Differential Need Patterns of Women Elementary and Secondary Level Student Teachers

Abstract

VOCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS agree that I need structure is an important determinant of vo cational choice. This point of view is expressed by Super (1957), Roe (1956), Hoppock(1957), and oth ers. Hoppock states that the occupation which one chooses is the one which he believes will best meet the needs that most concern him. Needs may be either intellectually perceived or may beonly vaguely felt attractions. In either case they tend to influence occupational choice. Several recent studies have attempted to deter mine the need patterns of elementary and secondary teachers by means of the Edwards Personal Pref erence Schedule (1952). This instrument is a 225 item forced-choice inventory w h i c h purports to measure fiften of Murray's (1938) manifest needs. Jackson and Guba (1957) administered the Ed wards Personal Preference Schedule to 196 female elementary teachers and fifty-two female secondary teachers in public schools of the Chicago suburban area. They found that the elementary teachers scored significantly higher than the norm group on deference, order and endurance and significantly lower on exhibition, autonomy, dominance and het erosexuality. Female secondary school teachers scored significantly higher than the norm group on deference, order and achievement and significantly lower on exhibition, dominance, change and heter osexuality. Tobin (1956), who administered t h e E d w a r d s Personal Preference Schedule to thirty-seven fe male elementary and secondary teachers in the Puget Sound area of Washington state, reports that teachers scored significantly higher than the norm group on deference, order and endurance, and sigI nificantly lower on dominance, heterosexuality and aggression. In a study of 100 physical education t e a chers Thorpe (1958), found that her group scored signifi cantly higher than the norm group on deference, order, exhibition, dominance and endurance, and significantly lower on autonomy, ab?sement, change and heterosexuality. All of the investigators cited have found that in service teachers score significantly higher than the norm group on deference, order and endurance and significantly lower on heterosexuality. With the exception of the physical education teachers, inservice teachers were also found to score signif icantly lower than the norm group on dominance. Only two studies have investigated the need pat terns of women students preparing for the teaching profession. In neither study were need scores of students preparing for elementary teaching com pared with those of students preparing to teach at the secondary level. Tobin's (1956) sample in cluded students preparing for teaching at both lev els. Presumably most of the students in Thorpe's (1958) sample were preparing to teach at the sec ondary level. Tobin (1956) found that the eighty students in his sample scored significantly higher than the norm group on deference, order and endurance and sig nificantly lower on dominance, heterosexuality and aggression. This was the same pattern which To bin found for his inservice sample. Thorpe (1958) found that the 100 students in her sample scored significantly higher than the norm group on endurance and significantly lower on au tonomy, succorance and aggression.