Cooperative education has been part of the educational scene throughout most of this century, surviving wars, economic reverses, public indifference, yet it continues to gain popularity. Vocational legislation in the 1960's provided a stimulus for the expansion of cooperative education. Increasing student enrollment figures attest to the acceptance of work experience education programs. A historical review of enrollments in secondary school cooperative education programs show 186,953 students enrolled in 1968, 500,000 in 1972, 750,000 in 1977, and 1.5 million projected for 1982 (Wanat and Snell, 1981).
In spite of these encouraging cooperative education enrollment figures, public education as a whole is facing serious problems. The Gallup Poll shows that public confidence in education is declining (Gallup, 1978). Department of Labor figures show unemployment for 16-19 year olds has not fallen below 11 % for over the past 25 years. Even more alarming is the data which indicated that there are many unskilled workers entering the job market each year to occupy fewer unskilled jobs in the market place (Madden, 1973).
The cooperative education program, a combination of work and education, prepares students for skilled employment and can help to alleviate labor problems. Wooldridge (1966) indicated that cooperative education represents a working partnership in which an educational institution joins with an employer in a structured relationship. Its basic purpose is that of providing a means whereby a student can combine study at the institution with a work experience which is under the supervision of the employer, in order to fulfill the total requirements of a particular educational program. Students engaged in such a program must be regularly matriculated students at the institution as defined by the institution.
Employers are an integral part of a cooperative education program. It is es.5ential that employers have a high degree of satisfaction with cooperative education; therefore, we need to obtain insights into the perceptions of cooperative education employers, since they are the consumers of those programs. Perceptual studies will validate the worth of cooperative education programs, identify positive and negative aspects of employer/employee relations, improve student guidance procedures, and determine priorities for instruction. Through an analysis of the outcomes of evaluation studies, it should be possible to improve vocational and professional education programs and develop students to become more productive members of the labor force.
In an attempt to identify research conducted to determine the perceptions of employers regarding cooperative education, a computer assisted search of the literature was made. Although a total of 279 articles on cooperative education were reviewed from 1970-1979 inclusive, no study was concerned with employers' perceptions of secondary level cooperative education programs. Rather, much of the attention focused on employers' satisfaction with vocational education between 1970-1977, and specifically examined work skills, habits, attitudes, and characteristics of students (O'Reilly and Asche, 1979). At the post-secondary level, several studies regarding cooperative education and employers were identified. Deane et al. (1978) conducted a study for the Lockheed-Georgia Company, for the purpose of reviewing and revising the company's cooperative education program for optimum benefits in future operation. Ehrich (1978) examined the value of cooperative education to LaGuardia Community College students and graduates. In the course of the investigation, employers' perceptions were surveyed and cooperative education students were rated high regarding motivation, job skills, and abilities. Perloff and Sussna (1978) conducted a longitudinal study of programs in 25 selected industries within a conceptual framework of education, economics, and psychology. Case study methodology was utilized by Arthur D. Little, Incorporated (1974), to investigate employers' policy level commitments and the benefits employers felt they received from cooperative education programs. Kane ( 1981) studied employer receptivity toward the hiring of cooperative education students and generated an instrument capable of measuring attitudes possessed by existing cooperative employers at the post-secondary level. Hutt (1977) designed a system to investigate pertinent questions regarding the nature of employers and their views. Although his material focused upon post-secondary cooperative education, the same type of investigation has relevance at the secondary level.
The Missouri Advisory Council on Vocational Education (1977) found that cooperative education programs were particularly effective in meeting students' needs. Slick and Welch (1974) found that employers tended to rate cooperative education graduates higher on several employment aspects than graduates of total in-school programs; the selectivity of cooperative education programs may have contributed to those findings. Finally, Carkhuff and Associates (1977) found that employers express a preference for graduates of programs with cooperative education experiences because they have training, they cost less to recruit, and quickly become contributing members of the company. More recently, Franchak (1981) cites the work of Asche and Vogler (1981) as a rationale for assessing employer satisfaction.
In 1980 Winer and Snell investigated employers' perceptions of secondary school cooperative education programs. A questionnaire utilizing a five point Likert Scale containing 43 items was designed to assess employers' perceptions of student attitudes, capabilities, work habits, school curriculum, supervision, and coordination of programs.
Respondents were instructed to make one of five choices for each of the 43 items, with 5 being Outstanding, 4 Excellent, 3 Acceptable, 2 Unacceptable, and 1 Very Unacceptable, The questionnaire contained a criterion scale ranging from 1 to 15, 15 being Outstanding and 1 Unacceptable.
Reliability was determined by employing an analysis of variance approach (Hoyt, 1941) which focuses from the item level. The matrix of item scores are considered a two-way factorial design for analysis of variance without replications. Thus, the reliability was determined yielding a Hoyt value of .952 at the .001 level of significance.
Validity was established on the revision by computing the relationship between the item total score on the questionnaire and the degree of overall evaluation on the cooperative education program, utilizing a scale score described by Winer ( 1972). The results yielded a correlation of . 750 at the .001 level of significance.
All the employers participating in the study were located in New Jersey. This state was selected as the study site for a variety of reasons, including the industrial nature of the state and the extent of participation by students at the secondary and post-secondary levels in cooperative work experience education.
Questionnaires were sent to 300 participating. and active cooperative education employers. Of those 260 were identified at the subject group, of which 241 were classified. Responses included questionnaires from employers who no longer employed cooperative education students, who were retiring or going out of business, or did not complete the instrument.
The subject group was subdivided into four representative groups: private companies (73), corporations (149), non-profit agencies (13), and government agencies (6). Forty-six percent of the respondents indicated that they had at least one (1) to three (3) high school students currently employed by their company as cooperative education students and had an ongoing relationship with secondary school cooperative education programs.
The data was analyzed utilizing numerical tabulation, multiple regression percentages, calculation of mean score,;, and standard deviations. Scores on the 43 item questionnaire were subjected to factor analysis. Mean scores and standard deviations were computed on the scale and total scores to determine the range and overall evaluation of high school work experience education programs.
This questionnaire yielded item total scores by totaling the quantitative responses. These ranged from a minimum of 80 to a maximum of 197, with a standard deviation of 19.28. The possible range of scores is from 0 to 215. The scale scores, or evaluation of the program on a scale from 1 to 15, yielded a mean score of 9.81.
Since the variations between groups on the minimum/maximum scores were so narrow, with the exception of the government group which was a small sample, a decision was made to analyze the data as a total group of 300. The data indicated that those who predicted a decrease were the most satisfied employers having scores most consistently at the mean. Upon review, it was clear that the item total scores served to provide parameters for the collected information.
Factor analysis generated six factors according to relative strength, including functional skills, administrative concerns, recruitment, skill development, personnel policies, and academic improvement. The calculation of the multiple regression values provided an indication of the degree of influence each item possessed in terms of being predictors of successful programs. Using the total score item as the dependent variable, it has been determined that relative to forecasting, all 43 items possess significant multiple regression values, with the variable relating to the "ability of high school students to accept responsibility" entering as the strongest variable with a multiple regression value of 0. 761. The results of the factor analysis yielded six dimensions of employer attitudes ranking from most important to least important.
Inspection of the items contained in the first factor, Functional Skills, indicated that they focused upon attitudes towards work, vocational skills, human relations skills, skill levels, physical appearance, and quality of work. These aspects refer to what is generally considered by employers as some of the skills they would require from employees who are participants in high school cooperative education work experience programs. This suggests a general employer satisfaction with the student competencies and attitudes of students in cooperative education and work experience programs.
Employers rated cooperative vocational education as an excellent recruitment tool, giving students an orientation to the world of work. Employers also felt that highly motivated participants demonstrated employment stability. Cooperative education was viewed as an excellent opportunity to recruit full-time employees who have positive attitudes towards work.
Generally it was found that student employees had excellent vocational skills and were able to accept responsibility. Employers indicated that the responsible school official or coordinator had developed an excellent relationship with them and was effectively selecting and recruiting students. The program was viewed as a way to receive a tax credit, as well as other cost/benefit advantages. Finally, the employers ranked students very high in terms of meeting their obligations to show up for work, and the ability to produce at a high level, in both quality and quantity.
An analysis of items with high loading on the second factor, included Administrative Concerns, supervision of students, program involvement, daily and weekly scheduling, evaluation techniques, and contractual agreements. Thus, employers view the coordinators' activities and involvements first and second in order of importance. This aspect relates to both the first and second factor.
The items with the highest loadings on the third factor, Recruitment, included recruitment plan, post high-school employment, affirmative action recruitment, and training for potential full-time employees. Items with the highest loadings on the fourth factor, Skill Development, included school, training program, in-school related training, student skill levels, and curriculum adaption. The fifth factor, Personnel Policies, included items with the highest loadings on salary schedules, tax credits, legal restrictions, and salary regulations. The sixth factor, Academic Improvement/Design Improvement, had variables with the highest loadings on input into the curriculum and advisory committee members.
The major focus of employers appears to be a general satisfaction with school programs and students' functional skills. In essence, students' work attitudes and vocational skills reflect what employers indicated were most important to them. The areas of concern, in order of importance, are student supervision, referral, selection, and scheduling. This suggests that employers are most concerned with procedural matters and administrative details regarding employment and supervision.
Another finding was that employers view their recruitment of employers from the program to be an important benefit, and look to high school cooperative and work experience programs as a vehicle for meeting those needs. This finding supports the concept that cooperative and work experience programs serve as recruitment tools for employers.
The skill development factor, which was next in order of importance, includes such programmatic aspects as school training programs, in-school related training, and curriculum adaptation. Employers claim that they are willing to train new employees and they seek students with good work habits, motivation, and basic skills as opposed to those with highly technical vocational skills and competencies.
Contrary to the belief held by some coordinators and experienced counselors, employers ranked financial sources and regulatory policies as fifth in order of importance. Student motivation and human relation skills were ranked first in order of importance and this factor seems to be far more important.
Finally, in-school instruction and input into the curriculum were of low priority, in contrat with the importance of student attitudes and training related to work habits and attitudinal development of students.
Two (2) stepwise multiple regression analysis procedures were undertaken to provide a statistical usage of the effectiveness of each attitudinal item, when related to item score, as a predictor and forecaster of employment trends in high school work experience programs. When related to the rating scale, the multiple regression can be used as a predictor of successful programs. Each of the forty-three items on the Likert Scale was entered as an independent variable, utilizing the items total score and rating scale as dependent variables.
The degree of influence that each item possessed in terms of being a predictor relative to trends and successful programs was calculated utilizing a Multiple Regression Methodology.
Using the item total score as the dependent variable, it was determined that all forty-three items possessed significant Multiple Regression values. Variable thirty-four, relating to the "ability of high school student,; to accept responsibility," entered as the strongest variable with a Multiple Regression value of .0761 with forty-three degrees of freedom. After the next two variables were entered, the Multiple Regression value reached 0.904. The cumulative coefficient of those items reached a value of 1.000, unity, at the .05 level of significance. It should be noted that maximum impact was achieved utilizing the first fourteen independent variables in the regression equation culminating with a Multiple Regression value of 0.984.
Multiple R values were calculated, utilizing the rating scale, in a stepwise procedure designed to provide an indication of the effectiveness of this instrument as a program evaluator in terms of success. In this context, it was determined that variable forty, related to the "quality of work performance of high school cooperative education student,;," entered as the strongest item with Multiple R value of 0.648 with nine degrees of freedom. The cumulative coefficient after nine items were entered reached a Multiple R value of 0. 778, the maximum contribution being achieved. The addition of items after these nine items produced minimal effect, at the 0.5 level of significance.
The authors addressed the question of how cooperative education employers view secondary school cooperative education programs. The major findings indicated that employers prioritize the variables of cooperative and work experience programs and, in reality, possess attitudes quite different from what one might expect. Employers viewed student attitudes, work motivation skills, and coordinator's activities and involvements, first, second, and third in order of importance. Issues such as salary and tax credits appeared near the other end of the continuum in order of importance. Employers tend to prioritize these benefits in reverse order. The findings demonstrate that employers' regard for some factors have been underestimated while others are being overstated in the literature.
Also, the generally held belief that cooperative and work experience programs serve as a recruitment tool for employers has been supported by the findings of this study. The long held expectation of school officials that employers are seeking students with a high level of vocational skills was not supported by this study.
Employers in the sample population appear to place far greater value on student motivation and work habits than upon vocational skills. The finding; of this study suggest that cooperative education and work experience programs have dimensions which provide employers with high levels of satisfaction and rationale for seeking student participants as potential fulltime employees. Capitalizing upon and improving these programmatic benefits would serve to expand employer recruitment programs and student placements. Thus, the coordinator who designs and develops programs should be cognizant of employer needs and prepare students and programs to meet those needs. It is suggested that program development in the areas of curriculum design, student seminars, supervision, and policy which could affect the program, are important areas to examine.
School/community/employer involvement and inputs could be most beneficial in expanding cooperative and work experience programs. Through those activities, more effective linkages between the school and the employers would be formed, thus enhancing the growth of high school cooperative and work experience programs.
Coordinators must be adroit and able to emphasize the responsibilities as well as the rewards of involvement to prospective cooperative employers. The attitudes that employers possess can serve as indicators of their relative degree of receptivity toward the concept of cooperative education. With an effective approach to maintenance and development of employers, the coordinator of cooperative or work experience programs will be able to generate new vistas of meaningful employment opportunities for their student population.