Most popular of all are those of machinist and civil engineer, each with 27 followers. The work of the electrician comes next with 26. Fifteen aspire to be engineers, eighteen to be draftsmen, thirteen electrical engineers, fifteen lawyers, four doctors, seven chemists, three architects, four farmers, and so on. Of those occupations more or less definitely distinguished as professional, 34 boys made choices along some six different lines.

Of the girls, 83%, or 345 in all, expressed a choice. It is interesting to note that a considerably larger proportion of the girls took the occasion to express a preference than of the boys. Their choices represent some 65 different callings. Of these stenography is far and away in the lead, with 83 preferences. The work of a private secretary seems to appeal strongly to 25 girls. Not less than 27 girls are satisfied to put down as their first choice the work of teaching in general, while 47 others expressed a preference for particular lines of teaching, making in all 74 prospective candidates for this supposedly unattractive profession. It is worth noting that not a single boy expressed so much as an inclination toward this line. Nursing appeals to 21 of the girls, office work to 19, millinery to eight, dressmaking to eight, and housework to but five. Considerably over half of the girls chose some kind of office or clerical occupation for which the preparation is presumably brief and usually of the nature of the short commercial course.

Perhaps the most interesting result of this questionnaire is found in the obvious absence of any connection between family occupations and the choice of the child. As many as fourteen occupations are chosen by the boys which are not even in the list. of 323. In but nine cases does a boy select his father's work for his own. Three boys choose their brother's, one girl her father's, one girl her brother's, and two girls their sister's occupations. Seven instances were found where a brother's work was apparently the same as the father's. So far as this investigation goes it shows that only one child in forty chooses the same calling as some other member of the family, and only one in eighty the same calling as the father.

In answering the question as to what was known about the father's work, 299 replied in effect that they knew practically nothing about it. 101 admitted some knowledge. The rest either gave equivocal answers or told something about his work which in most cases merely indicated how little they really knew. It seems safe to assume that half the children are totally unacquainted with the nature of the occupations by which their parents support them, and that barely one in four has any accurate knowledge of father's work or any notion of the relative importance or significance of that work other than is expressed in the size of the pay check.

Surely were any demonstration needed of the fluid character of the industrial organization as to personnel, such studies as this would amply suffice. In fact, the word fluid carries altogether too much implication of permanence and stability to be satisfactorily used in describing our social and industrial organization as at present constituted. It would seem to be a fair assumption that not only should family accupations be entirely disregarded in estimating educational needs along industrial lines, but local environment and so-called community needs should also be strictly subordinated to a study of individual variations among the chil-' dren themselves.

Moreover, this study would indicate that it is likely to be extremely dangerous to base either industrial training or vocational guidance upon other than a very wide survey of the industries and callings that are open to men and women everywhere. It is apparent that as boys and girls leave this school they are confronted with an almost innumerable variety of possible occupations. The problem seems to be to reduce the number of haphazard choices and resulting misfits. So far as can be seen at present, the home offers little, if any, help in the solution of this problem.

In answering the fifth question, as to how long they expected to continue in school, 68 boys said until the age of 15, and 61 girls until the age of 16. This, of course, represents those who will leave at the earliest period allowed by law. In practically all

cases this will mean no schooling beyond the junior high. Fifty boys and seventy-eight girls declared their intention to quit at the end of the ninth grade. This probably includes many children who would not have attempted the ninth grade had it been in a senior

high school, but who take a natural pride in completing the course 32

in the junior high school.

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The senior high school may expect 271 boys and 274 girls. Of this number, 119 boys and 91 girls expect to go on to college. Of the 545 pupils who intend to go to the senior high 80 (11 boys and 69 girls) choose the commercial high; 184 (77 boys and 107 girls) the academic high; and 254 (170 boys and 84 girls) the technical high school. The rest are undecided as yet which school they will select.

Very nearly a third of the children reporting (257 out of 805), so far at least as they themselves know, will be either unwilling or unable to go on to the senior high. The private business school may expect 131 students from this one junior high school, 36 boys and 95 girls! And this in spite of the fact that we have in this city well-equipped free public commercial high schools. large proportion of these boys and girls intend to complete an academic or technical high school course and attend the business college later.

A

Naturally we were curious to know what, if any, effect the presence of industrial work in school has on the choice of occupation, especially of the boy. Our course has hitherto included for boys, woodwork, mechanical drawing, sheet metal work, and printing. Only one boy chose printing as a vocation, and in his case apparently because his father was a printer rather than by reason of the presence of printing in the school course. Only one boy chose sheet metal work, while ten boys chose lines clearly involving woodworking skill. Mechanical drawing seems to have been the only industrial subject to have had any special vocational appeal, for not less than 23 boys selected a vocation in which knowledge and skill along this line is indispensable.

On the other hand, while among brothers and fathers there were found but 19 electrical workers, no less than 43 boys chose for

271

121

413 274

139

themselves some kind of work connected with electricity. Including mechanics, machinists, and others, there were 54 boys who wish to devote themselves to mechanical work of some nature.

While it is true that our printing and sheet metal shops are not designed primarily to turn out printers and tinsmiths, certainly the justification for their presence in the school is to be found to some extent at least in their power to give a sort of prevocational background and to furnish a to furnish a field of vocational exploration, where the type of experience secured will serve as a valuable guide in choosing a future vocation. There may be some danger of overemphasizing certain activities with young children such as these. In this day of extreme specialization in industry it is becoming increasingly difficult to select specific forms of industrial training which will serve as satisfactory types. The general need in the junior high school, so far at least as the vocational purpose is concerned, would seem to be for as great a variety of significant industrial processes as possible, and especially for those along the line of the natural interests.

In view of these facts, some of them startling enough to those who have never taken the trouble to gather such information, what becomes the duty of this particular school?

The immediate and specific needs seem to be about as follows: (1) The addition to the industrial course for boys of some work along electrical lines and also of some work on machines. A general automobile repair shop would furnish possibilities along both lines and would also give a chance at the gas engine, a peculiarly important and significant element of our common life.

(2) The extension of opportunities along typewriting and other commercial lines, especially for girls.

(3) The development of vocational guidance, especially for the present, along informational lines, into a position of importance in the curriculum of every boy and girl.

(4) The provision for a different type as well as material of instruction for those destined to leave school before entering senior high. This might well be along the lines already indicated by various people under the title of prevocational education.

In order to develop a distinct type of training for those who finish school early it will be necessary to make a further differentiation of courses. In fact, if such an issue arose, it would appear to be of far more importance to have such a differentiation made than to continue those at present in force in the ninth grade, as between the candidates for the different types of senior high schools. Opportunity for such a differentiation should be offered at least a year before leaving school. During this year prevocational English and arithmetic, social and civic control, shop and office ethics, and vocational guidance should receive attention.

During the last year we have had, for the first time, some definite instruction along vocational lines. This work has been confined to one grade, 8-A, and has been largely vocational exploration. The attempt has been to widen the vocational horizon, to gather together a considerable body of information about the opportunities, possibilities and demands of the various occupations that appeal most to our boys and girls. This is only the barest beginnings of a study that should soon become of the most central importance and interest.

Of this vocational analysis, if it may be so styled, the most significant part is that it sets forth clearly the equipment which any individual must bring to any particular industry or occupation in order to succeed. This vocational analysis must be followed by some form of self-analysis which, in a wholesome way, will be calculated to make a reasonable conjunction between the individual's abilities and likes and occupational demands. So far, our modest efforts in this direction have not had time to exercise any great influence on the attitudes or choices of the pupils as a whole. Indeed, it is extremely doubtful that the school ever should attempt directly to influence the selection of a vocation. The service which the school seems called upon to render is rather by way of preparation for this choice, which all our information goes to show is left practically, as things now stand, to the child's own totally inadequate and unguided notion. The choice of a vocation has been a whim. It is the business of the school to make it a judgment.