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Assessing
Vocational Eclucation
Research and
Development
COMMITTEE ON VOCATIONAL EDUCA'i ION
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Assembly of Behavioral and Social Sciences
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Washington, D.C. 1976
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the Councils of
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Insti-
tute of Medicine. The members of the Committee responsible for the report were chosen
for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to proce-
dures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medi-
cine.
International Standard Book Number 0-309-02526-5
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 76461-96
Available from
Printing and Publishing Once
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20418
Printed in the United States of America
80 79 78 77 76 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
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COMMITTEE ON VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
RUPERT N. EVANS (ChairmanJ, Professor of Vocational and Technical
Education, University of Illinois
CLAUDE BROWN, Director of Research and Education,
Teamsters Local Union No. 688, St. Louis, Missouri
GLORIA S. COOPER, (formerly Director, Research Coordinating Unit,
New Hampshire State Department of Education), Project Director,
The Ohio State University, The Center for Vocational Education
JOHN R. G~MPLE, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
for Administrative Services, Texas Education Agency
MARY ALLEN JOLLEY, Director of Public ~fairs,
American Home Economics Association, Washington, D.C.
JOHN D. KRUMBOLTZ, Professor of Education and Psychology,
School of Education, Stanford University
DUANE R. LUND, Superintendent of Schools, Staples, Minnesota
PAMELA A. ROBY, Director, The Extended University and Chairperson of
Community Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, California
DAVID STERN, Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University
GORDON I. SWANSON, Professor, Vocational Education,
University of Minnesota
ROBERT E. TAYLOR, Director, The Center for Vocational Education,
The Ohio State University
iii
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Preface
Almost all public policy decisions in fact, almost all decisions-must
be made on the basis of incomplete information. In the past decade,
federal policy makers working in education who have tried to base deci-
sions on program evaluations have been hindered by the insufficient
quality and quantity of information. Since many of the programs being
evaluated are planned and carried out by local school districts with only
minimal supervision by state and federal officials, the evaluator needs,
but seldom can secure, data from almost every school district in the
nation. The evaluation of vocational education research and develop-
ment (R&D) has similar problems. Vocational education R&D is conduct-
ed in literally hundreds of different places: in all states, in many large
school districts, and at most major universities. Its evaluation is further
complicated by the need to assess the utility of each of the R&D products
in a setting appropriate for its intended use. Complete data to allow such
an evaluation are not and probably never will be available. The Commit-
tee on Vocational Education Research and Development was concerned
with these problems of evaluation as it sought to recommend changes for
the future.
The Committee was formed in 1974 to perform two major tasks for the
U.S. Office of Education: to review and assess the research and develop-
ment activities sponsored by the Office of Education under the authority
of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 as amended in 1968; and to
recommend changes in R&D policies and programs for the coming de-
cade. The Committee, which directed the writing of this report, was com
v
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V1
Preface
posed of professionals from diverse parts of the vocational education
community universities, R&D institutions, national organizations, and
state and local education agencies- as well as behavioral and social sci-
entists and a labor union official.
Although we were asked to study only the R&D component of voca-
tional education, we would have liked to review vocational education as
a whole. How, after all, can one evaluate applied R&D in terms of im-
proving programs without considering the goals of the programs it is
designed to serve? The objectives of some programs are clearly defined,
but their appropriateness has not been thoroughly investigated: some
programs emphasize meeting the needs of employers, while others stress
the sometimes antagonistic goal of increasing students' employment op-
tions. Most programs are designed to increase student adaptability to the
existing world of work, but an increasing number attempt to provide
students with skills and attitudes that can change the work place. After
much soul-searching and after rereading our terms of reference, we de-
cided to call for research on program objectives and for the convening of
a panel of consultants similar to the panels that brought about major
changes in vocational education in 1963 and 1968. Research on objec-
tives should include the development of clear definitions, an examination
of the suitability of objectives, and suggestions as to how to evaluate the
success of programs in meeting their stated objectives.
The Committee and its staff gathered information from a wide variety
of sources: we read many reports and talked to people involved in voca-
tional education and its R&D, other education, business, and labor. This
widespread search yielded disappointing results: many people believe
that vocational education R&D has been beneficial, but there have been
few efforts to measure its impact objectively. Although we had difficulty
arriving at conclusions regarding the impact of R&D, it was relatively easy
for us to reach conclusions about the administration of the R&D program.
The need for important changes in the management and structure of the
program was agreed upon unanimously and we were able to recommend
strategies for change. However, we were not able to recommend a solu-
tion for every important problem.
The Committee wanted to include in this report a recommendation on
the coordination of various federal R&D programs of relevance to voca-
tional education, but we were unable to find a satisfactory solution to the
widespread problem of lack of coordination. We believe that the work of
three particular programs should be coordinated: the vocational educa-
tion R&D program in the Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education of
the U.S. Office of Education, the education and work program at the
National Institute of Education, and the manpower R&D program in the
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Preface
. .
V11
Department of Labor. The Committee on the Department of Labor
Manpower R&D of the National Research Council recommended the
formation of a National Center for Manpower Study, and a similar sug-
gestion for a National Institute of Vocational Education has been pro-
posed to Congress. Neither of these suggestions proposes the necessary
linkages with the substantial R&D programs on technical education being
conducted by the armed forces, the Agency for International Develop-
ment, the Department of Agriculture, and many other public and private
agencies. Although the Committee agreed that the directors of relevant
R&D programs should share findings and products to minimize unneces-
sary duplication of effort, we were not able to agree on a mechanism for
accomplishing the needed coordination in planning.
Perhaps the Committee's greatest difficulties came in assigning relative
priorities to different research topics. So much needs to be done. Only
the area of counseling and guidance has received sustained support for
the past ten years, and even in this area all agree on the vast amount of
work still to be accomplished. It is inevitable that a group as diverse as
this Committee will not agree on every point. Most of our disagreements,
however, were on matters of emphasis. For example, some Committee
members, emphasizing the enormous gaps that remain in the education
of minorities and women, would have recommended extensive additional
work; others, emphasizing the progress that has been made, would have
stressed the need to work on other topics. While we agreed to disagree on
research priorities, we had no difficulty at all in decrying the past prac-
tice of emphasizing an area of research for a year and then ignoring it for
two or three years.
Despite our differences, we have agreed that this report can lead to
improvement in vocational education R&D an important means to the
end of offering improved vocational education services to individuals
and society.
RUPERT N. EVANS, Chairman
Committee on Vocational Education Research and Development
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Acknowledgments
The Committee wishes to acknowledge the valuable assistance of the
staff provided by the National Academy of Sciences; without their help,
the report could not have been completed. In the early months of the
project, Monica K. Sinding, Associate Executive Secretary, performed
the critical tasks of organizing the Committee's work and beginning to
gather information. Unfortunately, she left midway in the project, but
two able social scientists, Susan W. Sheen, Research Associate, and
Deborah R. Malone, Research Assistant, quickly acquired a working
knowledge of vocational education and of the work done previously by
the Committee. They both made major contributions to the data analysis
and to the writing; Dr. Sherman was also responsible for planning and
structuring this report. Barbara L. Arenson handled the administrative
details of the project accurately and efficiently. Melvin L. Barlow, con-
sultant to the Committee and staff, served as a valuable resource, draw-
ing on his extensive professional experience as a vocational educator and
historian. Throughout the course of the project, Sherman Ross served as
Executive Secretary.
David A. Goslin, Executive Director, and Lester P. Silverman, Associ-
ate Executive Director of the Assembly of Behavioral and Social Sci-
ences, helped to guide and motivate the Committee and staff, especially
when they faced difficulties in writing the report. This report has benefit-
ed from the work of the Assembly editors, Eugenia Grohman and Chris-
tine Lintz McShane. Ms. Grohman worked closely with the Committee
and staff to revise the report at critical points in its development.
1X
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x
Acknowledgments
The Committee wishes to thank the staff at the U.S. Office of Educa-
tion who provided much information essential to this report. Finally, we
acknowledge the contributions of the many people interviewed during
the project and those who wrote papers for us. The names of these people
are listed in Appendix B.
