buted to instability as some youth were undoubtedly influ ence by the "glamor" they feel is attached to many of the technical and scientific occupations and there has been a | ! continuing emphasis on the opportunities in these fields. ; Most serious is the waste of effort by these young people in random sampling of occupations or work areas in the hope | that they will stumble on something that, meets their fancy or interest. ! The choices of work areas among those who were unem- | ployed followed a pattern similar to the choices of those : who were working when interviewed. School subjects desired for present job. The drop-outs were asked to indicate those subjects not taken in school that they now believed would have been helpful to them in their present employment. In answering the question, they were permitted to include more extensive work in subjects which they did take as well as subjects which they did not take, for example, practically all of the drop-outs had taken mathematics but many of them said they wished they had studied it longer or had had additional courses. The cour ses occurring more frequently in the 51 answers to this 96! TABIÆ X%II 8 U B J" E (]g PS T - A I C I D Ü T 3 3 U T ]] ]3 E > ]]R ]3 D f-OR ]% 3] 3E )E H :r t T C X B Business Shop Mathe matics Home Eco nomics Other Total Ho• Indica ting Heed 19 9 7 4 12 ! 51 97 question are given in Table XXII# I The concentration in the area of business education j seems logical in view of the percentage of the drop-outs employed in sales and office work. Also, since work in business offices occurred most frequently as the preferred choice of the drop-outs, this would be another factor in the frequency of responses favoring more business education. Summary. In studying the work history, preferences, and ambitions of these youth in terms of employment, the findings show that only five per cent sought the counsel of the teacher or guidance worker in making occupational plans, that 36 per cent discussed job opportunities with friends ; and that approximately 49 per cent made decisions about j getting a job entirely on their own. from these facts, it is apparent that the school drop-outs do not use the re sources within the school to assist them in their problems. .Their confidence had not been gained to the point where they look to the school as an agency which can be of service to | them in their problems, instead of merely as an agency of instruction— and one in which many of them feel they learn little of value# If teachers and counselors are to be of assistance to potential drop-outs, it is clear that they must make active efforts to know their students better. Of the employed group, 68 per cent stayed on one job; ' 98 22 per cent had two jobs between the time they first left .school and the time they were interviewed; five per cent had; three jobs ; five per cent had four jobs. In other words, | i approximately eighty per cent remained on their original ' job or had only one job change during this period. ^ The drop-out, therefore, is one who is pretty much on i his own in malcing decisions or who goes outside of the ; school for advice and counsel. His problems have not been ! detected during his school experience or he has not received' any real help with them and he is therefore unaware that the I I school can assist him with his problem. i Approximately 80 per cent stated that the school did not prepare them for their jobs. This, no doubt, is relatedj to the fact that nearly all the drop-outs found their own * jobs. Hearly 52 per cent indicated that none of the sub jects taken in school were helpful to them in their work. Those who did find subjects helpful mentioned, in decreas- ; ing order, mathematics, English, business subjects, shop I subjects, leadership courses, physical education, driver education, and home economics. Among the other subjects listed as helpful were agriculture and photography. The three occurring with the highest frequency (mathematics, ' English, and business subjects) are tool subjects and corre-' late fairly closely with the type of employment secured by 99 the youth. ; When the drop-outs were asked what kind of work they would like to obtain if they had their choice, ten per cent said they preferred secretarial work. A substantial number indicated they wanted up-grading within their areas of em ployment. Hone of those who worked as delivery boys or i ushers would select such work if given a preference, though j I a few were satisfied to stay in them. j Interest in the following professional or technical j occupations was expressed by 16 per cent; teacher, nurse, j beautician and designer. All of these would call for vary- j ing degrees of continued education and specialization, i Many require both undergraduate and graduate work on the I college level. ' Subjects not taken by the drop-outs but which they in dicated would be helpful in their present work included business courses, shop courses and mathematics. j CHAPTER VII SülWAEY, COHCIÜSIONS, RECOMMEm)ATIOHS, AED SUGGESTED PROBIEtÆS FOR STUDY ' I Summary. In Chapter I it was stated that the purpose i of this study was fourfold: (1) Had the holding power of , Helix High changed from the initial drop-out study of 1951- • ' 52 to the present study of 1952-54? (2) Is either geo graph-: ical area of the elementary schools which contribute to ' Helix High Producing more drop-outs than the other? (3) I Why do boys and girls leave school before graduation? (4) i What work history did the drop-outs of Helix High School contribute to the economic picture of the community? This ' investigation has been a local survey on Helix High School, where personal visits by the investigator were made to fifty homes of the total of l6l drop-outs. Chapter II presented the background of the study and disclosed the fact that in the United States it was an « accepted precept that the education of the populace was a requisite to self-government and democratic living. | Evidence was presented to demonstrate that many of the ills of youth were found to consist of factors which lay i outside of the jurisdiction of the schools. Such factors ' were oft-times the very ills that education and the demo- lOlj cratic way of life were intended to eradicate, and further;- ■ more, there was evidence that the youth who^ need the educa- ' tion the most, because of natural limitations, social environment, and family influences were often found to be getting the least. In many instances it was proven to be largely the fault of the schools that such inequalities existed, in that many of them do not have the organization, trained personnel, philosophy of" education, and economic j and pedagogical resources to meet the challenge such condi- : tions pose. j It was shown that school enrollments have continually | I mounted upwards until 1940-41 when three-fourths of the j country’s youth between the ages of fourteen to eighteen ! were enrolled in the nation’s schools. The war period saw a decline in high school enrollments, and in 1949 the trend was noted to be consonant with the pre-war pattern. At the time^of this study, however, there were still approximately | ! 1,766,000 boys and girls of elementary and high school age ; who were not in school of any kind, one-third of whom were . fourteen to seventeen years old. : A study of numerous publications which mentioned and discussed various causes for withdrawal from school revealed that the largest number of cases usually fell under one of four categories: school, personal, economic, or family 102 reasons. The leading causes mentioned by the studies for permanent withdrawal from school were retardation, disinter est in school, inability to do the work, dislike for school, need of support for family, failure in school work, wrong | I kind of courses, and unfavorable home conditions. : Chapter III discussed the data and method of procedure ' I of the foregoing study. A questionnaire was used as a guide in interviewing fifty of the total of 151 drop-outs : from Sept^^ber 1952 to June 1953 and September 1953 to ; February 1954# : Chapter IV described the background of. the drop-outs. ' The characteristics of the out-of-school youth were general-! I ly classified under personal, educational, or family and | I employment. Under personal characteristics it was found ‘ ! that : (1) Most pupils dropped out of school at the age of seventeen. (2) In 56 per cent of the cases the intelli gence of these drop-outs fell into the I.Q. range of 95 or | over. (3) Fifty-five per cent of the drop-outs were boys and 45 per cent were girls. The educational characteristics of the boys and girls i who withdrew from school prematurely were listed as follows: (1) The grade completed before withdrawal by the largest group was the tenth grade and that the next largest group completed the eleventh grade. (2) The four grades up-to- 103 grade reading level percentages were: grade nine, 41 per : 1 cent; grade ten, 17 per cent; grade eleven,, four per cent; and grade twelve, thirteen per cent * I Under "family characteristics" were reported the fol- ' lowing : (1) Seventy-five per cent of the drop-outs came from homes where they lived with both parents ; that twenty per | i cent lived with one parent, and the balance with relatives. , (2) The study revealed that the size of the family apparent-, I ly did not influence the amount of education a child would I receive. (3) Over fifty-six per cent of the girl drop-outs | were married, and ninety-four per cent of the boys were un- ' married. : I Chapter V took up the reasons drop-outs leave school. i The results of the questionnaire which were used by the in- ' terviewer as a guide in the interview were used to supple- j ment information obtained from the examination of the school records. ! Fifty-two per cent of the youth gave lack of interest | in school as their primary reason for leaving school. The second most frequent reason, given by twenty-two per cent, ! was preference for work. The third most frequent reason, given by eight per cent, was need for money to buy clothes and help at home. When asked whether the youth had discussed his decision 104 to drop out of school with a teacher, a counselor, or a par ent, fifty-nine per cent of fifty drop-outs talked it over { with a teacher, or counselor, or a counselor and parent, while of the remaining thirty-seven per cent, twenty-three per cent discussed dropping out with a parent and fourteen : per cent did not discuss it with any of the above # i Youth were also asked to indicate what might have en- , cour aged them to remain in school. Ifo one course or experi- j ence or program was mentioned with sufficient frequency to ! •indicate that any single avenue approach would be effective* I In Chapter VI the employment characteristics of the | drop-outs were listed as follows: (1) Most of them would j 1 take "blind alley" jobs in the field of personal service, j semi-skilled labor, unskilled labor, or commercial jobs. ) (2) Most of them were quite stable on the job. (3) Other things being equal the longer they stayed in school and the higher the grade completed ; (a) the easier it was to secure and to hold a job; (b) the more money they would earn; (c) the fewer hours a week they would have to work; (d) the ! better type job they would get. i I The work history of the fifty drop-outs interviewed was reviewed. Only five per cent sought the counsel of the school in making occupational plans. Eighty per cent of this group of youth did not feel that the school prepared ! 105 them for their jobs# I The drop-outs were asked what kind of job they would : prefer if they had a choice* A good number of them wished up-grading in their present jobs. Sixteen per cent of the drop-outs evidenced interest in the professional or techni cal fields. OOHOIUSIOHS I ! In September of 1951 the enrollment of Helix High was < 1245* During the school year of 1951-52 there were sixty- | five drop-outs or five per cent of the enrollment* In Sep- I I tomber of 1952 the enrollment was 1412 with ninety-six drop-i I outs or seven per cent of the total school population in thei 1 school year of 1952-55* In September of 1955 the enrollment! figures for Helix High were I636 students of whom sixty-five: had dropped out of school by February of 1954, Assuming that this number of sixty-five would double by the end of , 1 the second semester of 1954? the percentage of drop-outs would be approximately eight per cent. ; It is evident from the above figures that the holding power of Helix High remains fairly consistent over the three years of its existence, nonetheless, there are indications of an upward trend. However, it must be remembered that these drop-out percentages were computed on the September 106 enrollment; therefore are likely actually somewhat higher •than if they were based on the final enrollment figure of the school year which is always lower than the September number, nevertheless, by taking the highest percentage of drop-outs based on the beginning enrollment (eight per cent), Helix High School has a low drop-out rate for the State of Galifornia which is reported to be one out of three on a State-wide basis. * In checking the distribution of the 161 drop-outs by I school area it was discovered that School A had a total of I 51 or 32 per cent of the total drop-outs; and School B had ^ I a total of 106 or 66 per cent of the total drop-outs; four | drop-outs or two per cent had interdistriot transfers# ; In the first follow-up study of the drop-outs of Helix i High it was found that School A produced three times as many drop-outs as School B. Since both School A and School ' B each contribute approximately fifty per cent of the fresh-j man enrollment, they are on an equal basis as far as origi- ' nal enrollment figures from the two respective schools are ' concerned# Perhaps the setting up of a remedial reading program as well as a counseling service for the students of School A within the last two years has made a worthwhile contribution in changing the distribution by school area of , the first drop-out study. : 107 The boy and girl drop-outs of Helix High gave three primary reasons as to why they left school* Hack of inter est in school work was cited by 52 per cent ; preference for work was given by 22 per cent of the drop-outs as their ‘ reason for leaving school; eight per cent gave the reason as, the need for money to buy clothes and help at home* By com-: bining the three reasons that occurred most frequently as ; primary reasons for leaving school, it was found that 82 per; cent said they left school either because (1) were not in terested in school work; (2) they preferred work to school; ; or (5) needed money to buy clothes and help at home. ; In surveying the work history of the 50 drop-outs in- j terviewed in this study it was found that of the employed ] group, 68 per cent stayed on one job from the time they dropped school to the time of the interview; 22 per cent had two jobs between the time they first left school and the time they were interviewed; five per cent had four jobs. These figures are unusually high and indicate a great deal more job stability than is usually found in studies of drop-! outs. ; The drop-outs were found to be employed mainly in the more menial type of employment* A large number said if they had a choice they would like up-grading in their pre- ! sent jobs* Sixteen per cent indicated an interest in the r '' ' ' ' ' 108 'professional or technical occupations. Since all of these call for varying degrees of continued education and special-’ ization it is doubtful that many of this group will ever ! I realize their preferred occupation. It would appear that could this group have been kept in! school longer through more counseling they would have pro- ; I fited considerably by being able to perform the type of job ^ I they wish to hold. ! REOOMMEHDATIOHS I The counseling staff and the drop-out. From the series' of interviews with the drop-outs, it was concluded that ed ucationally, and in many cases socially, they were a malad- ' justed group within the school population. Thus, the need ' for effective professional counseling became apparent* In ; many instances the solving of personal problems should pre cede the adjustment of the individual in the educational ■ program. The complexity of the problems facing those per- , sons dictated the necessity for a better organized guidance ! program within Helix High School. One of the first steps that must be taken is the recog nition by the counseling staff and faculty that potential drop-outs should be recognized early in their school ca reers. Some of the descriptive materials given in Chapters , 109 IT and T of the present thesis were of value. Often the problems which will later lead to early school leaving de velop during the elementary grades. Teachers at this level must be aware of their important responsibility. Unless the counseling staff and faculty are able to recognize the symp-. toms of educational maladjustment early and consequently take remedial steps' to help the student, the rate of drop- ; outs cannot be decreased substantially. From an objective examination of the courses that the i drop-outs undertook it appeared that in a fair percentage of, instances the scheduling of classes had been highly unreal- j istic. The background information of the student must more j and more be studied in order to place him in a course in j which he can achieve success. Without doubt a more exten- ! sive use of aptitude tests would be of value in this endeavor. This is particularly true of the 30 per cent of the drop-outs who were in the general education course only. i In cases where educational maladjustment has reached extreme, proportions, the case study method is then in a better posi tion to aid the student in solving his proble^i# < A portion of the drop-out population indicated that economic need played some part in their decision to leave school. The role of the counseling staff discovering these cases and helping with job procurement becomes obvi- l l O j ous. Solution of this type of a guidance problem hecessi- ■ tates that the individual counselor become better acquainted^ with the community resources that he has at his command. : These resources should include a working relationship with ! I community businessmen and other related agencies. The en tire responsibility for the work experience program should | under no circumstances be the sole responsibility of the : I work experience coordinator. This would suggest a much closer liason between the counseling office and the work ' experience coordinator, particularly since the work experi- , ence coordinator only serves the school half time. I The establishment of effective social, vocational, and | educational goals is an area in which the drop-outs need | much wise, mature counseling. A student who is not able to ! see clearly the end educational goals of his school years is often a lost student. Therefore, more effective methods of working with the drop-out population on the implementation , I of goals is suggested. This process like all of the others should be undertaken as early as possible in the educational, career of the potential early school leaver* i A fairly large segment of the male drop-outs left school early in the year because of the fear that they ! would be called into the armed services. In each of the cases, the youths were ill-prepared in terms of reliable r '■ ïïïj 1 ! military information. It appeared clear that the responsi bility of the guidance department of the school was to make ' reliable up-to-date information available to these students. Since there is a ratio of 400 counselees to a counselor; in Helix High School it seems evident that this number must be greatly reduced in order to receive effective counseling.' The American Association of School Administrators recommend | one to two hundred. j I The vocational guidance program and the drop-out. The findings of this study indicated the need for a thorough ; study and réévaluation of the vocational guidance program of! the school. A large percentage of the drop-out population ; showed vocational maladjustment. This deficiency was evi- i dent in terms of personal happiness, in the type of work that they had undertaken and in terms of their job satisfac tion. Too few of these boys participated in the work experi- ; ence program. The responsibility for this lay in the fact that not enough suitable work experience positions were available. It is exceedingly important that the school undertake a complete community job survey in order to deter-: mine the types of occupations available and the kinds of work experience opportunities. More of the boys of the school should be encouraged to seek out work experience 112 positions on their own. This necessitates cooperation of I .the classroom teacher and the counselor in training the stu-' dent in the practical art of job procurement. As long as the economic pressures of inflation are an j integral part of our economic system, the economic reasons for youths leaving school are not going to diminish. There-; I fore, the responsibility of the school in aiding youths in finding jobs becomes clear. Many of the businessmen of the j community desire only those youth who are of the highest j quality in their business establishments. The school under ^ these circumstances has had to assume the additional duty of working with these men to make them aware of the fact that ! this was not entirely a school problem, but it is also a | community problem. "Education is everybody’s business." i Experts, as well as common sense, tell us that the ele venth grade is the period when vocational counseling is most effective. It is obvious that there is a real need forj some type of group vocational education at this grade level. The type of program which is established should be of the most practical kind with emphasis on such subjects as the job interview, factors in holding a job, the union, and a host of other items. If this type of program were initiat ed, the drop-out would leave school better able to meet the problems of a complex vocational world ; the potential 113 graduate would profit also in that he would complete his vocational study prior to the last year of school which is extremely late for a vocational choice. The eleventh grade counselor should make a conscien tious effort to meet all of the counselees in a vocational interview during this grade level. Reference to the latest information, which must be assembled in the counseling office, should be made during this interview. This necessi tates the collection of as complete information as is possible on the individual during grades nine and ten. | Continued' follow-up of the drop-out by the different grade counselors is the responsibility of the guidance de- ' partment. One interview plus postcards would furnish the ' information needed to conduct a continued survey on this group. At present there is one follow-up questionnaire which is sent to all drop-outs and graduates. The counsel- ; ing staff feel that this is a most valuable tool. The . responsibility of the Helix High School counselor does not ; end with the formal check-out but instead it should contin- ' ue to serve the drop-out. The fact that a percentage of the' drop-outs were not on a job or in school at the time of this- study indicates the responsibility of the school. A program of a counseling service for out-of-school youth which is apart from the high school would be valuable.i 114 Obviously the high school the drop-out is leaving should do what it can in the way of exit interviews with the drop-outs but in practice this is very difficult for several reasons, one of which, very regrettably, is the fact that the drop- I out is often not in rapport with the whole high school situ-| at ion and in fact wants no part of it# A community guidance agency should be available and should provide counseling for, the drop-out on a gratis basis if possible. Perhaps the ! I agency best equipped to serve the large majority of youth | who are. out of school is a more thoroughly developed junior I employment division of the public employment service. ' The present study had brought to light the need for I more accurate record keeping. Only one quarter of the drop-; I outs had been interviewed by the vice-principal at the time ' of leaving school, despite the fact that this was part of the school’s check-out system. The permanent record cards in a majority of instances were inaccurate in their state ments as to why the student left school. Sometimes the ' reason for this was that the notes sent by parents did not afford. complete information. A requirement that no drop out leave school without a parent interview would seem to be, a wise suggestion. This could be accomplished in many cases, by means of a home call by the counselor. A concise record : of notes taken during the home call is very important when 115 a future referral of the drop-out is made, Effective vocational guidance involves a "case work approach," and is based upon three fundamentals; a sound understanding of the aptitudes and limitations of the indi- didual, a general acquaintance with the technical require ments of specific jobs, and a realistic knowledge of avail able opportunities in employment* The drop-out and the student body* Any successful attack on the drop-out problem will have to have as its end goal a change in student attitude. In an overwheIming num ber of cases, the student could have remained in school had he really wanted to do so. Therefore, the element of pre vention looms more and more as the ultimate solution to the problem. To change attitudes after they are firmly en trenched is an exceedingly difficult problem* The responsibility of the entire faculty is one of pre senting the information found in the study to the entire student body. The' reasons why students left school early, the types of jobs which they took, the pay received by the drop-out, and any number of other living statistics are the things which the remainder of the student body should under stand. The method of vocally presenting this information to the drop-out population will probably be totally ineffec tive. However, through the use of recorded interviews with 116 drop-outs and the production of a film strip or slides de- i picting this information, much could be accomplished in the ! preventive line. I Each individual classroom teacher can be of real help ' by acting as a true salesman of education* With half heart ed enthusiasm on the part of the faculty, administration, and counselors as to the value of the program and the abili-' ty of the student to find his place in the total picture, much serious harm can be done. Each teacher must do his ut most to convince the student under him that each had ability and that each can find his place in the ever-expanding Helix curriculum* The drop-out and the curriculum* While the patchwork | type of high school curriculum is obviously not wholly satisfactory theoretically, it is about the only practical method because of the vested interests in the curriculum which are adhered to tenaciously not only by educators but ■ also by the parents. However, the fact that while the total population has tripled in seventy years, the high school membership has been multiplied fifty times in the same peri-' od, with a decrease in the percentage of graduates entering college from nearly one hundred to about twenty, it is evident that the curriculum must sooner or later have some thing in the nature of a major rebuilding. In the meantime,' 117 the gradual introduction of more vocational courses and of ; driver training and family living is believed to be condu- ! Give to increased holding power. All of the above applies I to Helix High School, however, there are certain curricular changes which could be profitably studied by different ; departmental committees* ^ A significant number of girl drop-outs expressed dis pleasure with the homemaking instruction which they ; experienced while in attendance at school. The value of a ( more detailed analysis of the reasons for this dissatisfac- ! tion is recommended. There should be an effort made to j study the needs of this group, but the reactions of a dis- j I grunt led minority should not determine the type of program i which is offered* A study of the attitudes of at least an equal number of graduates in regard to the program should also be taken into consideration before specific changes are contemplated. i A critical part of the curriculum was in the field of ; marriage. Over fifty-six per cent of the girls dropped out of school to be married, but Helix offered no course in marriage until the twelfth grade* Many of the drop-outs occurred before this time. Serious study and consideration ' must be given to the possibility of the inclusion of a unit on marriage prior to the twelfth grade « The possibility of 118 making this an elective course for those girls who feel the need of such instruction might be one solution to the prob lem. Many of the drop-outs^ reading abilities were below that of the normal population. Many of these drop-outs enter Helix High after the ninth grade and thus, are not | subjected to a clinical approach in the solving of reading Î problems* It would be wise to undertake a study of the j possibility of creating a reading clinic into which these ; students are sent as soon as their reading maladjustment is ' located. This clinic should be under the direction of the ; counseling staff and would be conducted by a trained expert in this field. After the initial contact work, the student I could often be returned to his normal classroom situation, I At present many young people go through the whole school program before they can be led to see any geniune value in it. This inevitably creates a sense of inadequacy I among the majority of young people who drop out shortly af- ; ter the completion of the elementary school* The answer is , the development of educational programs so closely related ; to everyday living that each school year, instead of being a means to some more or less remote end, becomes in fact an end in itself* The drop-out and the teaching personnel* The present 119 study demonstrated the importance of the personality of the individual teacher# A well trained and well liked faculty can do more to reduce the number of drop-outs than any other! remedial measure taken in the educational program# The ^ drop-outs repeatedly stated that their inability to get ; along with faculty and counselors was an important cause of ' I their early school leaving consideration. | A local evaluation or rating sheet for teachers by stu-; dents might prove useful if administered properly# Such an ■ I evaluation or rating can make teachers so insecure that they subordinate good teaching for popularity. The use of such aj rating must be kept voluntary ; teachers should be free to j keep the results private# Hoppock of Few York University j has a student-teacher evaluation sheet which might be used ! as a basis for a local instrument if the faculty felt recep tive toward the idea# Effective Teaching Check lists are also of value on the same voluntary basis. In view of the fact that much of a student * s dissatis- ' faction with school life and their feelings of insecurity are associated with their mi sunderstanding of their proper ; I relationships with elders and others in authority, some ■ attention to teaching the proper relationships would be of assistance. A poll of parents, teachers, and pupils could be an effective means of focusing attention on this problem.' 120 The CO-curricular program and the drop-out. The Helix study of drop-outs indicated clearly that the co-curricular program was far too selective in nature. It was geared to meet the social needs of far too small a segment of the stu dent body. Over and over again the drop-outs voiced that they had never been able to identify themselves with a j small social unit within the school. ' In many cases the cost of participating in activities ; has served as a deterrent. The high cost of sweaters, club j membership, football insurance and shoes, and a multitude of! other economic costs have all contributed toward restrict- i I ing the drop-out from participation in the normal school ; activities. ^ Hot only did finances prevent normal participation, but ; often the constations and by-laws of the different groups made it impossible for persons with low grades to gain mem bership in a club. This appeared to be a short-sighted I policy for the real need of this group could be met only by | acceptance in one of these groups. A study of the constitu tions and membership regulations of club groups should be undertaken as soon as possible. The C O -curricular activities program even if it were open freely to all students would not at the present inter est many members of the drop-out population. This program : ' 121 is not based on the needs of the drop-out population but is in most cases geared to interests of the better students. Serious study should be devoted to a program based on the i I expressed curricular needs of these children. ' Much of the program which was created in the area of student government and citizenship training was developed byi the administration. A survey of the type of student govern-, ! ment which students themselves want would be a good idea. 1 SUGGESTED PROBLEMS PGR STUDY ! ' I Basically the causes of students leaving school were of I two types. The first was cultural factors, and the second ; was psychological factors or personality characteristics of ; the student. An individual with a more extensive background' in either the area of psychology or sociology would be of great help in continuing the study. The selection of this person would be dependent upon the factors to be studied. ^ There was a feeling that the attitudes of the drop-out , population not only in terms of education but toward other essential elements of our society, was far different from that of the rest of the population. A comprehensive survey ' of the attitudes of drop-outs toward major goals of our society would be of value. If the problem is one of atti- ; tudes, then an effort should be made to determine first what; 122 the attitudes are and then to suggest ways by which a change may be brought about. ! The area of curriculum was in need of considerable re search and study. Efforts should be made to see if the graduates agreed with the drop-outs on the courses which they like and disliked. The basic reasons why certain courses are liked and disliked need to be determined in or der that future curriculum study might use these facts as a j t basis for recommended changes. The results of this study i indicated that of the fifty-six per cent of the girl drop- i outs who left school to be married only a small percentage i had received any instruction in the problems of family life. The areas of marriage and family life education, therefore, should receive additional study. This study should result : in an ultimate statement as to the grade level in which thiS; type of instruction would best be placed. The possibility of utilizing clinical methods of remedial instruction at all, grade levels in the field of reading would be a question ; under consideration. A thorough oo-curricular survey of the needs of the | student body was also desired. The program which was initi ated was not of a long range nature, and it was not based on the expressed needs and desires of the majority of the student population. A complete survey of what the students I desire and a skeleton program developed on the basis of j these needs is required. At the time of the study, no intelligence or achieve ment norms were available on the local student population at Helix. There is a real need not only to know how the stu dent population differ from the nation at large; but also to, determine how the graduated population differed in terms of i ability and achievement from the drop-out population* Any j real curriculum change should also take this factor into consideration. The study reported that in several instances the drop- | out could have been kept in school by more effective | I I counseling techniques. More research was needed in the area of techniques that would have been effective with this group of the student population. Because the majority of these students were educationally and psychologically malad justed, special techniques should have been employed. Study of the administrative organization of the counseling ser vice so that teachers, counselors, the nurse, and the work experience coordinator are all under the same administra tive head would be a wise plan. Of all the services at Helix Hi^gh School, those of vocational education and guidance were the ones found most inadequate. The programs were not based on an adequate 124 survey of th e vocational p o s s i b i l i t ie s o f th e community. The necessity for a community survey of the vocational and professional offerings of th e area surrounding Helix was an imperative one. The work experience program and placement services at Helix High are still in their infancy. There was a need for a study o f methods of organization of the I program and ways of working w ith the community so that this program would achieve some of its great potentialities. , There is no easy answer to the problem of school drop outs, but of this we are certain— drop-outs represent our poorest social r is k s . If th e y are not to become the job I misfits, th e delinquents, and the public charges of tomorrowj their needs must be met today. ; BIBIIOURAPEY BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Bell, Howard Mitchell, Youth Tell Their Story. Chicago: American Council on Education, 1938. 273 PP* ' _____ , Education for All uWerlcan Youth. American ' j &8 social ion of ÔcÏÏodl Adraini sirat ors, Washingt on, B.C. , 1952. 402 pp. Kieran, John (ed.), Information Please Mmanac. Hew York : Doubleday and Company, Inc., P. 26X7 B. PERIODICAL ARTICLES Ackerlund, George, ^A High School Diploma for Whom?" School Executive, 73:43-45, Hovember, 1953* Aslaug, Hovde, "A Study of Withdrawals from High School," California Journal of Secondary Education, 15:297-98, May, 1941. Benson, Viola, "The Intelligence and Later Scholastic Success of Sixth Grade Pupils," School and Society, 55:153-67, Pebruary, 1942. Brewer, Weldon, "Why Do Students Quit School?" Texas Out look, 34:8-9, August, 1950. Brown, Howard W., "Why They Leave School," The Education Digest, 15:40-41, February, 1950. Ekstrom, G.F., "Why Farm Children Leave School," School Review, 54:231-37, April, 1945. ; Feiveson, Philip, "The Value of a Personality Inventory in . a Self-Appraisal Course on the Secondary School Level," California Journal of Educational Research, March, 1933: _____, "Follow-up Study of High School Graduates and Drop-outs," Pittsburgh Schools, 25:1-85, Hovember- December, 193b. 127 Goff, Aaron, "They Dropped Out of School," Education, 70: 330-32, January, 1930. I Gragg, William Lee, "Some Factors Which Distinguish Drop- /' outs from High School Graduates," Occupations, 27:457- ^ 59, April, 1949. Grim, Paul and Vernon Anderson, "Is the American High School Serving Today^ s Youth?" Educational Leadership, 7:338- ; 48, March, 1949* hx Hecker, Stanley E., "Early School Leavers," The Education Digest, 19:5-7, October, 1953. I Holbeck, Elmer S., "Seven Ways to Help Prevent Drop-outs," The Education Digest, 17:32-3, September, 1950* ; Johnson, Elizabeth S., "When Boys and Girls Leave School for Work," T^ Child, 14:192-94, July, 1950* Kitch, Donald and William H. McCreary, "Guide for Making a Follow-up Study of Drop-outs and Graduates," California Guidance Bulletin, 13:1-23? January, 1950. Kitch, Donald and William H. McCreary, "Improving Guidance Programs in Secondary Schools," California Guidance Bulletin, 19:45-7, December, 1950. Kitch, Donald and William H. McCreary, "The School Counsel or: His Work and Training," California Guidance Bulletin, 20:1-44, July, 1951. Lambert, Sam H., "Increasing Education's Holding Power," National Education Association Journal, 39:664-66, Sec ember, 1950 . McCreary, William H. , and Donald Kitch, "How Hear Youth," California Guidance Bulletin, 22:27-44, October, 1953* McGee, George A. , "We Increased Our Holding Power with our Secondary School Students," national Education Associa tion, 42:482, Hovember, 1953* Holl, Miriam, "Minors are Major Risks," Safety Education, 27:22-34, March, 1948. ” Oppenheimer, Celia, "Ten Year Follow-up of the Class of 1949," national Association of Secondary School 128 Principals, 57:77-80, March, 1953. r — T - p -Tn-- j Pond, Frederick L., "Pennsylvania Study of Drop-outs and theI Curriculum," national Association of Secondary School ! Principals, 3 7 ' ' : ‘ êï-7V” ’ 'BtocE, l933T ; Ratliff, Rob Roy, "Hold Those Drop-outs," Education, 70:646-' 47, June, 1950. i Richman, Harry H#, "Drop-outs," Clearing House, 13:548-50, ' May. 1939. I I , "Schools Help Prevent Delinquency," national Education Association Research Bulletin, 31^19-^3, October, 1353% Scott, Marigold, "Working with Drop-outs," Virginia Journal ' of Education, 47:17-8, Hovember, 1955. Tecler, William, "Human Relations Course," California Quid- i ance newsletter, 7:5, March, 1953* | , "Where *s the Other 65%? " West Virginia State Education Association, 4:1-7, October:'""'T9'47. , I Wood, Donald I., "Leaders Can Be Made," national Education f Association J ournal, 43:105, February, 1954. Zirnand, Gertrude Folks, "High School Drop-outs in 1950-51," American Child, 33:1-4, April, 1951. C. PARTS OF SERIES Allen, Earl and J.G. Umstattd, The Problem of Drop-outs in the Secondary School. Texas Study of Secondary Educa-| tion. Austin, Texas, March, 1951# 23 PP. Dillon, Harold J., Early School Leavers. Rational Child ' Labor Committee. Hew York, Hew York, 1949. 94 PP# ' Dillon, Harold J., Work Experience in Secondary Education; A Study of Part Time Sohool anïï^Wbrk Programs. Matibnal~Gliild Labor Committee. Hew York, Hew York, 1945. 25 pp. _________ , A Further Analysis of a Follow-up Study of 1820 ■ 129 June, 1948 Graduates, Los Angeles City School Dis tricts, Curriculum Division* Ho* SC-453, January, 1951# 55 PP# , Improving School Holding Power. Federal Securi ty Agency! Work Conference on Life Adjustment, Circu lar Ho* 291, February, 1951# 86 pp. , Income of the Hon-farm Population; 1945» ' GurrentT’ bpuXatxon Reports, Series, P-6o, Ho. 3, June, 1948. 25 PP# I Layton, Warren K. , Special Services for the Drop-out and the Potential Drop-out* Hational CEïTd Labor Committee* ' Hew York, Hew York, October, 1952* 15 pp. I , Monthly Report on the Labor Force, Hovember, i 1951# United ' States Department o£ Commerce, bureau of ' Census. Current Population Reports, Series P-57, Ho. 112, Hovember, 1951# 12 pp. i I » Report of Secretary; 1948-1949# West Virginia I State Education Association, Kay, 1949# 77 pp. ! , School Drop-outs. Rational Education Associa- ! tibh of the ïïnited States, April, 1952. 29 pp. | I , School Enrollment of the Civilian Population: October, 1950# United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census. Current Population Reports, Series P-20, Ho* 34, July, 1951# 12 pp. . School Enrollment and Educational Attainment of ; Workers in the United States I ' lQctober , ' ' 1948. United ' States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census. ' Current Population Reports, Series P-50, Ho. 14? May, - 1949. 10 pp. , School Enrollment ; October, 1951# United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census * Current Population Reports, Series P-20. Ho. 37, February, 1952* 2 pp. , Why Do Boys and Girls Drop Out of School, and What Can We Do lbdut It? Federal Security Agency: Work Conference on Life Adjustment. Circular Ho. 269, January, 1950. 72 pp. 130 D. UKPUBLISHED MATERIALS Jacobs, J. Smith, "Compulsory Continuation Education in the United States." Unpublished Doctor*s dissertation, University of Utah, 1950. 374 pp. Warburton, John Thomas, "A Eollow-up Study of Drop-outs." Unpublished Master’s thesis, San Diego State College, 1952* 109 PP# APPEHDIX 132 QUESTIOHHAIEE Date îÆr. Your Rame : Miss ______ Mrs* Address ; ___________ _ 1. Home status : A .__ Both parents B .__ One parent Size of family; A. B. 0. ' D. One child 2 children 3 children 4 children 0. B.' p! 0 . ' H.' ^Relatives "other 5 children ’ 6 children '7 children 8 children or more 2. What vocation did you select as your life work when you, I were in high school? ___ ' I 3. In the statements below check the one reason that seemsi most important in causing you to leave school. A, Left school as I preferred work to school. B. Disliked a certain teacher. 0. Gould not learn in school and was discouraged* __ D. Disliked a certain subject. What subject? E. Ill health. P. Could learn more out of school than in school. G. Friends had left school. H. Wanted spending money. I. Heeded money to buy clothes and help at home. c T . Was not interested in school work* ! 133 K. Parents wanted me to leave school. I * . Was failing and didn’ t want to repeat the same grada' M# Other reasons. 4. How, using numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc*, check in order of importance, any other reason that caused you to leave school* ! 5* When you decided to leave school did you talk it over ! with a teacher? Tes __ Ho __ Counselor? Yes Ho _ Parent? Yes I Ho __ 6. What would have encouraged you to remain in school? (Check in order of importance using numbers 1 to 9#) Specific vocational information More personal contact with teachers More participation in school activities Information on taking part in community and civic affairs __ Information on marriage and family life Ability to read well More courses on using basic math skills Information on understanding you abilities and inter ests Information on conducting your own business affairs IF YOU EAVE HAD FULL-TIME EMPLOYMEHT EXPERIEHCE 7. Which of the following helped you most in selecting an occupant ion and in making your educational and vocational plans? (Check one or more.) 134 ' A. _ Parents or relatives E. B. __ Public Employment Agency E. C, _ Friends G. D. School (Teacher, Counselor, or other person) H. Work experience Ho help received Shopping around School subjects (Hame) 8. Please describe the jobs you have held since leaving school. ! Employer Kind of Work Date you started Weekly Wage' 9 # Did you obtain employment immediately upon leaving school? What work did you do? _______ 10. What school or experience that you had in school has been of most benefit to you in your present employment? 11. What occupation would you like to follow if you had a choice? _______________________________ 12. What subjects, that you did not take in school, would be of assistance to you at the present time? ___ _____ <Utuv«rstrv o f aow U w m

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

A follow-up study of Helix High School graduates, 1954

PDF

A follow-up study of the 1958 graduates of Morningside High School

PDF

Implications for guidance of high school pupils from follow-up study

PDF

A follow-up study of terminal graduates to determine the extent of job success

PDF

A follow-up study of business graduates of Garfield High School, Los Angeles, California

PDF

Detection of marine neurotoxins

PDF

A study of the athletic budgets of the Los Angeles city high schools

PDF

A study of absences and withdrawals from high schools for Negroes in Saint Louis, Missouri

PDF

A follow-up study of community scholarship recipients of Garfield High School

PDF

A comparative textbook study of two approaches to the teaching of junior high school mathematics

PDF

A three year study of school withdrawals in a New Orleans, Louisiana junior high school

PDF

The use of the follow-up study in the high school

PDF

A twenty week course of study for a high-school music literature class

PDF

A study of public recreation in the Grant Union High School District

PDF

A follow-up study of the graduates of the Fontana High School, Fontana, California

PDF

A high school pitcher's manual

PDF

A historical study of Ocean View School District

PDF

A high school course of study on the newspaper interview

PDF

Paleontology and stratigraphy of the lower part of the Cambrian section of the Highland Range, Nevada

PDF

Frederick I and his concept of empire with special reference to his Italian policy

Asset Metadata

Creator Mason, Jue (author)

Core Title A follow-up study of drop-outs from Helix High School

Degree Master of Science

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Education,OAI-PMH Harvest

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c37-311295

Unique identifier UC11649486

Identifier EP55579.pdf (filename),usctheses-c37-311295 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier EP55579.pdf

Dmrecord 311295

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Mason, Jue

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA