A study of the 1960-1964 business education graduates of Byron, Illinois High School with implications for improving the business curriculum

Includes bibliographical references.It is the aim of the Business Department at Byron High School to include courses in its curriculum that will provide the students with sufficient knowledges and skills so that, upon graduation, they may obtain employment, and either maintain their positions or advance in them. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the business curriculum adequately meets the needs of employees in initial employment. The adequateness of, or deficiencies in, the curriculum were concluded from the results of a questionnaire sent to 111 of the 1960-1964 business graduates. A total of 85 questionnaires was received, representing a 76.6 per cent response. The data obtained from the questionnaires was organized and recorded in tables. The resulting tables wore analyzed. Findings of greatest importance follows: 1. More graduates are employed in non-office (64.7%) than in office (35.3%) positions. 2. The most frequently assigned positions of the beginning office worker are those of typist, file clerk, and machine operator. 3. The office machine most frequently used (other than typewriter) is the adding machine. 4. Major duties of beginning office workers are typing, bookkeeping, filing, receptionist. 5. High school courses most helpful to the graduates’ occupations were office practice, typewriting, shorthand, bookkeeping, and general business. 6. Moat useful courses outside the business curriculum were English and mathematics. 7. More graduates were turned down on a job because of lack of shorthand skill than for any other reason. 8. The only office machines on which high school training was adequate were manual and electric typewriters. 9. Typing and filing were the most useful segments of the office practice course. 10. There is a need for training on office machines. 11. More time should be devoted to shorthand. Conclusions were that the business curriculum compares favorably with those recommended for small high schools by authorities in the field of business education. The business curriculum does adequately meet the needs of its graduates in initial employment with the exceptions of training on office machines and additional training in shorthand.M.S. (Master of Science