xt7f7m041z25 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7f7m041z25/data/mets.xml Kentucky. Department of Education. Kentucky Kentucky. Department of Education. 1943-07 bulletins English Frankford, Ky. : Dept. of Education This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Educational Bulletin (Frankfort, Ky.) Education -- Kentucky Educational Bulletin (Frankfort, Ky.), "The Effectiveness of Secondary School Curricular Offerings in the Occupational Activities of Graduates Who Do Not Attend Accredited Institutions of Higher Learning", vol. XI, no. 5, July 1943 text volumes: illustrations 23-28 cm. call numbers 17-ED83 2 and L152 .B35. Educational Bulletin (Frankfort, Ky.), "The Effectiveness of Secondary School Curricular Offerings in the Occupational Activities of Graduates Who Do Not Attend Accredited Institutions of Higher Learning", vol. XI, no. 5, July 1943 1943 1943-07 2022 true xt7f7m041z25 section xt7f7m041z25 ;he he he ‘bt Lg. 11- re in of .10 0 Commonwealth of Kentucky 0 EDUCATIONAL BULLETIN — THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL CUR- RICULAR OFFERINGS IN THE OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF GRADUATES WHO DO NOT ATTEND ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING .i . i I .7 “7“ i, Published by _ L DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION , JOHN w. BROOKER ‘370 6 l Superintendent of Public Instruction ék4i¢,i_________________' >V. I l — LDC-5 ISSUED MONTHLY Entered as second-class matter March 21,‘1933, at the post office at Frankfort, Kentucky, under the Act of August 24, 1912 Vol. XI July, 1943 No. 5 FOREWORD I am pleased to publish as the July issue of the department bulletin the dissertation of Theodore 0. Hall, Superintendent of Schools of Greenville, Kentucky, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Uni- versity of Kentucky. He has given his consent for this use of his study. As indicated by Superintendent Hall the purpose of this study is (1) to present evaluations of present-day curricular oiferings in secondary schools by pupils who did not attend college following graduation; but who have had an} opportunity to test to some extent the values of such offerings in their activities after they left school; V and (2) to furnish, on the basis of the evaluations made by these pupils, at least fairly reliable data upon which school authorities might justify changes in curricular ofierings in high school or changes in emphasis in the presentation of the offerings now given. , Because it is believed this study will be helpful to the school forces of the state, I sincerely urge that it be given careful study by all those who have the responsibility of making curricula for the school districts of the state. J. W. Bnoom, Superintendent Public Instruction THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL CUR- RICULAR OFFERINGS IN THE OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVI- TIES OF GRADUATES WHO DO NOT ATTEND ACCREDITED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky BY Theodore O’Connell Hall Greenville, Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1943 ‘ 13;;2g_"_'4 ”#4 Jig—Jab Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 233 The Problem .................................................................................... 234 Scope of the Study 234 Definition of Terms . 236 Source of Data ................... 236 Limitations of the Study . 237 Procedure ............................. 238 Summary ...................................................................................................... 242 II. EVALUATION OF CURRICULAR OFFERINGS ............................ 244 The Importance of Subject Matter in Curricula .................. 244 Need for Curriculum Revision ............................... 246 Rating of Curricular Offerings .............................................................. 247 Curricular Offerings to be added to the High-School Program“. 255 Curricular Offerings to be Dropped from the High-School Program ...................................................................... 257 Summary ............................. 259 III’. OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF THE GRADUATES .................... 281 Positions Accepted by the Graduates Following Graduation from High School ...................................................................... 261 How the Positions Were Secured ......................... 264 Present Occupational Status of the Graduates ____________________________ 265 Curricular Offerings Rated by Certain Occupational Groups. 269 Curricular Offerings for Certain Occupational Groups ............ 285 Occupational Choices of the Graduates ................................ 287 Causes for Dissatisfaction ............................. 237 What the Graduates Would Like to Do 290 Summary ...................................................................................................... 292 IV. GENERAL SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS. 294 General Summary ...................................................................................... 294 General Conclusions . ..... 296 General Suggestions .................................................................................. 297 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 300 Primary Sources ............................................. 300 Secondary Sources .................................................................................... 301 APPENDIX A ...................................................................................................... 302 The Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 30.2 Letter to the Principals ............................................... 303 First Letter Accompanying the Questionnaire ............... 304 Follow-up Letter Accompanying the Questionnaire ________________________ 304 APPENDIX B .................................................................................................... 306 Comments by the Graduates .................................................................... 306 309 1: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................... 13‘\ Ex i . \ \i LIST OF TABLES 1;} Table Page 2 . 1. Returns on Questionnaires Sent to the Graduates ...................... \ ..... 240 3 i 2. How the Graduates Rated the Curricular Ofierings Taken in High School ............................................................................ 248 PM 3. Curricular Offerings Rated by the Graduates as Being of “Great g Help, ” “Some Help, ” and of “Little or No Help” ............................ 252 4. Curricular Offerings the Graduates Would Add to Those Named , in the Questionnaire .. 256 riff 5. Curricular Ofierings the Graduates Would Drop from Those u ' Named in the Questionnaire 258 6. Occupational Status of the Graduates Immediately Following .High- School Graduation 263 3 7. How the Graduates Secured Their Positions Following Graduation 264 E 8. Occupational Status of the Graduates at the Time They Filled2 ‘ Out the Questionnaire .......... 9. Employment Status of the Graduates at the Time of Replying to the Questionnaire ...... 267 10. Summary of Figures 6 to 15, Showing Range of Subjects Rated2 by Occupational Groups 11. Replies of the Graduates to the Question: “Are You Engagedz Now in the Occupation of Your Choice?’ ............................................ 12. Reasons Given by the Graduates for Not Being Satisfied with Their Present Positions ..... . ............. 289 13. What the Graduates Would Like to Do ............................................ 291 {it i , M LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Location of the 53 Kentucky High Schools in This Study from Which the 1,073 Graduates Come ........................................................ 235 2. Per Cent of Times Each Curricular Offering Was Rated ................ 250 3. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings of “Great Help,” of “Some Help,” and of “Little or No Help” .......................... (Not in this volume) 4. Per Cent of Graduates in Each Occupational Group .................... 268 5. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by 109 Graduates of the Unclassified Group ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2'70 6. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Ninety-Eight Graduates Who Are Housekeepers .................................................... 271 7. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Eighty—Three Graduates Who Are Holders of Clerical Positions ____________________________ 272 8. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Thirty-Seven Store Clerks .............................................................................................. 273 9. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Thirty-Six Common Laborers .................................................................................... 274 10. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Twenty—One Persons in the Military Service ............................................................................ 2 5 11. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Eighteen Unemployed 276 12. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Fifteen Farmers... 277 13. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Fourteen Salesmen.... 278 14. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Twelve Graduates in the Federal Civil Service ........................................................................ 279 15. Per Cent of Curricular Offerings Rated by Ten Graduates Holding Managerial Positions .............................................................. 280 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writer desires to express his sincere appreciation for the assistance rendered him by all who have shown an interest in this investigation. To the members of his advisory committee—Pro‘ fessors Jesse E. Adams, 0. 0. Ross, M. E. Ligon, M. F. Seay and Leo M. Chamberlain—he is very grateful for their counsel and guidance. Especial thanks are due Professor Jesse Adams, chairman of the committee, and Professor 0. C. Ross for their careful and constructive criticism of the study. The writer is most grateful also to the principals of the Kentucky high schools for furnishing the names and addresses of the graduates included in this study, and to the graduates Whose replies to the questionnaire made the study possible. The interest of Superintendent of Public Instruction John W. Brooker, Frankfort, Kentucky, and the encouragement given by other members of the State Departmeent of Education are appreciated. The writer is also indebted to his secretary, Miss Mae Evelyn Yates, for invaluable assistance in the preparation of the final manuscript. Finally, the writer wishes to express his deepest appreciation to his wife, Lorene Hall, and sons, Billy and Bobby, without whose moral support and forebearance this study would have been im- possible. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION As early as 1809, Governor Charles Scott in a message to the General Assembly of Kentucky emphasized the importance of public education in a statement of philosophy well worthy of citation. He said, “The people when properly informed are never wrong; though for the moment they may, by the designing or ambitious, be prejudiced or misled.”1 The Advisory Committee on Education, appointed by President Roosevelt to study education in the United States, in the Report of the Committee, made in 1938, places upon the schools the caring for of all “youth up to 20 years of age who can profit from specialized preparation for occupations of non-professional type.”2 Horace Mann laid down broad principles for the growth and development of public education throughout subsequent years when he declared that education is a broad and functional process affecting the harmonious relation between man and nature, through *(a) physical and health development, (b) a love and desire for truth, (0) the preservation of the accumulation of knowledge of ages past, ((1) a preparation for present society, and (e) the bringing of enjoyment to those possessing it.3 In a more modern vein, Kilpatrick sees the necessity of edu- cation ’s meeting changing conditions by observing that—— a. The present time demands a new social outlook of education b. Applied intelligence is needed more than ever in the affairs of public concern 0. Eifectual intelligence needed is more of acquisitional learning than of original native ability (1. Hope for the upbuilding in intelligence, in general, can be had only as the teacher has such e. Schools need to see their work in the new light4 Until recently the high school served primarily as an agency for the selection of the more able young people and for preparing them 1 House Journal 1809. Acts of the General Assembly of Kentucky. P- 13- 2Floyd W. Reeves, chairman. Report of the Committee. Government Printing 051%. Washington, D. C., p. 1000 3 John A. Neitz.‘ ‘Horace Mann' 5 Ideas on General Methods in Education.’ Elementary School Journal, 37: 743, June 1937. Willi am H. Kilpatrick. “First Things in Education.” School and Society. 34:847. December 26 191 233 magi—2;. for entrance to higher educational institutions.5 Increased attendance in the high schools within the past quarter of a century, however, has created a demand on the part of the general public that the secondary school offer subject matter and activities which will better prepare the pupil to meet the problems of life whether or not he attend an institution of higher learning following his graduation from high school. The Problem The problem with which this study is concerned chiefly is the answer to the question: How effective are the curricular offerings studied in high, school in the lives and vocations of high-school graduates who do not attend college following their graduation but enter upon their vocational activities? At the outset it is fully recognized that no single study, no matter how thorough, can de— termine the full answer to this question. Its implications are too broad, and its solution involves too many factors, known and un- known, to be encompassed in one investigation. The general purpose of this study, therefore, will be: 1. To present evaluations of present-day curricular offerings in secondary schools by pupils who did not attend college following graduation, but who have had an opportunity to test to some extent the values of such offerings in their activities after they left school 2. On the basis of the evaluations made by these pupils to furnish at least fairly reliable data upon which school author— ities might justify changes in curricular offerings in high school or changes in emphasis in the presentation of the offerings now given Scope of the Study This study is concerned with the graduates of the 1937 classes in certain Kentucky high, schools who did not attend accredited institutions of higher learning following their graduation from high school. Only graduates of secondary schools which were members of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools are considered. Figure 1 shows that the schools selected were well distributed over the state and therefore may be thought of as representative schools. In order that the typical graduate might be reached, no high schools in the larger cities where vocational schools are located, or where there are opportunities for specific apprentice training outside of school, are included. Hence high schools in the following cities 5 Howard A. Campion. The Vocational Schools of Essen: County, New Jersey. National Occupational Conference, New York, 1939. p. 29 ‘5' :9: m “ H er r-' 5 H-H' H'b—HC" mv‘:.;§w ._ E $%°°§r<‘° ~1on$ $635 5w: 5 '1 CD94 cpHptr'gm (DD‘HH' put-I‘m“ bgmzvopn __ w;— Io ”100:0 .o‘Pv‘jofmb‘ mmflaw . . i m... 0 . t mum mulv "m sutu- mm-u a." . umi . "Ml mm . mm" .......“"°“. nun-o “I". "u m m," “mu; . QWN“ 5"Il" unnu- m . . uwnnan nnu ""- . . nun" "mu... m. mm mm. . a... m... nvuln “I," . III-un- luchI " :- W“ “m ""°" mm. ”6" mm . mn- mm“ .mm . . "“'°' um. ”W... muo- mm o W m, 0 mm. mm; mm: nun-mt.- . m“ . mm mm" H“ .m— C . ““159“ . uncut)! JACIIOII “HIV “"mm mm... m... . “nu-"- “M . mm.“ mm m" . n... MIA: ‘ ’°' C . :Munuul . ‘u‘ . CALD'IH ‘1,“ ‘ Imus-u IJuIII. Ll vtflll . . “m mu. LVOI AUILIIIIIO “All”! BMIII mm...“ ,.. menu You Inum . Mum. . ”.4. mu mm Q nu. ulna m... 0 . mm... ""' mm o ‘I . NICKMAI . IAISlALL IDAHO” MD‘IOI III!- . mm..- tam mu . . O v cuuvol mu... .“"°" . mm" m Thls Study from Whlch the 1,073 Graduates Come Figure l. Location of the 53 Kentucky High Schools SDI are omitted from this investigation: Louisville, Covington, Lexington, Paducah, Ashland, and Newport. The classes of 1937 were chosen for this study for two reasons: a. The year 1937 marked the nearest return to normal conditions of any year Since the depression began in 1929, and l ; b. The elapsed time since 1937 is sufficiently long to permit em- ployment of most of those graduates who might hope to have employ- ment, but short enough to enable reasonable contact to be made with them. Definition of Terms Definitions of curriculum are almost as varied as the number of educators writing about it. In the present investigation the definition of curriculum by Eells will probably best apply—“All the ex- periences that pupils have while under the direction of the schools; it includes both classroom and extra-classroom activities, work as well as play.”6 Eells defines course of study as “that part of the curriculum organized for classroom use.”7 It is with the effectiveness of the subjects in the courses of study as defined by Eells that the present study deals, primarily as applied to pupils who graduate from sec- ondary schools and enter upon life activities without further schooling. Curricular afieriugs means the subjects offered in secondary schools as shown in the questionnaire and tables. Data, Sheet is the questionnaire used in this investigations Graduates, unless specifically indicated otherwise, means those high-school graduates to Whom the questionnaire was sent. Source of Data The principal source of data for use in this study is a question- naire sent out to 1,073 graduates from the high-school classes of 1937 who did not enroll in accredited institutions of higher learn- ing following their graduation. The questionnaire in simple detail was designed to ascertain the following facts: a. Evaluations by the graduates of secondary school curricular offerings on the basis of the contributions these offerings made to l the activities of the graduates after they left high school; 1). Suggested changes that the graduates would make in subjects offered in the ordinary high-school cirriculum; “Walter C. Eells. “How Does Your School Rate?” Nations Schools, 22:18, December iIbid. ‘ 5 See Appendix A for copy of questionnaire. 236 c. The occupational status of the graduates following their graduation, and also at the time of their filling out the questionnaire four years later; and d. Vocational choices of the graduates, not taking into con- sideration present handicaps which might prevent the realization of these choices. ' Of a total of 1,073 questionnaires sent out, 453 replies were re- ceived and used. One hundred nine additional letters were returned from the postoffices of the addresses with notations that the persons so addressed had moved and their present addresses were unknown. Nearly one-half, 511, of the letters sent out were unaccounted for. Thus 42.2 per cent of the questionnaires sent out were returned and used in the study. A second follow-up letter, together with an in- tensive effort to make contact with the 511 not accounted for, un- doubtedly would have increased the number of replies received from the questionnaire. This was deemed inadvisable because such an eifort would have had to be made after the entry of the United States into war, and the replies thus obtained would have affected the data already secured because of this extraordinary factor. As a part of his method in securing data Fraser9 in his follow-up study of non-college going graduates in two Jersey City high schools, used a letter questionnaire. He received a 30 per cent return on his first request and a total of only 40 per cent after two follow-up requests had been made. The current investigation, as indicated above, shows a return of 42.2 per cent on the original request and one follow-up letter. Limitations of the Study The writer at this point wishes to call attention to certain limitations of this study. 1. There is no sure way of knowing what the replies would have been from those graduates who failed to return the questionnaire, although the replies from the follow-up letter did not vary signifi- cantly from those to the first request. 2. Although graduates for the school year 1936-37 were chosen because this year marked possibly the nearest return to normal conditions of any year since the depression, which began in 1929, it must be remembered that another abnormal condition was fast ap- proaching as a result of the war in Europe and the defense program of the United States. This probably accounts for the increase in the number of graduates in the military service in 1941 over 1937. “Thomas A. Fraser. Follow-up of Non-College Going Graduates of Commercial, General, and College Preparatory Curricula in Two Jersey City High Schools (Doctor's Dissertation). New York University, 1939. pp. 19-20. 237 “AE _ {3‘ _;_,,.,¥A_.;.. A__..;. ._<_'.r_‘::u#..-.l ,._- 4;; .. U 42,; ..r;;«|.-h_,: - .WM l l l 3. Recognition is also noted of the fact that the evaluations of curricular offerings by the high-school graduates are largely sub- jective and are no doubt influenced by (a) the graduate’s like or dislike of his teacher, (b) by the general attitude of the graduate toward the school which he attended, (c) by the attractiveness of the subject itself, and (d) by the quality of teaching. 4. The reader will also bear in mind that this investigation undertakes to present curricular evaluations upon the basis of the practical value of such ofierings in the vocational activities of the graduates following graduation from high school. In justification of a study of this type, which admittedly is based largely on the subjective opinions of former pupils, it may be stated that according to the best thought 011 curriculum revision all persons, directly or indirectly concerned with the schools, should have a part in such an undertaking. Since the graduates replying to the questionnaire have been directly concerned with. secondary schools and were at the time of replying to the questionnaire attempt- ing to apply in their vocations the knowledge gained in the study of subject matter in their high schools, it would appear that their Opinions have merit. This study assumes that they do. Procedure To determine the feasibility of a study of this nature, the writer selected seven high schools within reach of his home. Each high school was visited, and through personal conferences with the principal of each, school the names and addresses of the graduates of the classes of 1937 Who did not attend college were secured. The questionnaire was then mailed to each graduate. Fifty-three replies were received from a hundred questionnaires sent out, but only forty-seven were sufficiently filled out to be used. These were checked and tabulated in the same manner as the question- naires used in the current study. The data obtained in the preliminary survey were not significantly difiQerent from those used in the principal investigation here. Since the preliminary survey included secondary schools which were not members of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sec- ondary Schools, having only two member schools, and in order that the study might be fairly representative of the better high schools of the state as a whole, it was decided to expand the scope of the study to include schools from every section of Kentucky and only those schools which were members of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. CDCDD Hamv-s VU‘inr—dcpm I-n As it was evidently impossible to visit each school throughout the state because of limitations on time and travel, the extension of the ' scope of the investigation necessitated a change in procedure in the procurement of data. Accordingly, in order to obtain the names and addresses of the graduates, a letter10 was mailed to all the principals of the high schools accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in Kentucky, except those in the larger cities previously indicated as omitted from this study, requesting the names and addresses of the members of the graduating classes of 1937 who did not attend institutions of higher learning. A stamped self- addressed envelope was enclosed with each letter. From this request sufficiently explicit replies were received to justify the mailing of the questionnaire to the graduates of fifty-three schools as shown in Table 1. Replies were received from several other principals but were not used, since in some instances the addresses of the graduates were not given, and in other cases no distinction was made between those enrolled in college and those not enrolled. 1° See Appendix A for copy of letter sent to principals. 239 TABLE 1 Returns on Questionnaires Sent to the Graduates t 1; Number Number Per Cent Returned Name Of SChOOI Sent Out Returned Returned M S ale Female r l ( Barbourville ........................ 7 1 14.3 0 1 Benham .............. 28 15 53.6 7 8 Bowling Green .......... 11 4 45.4 2 2 1 Butler (Princeton) 21 12 57.1 4 8 ( Campbellsville ............ 20 6 30.0 2 4 Catlettsburg ______ 41 11 26.8 7 4 1 Central City .. 25 16 64.0 7 9 5 Columbia ......... 14 8 57.1 4 4 Corbin 51 23 41.5 8 15 i Dayton .............. 29 9 31.0 2 7 : Elizabethtown . 19 - 8 42.1 4 4 Fairdale ........... 10 4 40.0 2 2 Frankfort ..... 25 10 40.0 5 5 Franklin ..... 17 9 52.9 3 6 Fulton ............................... 12 7 58.4 3 4 Garth (Georgetown) . 13 5 38.4 2 3 Greenville ......................... 8 4 50.0 0 4 Harlan ............. 16 6 37.5 2 4 Harrodsburg 30 15 50.0 6 9 Hazard ............. 11 8 72.7 2 6 Hickman ........... 14 3 21.4 2 1 Hopkinsville 40 12 30.0 6 6 Horse Cave ....... 8 3 37.5 2 1 Irvine ........... 22 10 45.4 1 9 Lancaster .. 11 5 45.5 3 2 Lebanon ....... 10 3 30.0 1 2 Leitchfield 7 2 28.5 1 1 Ludlow ......... 23 13 52.0 10 3 Lynch ............... 15 6 40.0 2 4 Madisonville 31 20 64.5 9 11 Mayfield ..... 35 18 51.4 8 10 Mays Lick 8 1 12.5 0 1 Middlesboro 32 6 18.7 3 3 Midway ........... 4 2 50.0 1 1 Minerva ....... 15 5 33.3 3 2 Morganfield .. 21 14 66.6 7 7 Monticello ....... 10 6 60.0 5 1 Mt. Sterling 16 9 56.2 5 4 Nicholasville . 15 3 20.0 1 2 Owensboro ..... 74 15 20.3 2 13 Owenton ........ 16 3 18.8 0 3 Paintsville 33 13 39.4 7 6 Paris ................. 9 5 55.5 3 2 Prestonsburg 33 9 27.2 4 5 Providence ..... 17 3 17.6 1 2 Raceland ...... 9 6 66.6 3 3 Russell .......... 19 8 42.1 2 6 Russellville ......... 18 10 55.5 3 7 Simon Kenton 20 5 25.0 2 3 Somerset ............. 24 14 58.2 3 11 Springfield 12 6 50.0 3 3 Stanford ...... 18 14 77.7 4 10 Versailles 26 14 53.8 6 8 Unclassified .. 6 4 2 Total ......... 1,073 453 189 264 Average .................... 20.3 8.6 42.2 3.6 5.0 H B m H m mrewphuscowool-I i. -. «v.wva-LvuiwwN“kt-INNHWHCHQWHNMQDHmHofiioIfiIhWD-FOIU'INI-FqH As replies were received from the principals, the questionnaire, to which was attached a letter,11 was mailed to each graduate. After two months a second letter12 attached to the same questionnaire was sent to those who did not reply to the first request. A stamped self- addressed envelope accompanied each letter. As a partial check on the validity of the information received from the graduates, the questionnaires were arranged in groups of one hundred in order of their receipt. Subject matter ratings for the first hundred questionnaires received were then tabulated. When the second hundred were received, these in like manner were tabulated and checked against the first hundred.13 This was done for each succeeding hundred questionnaires until all had thus been tabulated and checked against preceding tabulations. These tabulations and checkings showed no significant changes as the total number of questionnaires grew. While it can not be stated definitely that the 453 replies were truly representative of the whole number of graduates to whom the questionnaires were sent, there appears at least as much evidence that they are representative as there is that they are not. While it is true that Reid14 concluded that “replies from re- spondents can not be considered representative of non-respondents,” he further says: In every survey involving mail questionnaires, there should be provision for at least one follow-up questionnaire so that any bias in the answers of the original respondents can be partially corrected by answers from a second group of respondents, and so that some estimate of the probable answers of the non- respondents can be made from the two groups of respondents.15 It will be observed that in the current study a follow-up letter was sent to all non-respondents to the first request. The replies to the follow-up letter were checked against the replies of the first respondents without significant changes being noted. This study, therefore, goes further than the recommendation of Reid, who suggests the choice of a representative sample to whom follow-up letters are sent rather than sending the follow-up letters to all non-respondents.16 Erick L. Lindman, research assistant of the Seattle Public Schools, points out that the reasons why graduates do not reply to questionnaires are: (a) that they do not wish to cooperate, or (b) that they can not be located. He thinks the superior pupil will reply more readily than the poor pupil. He further concludes that his 1:566 Appendix A for copy of first letter sent to the graduates. 586 Appendix A for copy of second letter sent to the graduates. :2 See Appendix A for comparative table. , . Seerley Reid. “Respondents and Non-respondents to Mail Questionnaires." Educa- tiomg Research Bulletin, 21:90, April 15. 1942- Reld.0. ’. . . “Ibid. P Cit, p 95 241 study in the adequacy of follow-up proceedings “tends to increase our confidence in statistics for all graduates derived from a. study of those who replied to the inquiry.”17 An analysis of the information contained in Table 1 reveals that the range in the number of questionnaires sent to the graduates of individual schools is from 4 for Minerva to 74 for Owensboro, While the per cent of replies from graduates replying from each school ranges from 12.5 for Mays Lick to 77.7 for Stanford. Ludlow shows the greatest proportion of boys to girls with 10 boys and 3 girls, while from Owensboro the ratio of boys to girls re- plying is 2 to 13. Corbin with 15 girls replying furnished the great- est number of girls from any school. No replies were received from boys from Barbourville, Greenville, Mays Lick, or Owenton; but at least one reply was received from girls from each school. Geographically the replies with reference to individual schools are well distributed over the state. The eight schools with the highest percentage of replies are: Stanford 77.7, Hazard 72.7, Morganfield 66.6, Raceland 66.6, Madisonville 64.5, Monticello 60.0, Somerset 58.2, and Columbia 57.1. The eight with the lowest percentage of replies are: Mays Lick 12.5, Barbourville 14.3, Providence 17.6, Middlesboro 18.7, Owenton 18.8, Nicholasville 20.0, Owensboro 20.3, and Hickman 21.4. Thus it will be observed that the schools with the highest per- centages of replies, as well as those with the lowest percentages, are not confined to any particular section of the state but