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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN EVENING COURSES AND THEIR OPINION OF THE DAY SCHOOL IN THE SAME BUILDING

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Date Issued:
1981
Summary:
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to find out if attending an adult education course at the local high school had an effect on adults' opinion of the day-time operations in the same building. Procedure. A sample of 233 adults rated the local secondary school on a scale of 1 to 7. After they attended various ten-week adult education interest courses, 68 of the pretest sample were retested. The mean opinions of several demographic sub-groups of the pretest sample by age, sex, type of dwelling (a socioeconomic indicator), length of residency, and education were compared. Findings. I. The ex post facto pretest revealed: (1) Night school clients rated the day school higher than non--participants. (p < .01) (2) Parents of high school student rated the school higher than non-parents. (p < .01) (3) Clients who had taken evening courses previously rated the day school higher than new clients. (p < .01) (4) New night school clients initially rated the day school no higher than non-clients. (5) Older adults rated the school higher than adults 28 and under. (p < .001) (6) There was no difference between male and female ratings. (7) Those living in separate homes rated the school higher than those from townhouses and apartments. (p < .05) (8) Those who lived five years or longer in the community rated the school higher than those who arrived more recently. (p < .001) (9) The level of education showed no effect on the rating. II. The test-retest analysis of variance revealed: (1) New clients showed a significant gain in their opinion of the day school at the end of their first night school course. (2) Those who had attended evening courses previously showed no gain in their rating after the course. III. Other findings included: (1) The night school itself was rated high, social advantages and instruction getting the most positive reaction. (2) The high school's programs, facilities and extramural activities received the most praise and discipline the most criticism. (3) Non-parent night school clients who rated the day school lowest on the pretest, rated it highest on the posttest. Recommendations. (1) Since evening school has a positive effect on participants' opinion of the day school, it is in the day school's best interests to promote adult education in the school. Community education should continue to be expanded and developed. (2) Night school is a low-risk opportunity for citizens to get involved with the local high school. Some may continue to get more involved into decision-making organizations like the school board, PTA and advisory councils. Future research could explore ways to get adults more involved to help bridge the widening gap between parents and their children who are in large school operations. (3) The local high school should make a continuous effort to communicate with all community citizens. Non-parents who receive much of their information via the media need more direct interaction with the school so they become aware of the positive things happening there.
Title: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN EVENING COURSES AND THEIR OPINION OF THE DAY SCHOOL IN THE SAME BUILDING.
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Name(s): GOHEEN, ROSS WINFRED.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
MacKenzie, Donald G., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1981
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 170 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Purpose. The purpose of this study was to find out if attending an adult education course at the local high school had an effect on adults' opinion of the day-time operations in the same building. Procedure. A sample of 233 adults rated the local secondary school on a scale of 1 to 7. After they attended various ten-week adult education interest courses, 68 of the pretest sample were retested. The mean opinions of several demographic sub-groups of the pretest sample by age, sex, type of dwelling (a socioeconomic indicator), length of residency, and education were compared. Findings. I. The ex post facto pretest revealed: (1) Night school clients rated the day school higher than non--participants. (p < .01) (2) Parents of high school student rated the school higher than non-parents. (p < .01) (3) Clients who had taken evening courses previously rated the day school higher than new clients. (p < .01) (4) New night school clients initially rated the day school no higher than non-clients. (5) Older adults rated the school higher than adults 28 and under. (p < .001) (6) There was no difference between male and female ratings. (7) Those living in separate homes rated the school higher than those from townhouses and apartments. (p < .05) (8) Those who lived five years or longer in the community rated the school higher than those who arrived more recently. (p < .001) (9) The level of education showed no effect on the rating. II. The test-retest analysis of variance revealed: (1) New clients showed a significant gain in their opinion of the day school at the end of their first night school course. (2) Those who had attended evening courses previously showed no gain in their rating after the course. III. Other findings included: (1) The night school itself was rated high, social advantages and instruction getting the most positive reaction. (2) The high school's programs, facilities and extramural activities received the most praise and discipline the most criticism. (3) Non-parent night school clients who rated the day school lowest on the pretest, rated it highest on the posttest. Recommendations. (1) Since evening school has a positive effect on participants' opinion of the day school, it is in the day school's best interests to promote adult education in the school. Community education should continue to be expanded and developed. (2) Night school is a low-risk opportunity for citizens to get involved with the local high school. Some may continue to get more involved into decision-making organizations like the school board, PTA and advisory councils. Future research could explore ways to get adults more involved to help bridge the widening gap between parents and their children who are in large school operations. (3) The local high school should make a continuous effort to communicate with all community citizens. Non-parents who receive much of their information via the media need more direct interaction with the school so they become aware of the positive things happening there.
Identifier: 11785 (digitool), FADT11785 (IID), fau:8713 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Thesis (Educat.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1981.
College of Education
Subject(s): Adult education
Schools--Public relations
Community and school
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11785
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.