Table Of ContentA COOPERATIVE 
WORK-STUDY PLAN FOR A JUNIOR COLLEGE
A Project 
Presented to 
the Faculty of  the School of Education 
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment 
of the Requirements for the Degree 
Master of Education
by
Collis Porter Thompson 
August 1950
UMI Number:  EP46614
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'S (  TVS* 9
This project report, written under the 
cirection of the candidate's adviser and 
approved by him, has been presented to 
and accepted by the Faculty of the School 
of Education in partial fulfillment of 
the requirements for the degree of Master 
of Education*
Adviser
Dean
TABLE OP CONTENTS
PART I.  INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER  PAGE
I.  INTRODUCTION  .......................................   1
Statement of the problem    .........   1
Definition of Cooperative Education  .........   1
Delimitation of the project  ...................  1
Importance  of the problem  .  .    ..............  2
The need for Cooperative Education......  2
Brief history of Cooperative Education  . . .   5
The objectives of Cooperative Education  .  .  7
Method of procedure and source materials  . . .   9
Organization of the project    ............  10
II.  CRITIQUE OP THE LITERATURE...................   12
Introduction.............       12
An overview of the Nineteen Selected Studies  .  15
The  issues r a i s e d ..........................   19
Evaluation of the caliber of  the research  .  .  30
The  Smith s t u d y .............................  35
The need for additional research..........   47
S u m m a r y ..................         49
iii
PART II.  THE PLAN
CHAPTER  PAGE
III.  ORGANIZING AND ADMINISTERING THE COOPERATIVE
WORK-STUDY P L A N ...........       52
Frame of ref erence............................  52
Organizing the plan  .  . .......................   54
IntroductIon--surveying community needs  .  .  54
Securing approval from constituted
authority...................................  54
General meetings    ..........................  54
Advisory committees  ..........................  55
Summary  ......................................  56
Administering the p l a n .......................   57
Introduction  ................................   57
Providing proper personnel and physical
equipment and facilities  ................   57
Contacting employers  . . . .   ..............  58
Organizing the College  into the quarter
system    ............................  58
Selecting'the s t u d e n t s .....................  59
Placing the students    .....................  63
Alternating the s t u d e n t s ...........     64
Rules  governing work p e r i o d s ..............  64
Memo of agreement............................  66
I
iv
CHAPTER  PAGE
Supervising and following-up students  . . . .   67
Credit and graduation requirements  .........   67
.Summary..........       67
IV.  COORDINATING THE SCHOOL AND WORK EXPERIENCE  . . .   69
Frame of reference    .......................   69
Need for coordination............................  71
Reasons for clear understanding of need
for co-ordination  ..........................  71
Scope of co-ordination.................... .  .  71
Objective of co-ordination      . . . .   72
The work of the coordinator  ..................   73
Techniques  to be utilized in coordinating
school and work experiences.................  .  75
Introduction  ...................................  75
Sequential,  graded job experiences  .........   75
Reports by students    .........................     77
Coordination c l a s s ......................... .  .  80
Periodic reports from employers  ..............  81
Personal interviews with students  . . . . . .   85
Visits  to students  on the  job  ,    .........   85
Summary  .............         .  .  86
CHAPTER  PAGE
V.  EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COOPERATIVE
W O R K .................................. ’ ............   87
Frame of reference  .  . ...............       87
Counseling and guiding the students  . . . . .   89
Introduction    ............................  89
Findings  of the Dillon study re guidance  .  .  90
Self Rating Scales for students  ............  93
Follow-up studies  of graduates  . . . . . .   94
S u m m a r y ..................... ...................   95
PART III.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
VI.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS  . -..............   97
BIBLIOGRAPHY  ..........................................  101
v i
LIST OP FORMS
FORM  DESCRIPTION  PAGE
1.  Application blank  ..................................   61
2.  Card of  introduction................................   65
3.  Memorandum of agreement  . . .   ..........  . . . . .   66
4.  Student work r e p o r t ................................   79
5.  Employer rating s c a l e ........................... .  .  83
PART I.  INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
It was the purpose of  this project to prepare a 
cooperative work-study plan for a  junior college.
Definition of Cooperative Education
See  complete discussion of various definitions found
In the  literature in part IV A of  chapter II of this project.
The most adequate definition was found In the Smith
study  (71:4)  as follows:
"By cooperative education is meant that type of 
curriculum which is based upon alternation between 
regularly scheduled instructional periods in school 
and supervised periods of employment In business or 
industry,  with definite provision for treating work 
experiences as an Integral part of  the  total education 
•of the student."
Delimitation of the Project
It was necessary to delimit the present project to 
the  junior college  level of education.  The review of the 
literature however,  contains studies and materials from the 
high school level and above  the high school level.  Any 
studies  or materials deemed of value  in setting up a 
cooperative work-study plan for Los Angeles City College 
were utilized.