Date of Award

8-1986

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Uldis Smidchens

Second Advisor

Dr. David Cowden

Third Advisor

Dr. Zigmund Kryszak

Abstract

Cooperative Education is a vital component of higher education. This is especially true in technical fields such as Design Technology. It is assumed the students who were recruited into the co-op program are better students than those who selected the program on their own. It is also assumed that men are different than women in their overall results because of their predominance in technical fields such as Design Technology.

This study investigated the differences between students who were recruited into Design Technology at Macomb Community College, Warren, Michigan, in the Cooperative Education Program between the summer recruitment years of 1977 and 1981 and those students who self selected the same Cooperative Education Program during the same time period. It also investigated the differences between the results of men and women enrolled in the program during the same time period. It utilized data gathered from student records such as grade point averages, time to complete the program, and completion status. A survey was sent out to the program participants to gather information on employment related to education and employment status as to whether they were in full or part-time employment. The same information was utilized to measure differences between male and female participants in the Cooperative Education Program in the same time period.

The results of the analysis of data were mixed. Differences between recruited co-op students and those students who self selected the program were not supported by analysis of grade point averages, job placement, and employment status. Time to complete the program and completion status showed a difference between the two groups in favor of the self-selected group of students over the recruited students.

The results of the analysis of data between men and women in the program also had mixed results. Both males and females showed no difference in job placement and employment status. However, the data supported differences in grade point averages, time to complete the program, and completion status in favor of the females in the program.

Further research is recommended to address the possible differences between age at program entry and program completion status and between age and time to complete the program.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

Download

Share

COinS