of oft

StudentPerspective s ontheNatu reofPre-Univers ityCaree r Sup port:AnUr ba nIR uralCompa r ison

By

GregoryD.Pearce, B.A.,B.Ed.

Atbes issub mittedto theScboo lofGrad uat eStudies inpartia l fulfilment oftbe requir emen ts for tbe degree of

MasterofEduca ti on

Ed ucationa l Psychology Memorial Unive rs ity of Newfoundland

Octo be r 1998

Abstract

This study was designed to explore and compare the career related needsofruraland urban youth upon entering a post-secondaryinstiMion Subjects were 101 university students who had completed at least their first year of university study.Subjects wereasked to completea questionnairedeveloped from alist of perceived career related needs identified in a studyby Jeffery andlehr (1993).Vllhilefew significant urbanlruraldifferences werefound,anumberofunexpected outcomes relatedto the career preparednessofall youthwere noted.In addition.

severalareas needing further study are diSOJssed.

Acknow ledgements

This thesishas beenwith me for the past threeyears.Inthat timeI have workedinanumberof positions andtravelledinan efforttoremain employed .This was a hindrancetocompleting this thesisandcompletion may havebeenhaltedhaditnotbeen formy friendsand familywho provided numerousamountsof encouragementandsupport.For that I givethanks for what theyhave done.

Thank you,

GregoryD.Pearce October9,1998

iii

Abstract... .

TableofContents

...ii

Acknowledgements iii

List of Tables vi

Chapter 1:Introduction.. . 1

Statement of the Problem . 3

SignificanceoftheStudy... . 5

Chapter 2:Literature Review 7

Youth in Transition... . 7

The Newfoundland Situation 19

Summary 30

Chapter 3:MethOdology 32

Instrument . SUbjects .

.. ...32

. 35

Treatment of Data 37

Chapter 4:Analysis of Data 39

Results 39

SectionI:GeneralPreparednessforUniversity .40 SecttcnII:Parental and Peer Support 43 Section III:Academic readiness 47

Other Findings ...

Summary..

. 50

... ...51 Chapter 5:Discussion and Recommendations 52 QuestionnaireBased Findings.. . 52

Summary 67

Implications of the Study.. . 69 Recommendations for Future Research 70 Bibliography...

Appendix A:Questionnaire..

. 72

...82

Appendix B:DemographicData 88

List ofTables

Table1:GeneralPreparedness 41

Table 2:Parentaland Peer Support 44

Table 3:AcademicReadiness.. . 48

TableB.1:University CoursesCompleted..

Table B.2:Home Community...

. 89

. 89

Table 6.3 :People In 10 MileRadius 89

TableB.4;Year CompletedorLeft HighSchool 89 Table6.5:Approximate averagewhen left highschool 90 Table6.6:Indicate thereason(s) for entering university 90 Table B.7:AttendedAny Other University... . 90 Table B.8:Attended AnyOtherPost Secondary Institution 90 Table B.9:IfYesTo 08,WasPost-5 econdaryInArea of>25000

People?.. . 91

Table6.10:Highest LevelOfEducation AttainedBy Mother 91 Table 6.11:HighestLevelOfEducation Attained6y Father 91

Table B_12:HouseholdYearly Income 92

Table8.13:Is there a collegeOfpost-secondaryin or near

Community.. .....92

Table 8.14:Principalplacewhere received University info 92 Table8.15:Didyou meet college/univ.repsbeforeentering

University? . 92

Table 8.16:How are you payingforyoureducation? 93 Table B.17:How many hoursdo you work per week? 93

Chapter 1 Introduction

The advances in technology,combined with the dissolutionof much traditionalemployment,are forcing students,bothyoungandold alike.to seek higher leaming.or retraining.in order to be more employable(G raham,198n As a resultof the increasingdemand for training,itis necessary to understand the needs of studentsentering Universityso that these studentscanbebetterprepared for the challenges theywillface in a post-secondary environment (Burry,1975; Graham.1987;Mabry,1989;Tompkins,1981).

Rural Students,liketheirurbancounterp arts,haveready accessto a highsch ool educationand hence,canacquire the prerequisitesneeded togainentranceintoa Universi ty.In spiteofthis.there maybe common challenges and problemsface d by the rura lstudents thatare unique.

Rural student sare usuallyfrom areas that do not providereadyaccessto post-secondaryschooling.These students havetoleave their home and famili ar surroundingsto gain access to the educationaltraining anurb an studentcan acquire whilelivingathome.The rural stude nt usuallytravels toan urban environment.atwhatis nowregarded asayoung age, leavingtheir friends and family behind.These students will have to adjust

to an unfamiliar community in order to attend a university while urban students may live at homefor their post-secondary training.The costs of attending a university away from their home community also typically places considerable burden on both the rural student and their parents.

Living at home enables urban students to retain the support networks they had while attending secondary school. The urban students'situation canbe an advantage as they may experience less stress than rural students.Urban students do not have to dealwith the stress of leaving home and living in a place where the [ass of supports is compounded by their having to learn how to survive on theirownwhile attending a university.It can be thus asked if ruralstudents are as well prepared for their transitioninto the post-secondary environment? If not,what might they learn to help thembebetter prepared?

In many respects,the situations of rural and urban students entering universityappear to be different and rural students appear to be at a disadvantage.This question of what ruralstudents need to prepare them for their transitionfrom high school to university and the world of careers is very important and the focus of this thesis.If educators, parents,and counsellors better understood and knew the needs of rural

students,they maybemore effective in preparing them for their Mure.

This knowledge of student needs could also be useful for urban students.Some studies (Burry, 1975;Justiz,et.al.,1986;Bloodsworth and Fitzgerald,1991),have supported the idea that if youth had the proper academic and social preparation,and received guidance from parents,then they would have an easier transition into a university/career environment. This thesis determined some of the transition-related needs, both personal and academic, that yOuthperceived to exist when they entered the post-secondary environment.

Statement of the Problem

This study sought to determine the perceivedcareer related needs of rural and urban youth entering the post-secondaryenvironment. The needs to be assessed relatedto the academic and life skills and social and emotional support a young person might need to successfully move into a post-secondary learning and training environment.

When students enter new environments,as do persons entering new jobs, learning has to have taken place beforehand so these individuals can effectivelyintegrate. Students entering a post-secondary

institutionfromhigh school,orstudents enteringas"maturestuden ts".

need tobe preparedfor therequiredadjustmentto their new environment.

The first objective of this study was to further assesstheperceived career relatedneeds of youth identified inlehr and Jeffery(1993).This study soughtto determinethe degreeto whichyouth experience those needs being met and to determine who wasinvolved in meeting those needs prior to entering a post-secondary institution.Thestudy bylehr and Jefferyidentified whatparents,communitymembersand others perceivedtobethe career-related needsofyouthupon leaving high school.Thisstudyassessed whetheror not the needsident ified by Jeffery andLenr are actuallyexperiencedbythestudent s

The secondobjectiveof thisstudy was 10 determine jfthere were differencesinthe needs of urban and ruralstudentspriorto enteringa post-secondary institution.This information wouldhelp determinewhat sortof differences therewere with respecttocareer preparedness.

Significanceof theStudy

This studywasintendedto gain a betterunderstand ing of what studentsneed inorde r toachievea successfultransitioninto a

post-secondarylearningenvironmentIf parents,teacherS,counsellors, andothersunde rstandtheneedsofstudents abOut toexperi ence transition.then theycanbetter helpthemprepare.As Bazalgette(1975) pointedout, adultshavetheknowledgeofwhatyoungpeople should expectinthe wor1d once theyleavehometo pursue a career orhigher education .These adultshave the respon sibili ty ofpassingthis infonnationontotheyounger generationin orderto prepare themfor the worldexperi e nce.

InanartideinthejournalHealth Promooon(1993),the unidentified author spoke ofprotectingourbestresource:ouryouth.The artidediscussedhowonegroupofyoungpeopleare learningabout taki ngcareofthemselvesthrough trainingin financialplan ningand courses onheNtofindemploymentThearode suggeststhatlarge portion s of young peoplearenotpreparedto care forthemselveswhen theylea ve highSChOOl.Thisstudyseeksto determine the needs of youth so thatfuture programs canbedevelopedwhich canbetterpreparethem for pursuingapost-secondaryeducation.This thesisalso seeksto findif ther eare differen cesbetweentheperceived caree r rel atedneedsofrura l andurbanyo uth,andif so,thenature ofthose differences.This

knowledge couldbe useful to educators,parents and program developers seeking to help youth become better prepared to meet the challenges of the future.

Chapter 2 Literature Review

In reviewingthe available literature, it became apparent that there are many articles dealing with the career related'need s' of rural and urban youth priorto enteringuniversity.Those articles addressed topics includingthe current needs of youth,new directions in policy and programs and ways to create and improveaccess to resources that would help youthin their transition .The majority relate to youth growing up in the United States .While these articles providedinformation relating to the needs of youth in general,thisthesisfocused on the needs of youth living and growingup in rural and urban Newfoundland about whom less is specifically known.Below is a brief overview of the literature on the transitional problems of youth followed by a more specificdiscussion of the literature addressing the Newfoundlandsituation.

Youth In Transition

Upon completing High School,young people are in the position of having to decide whether to attend a post-secondary institution,or seek employment. In order tobecompetitivein taday's job market,an

increasing numberofyoung people feel a post-secondaryeducation is necessary and hence,continue theirschooling.Many of these youth are unprepared to take this step(Payne, 1989;Mabry, 1989).

Payne(1989),conducted a review of the literature relating to the academicpreparedness of high schoolstudents entering a post-secondary environment.His review ind icated thata large portionof students were lacking in oneor moreof the basic skill areas(math, writing,and reading)and thus required extrahelp orcourse work inorder to pursue a post-se condarydegreeor diploma.Payne notedthat many communitycolleg es are inundatedbyunprepared freshman.Hefel t high schools were notproperlypreparing students for Mure academ ic pursuits.He notedthateventhose students who completed high school with good marks were"hit hard-bythe highe rstandards expectedat the post-seco ndarylevel. Payne 'sreview suggests thatcommunity colleges need to havebetter communicationwith highschools.Improved communication couldhelpto clarify theexpectations and skills needed by thoseseeking a post secondary educa tion.

Mabry(1989)found similarproblems.Hefound that therewas a lackof prepared students enteringthe post-secondaryenvironm entand

that these students appeared to lack the academic skills needed for success at the post-secondary level.They were unpreparedto meet the challenges of higher education and eitherstruggled or dropped out Mabry also suggested thatin order to alter thistrend,high schools and community colleges should engage in a collaborative effort. He suggested that students could take advanced academic courses in high school that would prepare them for the transition into the post-secondary environment.He suggestedthe ideaof"advanced placemen r,which would allow high school students to participatein college courses and receive credits.Mabry'sarticleindicates thatthere needs tobebetter communication between thetwoschool levels.

Students not onlyneed to be academicallyprepared,theyalso need to understand what potentialemployersmayrequire.Chamer (1988) conducted a studyto help determine what future employers require,and how youth can become preparedto meet these requirements.In his study,itwas found that employers didnothire youth for entrylevel jobs because some students did nothave the basic academicskills or were poorly prepared for the demands of the position.

Chamersuggests that students need to improve resume writing,

10

academics,persona lattitude,self-confidence and interviewskills.Thus.

Chamarissuggesting that schools takean active role in basic academics and the preparationof students for future careers

Drier(1996 ) conducteda study to detennine what students require to"pla n for life",His study suggested thatthepurpose of educationwasto preparestudents for theirfuture careers.He suggestedthat all students should be preparedthroughskill development,careerguidanceand advicefrom mentors in orderto prepare forthe challengeof pursuing a career.The overalloutcomeofhis studysuggestedthat career planning and"clarity of purpose"arerequired to help youthsuccessfullymake the transition from high scnootto a career.

Another study looking at the transitionrelated needs of youth was conductedbyLooker(1996). Thislongitudina lstudy examined the transition....elatedissues facingYOuthdecidingbetween careersand post - secondary educat ion.The studyindicated that there weremany areas where youth feltlet down or unpreparedto meet the challenges presented to themin their pursuitsafter highschool. Youth feltthey lack ed knowledge about: the available fundingfor post - secondaryeducation, access to information/resources about possiblecareers, and access to

11

guidance services,Other findings from her studyindicated that marriage and family can affect decisionsto pursue post-secondary education or careers.Those who were informed about post - secondary programs foundit to be an asset while those uninformed foundit to be a barrier.

Youth felt that the amount of available funding for post - secondary education is decreasing.

Titley,Tilley,and Wolf(1976) looked at students'performance while attending a post-secondary institution.They discussed how post-secondary educationis more self-directedthan secondary school. In secondary School,youth

may

have the opportunityto ask others for advice as to whatthey shOuld do,butupon reaching the post-secondary environment,these students have moreautonomyand must make independent decisions.Their survey indicated that being olderdidnot necessarilymean better career decisions were made.Olderstudentsdid not appear tobemore ableto make independent decisions.Many wandered from one majortothe next.This study did not makeany recommendations astohowstudents could better prepare fordecision making.

McGrath(1996 ) carried out research in anattempt to determine

12

variables that influenced participation in post - secondary education.His results indicated that the variables most frequently related to participation were level of academic achievement,the numberof barriers in the wayof students,the value placed on education by the students and those around them,participation in advanced mathematics white attending high school.

and personal well being.Hence,there appear tobemany variables, both internal and external,whichaffect students' abilities to meet the challenges they will face after high school.

The above mentioned studies indicate that a large portionof the students entering community colleges and universities are not prepared to meet the challenges they will face.This situationposes a significant problem for educators.Bazargette (1975) sought to determine how students feel with respect to their school-based preparationforthework environment. His study indicated that young people did not know how to interact with authority and "acted our by not turning up forwork.and exhibiting ann-social behavior.When asked what their problem was, these youth responded that they were not prepared by the schools or their parents.They felt let down because they felt the adults in their lives had experiences similar to what they were now encountering and had not

13

passedon theirknowledge.

Thefindingofinad equat e preparation hasbeensupportedin more recent studiesbyMere(1990 )and by Shapiro(1986)who desaibe generaleducation as-unf ocused".Theyfeel thai the public education systemdoes not appeartobe preparingyouthfor theirMures andthatit reflects policyhanded downbyadministrative authoritieswhoare not adequ ate lyinformedabout theneedsof youth.Shapiro's study refl ects idea ssimilarto those ofPurves (1988) andFaust (1950).Theybelieved thatwhile seconda ry educationwasdesignedto develop a commoncore of knowledge,skills,and values,sharedamong all students and considerednecessary to deatwithpersonal and social problems.

administrativeauthorities havenotadequatelydefinedtheactual needs of youth.These authoritiesare notstudying the needsof youthand then designingpolicy.

Bazalgette (1975) foundthatstudentsfeltlet down by the adults in their lives.This findingcorrespondswitha numberof studies(Davey, 1993;Looker,1996;Midd leton &Lougheed,1993;Trusty,Watts,&

Crawford, 1996 )whichsuggest that parents, teachersandcounsello rs are the bestsourcesofinfonnation andguidancethata stude nt canhave

14

while Inthesecondary school environment. These studies indicate that youth can access great amounts of knowledge from mentors and mose adults who are in direct contactwiththem. These adults have the potential to relate information about what it is like to try and survive in educational and career settings after secondary school. As was found in the study by Middleton and Lougheed (1993),parents of adolescents are in a position to influence a young person'scareer aspirationsand personal development and to assist their children in becoming prepared to succeed.

Davey (1993),found that parents had the power to enhance the progress of their children.In her study,senior high school students were surveyed to determine the occupational aspirationsand the experiences that relate to their personal development and career pursuit. Results indicated that support by parents was considered to be very important, and that the higher the support offered by parents,the more likely there was to be an increase in the confidence of the student tryingto realize a particular goal. She also found that others were also considered to be just as important in a supportive capacity.These others werefriends, teachers,other family members,and guidance counsellors. Thus,it can

15

beseen that while there are many people in the lives of students who can impact on their development,and help them to achieve their goals,these individua lshave to make the effort to beinvo lved.

Axelrod and Anisef (1996) conducted a study to determine some of the factors involved in the decision to pursue a post- secondary education or to seek employment. Results indicated that individuals from middleclass families and from schools that promoted university education were more likely to pursue a higher education.Their study suggests that guidance services should be improved and that they should demonstrate options,and encourage the"mostcompetenrto pursue their schooling, while providing a place whereyouth could discussthe barriers affecting their pursuit of goals andinterests. Their results also suggest that socioeconomic status,gender and place of residence areimportant factors that impact on the career relateddecisions of youth.

There have been numerous studies suggesting the need for changes in the school curriculumin order to develop programswhichhelp students prepare for future career pursuits.These studies have suggested different programs that incorporate strategies to teach youth how to surviveinboththe post-secondaryenvironment and the job

"

market. Drier and Ciccone(1988)discussed how unprepared youth are forthe transition from school to work.They determined that there was a need for more career guidance programs in the school. These programs could focus on themes such as the development of coping-skills, business/community support. and preparation for success.These would be beneficial in helping thestudent transfer from a secondary school environment to the worldsofcareeroruniversity.

Helwig ,Hiatt,&Vidales, (1989),believedthatyouth needto learn job huntingskills. These skills wouldinclude teaching studentsabout the range of possiblecareers ava ilable to them;careeroptions; building life-longskills;and teaching the academics necessary for success.This study further emphasizes the need for high school programs which help students adapt to life after secondary school.

Other typesofprograms that can be used to effectivel yhelp students with the ir transitionfrom secondary school tothe employment market are being developed everyday. Cairns.Woodward and Hashizumi

(1993)developedone such program.They describe the development of,

and implementationof,a work-skillsprogramthat wouldbetried in schools. They hoped thatthe simulationprogram would allowyout hto

17

betterlearnwork skills necessary for entering the job market. Their study suggested thatifa realisticlearning environment is provided that teaches work skills,this might enablethose involved toidentify their abilities,to helpencourage cooperating action,promote the development of group problem-solvinqskills and allow them the opportunity to view different work roles.This studyemphasized the ability of programs to teach youth whatthey needto survive in the futurejobmarket It intcrms youth about the skills they will need to acquire in order tobesuccessful.

Someprograms have been cited(such as awork skillssimulation program(Cai rns,at

at..

1993),parentalinvo lvement(Davey,1993;

Middleton&Lougheed,1993;and,Trusty, wetts,&Crawford.1996),and career guidance programs(Dri er and Ciccone,1988).Otherprograms are inplacetohelp students make the transition from high school to the post-secondary environment and to the worldofcareers.

Wonacott(199 2 ) discussed the use of career educationprograms to help students leam what is requiredin the world of employment.

Through such approaches as youth apprenticeship programs,youth communityservice ,and career oriented secondary schoolprograms, youth can begin to gain the skills necessary for futuresucce ss. In these

rs

programs, youth can have exposure to various careers, and they can teamofthe demands that will be placed upon them in a given career.

These programs would allow youth to gain an understandingofwhat the world of employment involves,and what they need to learn in order tobe successful. These approaches provide students with infonnation pertaining to careers and the post-secondary education required to pursue such careers.

Another sourceofinformation has been designed to help students with the transition from the school environment to the world of employment. The Work Based Learning Resource Guide (Finley and Scott,1995) provides studentswithaccess to actual work places.or experiences where the student can gain a first hand view of what actually transpires in the workplace.The approaches in this resource guide incfude youth apprenticeship,mentoring, intemship,job shadowing,and cooperative education. These approaches can helpthestudent make decisions as to what they would like to pursue with respectto a career and what they will requirein order tobecompetent.

According to some writers,more school programs are needed that provide students with access totheskills andinform ation they will need to

19

pursue a(Donaldson,1996:Drier,1996;Drier&Ciccone,1988; Looker.

1996;Looker&Lowe,1996;and,Mabry,1989).Withexposure to career development programs students can learn what employers want and can better decide what type of career they wish to pursue.These programs may help students gain a first hand look at whattheywill have to develop within themselves,both personally and academically,in order 10pursue a particular career.

The Newfoundland Situation

The Newfoundland school system has been evolvingto meet the needs of youth throughout the province withrespect to courseofferings and business/career education.Watts (1983) realizedthat students need assistance acquiringinformation about potential careers and the education required to gain employment in a particular career.He began workon a project called FACET III (FindingA Career Effectively Today>

which isthe updated versionofThe Career Development and Vocational Information School prO[ed created in 1975 at Beaconsfield High School.

This project was intended to provide information to students who are planningon pursuing a post-secondary education.Watts decided that

20

there was a need to update the information on the entrance requirements for various post-secondaryinstitut ion s throughoutthe province.Hence, this project was developed to help students understandwhat they needed to enhance theirfutureopportunities.

Cahill and MartJand(1993) conducted a studyon career coun selli ngin rural areas.They reviewedsome of the differences existing betwe en rural and urban access to career information and resources.

Theirfindingsin dicatedthat rural counsellors face issues notusually seen by their urban counterparts.The rural counsellor appearsto be on the periphery of the'urban industrialculture ".and they develop perspectives thatare separatefromthose of people livingin urban areas

Itappears that urban dwellers have better access to a range of paying job s as comparedto rural dwellers.This differential access limits the exposureof ruralpeopleto avari ety ofemployme ntexperience s.

Cahill'sand Martland's(199 3) research suggeststhat career developmenttheory is one-sidedwhen it comes to developingprograms tomeetthe needs ofyouth.Theydetermined thatthe theory of career development tends to take an urban approach,and assumesthat this is the dired.ion requiredtohelp atl youth.Their research suggests that those

21

involvedin the creation of career development theory do not appear to realize that the rural experience is quite different,in many ways,from the urban experience and,thus requiresmore consideration ofth eir differences.

The experiences of rural people appear to be different with respect to geographicallocation. family,and socioeconomicstatus (Rajewski, 1994).Rural youth, due to their location,may experience many blocks thatmay notbeexperienced by urban youth.Rural youth maybe disadvantaged by geography and socioeconomic status and may notbe reached through the current career development approaches.Thus, the rural student may notbe as sophisticatedin terms of careers as their urban counterparts who have more access to career resources andjob exposure.Urbanyout hmay be more ready to pursue higher education or seek employment upon completing high school.

Ruralcommunities have some unique qualities that arenot commonly found in urban areas. They tend to have more community support dueto there being fewer people in a smaller geographical area compared to urban environmen ts.Kenkel(19BS) discussed the idea that close-knit families and homogeneous populations characterize rural

22

communities where there is continued familiaritybetween all people in the community.These communities have more easilyidentified social networksthat allow people to rely on each other for personal support.He found that when rural people leave their home environment and move to urban areas,they tend to rose thatclose.easilyidentifiable social network.In an urban setting,they have to rely on themselves more often and this could cause some adjustment problems.

McCracken and Sarcinas (1991) conducted a study looking at the differences between rural and urban high school students' aspirations based on thelocation of the school. Their results indicatedthat there are positiveand negativeaspects relating to the location of the school. They found that the likelihood of attending a technicalschool comparedto a university was more common to the rural person,possibly due to the proximity of the school to their home community.This was different for the urban student who usually had the opportunityto attend either type of school. Theyfound that there were small differencesinthe occupational aspirations of rural and urban students andthat rural students usually had to leavetheir home communities in order to pursue their chosen occupation.

23

Hektner(1995), found that therewere manyruralyouth who decided thatin order to move ahead in society,theywould haveto leave their homecommunity.They found thatruralteens were more likel yto experien cea personal conflictwith leaving.This finding couldindica te thatthere mightbeadjustment problemsfor these rural youthwhen they movetoa new community,and~yfrom theirsupport structures,in order to realizetheir goals.

Singh and Baksh(199 1)conducted fieldresearch into Newfoundlandteachers'per cepti ons of parents ' interest inthe education oftheirchildren. Their findingssuggestthat teachers believe there are not enough parents interested intheirchildren'sacademics, that parents are not highlyinterested in the teachers'ideas,andthat teacher sarenot able to putintopracticethose ideas learned in theirteacher training. Their conclusions indicatethat parents andteachers need to be more interact iveinthe education of thestudents.Thisinteractionmaybe beneficial to the parentlteacherrelationship .It was notedthatstudents look toward their parents and teache rsfor the majorityof theiracademic support.

The literature pointsto the idea thatthe rural studentis at a

2.

disadvantage with respect to school and community programs relating to career education.Apostal and Silden (1991) suggested that rural students,as compared to urban students.have had uniquecircumstances to deal with when attempting to make decisions about their careers and future education.They suggest that rural youth have limited accessibility to higher education,a more narrow school curriculum,a limited exposure to the world of occupations,and access to fewer role models. These deficiencies cause ruralstudents to be at a disadvantage and this decreases their ability to make educated career choices.

Warren(1963) sought to determine whether or not rural students in Newfoundland are at a disadvantagewithrespect to accessibilityto higher education,SChool curriculum, role models and occupations.He studied the attitudes of the publictoward elementary and high school education.Hisresults indicated that teaching studentstothink was considered very important. Over half(70%) of the respondents believed that there was not enough attention given to preparing highschool students for a career after high school. While this study does not account for changes that have taken placein the past 14 years,it does indicate that for some time many people have not believed that the education

25

system was meeting the needs of rural youth.

Warren also asked people to comment on areas of improvement that couldbeimplemented in the schools.Responses indicated that there was a need for more vocational courses (86%) in secondary schools Thus,the results suggestthatpeople were concerned about the level of education their children were receiving,and that there was a need for more curriculum relating to career development.

Sharpe (1996),in an ongoing studyofyouth in transition,has sought to determine the problems facedbyyouthafter they leave high school. These problems were:finding suitable employment, obtaining financial funding for post - secondary education,finding personal support for pursuing a post-secondaryeducation ,and knowing what programs to pursue.This study suggestedthatifcertain resources were in place,such as career education programs and better guidance services,then many of these problems may have been avoided.The Summary Report on youth in transitionby Sharpe and White (1993),found that students did not feel that they had adequate access to guidance services.Those students who indicated having adequate access were those studentswithgradesof75 or greater.

26

Career education has been defined as helping"students develop the knowledge,skills and attitudes necessary to attain meaningful careers"(Balcornbe,1995).Teachersin career education courses are supposed to help students realize what they will'need'in order to be successful in future career pursuits.Thus.what are the needsofyouth, and what programs are in place to help these students make a successful transition fromhighschool to post-secondary education or employment?

Accordingto literature recently publishedby the Department of Education (1996),there have been advances madein the effort to bring career information to students. This information is being deliveredthrough courses such as cooperativeeducation and career development.and programs involving apprenticeship training that willbe tried in the 1997/1998school year.These courses and programs have been implemented in the schools throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and arebecoming more available each year (Divisionof Evaluation,Research,and Planning,1996;Division of Program Development,1990;and Division of Program Development,1992).

The Coope rativeEducation courses(Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,Divisionof Program Development,1992) were developed

27

for implementationin the schools throughout the province.The purpose of the courses was to officiallyinteg rate sd100lleaming with practical experience through work placementin the community.This wouldinvolve the participationof the school,community,students,teachers, employees and employers.These courses couldprovide students with exposureto vari ous careers while in school.andthe opportunity to activelyparticipate in a particular career through employment withinthe community.Through thisprocess,students couldream about differentoccupations,gain some ofthe skills required to pursue a particular career,and learn about the world of work.

The development of the cooperative educationcourses werebased on Departmentof Education guidelines,and related to the availability of work opportunities ineach community.The courses were designedto meet the needsof students inbothurban and rural areas.Beca use there aremany ruralcommunitieswithinNewfoun dland and Labrador that do nothave ready access toth e variety of occupationsusually existingin urban areas,rural studentsmay havelimited exposure to a varietyof possible careersthroughcooperative education.

Anothercourse offeredin the public schoolsystemof

28

Newfoundland and Labrador is Career Education (Departmentof Education,1990).This course is offeredas a part of the guidance and career development programs for students.The purpose of the course is to providetraining in"life planning"skills.Trainingis related to:career planning,decision making,occupational information and job analysis, reaving home.Ine management and other necessary life skills.Itis a program designed to helpprepare students for their life afterhighschool.

These courseshave beenimplemented throughout the Province in order tofulfila recognizedneedto help youth preparefor their futures

The ApprenticeshipTrainingprogram (Industrial TrainingDivisio n, Department of Education,1996) was designedto help adultsand youth experiencedifferentoccupations relatedto industries suchas carpentry, engineering,refrigeration repair,and othervocational careers.This programhas beenin place for a number ofyears at the collegelevel,and was accessed byindiv iduals attending post-secondarytechnical institutions.Programs are now being designed toinclude youth at the secondary levelof education to provide exposure to different occupations.

The Cooperative Education courses offer experiencesatdifferent levels.Studentscan take the courses dUring the time period required to

29

complete high school. According to the statistics released bythe DepartmentofEducation for 1995 - 1996,the first course was offered in 61 schools with a total of 1,293 students participating, but fewer students participated at the more advanced levels.It also appeared from the statistics that as the course level increased,fewer schools participated.

Other statistical infonnation released by the Department of Education (profile'96 Educational Indicators,1997) indicates that most schools within the province have access to this course, but that the levet of participation is varied.The data indicates that,on average, less than 40%

of students participate in the course. The course is available in all school districts.

Career Education courses are offered in 118 schools (Department of Education,1996).In these schools,a total 012,983students participated in the course,a slight decrease from previous years.The statistical data unfortunately does not provide a breakdown of the numbers of rural and urban students that have access to these courses.

No data was availableon the Youth Apprenticeship Training Program released by the Department of Education.It appears that this is a new program that is currently being planned.It has been implemented

30

on a pilot basis in a small numberofschools around the Province. No data on the program is currently available.

Asnoted earlier.the Lehr and Jeffery (1993) study suggested that rural youth in Newfoundland do not appear tobewell infonned or prepared to make career decisions.These young people do not have ready access to the information that would allow them to make educated career choices. The study indicated that while youth have concerned and caring parents who want the best for their children.the parents are not well informed themselves.

Summary

In summary, the literature indicates the need for more research into the needs of students as they prepare to move into the post-secondary and career environment after highschool. The literature suggests that youth are unprepared to meet the challengesofcareers and post - secondary education upon leavinghigh school (Looker,1996;

Mabry, 1989;and,Payne, 1989). It appears that youth have not been adequately prepared by their high schools,parents,mentors,and others (Bazalgette,1975; Davey,1993; Drier, 1996;and,Looker,1996).While

31 there have been many programsdevelopedfor implementationat the high school level,and many programs arenow inplace in Newfoundland schools,not aU studentsareavailing of these resources as can be noted in Profile '96 EducationalIndicators 1997 (Department of Education, 1996).It appears thatyouth.in general,have many disadvantages and that ruralyouths are more disadvantagedthan urban youth whenit comes to being prepared to make careerrelated decisionsand when making decisions about attendinga post - secondary institution(Apostal

&Birden.1991;Cahill & Martland,1993;Kenkel,1985;Rajewski,1994 )

Chapter 3 Methodology

Instrument

A questionnairewas developed based on previous research by Jeffery and Lehr (1993).These researchers developed a list of the career-related needs of youth at or near graduation from high schooL The list was based on a qualitative study of the views of rural parents, knowledgeable members of the community ,and youth.Their goal was to gain insight into the needs of rural youth withrespect to career preparedness.

The developed questionnaire was administeredto students who had completed their first year of university.It sought to determine and compare the needs and support available to both ruraland urban students enter inguniversity.

The questionnairesought to furtherexplore the needs identifiedin the Jeffery and Lehr(1993 ) study. The questionnaire sought information in four areas:(a)demographic;(b) general reasons for entering university; (c) parental and peer support;and (d) academic readiness.

The demographic section askedif the respondent was rural or urban and sought backgroundinfonn atio n in areas related to year leaving high

33

scrcot,highschool average,name of home community,parents'level of education and how they were paying for their education.

The second section was of a general nature and presented statements relatedto student'sreasons for entering university,how informed they were about the rangeofpossible careers available to them, why they chose to enter a particular institution,and their awareness of available funding.

Thethirdsectionof the questionnaire wastitled"pa rent and peer suoport".This sectionsought to determine from whom students acquired their support for attending university and how or if that support influenced their decisions.Questions asked related to parents' knowledge of universitycourses, the long and short-term costs of education,and the awareness of difficulties that might arise from living ErNayfrom home.

The fourth and final section of the questionnaire explored

"aca de mic reaomess".This section sought to determine how academically prepared studentsfelt they were,prior to entering a post-secondary environment,for further studies.It explored the support that was available from their highschool.home community and others outside the scnoot,

34

Thus,the questionnaire covered several different aspects of a student's life. The demographic section consistedofstatements requiring yes/no and multiple choice answers while the other sections employed a five point Likerttype scale to allow for more precise analysis of the data (Cheung and Mooi,1994).

The instrument wentthrough several revisions aimed at increasing its clarityandtheease with whichitcouldbeused. In this process,itwas also piloted with graduate students.Once all revisions had been made and the questionnaire was ready for implementation,the chosen student sample was approached,withpermissionof the instructor,during class time and asked to complete the questionnaire.The students were informed as to the reason for the study and told that the questionnaire was anonymous and their participation voluntary.Questionnaires were handed out to students at the beginning of class tobecompleted during their class break (see appendix A for a copy of the questionnaire).

Subjects

The subject pool consisted of 190 students, at MemorialUniversity of Newfoundland enrolled in a Drugs and Behavior psychology course

35

offered duringthesummer semester. This course was chosen because registrants typically come from many different university departments and thus deemed tobemore representativeofthe university population.

The students in the course had typicallycompleted first year university and were deemed abletoreasonably comment on their preparedness for the university challenge.Ofthe 190 students in the course,only 116 werein attendance and of those students,101 completed and returned the questionnaire(see Appendix B,Table 8.1).

Demographicdata(see Appendix 8)indicated that,of the sample studied,26.7%of respondents had completed first year university,39.6%

had a high school average of 75% or greater.60% were from urban communitiesand 40% were from rural communities.Aswell,19.8%

statedthat they had entered universitywithintwoyears of graduation from high schooland 82.2%of respondents entereduniversity because they feltthere was a greater chance of future employment witha university education.

Resultsind icat e that some students (19.2%)had attended another universityor post secondaryinstitutionofsome sort.It appears many students(34 .0%) received career information from their school counsellor

3.

and56.4%had theopportunity tomeetwithrepresentatives fromother colleges and/or...iversiti esbeforegraduationfrom highSd"IOOl.

Themajorityofstudents(72 %)indicated that they were paying for theireducati onthrough studentor personalloans and 57.1%werenot employed whileattendi nguniversity.

Subjects indica ted that their parents (29.7%ofmothe rsand 27.6%

of fathers) hadcomple tedat leasta high schooldiploma and hada hous ehold yearlyinco meof25,000to40,000dollars.

Whendesign ingthe study,the demogr aphics of thesample were not known.For this reason,a number of questionswere asked including whatyearthe student leftsdlool,how many people lived withinaten mile radius.the highest level ofeducationattained by parents andhowthe student was paying for hisorhereducation.The resultantdata canbe fou ndinTablesB.1-8.17in AppendixB.This informa tion wasnot directlyused in the analysisofdata relatedto students'need s and career readiness.

Treatment of Data

Thequestionnai regatheredinfo rmationonstudents'perception s ofhowpreparedtheyfeltuponentering University.who helpedthem

37

prepare,and about what otherresourcesthey were exposed towhich helped toprepare them. Because both ruralandurban students completedthe question naire, it was possible to exploreareas of possible

differences between the groups.The distinctionbetween rural and urban wasbasedon the numberof individualslivingin or near a community.It was decided that any communityof 5000 or less wouldbedeemedas being rural (Press,1986).

After thedata was collected,it was analyzedusing the Statistical Package For SocialSciences(Norusis,1993) computersoftware program.Analysis included the calculationof cross- tabulatio ns(for freque ncydistributions) andchi-squares. Comparisonsbetween the questionnaireitemswereperformed to determine who helpedprepareor support studentsforMureeducation and careersandifthere were significant differences betweenthe urbanand ruralpopulationswith respect to theirgeneralpreparednessforuniversity and academic readine ss.

In experimentalanalysis,the conventionof a.05 levelof significanceis typicallyused.Asthis was deemed to be,at least inpart, anexploratory study, it was decided,post hoc,thattoidentify potentially

38

worthwhile areas for further exploration a less rigorous significancelevel would be used.Itwas thus decided to review the data using a.10 level of significan ce.

Chapter 4 Analysis of Data

This chapter presents the results of the current study.The data describes the level of career preparedness experienced by rural and urban youth and it explores their needs upon enteringa post-secondary environment.

The results are presented by questionnaire section (see Appendix A).The results for each questionnaire sedion are broken into three parts Thefirst part deals with the significant results at the p<.05levelof significance.The second part reviews the data using the p<.10 levelof significance.The P<.10level was used to determineif other possible needs.not indicated using the p<.05 level,may be identified.The third part reviews theresults of both groupstogether.

The collecteddata was analyzed with the Statistical Package For Social Sciences (Ncrusis,1993) computer softwareprogram providing means and standard deviationsthat were then used to calculate frequency distributionsand -ctu-squeres..

Results

Few statistically significant differences were found between rural

40

and urban students inany of the following sections.

SectionI:General Prepared nessFor University Table 1 reviews the questions inthesection titled"Genera l Prepar ednessFor University".Data analysisrevealed statistically significanturban and rural differences relating tohow students obtain fundingfor post secondary education.Here,more ruralstudents(71 %) than urbanstudents (50%) indica tedthat they had adequateknowledge about acquiring funding(Chi-square=3.89,p<O.05 ).

When reviewingthe datausingthep<:.10 level,results indicated that more urbanstudents(56. 7%) than ruralstudents(37.5%), disagreed withthe statementthatthey were wellinformed aboutthe range of possiblecareersopento them beforeenteri nguniversity (chi -square= 3.53,p<O.06).

Another questionnairestatementthat was significant at the pe.10 level relatedto the awareness of funding availableto pursue a post - secondary education.Theresults indicatedthat 82.5%of rural students comparedto 66.7%of urbans knew about thesourcesof available funding (Chi-sq uareSquare=3.05,p<O.08).

Resultsalso suggested thatrural students(82.1%)may be more

41 Table 1:GeDotraIPrepuoedDas

... """'"

^{RowTOfal ~wJ~}

F

•

^{F I • F}

.

Wd,Wormed aboutnoceof~ ~

"""

""'<= ²⁵15 ⁶²⁵US ^as

,..

^{.fJ.J St}i6.749 ^SI••.e^{» 35 3 0»6}

Cost _ aD.imp;)rQDtfActDr1Dmy decision

"""

^{Di... 2117 H,,~.1 16}

"

^{61.039.05344 "SA54.6 2.-17 OJ'}

FamilytnditioQ_ iI;fKtorinmy decisioD

Agree 7 22.6 a 16.116 18... OS.

Di" " " , 21 17.4

.,

83.97 1 81.6

ProxinIJty tobonwWil.!I iI.DImpolUllt

rae:tol'

"""

^{15 41.1 aa S.f.2H .019.5}

Di""", 21 58.3 27 -15.8"8 50.$

Procram~Ility_ -.:Ilmpl:ltuntRctor

.

...

^{15 38.5 25 -13.9-10 .fl.l 027}

""'<= ²¹ .IS

"

^{56.156 S8~}

\Ilbeft my frieDds_ t_ . .iIDponancf..:tor

""" ..

^{36A 21 as.eras 35.1 0» 3 OBS}

""'<= 21 .32 3. 65.0 63 .U

Possibilityoffunmr,empIII)ymeal

"""

Di""", ^3.

.

^{90.01M S<7 885 90H.SII 89.110~ OJ)S OB'}

~choninIltlrIu::edbyObSaVtDSIKbus

"""

^Disagree

^I.

^{21 -13.2S. B 2S33 H5"6.9.I -IIS-I -&3.2S.B 0$}

Iwasawareof sowas offundiDa:

"""

^{Di 337 82.S175 .0'0 66.77333.3 27 73.021.0 3»S 01)8}

conld_.

42

Statemen t Rural

fre. / ':l6 Knewhow10aetfuadiDg

Agree 27 71.1

Disagree 11 28.9

UTban RowTotal Clti-uare P-valuc Fre. ':l6Fre. I ':l6

30 50.8 57 58.8 3.89 O.OS··

29 49 .2-10 ·B.2

Was awareofthechaDeD&esIwouldfaa

Agree 25 65.8

"

^{78..3n 7J.S 1.88 0.l7}

0;" " " " 13 34.2 13 21.726 26.5

waspftp;uedformove10DeWcomm UDily

Agree J2 82.1 30 65.262 72.9 3D3 0.<)8

Disagree 7 17.9 I. 34.823 27.1

Knewbow10ftDd attolDOdadons

.-\gl'ee 28 70.0 32 80 60 75 1.07 0.3

Di. 12 30.0 8 20 20 25

Nore:Uindicates significance usingchi-squareanalysisat thep<.oSlevel.

For fullquestionnairesta tements.refer fa AppendixA

43

prepared to movetoanew community in order to further their education than urban students(6 5.2 %),(chi

=

3.03,p<O.08).

When the dataofthetwogroups was considered together,further insightsinto the needsof both rural and urbanyouthbecame evide nt.It was foundthat 54.6%of studentsagreecl that cost was not a factorin deciding tochoose a particular post-secondary institution.Students (89. 1%) alsostatedthat thepotentialforfuture employmentwasvery importantand that observing others didnot influencethe ir career choices.A majorityof youth (73 .5%) was awareofchallengestheywould faceatuniversity;and. 75%of studentswere aware of howto get accommodationswhi le attending university.

Section II:ParentalandPeer SupPOrt

Table 2 presentsinformationabout parentalandpeer support. In this section,therewas onlyonestatistica lly significantresultatthe p<.OS levelof significance.Thedatarevealed that some studentsexperienced problemswhen tryingto make new friends at university.Results indicated that 15.4%ofruralstudents comparedto 35.8%of urban students experienceddifficultieswhentryingto make new friends atuniver sity

-14 Table2:~tiil1~herSUppon

Statemen t

""" ^u_

^{RowToialChi- areP-w.lue}

Fre . I

.

^{Fre .}

.

^{Fre .}

•

l'arentsaWiU'elleSsofwber'elWilSlDDvinI

...

^{IS 38.5 17 47.232 -l2.1 OS9 0...}

Oi...,..

"

^{61.5 19 52.8}

"

^::;7.3

Parentsassistedineeurse sdection

...

^{5 13~ 9 18.4 14 165 OJ OS8}

Ot...,.. 31 86. 1 -o 81.671 83.S

Parentshdedme ilDtic:ipiltepmbkms

...

^{18 -IS.6 '9 56.947 53.3 OS8 0....5}

Ot...,.. .9 51.... 22 -1,3. 141 -16.6

I'iu19.Uhaddiffkul.tyfinding ibformatkm

...

^{7 23J}

^,

^{9.1II l-J.9}

_'M

⁰⁰⁹

Oi...,.. 23 76.7 .ro 9O~63 85.1

P'aMDtshelpedme understanddiff~

...

^{IS -10.5 29 56.9 -14 50.0 229 0.13}

Oi...,.. 59.S 22 H.I -14 50. 0

Parentshadamfidena:in lIlYilbititytocere(Of

. ...

^{36 92.3}

^.,

^{85.7 78 88.6 0... OJ3}

Oi...,.. 3 7.7 7 14J 10 11.-1

ParentsWUf:supportiveofPunWDI educadoa.

...

^{H 87.2 50 87.7}

_"

^87.S

^em

^Mol

Ot...,.. 5 ias 7 12J 12 12.5

Knowledgeable about thekJII&"and shontenDcosts

...

^{'6 65,0 -s 77.6 71 72.4}

'M

^0.17

Oi 14 35.0 13 22.427 27.6

contd...

1-1.0

I '.

⁰²¹

86.0

••_11.1.9 om

. ..

212 U6 0.03"

n A

.6J 0.95 03)

13A

~ofbowlllDViD.l:_uId &l!:SRIIl1omccoutld

Agree 3-' 89.5 38 88..f

n

~ -' 10.5 5 11.6 9

Sta teme nt ~ Urban RowTO(a.! p.wl.ue

Fri!.I " Fri!.I " F "

Propamdtasoea~onRDCthof time tofinish

Agrft 3 8.3 10 17.S 13

Disagree 33 91.7 -'7 82.580

ADtidp;ltordproblemsrdlted to1MD& ..wayfrmIIl bo

Agree 36 90.0 ) J 82.569

Disagree -I 10.0 7 11.5II

~difIicultiK-.Idna:_ft'Qds

.-\grft 6 15..f 19 35..1 25

Disagrtt 33 lU..5 3-1 6-'.267

Myfriends provided I!OCOUtq;CJDCulud support

Agree 32 86.5 .f8 81.380 87.0 0.01 0.91

tx 5 13.5 7 12.7 12 13.0

Notl!':"tnd tcate s sign ificanceusingdtI·sq u;ue analysisatthep<.o 5level.

Forfull qucSllonn aircstatements.eerer to Appe ndix '"

'6

(ch i-square=4.76.p<O.03) .

When using the pe.t

a

level of significance,infonnation was revealed relating to parents'ability to acquire infonnationabout post secondary education in their community.Results suggested that rural parents(23.3% ) had more difficulty finding infonnationcompared to their urban counterparts(9.1%), (ch i- square

=

^2.86,p<O.09).

When the groups were considered together,otherinform ation gained from the data analysisind ica ted that: parents were notin vo lvedin the selectionof courses(83. 5%); and 88.6%ofyouth stated that parents had confidence in theirabilityto take care of themselves.Students (87.5%) felt that parents were supportiveof them pursuing a post-secondary educationand72.4 % of youth were awareof the long and short term costsofpursuinga post-secondary education and 86%

stated thatlength of program was not afactor in choosing to pursue a post-secondary education,Students (88.9%)also stated that the lossof communicationwithhome was not a factor when choosing to pursue their education and 86.3% stated that theywere aware of the potential problems they would face when livingaway from home.Also,87% stated that theirfriend s provided support and encouragementwithrespectto

47

plans to attend university,

Section III:Academic Readiness

Table 3 refers to the students academicreadiness for pursuing a post - secondary program.There weretwo statistically significant findings at the p<.05levelof significance in this section.

Theresults indicatedthat 40.5%of ruralstudents felt prepared to use thelibra ry independentlywhile 61% of urban students felt prepared.

The significantdifferencebetween thetwo groups suggests that urban studentsweremore prepared to independentlyuse the library(ch i=3.83, p<O.05)

The other statisticallysignificant findingin this sectiondealswith students'Choiceofprogram.The results indicated that urban students (75.9%) madeth eir course choices based on the rangeof possible careers availableto them while only 55.3%ofrural students did th e same (chi-square=4.46,p<O.04).

When the groups were combined,it wasfound that 71.9%of students did not feel prepared to independently use computer resources, 62.2%feltpreparedto write term papers and,61.5%felt unprepared by their high school. Itwas also found that 60.9%felt encouraged by

-IS T.... l:A.cademlcR.eadJDeoss

...

^lJri>;m RowTot&lchi- P-w.l Ul:'

F I

.

^{F I}

.

^F

.

Pft~toU5eHbnfylDdr~dy

.""", 15 '05 36 6'.0

"

^{>1.I asa 0.05"}

...

^{22 5.5 2J ".0}

_"

^'63

Pftpaft(l10iDdepeDdeDtly\DeMMsors

...

^'0

^,,> _"

^{563 53 SI.6 029 05.}

Dl...,., is -18.7 as ·n.l

"

^-I5A

Preput'CItofodependenltyuse mnapqtuIUOIUt:'eS

. """

^{S 20.5 19}

^">

^{27 l8.1}

^, ..

^0.17

Dl...,., JI 79.5 38 66.7 6. 71.9

Pftpaft(i(0writeler1Dl'n:surchp;il1JUS

...

_0;...,., ²¹₁₇ ^55'

_"

^{66.7 6' 6'~}

'2'

^0~6

"".7

zo " >

^{37 37A}

FOUDd.wr Hi&hScboolt-I .-p;artd.IDle

. """

^{15 ]8.5 22 38~ 37 385}

... _"

^{6.5 3S 61....5' 6.5}

Prn10us~e~ed_

... _"

^{6.5 32 60.' 56 60.9 00' .3 '}

...

^{15 385 21 ,,~ 36 39.1}

~firstcaftUlnlo.wbfItfD.h.iPscbool

""'"

^{27 675 32 5U 59 59~ lJ< 0.19}

0;...,., IJ 325 27 "A eo 40.'"

SChool COUIl5eI\lnwasi1CCU5[b1l!udbdpful

... _...

^{22 573 2J 'U}

_"

^{48." 23l 0.12}

'6 042. 1 32 58.2 -a 51.6

Othus InlIlY hiz:hKboolbe.l~ Pft~me

...

0;. . . . ²¹17

"

H

>

.7 ²²

"> "

^{-i5.7 '3 3 0.13}

"

^{60.7 51}

^{" >}

contd_.

4 .

Tilb6le3:~Reiiid.tness

Stilt~wt F

....

I

.

^F

""""

^I

. .

^{RowTOlil1Chi- P-VoLIue}

~iIl~of~wbelallD4:illlcbo

Ago« 21 "3

..

^".9

^.5

^67.1

^<,<.

"'-"

^{17 H.7}

"

^{24.1 31 "3}

fowId.careuiDflHllMtioatbrou&hOWDdfons

Ago« 31 77.5 s 87.9 82 83.7 res

1m

- ^•

^{22.5 7 12.1}

^I'

^{1. 3}

OtbenInmy colllDJWlltyhdptdDIeIUUedloil:es

Ago«

"

^{35.0 18 31.6}

"

^{]J.O 0.12 o.n}

Ilisagree 2. 65.0 as 68-'

.5

^67.0

Db.itbillties weeea(actor lJDtvusttycho~

Agree 2 18.2 J 25.0 5 2l.1 0.15 0..69

Dt 9 81.8 9 75.0 18 78.3

Not": ··tndicaltssigplflamausin l chi-squaRlUlaJy~Satthep<.oSlecel, ForfuUqueslion!\a:in statanents. rdutoAppendixA

50

teachers to continuetheir education,59.6%stated that theyrece ived their firstinfo rmation about careers whilein high school,and that 51.6%

disagreed that the high school counsellor was availabletothem.As well, 54.3%feltthatothers in their school did not help prepare them for making choices at university,83.7%ofstudentsstatedthat they foundcareer infonnationthroug h theirownefforts,67% disagreed that othersin their communityhelped prepare them for making choices at university,and 78.3% didnotconsider the provisionofassistancefor disabilities as a factorwhen choosing to attend a particular university.

OtherFindings

The otherpiece ofimportant information to be reported was gatheredthrough the demographic section of thequestionnaire.Data analysis revealedthat,of the studentsreceiv ing careerguidance(see AppendixB,Table8.14),34% were inthe 75+ average range(see Appendix8,Table8.5).This was the majo rityofstudentsrespondingto this question.

Another importan tfinding which became apparent through the collectionand reviewof demographi cdata relatedto where students

51

found themajority of their career information.Studentssuggested the Internet was not a sourceofcareer information.Noneofthe respondents selected the Intemet as a sourceofcareer information. The majority of respondents picked either school counsellors(34%) or found information on their own(23%)about potentialcareers (see AppendixB,Table 8.14).

Summary

Thus. while there were only a few significantresults observed through the data analysis,several potentially important pieces of information were identified.These additionalresults willbediscussed in the next chapter.

Chapter 5 Discussion andRecommendations

This was an exploratory study designed to determine the career relatedneeds of rural and urban youthupon enteringuniversityand to determineiftherearedifferencesbetweenthetwogroups.The study was based on the list of perceivedcareer relatedneeds identifiedin a study by LehrandJeffery(1993).Throughthe questionnaire process,datawas gathered from Memorial Universitystudentswho hadcompletedatleast their first year.The data analysis revealed few significantdifferences between the groups,but analysisdidprovide importantinformation related tothe actual needs of students.There are many sharedneed s that do notappeartobeadequatelyaddressed.

QuestionnaireBased Conclusions SectionIof the questionnai reexploredhow prepared students felt theywereto pursue a post-secondaryeducation.The only significant resultrelated to students knowledge about obtainingfunding.Results indicatedthat ruralstudents felt more informed. The assumptionwas that ruralstudentswouldmore likelyneed to avail of fundingthan urban

53

studentsinorder to pursuetheir education.This does notmean, however,thaturban students shouldbeless informedabout funding, for they may also requirefunding information..Thereason for urban stude nts not being as informed mayberelated to their geographical location.Urban students tendto live withinareas containingpost- secondary institutionsand may have ready access to fundinginformatio n.

This maybea reason for their response on thequestionnaireforthey may notbeas in need of funding information.This is an areaneeding additional investigation as a lack of knowledgeabout fundingcanhave a detrimentaleffedwhen attemptingto pursue a post-secondaryeducation.

Anotherdifference was foundrelatingto how well students were informed about therangeof possible careers available to them.Results indicatedthat urban studentsfeltthey were less informed.This was an interesting result because rural studentswere expected to beless informedas aresult ofless exposure,in their home community,to a varietyofcareers.As well,itwas presumed thatcareerinformation would beless accessible in a rural setting. There aretwopossibilitiesas to why thisoccurred.Thefirst possibilityis that ruralstudents are more infonned because they live awayfroman urban settingand require the informa tion

54

to make informed career decisions and hence,make a greater effortto learn about careers.The urban student,on the other hand,should have more ready access to careerinformation andresou rce s and thusbe potentiallymoreinformed.Whytheyareless informed is an important question that has not been answered in thisthesis

A possiblereasonfor the abovefindingcould bethatwhile urban studentsmayhavebeen aware of thewide rangeof possible careers by way of living in anurba n setting, they may not have been directly exposed through the schooland homeenvironment.Thismay have been the reason forurban stude nts indicatingthat theirknowledge about actual careers was limited.Ruralstudents,on the other hand,see a limited range of careers inthe ir home communities ,butbelievethat theyare betterinfo rmedthan is actuallythe case.If thisexplana tion is correct, then the rural studentneedsto be more inform ed aboutthevery wide rangeof careersthatexistbefo releaving highschool.These possibilit ies need tobeaddressed in future research.

Anotherdifferencebetweenthetwogroupsrelates to being prepared tomovetoa newcommunity in order topursuefuture education .Resultsdemonstrated that ruralstudents felt moreprepared to