Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1960

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Education

Abstract

School reorganization was a point of intense interest in and about the communities of Alvord, Inwood, Larchwood, and Lester, Iowa during the year of 1956, 1957, and 1958. In the summer of 1958, an election was held and the communities and surrounding farm areas mentioned above voted to become one school district. The school administration and the school board of education decided to add, along with other new services, a guidance and counseling program in an effort to provide a more rounded education for the more than one thousand students residing within the reorganized territory. The writer of this study was engaged to promote the guidance and counseling services for their new school district. After gaining knowledge about the field of guidance and counseling through study and meeting with advisors at South Dakota State College, it was decided by the writer that one of the first steps to take in starting a guidance and counseling program was to determine the needs of the school and the students. Moreover, a statement in a letter received from Dr. Kenneth B. Hoyt, Guidance Professor at the State university of Iowa, had this to pass on in regard to the study: “I was pleased to learn that the West Lyon Community School District is planning to initiate a guidance program through the results of research obtained in a follow-up study of former graduates of the four schools involved in this reorganization. I think this an excellent way to begin and I want to encourage you in every way I can.” Further evidence of the importance of the follow-up study is cited in the Guidance Service Handbook for South Dakota Schools. Follow-up simply means that a school doesn’t divorce a student when it hands him a diploma or a drop-out card. It means that the school takes a parentalistic attitude and says, “Once a pupil in our school—always a pupil in our school,” and that the activities of every single student, now and later, are important.” The obligation of the school goes beyond offering an adequate curriculum; and follow-up is the method of measuring the results of high school training. Surely every available source should be used to determine whether schools are providing the type of training that will equip the pupil mentally, morally, spiritually, and physically to live as full a life as his capabilities allow. Through follow-up this can be measured; then changes and additions can be made to improve personal guidance and to make the curriculum more suitable. Of great importance in the determination of the purposes which will be served by the study. This study has for its primary purposes: (1) to assist the school in judging the present effectiveness of meeting the imperative needs of youth. (2) To obtain from the graduates the reasons for leaving the community from which they graduated. (3) To determine how the school can help students to know about marriage problems. (4) To obtain the reasons why possible drop-out students remain in school. (5) To determine the extent to which graduates are willing to answer a follow-up questionnaire.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Counseling
Vocational guidance

Description

Includes bibliographical references

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

61

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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