ERIC_NO:  ED403444
TITLE:  An Investigation of Opinions toward Selected Educational Outcomes. Part 2: Business and Industry in Pennsylvania .
AUTHOR: Wichowski, Chester P.; And Others
LANGUAGE:  English
DESCRIPTORS:  *Competence; *Educational Attitudes; Educational Needs; *Employer Attitudes; *Employment Potential; High School Students; High Schools; *Job Skills; *Outcomes of Education; State Standards; Statewide Planning; Teacher Attitudes; Vocational Education
IDENTIFIERS:  *Pennsylvania
ABSTRACT:  The second part of a study of educational outcomes for high school students in Pennsylvania collected data from a statewide randomly selected sample of 3,364 members of the business and industrial community; a mailed survey yielded 749 usable returns (22 percent). Data analysis included an inspection of survey demographics, a review of descriptive statistics on the ratings of the educational outcome statements, and a factor analysis of the outcome statement ratings. The business survey showed high levels of congruence with the educators' survey in part one of the study in the importance of five factor groupings: technical skills, job search skills, occupational survival skills, and in a combination of basic and higher order skills. Findings were as follows: (1) business/industry members and educators have similar opinions about what students should know and be able to do to graduate from high school; (2) business/industry members and educators have similar opinions about the priority of outcomes; and (3) the content of the five factors (technical skills, job search skills, occupational survival skills, basic skills, and higher order skills) was congruent with the content of five factors identified by educators in the first part of the study and similar to the content of factors identified in a study conducted in Illinois. (Contains testimony to the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, 26 references, and both survey instruments.) (KC)
GEOGRAPHIC_SOURCE:  U.S. ; Pennsylvania
CLEARINGHOUSE_NO:  CE073325
INSTITUTION_NAME:  Temple Univ. , Philadelphia . Center for Vocational Education.
PUBLICATION_TYPE:  143; 160
PUBLICATION_DATE:  1996
EDRS_PRICE:  EDRS Price - MF01/PC05 Plus Postage.
COMMENTS:  120p.; For part 1, see ED 363 801.
PAGE:  120; 2
LEVEL:  1