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This monograph has four main objectives: (1) to define the field of ergometrics, (2) to identify some potential applications of ergometrics to problems in occupational or career education, (3) to review the relevant research literature, and (4) to suggest some conceptual approaches that might be used in conjunction with ergometric procedures. Ergometrics, which is psychometrically based work analysis, stems from the need for a comprehensive taxonomy of human performance as related to occupational variables. Various studies of job attributes and commonalities are cited, and possible rating methods for human behavior, work activities, and skill requirements are discussed. Theories and research related to work motivation, learning capabilities, factor analysis, and occupational data could be utilized for systematically developing and applying ergometrics to career education. The conceptual scheme of occupational clustering was a major impetus for proposing this new systematic approach to educational problems. (AG)

AN ANALYSIS OF THE STATUS OF HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS AND THE QUALIFICATIONS OF INSERVICE AND NEW PHYSICS TEACHERS IN NORTH CAROLINA IS PRESENTED. ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE STATE WERE INCLUDED IN THE SURVEY. A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 88 TEACHERS WAS SELECTED FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF PHYSICS TEACHERS. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THE BIENNIAL REPORTS OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TEACHER TRANSCRIPTS, AND TEACHER CERTIFICATION RECORDS. GRAPHS, TABLES, AND PERCENTAGES WERE USED TO INTERPRET FINDINGS. THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS OFFERING PHYSICS AND THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PHYSICS HAS SLOWLY INCREASED. MOST SCHOOLS WERE TEACHING ONE CLASS OF PHYSICS. THE MAJORITY OF THE TEACHERS WERE NOT ADEQUATELY PREPARED. FEW TEACHERS WERE BEING PREPARED OR CERTIFIED FOR SPECIALIZATION IN PHYSICS. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN PHYSICS (4TH, CHAPEL HILL, DECEMBER 28, 1965). (AG)

The purpose of North Carolina State University's Department of Agricultural Information is to reach people with information that will help them in their everyday lives. Major areas of concern are production and marketing, family living, 4-H and youth, community resource development, and natural resources. This report discusses the Department makeup currently and suggests those adjustments that will be necessary if the Department is to be successful in the next decade. Included in the introduction to this report are discussions of the Department's mission, role, and space and equipment needs. Under resident instruction the following topics are discussed: technical writing option, speech-communication curriculum, seminar, sociology and anthropology, two new scholarships, agricultural communications minor, service to the teaching faculty, and personnel needs. Research covers four areas: basic, applied, and graduate research, and personnel needs. Under Extension, the following are discussed: public mass media, publications and newsletters, communication hardware, reaching new audiences, internal communication, and training and personnel needs. (JS)

A 2-phase project has been undertaken to develop a research and development planning system which consists of (1) a systematic procedure to formulate research projects, and (2) a systematic procedure to guide the selection of a subset of projects. Phase 1 of the project involves the development of a meta model which is based on a modular concept and assists in building models of educational systems. Information gathering projects are needed to load the model, and a project selection model is proposed which helps select a subset of projects designed to maximize available resources. Phase 2 of the project deals with field-testing the procedures in order to determine their generalizability. The Center for Occupational Education at the North Carolina State University will serve as the testing site, and the following activities are planned: (1) Performance criteria of the Center in terms of its mission, goals, and objectives will be delimited, (2) A specific approach for generating projects in accordance with the goals will be developed, and (3) The project selection procedure will be exemplified with illustrations. (SB)

As part of a research framework for a program to improve articulation between the educational and work domains of society, this report describes an attempt to link descriptions of work activities and conditions contained in an Occupation Analysis Inventory (OAI) with certain defined human attributes in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. The study provides attribute-requirement estimates for the work elements in the OAI, derives basic work dimensions from the attribute-requirement profiles of the OAI work elements, and determines the stability of the resulting OAI dimensions. The application of this research can help to provide counselors with a solid framework for helping students make career decisions. (BH)

In a study undertaken to identify and classify some of the pressing problems in occupational education, a total of 1,007 occupational educators in the United States and territories were contacted for comments in spring and summer 1971. Based on a modified content analysis of 200 responses the major problem areas were identified, including: (1) creating and maintaining a favorable climate for occupational education, (2) developing planning and management systems and obtaining and allocating resources, (3) assessing the process and product of occupational education, (4) improving curriculum and instructional systems, (5) providing adequate professional development for occupational education, (6) providing assistance in career planning, and (7) translating manpower demands and individual needs into occupational education programs. The study report contains a description of the problem areas and their major components, and includes selected quotes from individual respondents. (JS/Author)

This study represents one phase of a broader research project designed to develop and test the Occupation Analysis Inventory (OAI). The study is basically a replication of an earlier study which derived a set of work dimensions for classifying jobs for educational purposes. Using a new sample of 400 jobs, the present study is designed to determine the stability of the originally derived factor structure and to derive first- and higher-order factors from the OAI ratings of a combined sample of 814 jobs. Evidence of factorial stability was obtained through factor comparisons across the two samples. Although the results were comparable to those obtained in the earlier study, they were not as favorable as expected. Factors derived from the combined sample were found to be more stable than those obtained from the two smaller samples. Factor analyses of seven groups of OAI work elements yielded 90 first-order factors, 88 of which were interpreted. Factor analysis of the first-order factors produced 22 interpretable higher-order factors. It was noted that the factors obtained are subject to a different interpretation than those obtained in the earlier study, in which OAI items were intercorrelated on the basis of estimated attribute--requirement profiles. A related study is VT 015 081. (Author/BH)

The recent emphasis on career education accentuates the problem of transforming and organizing information work domain into information that can be applied to educational problems. A comprehensive taxonomy of human work and accompanying measurement devices suitable for educational purposes is needed. This report describes a systematic procedure for describing, comparing, and grouping jobs and occupations for educational purposes. Emphasis is on the ergometric approach, with its application of psychometrics to the study of human work. As the first phase in a program to promote articulation between the educational and work domains, the Occupation Analysis Inventory provides: (1) conceptual structure, (2) work elements with widespread applicability, (3) tests in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains, and (4) scaling procedures providing for quantitative job descriptions. (BH)

This study represents one phase of a broader research project designed to develop and test the Occupation Analysis Inventory (OAI). The specific objective of the present investigation was to systematically derive a comprehensive set of work dimensions that could be used in describing and classifying jobs for educational purposes. The OAI was applied to a sample of 400 jobs representative of the percentages of jobs in the major occupational categories of the "Dictionary of Occupational Titles." Duplicate ratings were obtained on a subsample of 134 jobs for reliability purposes. Seven separate principal components factor analyses were performed within groups of items corresponding to the following sections of the OAI: (1) Information Received, (2) Mental Activities, (3) Physical Work Behavior, (4) Representational Work Behavior, (5) Interpersonal Work Behavior, (6) Work Goals, and (7) Work Context. The item reliabilities obtained were, for the most part, acceptable. The results of the seven sectional factor analyses were found to be generally meaningful; of the 81 factors emerging from these analyses, 77 were interpreted. Some potential applications of the OAI dimensions were also discussed. It was noted, however, that both the stability and utility of these dimensions remain to be demonstrated. A related study is VT 015 084. (Author/JS)

To evaluate and assess vocational education programs in the various institutions of North Carolina, data were collected regarding program and administrator characteristics. With emphasis on high schools and community college programs, the survey led to several conclusions which include: (1) The position of Director of Occupational Education is a widely established position at the administrative level, but the concept of advisory committees for occupational education seems difficult to implement, (2) Superintendents are professionally qualified on the basis of degree and administrative experience but many (43 percent) have had no occupational work experience other than in schools, (3) Inadequate implementation of citizens' advisory committees prevails at the local school level, (4) Supply and equipment are two items of considerable concern to teachers, (5) High school occupational education has an enviable record of student holding power, with less than 10 percent of students as drop-outs, and (6) It appears that the majority of community college students were beginning their vocational programs at the community college level, rather than continuing a career begun in high school. (JS)

This study on teacher attitudes and practices is a followup of 85 teachers who one year earlier had attended an institute on the disadvantaged. Two objectives of the questionnaire survey were: (1) to determine whether there was a difference between teachers' attitudes and their perception of their administrators' viewpoints and (2) to determine the extent to which teachers adopted a group of selected practices in a program for the disadvantaged. Included in the findings are: (1) There was a small difference between teachers' attitudes and perceptions of their principals' attitudes toward selected concepts related to school programs for disadvantaged pupils, (2) More than three-fourths of the teachers reported that they had reached at least stage IV --anticipated trial-- in adoption of the list of 36 teaching practices, (3) Few of the teachers showed interest in using personality tests to help identify their students, and (4) Slightly negative correlations were found between total scores of teachers regarding practices and years of teaching the disadvantaged, size of school, and type of school. A major conclusion is that teachers credited themselves and their principals with positive attitudes toward selected concepts related to improved school programs for disadvantaged students. (JS)

To test the applicability of systems theory to educational problems, an explanatory construct of "openness" is presented, posited as the crucial variable in determining a system's relation to the environment and therefore the basic property of the individual person-system to be modified by the educational process. Written as a monograph by a professor, tentative construct validation for a Cognitive Openness Scale is provided to demonstrate the utility of generating hypotheses as implications from formal theory. A theoretical overview of the individual and his relations in a community presents a psychological view of man within the conceptual framework of a systems approach. Field tested by means of 240 interviews in a random area sampling, item analysis and analysis of internal consistency reliability were conducted for 65 belief statements in the Cognitive Openness Scale. A second sampling gathered 324 usable Cognitive Openness Scales in addition to Household Survey Schedules as a data base for their validation. Confirmation of the majority of hypotheses about the openness construct by factor and trend analysis substantiates the validity of the Cognitive Openness Scale as an operational measure of cognitive openness. Implications for education are drawn. Extensive resource materials, including maps, are included. (AG)

This project provides in-service training to vocational educators and related personnel in order to equip them with competencies required to develop and direct more adequate and relevant programs of vocational education for people in rural areas. The project provided in-service training for 452 participants from 49 states and the District of Columbia. More than 75 consultants were used in seven institutes, which produced 59 varied papers that are included in the final institute reports. Two background documents produced as part of the common training package (The Changing Educational Needs of Rural People and Guide to Innovation in Education) are appended. Of the 452 participants, 400 prepared plans for utilizing the institute output in their own programs upon returning home. A follow-up of participants indicated that 82 percent of those who responded were able to implement their plans. Numerous plans and recommendations were produced during the institutes which show great promise for improving the quantity and quality of vocational education in rural areas. Based on the immediate and follow-up evaluations of the seven institutes, it is concluded that all of them were at least partially successful in attaining the objectives of the multiple institute project. A 17-item bibliography and several appendixes are included. (Author/MJM)

Because of the emerging emphasis on career education, educators are becoming more interested in what is being done in both local and state programs. This document is the result of a series of on-site visits made by the North Carolina center staff to projects in 30 states and a review of self-studies submitted by the projects. Synopses of the self-studies are provided for 39 programs located in 10 U.S. Office of Education regions. Basic information includes grade levels, program goals, general characteristics, and a contact person for further information. In-depth descriptions are anticipated in a future publication. (GEB)

The purpose of this seminar, attended by 21 participants, was to examine issues, problems, and components of models for the evaluation of occupational education. A primary objective was to stimulate interest in evaluation as an object of research effort. Papers presented include: (1) "The Value Structure of Society Toward Work" by Arthur R. Jones, Jr., (2) "Measurement and Appraisal of Competencies" by William R. Grieve, (3) "Evaluation of Occupational Education: Identification and Measurement of Student Output Variables" by Charles M. Armstrong, (4) "A Conceptual Model for the Evaluation of Changes in Selected Personality Variables Through Occupational Education" by Joseph E. Champagne, and (5) "Program Planning and Evaluation" by Otto P. Legg. These papers served as a basis for small group discussions. (GEB)

This report examines existing mathematical methods that have been utilized to develop educational enrollment estimates and analyzes the applicability of these methods in the community college setting. Models surveyed are based on (1) extrapolation--by either survival cohort or cohort-regression, (2) structural flow, and (3) Markov-type procedures. The paper then presents some of the theoretical and practical problems associated with the formulation and implementation of these models. The final chapter presents a rationale for developing enrollment estimates by institution or curriculum in community colleges. (Author)

This study was designed to measure adult performance as related to age. Using methodology derived from information theory, information processing ability was measured with the individuals performing as a communication system. Fifty-five school teachers, ranging in age from 20 to 66, served as subjects. In four groups, the subjects judged the sizes of dark squares on a light background in five tests. Images were projected onto a screen, under controlled timing conditions. Performance declined as age increased in four of the tests. In two tests this decline was statistically significant (p<.05). It was anticipated that the methodology employed would provide asymptotic values of channel capacity, indicating that maximum information processing capacity had been reached. However, the methodology used did not provide such a measurement. A secondary phase of the study explored individual differences. Eleven subjects exhibited considerable variability, particularly a difference in their ability to judge size of squares and the placement of a dot in a grid pattern. The study confirmed earlier studies indicating some decline in performance with aging but pointed up the abilities of older adults to make precise judgments even under severe testing conditions. (Author)

A workshop was conducted at which 13 papers were presented on problems of chronically depressed rural areas. Attendees endeavored to assess the existing knowledge with respect to these problems, to point out major gaps in this body of knowledge, and to suggest types of research needed to cope with the problems of rural poverty. It was determined that many values and beliefs held by poverty-stricken people impede the introduction of changes which can eliminate poverty in rural areas. Additional research is needed on the returns and costs of improving the quality of education, the relationships of size and location of areas to developmental potentialities, and the arrangement of alternatives in an ordering of priorities that will be useful to public decision-makers. It was further concluded that additional research is needed on the social costs and returns of transferring people from low-income areas. (HBC)

This review of the literature was undertaken by the author with the hope that he would garner some knowledge which would be practically useful in using group work with underachieving junior college students. Of the studies reviewed, two seemed to offer ideas which could be of direct, functional benefit. One of these was a report of research which was unique in that it placed emphasis on the prevention of underachievement rather than its cure. The other report indicated that upperclassmen trained in group work would perhaps be the best qualified academic counselors available. However, it was the opinion of the author that taken in aggregate the research on group work with underachievers represents a fragmented, contradictory, incoherent hodgepodge of inconclusive data. The author of one of the reviewed articles indicated that the lack of uniformity in the identification of "underachievers" causes the confusion in related research. He suggested that more exacting criteria for selection of the population to be studied must be established. (Author/BW)

A key factor in educational planning is providing for an adequate and appropriate supply of teachers for future occupational education needs. This study develops an economic demand and supply model for vocational teachers in secondary schools, a model of the market for teacher services. Data for the study were taken from census reports and from State directors of vocational education in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Variables used in the analysis included the number of employed teachers, average annual salary, related employment, education level, experience variables in developing models of the demand for and supply of teacher services and also demonstrate the difficulties in measuring the relationships involved. (MF)

Resulting in part from a project designed to identify and describe comprehensive programs of excellence in career education, this manual is the first of a series describing current, successful career education practices. Among the considerations discussed in this handbook are: (1) administrative practices, including the role of the superintendent and board of education and the characteristics and responsibilities of the program coordinator, (2) curriculum design, (3) inclusion of post-secondary and adult education, (4) career guidance services and personnel, (5) provision for professional development, (6) involvement of the community, and (7) program evaluation. Other booklets in this series are available as VT 020 083-VT 020 090 in this issue. (SB)

The Apex Exemplary Project served 2,203 students in 4 schools of the Wake County, North Carolina, school system. The project was designed to expand career exploration and availability of occupational information to the lower and middle grades, to increase opportunities for work experience and cooperative education, to provide for specialized skill training of students prior to leaving school, and to initiate a placement service integrated with the counseling function within the school system. An attitude scale administered to teachers, administrators, and students in grades 9 through 12 yielded high group means indicating positive attitudes toward vocational education. Preliminary analyses of an attitudes toward self and others scale, administered to students in grades 9 throgh 12, showed reliability coefficients to be .865 and .655 for items measuring attitude toward self and others, respectively. Baseline data (by grade level) with which to measure changes at a later date were obtained by a 3-item instrument asking students in grades 1 through 5 to list as many occupations as they could, the occupations of members of the immediate family, and as many good work habits as they could; students in grades 6 through 12 responded to the latter 2 items. Baseline and/or historical data are also presented for the number of high school course offerings in vocational areas and the percentages of students applying for postsecondary education, students requesting career guidance services, parental conferences with guidance personnel, students using the occupational information centers, dropouts, average daily attendance, and grade failures. (Author/JH)

To develop a procedure for using occupational supply and demand data in state-level vocational education planning, data from an area skill survey, community colleges, technical institutes, and secondary school class records filed in state offices were sorted by occupation and analyzed for completeness, validity, and usefulness for planning purposes. Enrollment data were used to identify occupations not supported by public training programs and those for which enrollment greatly exceeded reported demand. Completion rates for various types of secondary and post-secondary curruculums were compared. Noting that State Board of Education policies emphasize input and ignore output, the study concludes that followup studies are needed, along with other new efforts to measure output. (Author/BH)

This paper attempts to re-examine the role of the agricultural educator and the agricultural researcher during the decade of the 1970's. Based on the national goals, the magnitude of the problems of providing adequate programs, and the findings of research, the authors contend that agricultural education should assume the responsibility for providing the leadership to reconstruct vocational education for rural people in America. Studies have shown that rural youth generally have a lower level of aspiration than urban youth. They tend to be reluctant to migrate to locations where occupational opportunities are more plentiful, and in view of the declining opportunities for farm employment, there are special problems in providing alternatives for rural youth. Research strategies for the decade ahead may be divided into short-range and long-range strategies. Short-term strategy for research in rural vocational education is to expedite the attainment of national goals through program modification, and long-range strategy should concentrate on developing new programs required to attain the national goals. Relevant vocational education must be provided those people living in rural areas. (GEB)

There is a considerable unmet need for the coordination of supportive services for vocational education students. Program effectiveness can be enhanced by means of interagency coordination. In order to unite the Federal, State, and local services resulting from Federal vocational legislation, local coordinators, administrators, and other leaders in education must assume responsibility for developing coordination systems and techniques. Supportive services include guidance and counseling, identification of potential students, job placement and followup, and other activities which meet the needs of vocational education students. A conceptual framework for a supportive services coordination model contains four sequential steps: (1) determining clientele needs, (2) determining what supportive services are available, (3) matching of services to needs, and (4) assessing the overall processes and outcomes in order to improve the procedures and objectives used. (Author/AG)

This study focused on five major activities: (1) developing an achievement test to measure visual diagnostic ability of television service technicians, (2) assessing the independence of the dimension of visual diagnostic ability, (3) comparing the iconic equivalence of photographs with motion cues and live screen presentations of defective television pictures for testing purposes, (4) ascertaining if static and dynamic tests are measures of a single dimension, and (5) assessing the reliability of the two tests. Static and dynamic tests were administered to 89 students who were completing 1-year programs in radio-television servicing, and to 24 radio-television technicians. A panel of radio-television instructors and technicians wrote the questions and judged the appropriateness of items for the test. Several hypotheses were analyzed as results of the tests. A copy of the directions for the tests, and computer printouts are appended. (AG)

Rural America is currently facing an overwhelming problem, the need for decent housing. Even though small towns and rural areas of Southern America have been undergoing drastic change over the past 2 decades, over one-half of all inadequate rural housing is located in the South. Substandard housing is, for the most part, inhabited by families with low incomes and low earning capacity. One rural community is doing something about its housing problems. Princeville, North Carolina, located in Edgecombe County, epitomizes the poverty and poor housing which is presently stifling many rural towns in the United States. Princeville is attacking its housing problem through a residential rehabilitation program with the help of such organizations as the Princeville Community Club, the Princeville Home Repair Program, the Princeville Rehabilitation Program, and the Princeville Community Development Corporation. Housing assistance is available to low-income families in Princeville and Edgecombe County through the Tarboro Housing Authority, the Federal Housing Administration, and the Farmers Home Administration. This booklet describes the activities of community organizations and the operating areas and the types of assistance provided by the various agencies. The appendix includes related housing design concepts and lists 6 housing assistance programs for rural housing rehabilitation. (NQ)

The 2-day conference considered the problems, status and outlook for accreditation of postsecondary occupational education, and the research provisions in the 1968 Vocational Education Amendments. The conference was attended by State Directors of Vocational Education and Research Coordinating Unit Directors. Highlights from the following speeches are included: (1) "Accreditation of Postsecondary Occupational Education Programs in the South" by Felix C. Robb, (2) "The Interim Council on Occupational Education" by Jerry Miller, (3) "Concerns of The American Vocational Association about Accreditation of Postsecondary Occupational Education and the Relationship of Federal Legislation to Accreditation" by Lowell A. Burkett, (4) Reports of State Efforts from five state representatives, and (5) "The 1968 Vocational Education Amendments and Their Implications for Developing State Research and Development Programs for Occupational Education" by John K. Coster. Summaries of work group sessions are included. (GEB)

The Center for Occupational Education sponsored a National Conference on Accreditation of Public Postsecondary Occupational Education, held in Atlanta, Georgia on June 10-12, 1970. The major papers presented at that conference were: (1) "The Continuing Need for Nongovernmental Accreditation" by Frank G. Dickey, (2) "Specialized Accrediting Agency Activities in Occupational Education" by Jerry W. Miller, (3) "The Role of the Accreditation and Institutional Eligibility Staff of the U.S. Office of Education in Accreditation of Postsecondary Occupational Education" by John R. Proffitt, (4) "An Analysis of Accreditation of Postsecondary Occupational Education in the U.S." by Charles F. Ward, (5) "Accreditation of Postsecondary Occupational Education: Issues and Alternatives" by William K. Selden, (6) "The American Vocational Association and the Development of Standards for Occupational Education" by Lane C. Ash, (7) "The Community Junior College Approach to Specialized Program Accreditation" by Kenneth G. Skaggs, and (8) "A Holistic Approach to Evaluating Occupational Education" by John K. Coster and Robert L. Morgan. (GEB)

Presented in this volume are the results of the efforts of the staff of the Adult Learning Center of North Carolina State University to develop and validate a new concept in adult education. Intended to assist planners, teachers, graduate students and others who are faced with the task of applying educational solutions to problems of human learning, it will hopefully serve as a guideline for the organization and the deployment of functions, personnel, equipment, and methodology. Suggested resources and evaluation criteria are also presented. (Author/DB)