A Proposed Program of Vocational Guidance in the Schools of Freestone County

Author

Annie Mae Riles, Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Date of Award

8-1939

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Discipline

Arts and Science

Abstract

Vocational guidance is an educational service and as such should be considered an integral part of the educational program carried on by the recognized educational agency of the community. Growth of industry and great expansion of the number of possible callings ling ago rendered the choice of a vocation difficult. No social agency existed through which the individual might receive assistance, hence the school - somewhat tardily - assumed this function. Ways and mean have been devised to accumulate information about the various vocations and to put the individual in possession of a reasonable amount of this information so that he can more wisely choose the work which will engage his efforts, and give him additional assistance as needed during the period of adjustment and further training after employment begins, which are just as truly educational services as teaching the same youth mathematics or history. The former service often has a more vital bearing upon his satisfaction in life and his contribution to society than the latter.

Up to the present time, however, little connection has been made between the subjects of study and outside occupations. A reason for this is that the studies have been organized in too formal a manner, and have been given for the sake of the information contained in them. When we consider the question of guidance, we are considering not something which is to be added to education, not something which exists outside, but something which is really in the very center of education itself. One of the most important parts of the guidance program is placement; without advice and direction young workers take the first job that is offered them. If they are to be prohibited from remaining in blind-alley jobs, and if they are to be saved from a life of unskilled labor, it is essential that placement of pupils entering any vocation be supervised. Hence, if the schools are to prepare the students to be vocationally efficient, there is need for guiding them so that they will be equipped to make the optimum re-adjustments in this complex world of social and economic change.

Students should learn about occupational opportunities and should discover their own abilities end interests while they are in school, The transition between education and employment should be a very gradual one. Consequently, guidance should be an integral part of the curriculum, program, and organization of the entire public-school system. It should begin in the early grades, and follow pupils after they leave school during the time when they are blazing trails into employment and adult life.

Committee Chair/Advisor

George W. Reeves

Publisher

Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College

Rights

Date of Digitization

7-21-2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Riles, A. M. (1939). A Proposed Program of Vocational Guidance in the Schools of Freestone County. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/65