Impact of a supervised occupational experience instructional packet on Iowa vocational agriculture students as measured by a work values inventory

Abstract

<p>The primary purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an instructional packet on supervised occupational experience programs in regard to student work values after two and one-half years. A secondary purpose was to determine the relationship between work values of students and selected student characteristics. The sample for this study consisted of 32 randomly assigned schools (16 in the control group and 16 in the experimental group) which provided 119 respondents. There were 52 students in the control group and 67 students in the experimental group. The control group (students whose teachers did not use the SOE instructional packet) and the experimental group (students whose teachers used the SOE instructional packet) were compared to see the relative importance of a planned instructional guide on student work values;Two instruments were used to ascertain data in this study: (1) an involvement in agriculture inventory; (2) a work values inventory. Both instruments were administered to students as posttests;Major findings of the study were: (1) No statistically significant mean differences were found to support the contention that an SOE instructional packet had any effect on student work values. (2) No statistically significant mean differences existed between the SOE attitude scores of students in the experimental group and students in the control group. (3) No significant relationship was observed between work value scores of students and their immediate plans upon completion of high school for 15 of the 16 work value measures. (4) No significant relationship was observed between work value scores of students and their occupational plans for 14 of the 16 work value scales. (5) Eleventh grade students who comprised the national norm group for the Work Value Inventory (Super, 1970)* had significantly higher means than the Iowa students for eight of the 15 work value scales studied. (6) Students who gave non-agriculture as their occupational plan had a significantly higher mean value on the work value scale of "Economic Return." (7) Students who gave production agriculture as their occupational plan had a significantly higher mean on the work value scale of "Independence." (8) Students whose immediate plan upon graduation was to become self-employed had a significantly higher mean value on the work value scale of "Independence." (9) Several statistically significant relationships were identified between students' attitude toward SOE and their Work Value scale scores;*Super, Donald E. 1970. Work Values Inventory. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.</p>