Perceptions of Non‐College‐Bound, Vocationally Oriented High School Graduates
Abstract
In‐depth structured interviews of 309 high school graduates judged to be non‐college‐bound explored perceptions of their (a) educational experiences, (b) vocational experiences, (c) self‐concepts, and (d) family relationships. Interview data were compiled two years after high school graduation from subjects residing in urban, “rurban,” and rural environments in four mid‐central states. Content analysis of written reports of subjects perceptions resulted in four major conclusions: (a) employment‐bound, non‐college‐oriented students perceive the school, the counselors, and other personnel within the school as favoring the college‐bound student; (b) counselors were not perceived as being helpful in assisting employment‐bound youth to satisfactory vocational decisions; (c) subjects were unable to articulate meaningful concepts of self; and (d) generally, they did not perceive parents as being at all helpful in resolving personal, educational, and vocational problems.