Educational and Occupational Progress of Rural Youth in Utah - -A Follow -Up Study

Home , April 1961

REPORT RESUMES

ED 019 150 RC 000 305 EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL PROGRESS OF RURAL YOUTH IN UTAH - -A FOLLOW -UP STUDY. BY... CHRISTIANSEN, JOHN R. AND OTHERS BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIV., PROVO, UTAH REPORT NUMBER SS- BULL -2 PUB DATE AUG 62 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D.C. EDRS PRICE MF$0.25 HC -$0.64 14P.

DESCRIPTORS.... *ASPIRATION, *CAREER CHOICE, COLLEGE ATTENDANCE, *FOLLOWUP STUDIES. GRADUATE SURVEYS, OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE, *RURAL AREAS, RURAL YOUTH, RURAL DROPOUTS,

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ANALYZE THE EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF THE 1959 HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS AT JUAB, SANPETE, AND SEVIER COUNTIES UTAH. INFORMATION WAS GATHERED AS OF OCTOBER 1960, AND APRIL 1961, THROUGH THE USE OF MAIL QUESTIONNAIRES AND PERSONAL INTERVIEWS. FINDINGS INCLUDED-..(1) RATES OF COLLEGE ATTENDANCE ON THE PART OF THESE RURAL SENIORS WERE BELOW THOSE CHARACTERISTIC OF UTAH, (2) MANY OF THE YOUTH WHO ENROLLED IN COLLEGE WERE ATTENDING A TWO -YEAR COLLEGE, (3) EARLYMARRIAGE WAS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE GIRLS WHO DID NOT ATTEND COLLEGE, AND (4) THE YOUNG MEN NOT IN COLLEGE hAD EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING FULL -TIME EMPLOYMENT IN THE JOBS TO WHICH THEY ASPIRED. (ES) Educational and Occupational Progress of Rural Youth in Utah A Follow-up Study ED01.9150

JOHN R. CHRISTIANSEN TAMES D. COWHIG ",JOHN W. PAYNE

Social ScienceBulletin Number 2 Brigham Young University in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. August, 1962. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE

OFFICE OF EDUCATION

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL CHOICES OF RURAL YOUTH IN UTAH: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY 0

Jdhn R. Christiansen, James D. Cowhig, and John W. Payne

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH BULLETIN

Number 2

Brigham Young University in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture August 1962 CONTENTS Page Summary 3

Introduction 4

College enrollment status: October 1960 and April 1961 5 Plans to interrupt college education 7 Reflections on high school experience 8 Social participation in college 8 Occupational and educational plans and aspirations 9 Residence in April 1961 10

College drop-outs 11 Reasons for leaving college 12 Plans for fall, 1961 12 Personal perceptions 12

Youths not enrolled in college, April 1961. 12 EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL CHOICES OFRURAL YOUTH IN UTAH: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY'

John R. Christiansen, James D. Cowhig, and John W. Payne°

SUMMARY 1. In October 1960 37 percent cf all youths included in the follow-up This bulletin describes the educa-study were enrolled in college. tional and occupational experience of 2. By April 1961 29 percent of all rural youths who were high schoolyouths were still enrolled in college. seniors in 1959 in Juab, Sanpete, andThe proportion in college is about Sevier counties, Utah, and is a follow-the same as the proportion of all rural up of an earlier study of the factorshigh school seniors who attended col- related to the plans and aspirations oflege in 1960, but below that for the these rural youths,. State of Utah. Information on the youths as of 3. A majority of both boys and girls October 1960 and April 1961 was ob-were enrolled in a junior college in tained through mail questionnaires re-1960 and in 1961, and would have to turned by 85 percent of all personstransfer to some other college to ob- included in the initial survey. In addi-tain a bachelor's degree. tion,information was obtained 4. About 10 months after comple- through personal interviews of thosetion of high school ( April 1961) 6 out who were enrolled in four Utah col-of 10 young people not enrolled in leges in 1961 and through question-school had left their home county. naires mailed to those who had enter-This suggests a scarcity ofoccupa- ed college in October 1960 but hadtional opportunities within the rural dropped out of college by April 1961.community. Some of the highlights and impli- 5. Youths enrolled in college in cations of the study are these: April 1961 were concentrated in colleges within the state, and about 6 out 'This bulletin is based on the results of aof 10 were enrolled ina college within cooperative research project of the Farmtheir home county. Thus, for most Population Branch, Economic Research Ser-persons, college attendance did not vice, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Brigham Young University. entail migration from the localarea. 2John R. Christiansen and John W. Payne 6. Lack of finances was thereason are members of the Department of Sociol-given most frequently by the young ogy, Brigham Young University,Provo,persons who had entered but had Utah; James D. Cowhig is a staff memberdropped out of college. of the Farm Population Branch, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Ag- 7. Forty-sevenpercentofthe riculture. young women not enrolled in college

3 Ign."."...7^^..

were married by April 1961. The av-bulletin reported results of research erage age at marriage was about 19. concerned with the occupational plans 8. The great majority of youngand aspirations of youths from San- women not enrolled in school and notpete, Juab, and Sevier counties, Utah, married were employed in April 1961.who had finished their senior year of Most were employed in white-collarhigh school.3 The bulletin analyzed jobs. the factors related to the youths' oc- 9. Among young men not enrolledcupational and educational plans. Re- in school in April 1961, about a fifthsults showed that mGze than half of were working only part-timel,nd nonethe 287 youths interviewed wanted to were employed in thewhite-collarattend college, but less than half ac- jobs they had aspired to in hightually expected to do so. The youths' school. parents were generally favorable to a In general, sates of college attend-college education, and usually desired ance on the part of theserural highsubsequent white-collarorskilled school seniors were below those char-employment (or marriage for girls) acteristic of the state, and many offor their children. The reasons given those who enrolled in college wereby most youths for not attending col- attending a two-year college ratherlege were lack of finances (35 per- than a four-year institution. Earlycent ), and marriage (20 percent ). marriage was characteristic of theAmong the factors which characteriz- girls who did not attend college, anded the rural boys and girls who plan- young men not in college had experi-ned to attend college were the follow- enced difficulty in obtaining full-timeing: employment in the jobs to which they 1. Superior high school grades and aspired. mental ability. 2. A perception of their families' INTRODUCTION economic situation as being above average. Decisions which rural high school 3. Strong desire to enroll in col- graduates must make concerning ad-lege and to secure professional or ditional education and training, occu-white-collar employment. pation, marriage, etc., are of concern not only to youths but to the entire 4. Awareness of college as an aid society. If youths select courses of ac-to remunerative employment tion which do not permit them to 5. Personal contacts with repres- realize fully their capacities and tal-entatives of colleges and universities. ents, not only are their own achieve- 6. Strong encouragement by par- ments thereby limited but society it-ents and teachers to attend college; in self is deprived of their potential pro- ductivity. ;John R. Christiansen, James D. Cosvhig, The importance of the problem hasand John W. Payne, Educational and Occu- pational Aspirations of High School Seniors stimulated research directed towardin Three Central Utah Counties. (Provo, better understanding of the plans andUtah: Brigham Young University Social Sci- aspirations of rural youths. A previousence Bul. 1, June, 1962.) 13 4 particular, encouragement of boys byenrolled in the four colleges were re- fathers, and girls by mothers. interviewed. Information was obtain- 7. Active participation in organiza-ed on the students' major field of tions, especially church organizationsstudy, educational costs and aspira- for boys. tions, social activities, and attitudes In many respects the conclusionstoward education. of the earlier Utah study concerning Information also was obtained from rural youths' occupational and educa-students who had enrolled in college tional plans were similar to findingsin the fall of 1960, but were not in of other research.4 To determine thecollege in the spring of 1961. These relationship between plans and actualcollege drop-outs were sent an addi- behavior, follow-up studies of thetional questionnaire which elicited in- same rural youth were conducted information concerning their occupa- 1961. Data were collected in these fol-tion, marital status, plans for the fu- low-up studies by mail questionnairesture, and attitudes toward college and and by personal interviews. education. This questionnaire was re- Questionnaires were sent to theturned by 15 of the 18 persons who homes of all the youths from Juab,were enrolled in college in October Sanpete, and Sevier counties who had1960 but not in April 1961. With the been interviewed previously. Com-exception of the fact that more girls pleted questionnaires were returned(91 percent) than boys (79 percent) from 85 percent of the 287 homes toresponded to the follow-up question- which they were mailed. These ques-naires, there were no significant dif- tionnaires provided information onferencesbetweenrespondents and the youths as of the spring of 1961. nonrespondents on measures related A second source of data for the fol-to the socioeconomic status of the low-up study was personal interviewsyouths' families or the academic stand- with boys and girls who had partici-ing of the youths in high school. pated in the initial study and were enrolled in college. These interviews College Enrollment, October were conducted in May of 1961 in the 1960 and April 1961 four colleges in which 81 percent of college students were enrolled: Snow This bulletin describes the educa- College, Brigham Young University,tional and occupational status in April Utah State University, and the Uni-1961 of rural youths who had been versity of kitah. About 95 percent ofhigh school seniors in 1959. Major all youths previously interviewed andemphasis is placed on a comparison of youths enrolled in college with 'See James D. Cowhig and Charles B.those not enrolled and limited data Nam, "Educational Status, College Plans,are presented on youths who dropped and Occupational Status of Farm and non-out of college between October 1960 farm Youths: October, 1959," Farm Popula-and April 1961. In August-September tion. U.S. Departments of Commerce and1960 exactly half of the 148 boys and Agriculture Series Census-ERS (P-27), No. 30 (Washington: Bureau of the Census,40 percent of the 139 girls interview- August, 1961). ed planned to attend college in the

5 fall. By October 1960 47 percent ofactuallyhadenrolledincollege the boys and 27 percent of the girls( Table 1).5

TABLE 1.Percent of 1959 high school seniors in three central Utah counties enrolled in college, October 1960 and April 1961, by sex. Number Percent October 1960 April 1961 Sex Total* Percent enrolled in college Both sexes 243 100 37 29 Male 117 100 47 36 Female 126 100 27 23 *Based on responses from 85 percent of all persons (79 percent ofall males and 91 percent of all females) who were high school seniors in1959.

The large majority of boys (94 per-persons enrolled in October 1960 were cent) and girls (91 percent) who re-still in college 7 months later, and col- ported plans to attend college in thelege retention rates for females (85 initial interview actually had enrolledpercent) were higher than for males in college by October 1960. A small(77 percent). proportion (4 percent) of both boys In October 1960 90 percent Jf the and girls who had not planned to at-boys and 94 percent of the girls en- tend college had enrolled. The closerolled in college were attending col- correspondence between plans and at-leges located within the state, and a tendance is due largely to the factmajority of both sexes, were enrolled that the youths were first interviewedin Snow College, a junior college lo- only shortly before the time of collegecated in Sanpete County (Table 2). enrollment. In April 1961 55 percent of the males College enrollment rates, in Apriland 66 percent of the females in col- 1961 were substantially lower than inlege were enrolled in Snow College. October 1960. About 78 percent ofFor most of these persons, their college education will be limited to two 5These percents are based on youths re-years, rather than the fullfour-year sponding to the follow-up study question-course of study. Itispossible, of naire. Even if none of the nonrespondentscourse, that some students may trans- had attended college,college enrollment rates would have been 31 percent for allfer to a four-year college or univer- youths, 37 percent for boys, and 24 percentsity. for girls. These conservative estimates of The average cost for the first year college attendance compare closely with re-of college, as estimated by the stu- sults of a national survey which showed that about a third of all rural high school grad-dent, was $685. Lower average costs uatesenrolledincollegein1960.Seeat Snow College ($572) plus the op- Charles B. Nam and James D. Cowhig.,portunity to live at home while at- "Factors Related to College Attendance oftending school probably were impor- Farm and Nonfarm High School Graduates:tant considerations in the student's 1960." Farm Population.SeriesCensus- ERS (P-27) No. 32, June 15, 1962, p. 14,selection of a college. This suggestion table 5. is consistent with the results of the

6 initial interviews which showed thaton which the studentselected a col- nearness to homeand financial ex-lege. penses werethe most important bases

high school seniors in three central Utah I TABLE 2.Percentage distribution of 1959 counties by college in whichenrolled, October 1960 and April 1961. College in which October 1960 April 1961 enrolled Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Number 89 55 34 71 42 29 Percent 100 100 100 100 100 100 Enrolled in Snow College 55 52 58 59 55 66 Brigham Young University 13 13 12 13 17 7 Utah State University 10 7 15 13 9 17 College of So. Utah 9 11 6 8 9 7 University of Utah 3 4 3 4 5 3 Other 10 13 6 3 5 =EWA.

There was a significant differenceviews and the spring of 1961. For between the sources of financial sup-boys, the most popular fields of study port for college asanticipated by theremained engineering, physical sci- student and the way in whichbe ac-ence, and education.Girls preferred tually paid for college. In theinitialbusiness and education, both prior to interviews, savings and scholarshipscollege entrance and after early col- were named asthe principal sourceslege experience. It should be noted of support for college, but the stu-that the students had only limited col- dents actually enrolled in s, lool re-lege experience and that changes in ported that financial sully' 't prommajor fields of study are probably de- their parents and the stucl ownpendent upon a longer exposure to work were the majorrzd Imes ofthe specific subject matter. funds.6 For example, abort 25 percent of the persons enrolled incollege Plans to Interrupt College Education held part-time jobs at which they av- Owing to the various needs and in- eraged 11 hours of work per week. terests, it is not uncommon for inter- Stmlent preferences as to majorruptions to occur in college careers. fields of study had not changed sig-Less than half of the boys (44 per- nificantly between the initial inter-cent), but nearly all (91 percent) of the girls planned to continue their col- 'Results of a national study conducted inlege education without interruption. October 1959 showed that about half of allOf the boys in college, 42 percent persons enrolled incollege depended onplanned to interrupt their college their parents and their own work forfinan- for the cial support in college. (James D.Cowhigcareers to serve on missions and Charles B. Nam, Ibid., p. 21,Table 4.)Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 7 Saints.'Military service and workin thestudents' opinions concerning were the principal reasons given bythe content of their high school cur- other boys for dropping out of col-ricula. Neither had any significant lege for a time. The few girls whochange occurred in the students' opin- planned to interrupt their college car-ion regarding the value of a college eers were going to work or get mar-education for them, nor in their liking ried. Although service on missions forof high school during their lastyear. their church probably would not in-All of the students in college still be- volve a.' many boys as military ser-lieved that a college education would vice, missionary service would inter-be valuable to them, and about three- rupt college careers longer because offourths ( 74 percent) of the students the relative flexibility of militaryre-in college reported that they had serve programs and deferment possi-liked high school "very well." bilities for college students. Reflections on High School Experiences Social Participation in College As a result oftheir college experience, it might be expected that Most of the Juab, Sanpete,and the students would view theirpre-Sevier County boys and girls had par- viouseducationalopportunitiesinticipated in some type of social or- highschooldifferently.This wasganization during their senior year in demonstrated in the follow-up study.high school, and almost half (45 per- For example, the students' evaluationcent) of the boys and girls in college of the amount of discipline exertedbelonged to some type of social or- by their high school teachers hadganization or club connected with the changed. Prior to entering college, 56college. A much higher percentage of percent of the boys and girls con-girls (73 percent) than boys (25 per- sidered the amount of discipline main-cent) had joined such organizations. tained by high school teachersasThe organizations most frequently "about right." After aboutone year ofjoined were religious organizations, college only 36 percent of the boysand vocational or academic organiza- and girls considered the disciplineastions such as the Engineers Club or "about right" and 64 percent of theHome Economics Club, and social studentsconsideredthedisciplinefraternities or sororities. exerted in high school by teachersas About three of every five students "not strict enough." (59 percent) were enrolled in religion There were no significant changesclasses sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at in- 7Most students planning to interrupt theirstitutes adjacent to all college cam- college careers gave 24 or 30 monthsas thepuses in Utah or, in the instance of length of time during which they would beBrigham Young University, by the out of college. These times are identicaluniversityitself. These classes are with the typical lengths of mission service in the Mormon Church, the longer timesimilar to the seminary classes which period being the usual service period forare held in conjunction with high missionaries serving in countries whereaschools in Utah andsome adjacent foreign language is spoken. states.

8 About 88 percent of the collegeentering students from the institution students had attended a church meet-or original enrollmentactually grad- ing in the four weeks preceding theuated. Thus, it appears that complet- follow-up interview. The attendanceing college is a considerable problem of girls at church meetings had notfor students. changed from the four-week average Not all freshman college students of 7.3 in the fall of 1960. The averagefrom Juab, Sanpete, and Sevier coun- monthly attendance for boys, how-ties wanted, or expected, to return to ever, had increased from 5.3 to7.0college in the fall of 1961. Of the stu- meetings. dents interviewed in the spring of Attendance at church activitiess de-1961, 77 percent wanted to return to pended on the activity involved. Oncollege in the fall; 11 percent hoped the average, college students had at-to be on missions for theirchurch; tended SundaySchool,Sacrament6 percent wanted to get a job in the Meeting or Priesthood Meeting twofall; and 6 percent wanted to get mar- times each during the four weeksried. However, 79 percent actually prior to the interview. expected to be in college in the fall; Occupational and Educational Plans and 12 percent expected to be serving on Aspirations missions for their church; and 9 per- Results of a U. S. Office of Educa-cent expected to be working on a job. tionsurve yshowed that approxi- Students' plans to attend a specific mately 11 per cent of the freshmencollege in September 1961 were very left the institution of their choicesimilar to their actual enrollment in before the second registration per-April 1961. Most students (66 period and that by the end of thecent) expected to attend Snow Col- first year 28 percent had droppedlege in the fall of 1961. Of the re- out.° Fewer than 40 percent of themaining students, 14 percent expect- 'Almost without exception the youths ap-ed to attend Utah State University, peared to be involved in Mormon Church11 percent planned to be at Brigham activities which primarily involve (1) Sun-Young University, and 9 percent ex- day SchoolA Sunday morning religious instructional program for all ages, (2) Sac-pected to enroll at the University of rament MeetingA Sunday afternoon orUtah in September 1961. evening service consisting of participation There was considerable agreement in communion or"theSacrament'and asto what they preaching, (3) Priesthood MeetingA busi-among students ness and instructional meeting forboys andwould like to be doing four years men having administrativeresponsibilities hence.Almost half(48percent) in the church, (4) YMMIA and YWMIAwanted to be working in four years; the Young Men's or Young Women's Mutual27 percent wanted to be in college; Improvement Association; a social, recrea- tional week-day organization, and (5) Re-and 25 percent (all females) wanted lief Societya women's service organiza-to be married. Most of those wanted tion. to be working in four years preferred °Robert E.Iffert,"Drop-Outs:Natureprofessional, managerial, or technical and Causes, Effects on Student Family, andpositions. Nearly half (13) of the 28 Society," Current Issues in Higher Educa- tion, 1956, National Education Association,students who wanted to be in college 1956, pp. 94-102. in four years wished to attend Utah yh StateUniversity;about one-fourthsons who hoped to be in college in (6) wished to attend Brigham Youngfour years probably would be in grad- University; and one-fourth (7) hopeduate school or making up for inter- to attend the University of Utah. Per-ruptions in their college careers.

TABLE 3.Percentage distribution: Place of residence in April 1961of persons who were high school seniors in three centralUtah counties, by sex and college enrollment status.

Place of residence, April 1961

College enrollment Status and Sex

Enrolled in college Total 71 100 31 32 6 31 Male 42 100 38 21 5 36 Female 29 100 21 48 7 24 11111* Not enrolled in college Total 172 100 28 10 35 10 17* Male 75 10 45 4 21 7 12* Female 79 100 15 15 45 13 12* *Includes two cases for which no information was obtained.

What the students actually expect-planned to attend Utah State Univer- ed to be ding in four years was notsity(38 percent), Brigham Young markedly different from what theyUniversity (30 percent), or Univer- hoped to be doing. About one-thirdsity of Utah (25 percent). A compari- (35 percent) expected to have jobs;son of what the students expected to two-fifths (39 percent) expected tobe doing with what they wanted to be in college; one-fifth (21 percent)be doing in four year showed that expected to be married; and aboutfewer expected to be on jobs or to be one in twenty (5 percent) expected tomarried than wanted to be and that be in the armed service. The majoritymore expected to be in college or in of those expecting to be on jobs inthe armed service than wanted to be. four years anticipated having pro- Residence in April 1961 fessional,managerial,ortechnical All of the youths still in college in positions. However, about one in sixApril 1961 were enrolled in a college expected to be holding clerical jobs.located within the state and were re- Nearly all of the 40 youths expectingsiding in Utah (Table 3). Although to be attending college in four yearssome of those not responding to the

10 follow-up questionnaire and in collegeschool was relatively high.1° Students may have beenenrolled in out-of-themselves gave many reasonsfor state institutions, the great majorityofleaving college, with academicdiffi- college students were attending aculties, finances, and military service Utah college. Six out of 10 college stu-most common. At the time ofleaving dents were living in their come coun-college, 60 percent of the students ty; most of these wereenrolled inwho dropped out planned to return. Snow College in Sanpete County. As the Amherst experience shows, Thus, for most college students, col-more selectiveadmission practices lege attendance meant a change inreduce academic failures.11 In that residence, but did not entail a moveschool only 65 percent of the prewar out of the county. classes graduated, but about 88 per- Among the reasons for continuedcent graduate today; only asmall pro- residence of college students withinportion of the drop-outs arecaused the state are the easy accessibility toby academic failure. colleges; the lower tuition costs for This section describes the charm.? Utah residents at schools; within theteristics of the boys and girls inthis state; and the savings to thestudentstudy who dropped out of college be- by continuing to live at home. If it isfore completing their freshman year. assumed that the experience of col-The small number of dropouts (18) lege students will resemble thatofprecludes detailed analysis. Ten of youths who did not enroll in collegethe 15 dropouts were males. The av- ( described below), then a majority oferage (mean) ageof the boys and all youths will have left their homegirls who dropped out of college dur- locality after finishing school. Theing their freshman year was18.9 expressed desires of college studentsyears. Only one ofthese youths, a girl, for white-collar jobs make it unlikelywas married. Sixof the 10 boys but only one of the 5 girls were working that many can be expected to find the ques- such jobs within the home commun-at the time they returned ity. If they are to realize their occu-tionnaires. pational aspirations, many will have "Robert E. Wert, "Study of College Stu- to seek employment inother areas. dent Retention and Withdrawal," College and University, 31, 1956, pp. 435-45, in El- win D. Farwell, Paul A. Heist, andT. R. College Dropouts McConnel,"CollegesandUniversities Student Population," Encyclopedia of Edu- cational Research, ed., Chester W. Harris A number of studies have shown(New York: Macmillan Co., 1960), pp. 295- that the characteristics of students 97. who leave college before graduating "Charles W. Cole, "A Decade of De- differ from those of students whovelopment at Amherst," School Society, 85, graduate. One study found that stu-1957, pp. 224-26, in Elwin D. Farwell, dents who completed college general-Paul A. Heist, and T. R. McConnell, "Col- legesand UniversitiesStudentPopula- ly were those whose families hadtion,"Encyclopedia ofEducational Re- higher-than-average incomes andsearch, ed. Chester W. Harris (New York: whose academic standing in highMacmillan Co., 1960) pp. 295-97.

11 1

The boys who were working wereto go to vocational schools, and one employed infarmer,laborer, andgirl planned to get married. sales jobs, whereas the one girl who was working was in a clericaljob. Personal Perceptions Of the 8 youths who were not The students' perceptions of their working, one girl was keeping house,financialstanding,mentalability, 2girlswere attendingvocational need for a college education, etc., may schools, and the remainder were do-very well influence theirbehavior ing "other" things, and were not look-concerning college. ing for work. Few of the students who dropped out of college considered themselves Reasons for Leaving College to be "above average" compared with The reasons given for leaving col-other students in their college class. lege by students from Juab, Sanpete,In their mental ability high school and Sevier counties were similar topreparation,knowledgeof college those given by students in the studylife before entering, and financial cited earlier in that lack of moneyability to pay for college, the college for school was the reason given by 7dropouts considered themselves to be of the 15 students who dropped outabout average compared with their of college. college classmates. In regard to their own motivation toattend college, Three of the boys gave service ontheir parents' estimate of the impor- a mission for their church astheirtance of college, and their families' reason for dropping out. The5 otherposition in the community, students persons,gavevariousreasonsforwho withdrew from college perceived dropping out including marriage, poorthemselves to be below average. The health, and lack of interest in col-youths' own motivation toward edu- lege. Financial problems, therefore,cational achievement, together with appear to be the most frequently giv-parentalmotivationfactors which en reason by students forleaving col-were shown to be related tocollege lege. plans in the preceding reportap- pear also to be important factors re- Plans for Fall 1961 lated to withdrawal from college. The dropouts' occupational plans for the fall of 1961, when they would Youths Not Enrolled in College, have begun their sophomore year in April 1961 college, varied a great deal. Five of the boys said they intended to be In contrast to the experience of serving on missions for their church.youths enrolled in college, over 60 Four of the boys planned to returnpercent of those not enrolled had left to college, and the remaining boytheir home county by April 1961 planned to attend a vocational school.(Table 1).Young men, more fre- Two of the five girls who droppedquently than young women, were liv- out planned to get jobs; two planneding at home or out of state. The ma-

12 jority of girls who had leftthe countymen not inschool is shown below. were residing inSalt Lake County.Labor force status of young men,April 1962 These changes in residence bythose Total 82 not in school reflect, in part,the Employed full-time 34 seek em- Manual and service workers 28 necessity for the youths to Farm workers 6 ployment outside of the local com- Employed part-time 13 munity. Thus, the fact that alarger Manual and service workers 5 proportion of females than maleshad Farm workers 8 due Military service 12 left the county may have been 3 to greater availabilityof clerical and Church mission sales jobs in the metropolitan areaofExcluding those in military service Salt Lake County than in thelocalor on a churchmission, it can be seen area. For males,farm employmentthat none of the young men were was available onthe family farm en-employed in white-collar jobsoccu- terprise; but nonfarm jobsoften hadpations to which most ofthem had to be soughtelsewhere than in theaspired in high school. In addition, local area. about a fifth were employedonly By April 1961 38 of the 81 youngpart-time, mostly in farm jobs. women (47 percent) notenrolled in Several facts stand out fromthis school were married and 15 also weredescription of the young persons not working.12 Thus, a substantial pro-enrolled in school. One is thehigh portion of the young women not en-proportion of young womenwho rolled in school had married withinmarried at a comparativelyearly less than a year of high schoolgrad-age; second isevidence that young uation when they were about19 yearsmen were notable to secure the type old. In contrast, only 10 of the62of occupation they had desired;thiml, young men (16 percent) notin schoolthat a number of the young men were had married. unable to secure full-timeemployment. In line with the experienceof All but 2 of the 38 young women the labor not in school and notmarried weremost young malts entering employed in April 1961, and 29 wereforce for the firs.. time, thesetural working full time. Most (24) wereyouths experienced difficulty inob- employed in some type of white-col-taining comparatively higher status lar job (retail sales, clerical, etc.)andwhite-collar jobs and some difficulty the remainder were in some kindofin obtaining full-timeemployment. manual or service work (machine Although many of these young men operative, waitress, etc.) will move on to other jobs, the oc- The labor force status of the youngcupations available to themwill be more limitedthan those available to compete their college "Returns from the follow-up I werepersons who received for 66 of the 75 boys 81 ofeducation, In other words, the young the 97 girls not enrolled in college in A men who were notin college began 1961. This discussion is based on their work careers at a lower position information for 62 of the 75 boys 81than will most of those who complete of the 97 girls who were not enrolled in school in April 1961. college. 13