A FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF THE GRADUATES OF A MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCES

Follow-up studies of graduates of teacher education programs are an important aspect of program evaluation, yet they are rarely done and even more rarely reported in the literature. This study demonstrated the feasibility and value of long term follow-up studies. The primary purpose was to describe the careers of the graduates of a Master's degree program in special education and to examine those careers in the light of the characteristics of the graduates at matriculation. The study also explored some effects of the nine-month intensive internship on the interns' personalities, attitudes towards teaching, and self-perceptions of skills. A very high response rate (87%) to the questionaire was achieved. Immediately after graduation, about 75% of the graduates worked in one of the three teacher roles for which the program had prepared them. About 12% assumed leadership positions in education, and a few went on for further schooling or found other jobs in education. Only 6% dropped out of the field immediately. By five years after graduation, approximately equal numbers were teachers (29%), educational leaders (24%), and dropouts from the fields of education and mental health (29%). Another 10% were working in related mental health fields. Furthermore, 24% were enrolled in or had completed doctoral programs in education by the time of the study, and another 10% were involved in other advanced degree programs. The second part of the study described the characteristics of the interns at matriculation. Both sexes and both blacks and whites were well represented in the program. The majority of interns were in their twenties and had had at least one year of work experience with children. Only one-third had majored in education. The personality results on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) indicated that, as a group, the interns were extraverted and self-confident, were critical of traditional social values, and were highly motivated to achieve in unconventional ways. Compared to a group of regular teachers on the Teacher Practices Questionaire (TPQ), they saw the Counselor role as more appropriate and the Disciplinarian role as less appropriate. The personality and attitude results were interpreted as related to the program's psychoeducational orientation and the overall social climate of the 1960's and 1970's. Nonparametric tests were used to determine whether there were differences by sex and race in the matriculation and follow-up variables. Blacks had a significantly lower grade point average, but despite this fact, almost equal proportions of blacks and whites pursued advanced degrees. Significantly fewer women than men pursued advanced degrees. Blacks, as compared to whites, scored significantly lower on the Tolerance scale of the CPI and rated the Disciplinarian role on the TPQ as more appropriate. Several additional differences were found and discussed. The third part of the study used discriminant analysis to predict career outcomes on the basis of characteristics at matriculation. Statistically significant equations were found to predict whether graduates were in special education, whether they were in urban education, whether they had pursued doctoral degrees in education, and whether they were working in leadership positions. The final section of the study tested for changes in personality, attitudes, and self-ratings of skill during the internship. The largest changes were in self-ratings. Attitudes changed in the direction of seeing the Counselor and Motivator roles as more appropriate. No personality changes were found.