Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if the following elements in the curriculum of graphic arts programs in public secondary schools have been effective in enabling students to formulate adequately accurate occupational stereotypes in the field of printing: 1. educational philosophy 2. industrial experience of students such as work experience, personal contacts with people in the trade, and field trips 3. socioeconomic backgrounds of the students 4. vocational maturity of the students 5. occupational plans of the students. In the spring of 1971, students enrolled in advanced graphic arts classes of public secondary schools in Monroe County, New York (excluding Rochester Public Schools) were used for the purpose of this investigation. Each student was requested to complete a testing instrument (semantic differential) which was designed to measure the stereotypes of a socioeconomic range of printing occupations. The results were compared with a similiar instrument administered to employees in the printing industry. The comparison between the responses were used to derive a score which represented the similarity between the student's stereotype and the occupational concept held by a person employed in that occupation. The resulting score was correlated with a questionnaire which identified gender, vocational maturity, socioeconomic background, industrial experiences, philosophy of the graphic arts courses taken, and the occupational plans of each respondent. The correlation made it possible to compare the effect that the curriculum of graphic arts programs had in the student conceptualization of accurate stereotypes of printing occupations. The method for analyzing the data obtained was by analysis of variance. A further analysis on "individual effects" revealed which level (s) of a significant factor were responsible for improved accuracy in stereotyping. The results of the analyses were: 1. The accuracy of the stereotypes of low socioeconomic printing occupations were significantly greater when students were of a high vocational maturity or have gone on field trips. 2. The accuracy of the stereotypes of medium socioeconomic printing occupations were significantly greater when students were first given instruction under an industrial arts philosophy and then enhanced by instruction in a vocational philosophy, or the student had definite plans to enter into a printing career directly after high school. The analysis also revealed that students from a vocational philosophy were significantly more accurate in stereotyping than students from an industrial arts philosophy. 3. The accuracy of the stereotypes of high socioeconomic printing occupations were significantly greater when students were of a high socioeconomic background, or have had work experience, or personal contacts with people in the trade, or plan to go on for additional education directly after graduation from high school. The analysis also revealed that students who plan to enter into a printing career were significantly more accurate than students who plan on some other career. In short, the accuracy in which students stereotyped occupations was enhanced whenever these students were provided with an opportunity to spend additional hours in a career oriented environment. For instance, the effectiveness of vocational programs, work study, programs, and visitations were associated with the additional hours required to obtain their objectives. Vocational programs requests students for two to three hours a day in order to obtain their curriculum goals. The additional time spent for the purpose of making visitations provided students with increased exposure to the world of work. Work study programs furnished students the opportunity to spend part of their day obtaining on the job training. In all cases, the extra time required for students to participate in these programs have been beneficial in improving the accuracy in which they stereotyped and judged career possibilities. The prime consideration, it would seem, when planning a career oriented curriculum would be to increase the amount of exposure that students have in a vocational environment. In this way, students would have an ample opportunity to acquire adequate occupational stereotypes from which to base a career choice.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Printing industry--Vocational guidance

Publication Date

6-1-1972

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Media Sciences (CIAS)

Advisor

Weigand, Charles

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: Z243.U5 B4

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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