Date of Award

1999

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

The problem of this study was to determine the beliefs of LocalEducation Agency (L.E.A.) superintendents and regional vocational directors, who administer area vocational schools in Indiana, toward the federal and state school-to-work initiatives. Specifically the study sought to investigate what the impact is on the implementation of school-to-work in Indiana using the five parameters of the Putnam-Theuerkauf study which are hypothesized to be suppositions that can impede the development and implementation of school-to-work initiatives in America. The Delphi method was used in this study. It allowed the researcher to compare the judgements of a group of experts on school-to-work in area secondary vocational schools in Indiana. The Delphi method consisted of three rounds. Each was sent to all the participation group members regardless of their prior participation in the study. Round I required open ended responses while Round II used a Likert rating scale and also encouraged participants to give written responses. Round III was a summation of the first two rounds showing the rater's evaluation of the responses and asking one last time for any additional input from the responders. It was found that both groups agree the local autonomy of school districts and businesses tended to support the implementation of school-to-work in Indiana. The sacredness of the four-year college option and the cultural acceptance of the late development of career paths for students inhibited the growth of school-to-work systems in Indiana. Both groups agreed that school-to-work should be offered to all students regardless of social class or career path orientation.

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