Some guidance concerns in vocational agriculture

The first of the three objectives was achieved by compiling data concerning vocational agriculture graduates from 101 high schools in Tennessee. The data reveal the actual percentage of boys who, Upon completing four years of vocational agriculture, entered upon the work of a farm or that of the home farm, entered agricultural-related occupations, and entered nonagricultural-related occupations. The data presented are compiled from questionnaires answered by thirty-four vocational agriculture teachers in East Tennessee, thirty-eight teachers in Middle Tennessee and twenty-nine teachers in West Tennessee. The presentation of this material is to inform the reader of things which are actually happening to high-school vocational agriculture students who have completed four years of vocational agriculture upon graduation. A copy of the questionnaire used to obtain the desired information for this phase of the study may be found in Appendix A, and the data collected are presented in Chapter III.

The second objective was concerned with the qualifications, training, and education desired by employers in agricultural-related occupations. These data were compiled from interviews with twenty-one employers in agricultural-related occupations in Knox, Blount and Sevier Counties.

Before beginning an interview, the writer explained the nature and purpose of the study and assured the interviewee that the information given would be kept strictly confidential. A copy of the survey form was given to the interviewee to serve as a guide during the interview. As the questions were discussed, the answers given by the interviewee were recorded on another copy of the survey form by the interviewer. All data collected were recorded in the presence of the interviewee.

Each interview required approximately thirty minutes to complete. A copy of the survey form may be found in Appendix C, and the data collected are presented in Chapter lV.

The third objective was to determine the procedures which have been and are being followed by vocational agriculture teachers in accepting prospective enrollees into all-day classes when the prospective enrollees indicated their objectives were other than full-time farming. These data were likewise compiled from a questionnaire answered by the same vocational agriculture teachers as those who answered the questionnaire for the first objective. A copy of the questionnaire may be found in Appendix A, and the data collected are presented in Chapter V.