Date of Award
9-1-1988
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Abstract
The primary purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which local employers in Mercer County, students enrolled in commerce curriculums and Commerce faculty at Mercer County Community College have similar or different perceptions of the importance of certain off ice skills and traits for entry-level job success. The secondary purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which commerce students and faculty perceive that training in specific traits is provided in commerce courses. Responses to six research questions and six null hypotheses related to the perceptions of commerce students, faculty and employers concerning essential skills and traits were made to achieve the purpose of the study. To obtain data for the descriptive statistics and to provide the context for the analysis, three field-tested survey instruments were used to reflect demographic information and perceptions of the three sample populations. Thirty-five forced-choice items and open-ended questions germane to each sample group were required of all respondents. Two four-point Likert-type scales for participants to express the intensity of opinions were used to develop survey items. Using a systematic sampling technique, a representative sample of 817 students identified as commerce majors were selected for the study. Responses from 169 (or 55 per cent) employers were usable. For purposes of the study, employers were identified and stratified by size (small, medium and large) and by type of product or service. Ten Commerce faculty members participated in the study. The major findings of the study were: (1) There are significant differences between the perceptions employers, students and faculty have of the importance of selected office skills and traits for entry-level job success. The size and nature of the organization are essential factors in determining the importance of specific office skills. (2) Employers and faculty and students and faculty are more in agreement on the importance of office skills and traits than are employers and students. Students tend to place greater importance on cognitive-type skills (accounting, problem-solving, reading and written communications), while employers place greater emphasis on motor-type skills (typewriting, word processing, and telephone usage). (3) There are significant differences between the perceptions students have concerning the importance of office skills and traits that are related to age, gender, program of study and work experience. (4) There are significant differences between the perceptions students and faculty have concerning the extent to which instruction in work-related and personal traits is given in commerce courses. Faculty invariably agree that instruction is sufficient; conversely, students contend that instruction is unsatisfactory. (5) Regardless of size or type of firm, employers do not consider the acquisition of an associate degree a necessity for entry-level occupations. Although the degree is preferred, no significant results were obtained. The major recommendations for the study are: (1) Commerce faculty should make every effort to cultivate and develop skills and traits that employers desire most. (2) A continuous dialogue between faculty and employers should exist in order that realistic office expectations and job requirements are relevant to the teaching/ learning process. (3) Mercer County Community College should make every effort to promote the significance of the associate degree to business, industry, government and other agencies. (4) Where disparities exist between student and faculty perceptions of the extent to which instruction in work and personal traits is provided in commerce courses, faculty should define and/or clarify these areas through specific learning activities. (5) Commerce faculty should evaluate academic programs to reflect present and projected employment needs in Mercer County and examine possible reasons for differences reported among the three groups.