THE IMPACT OF ORIENTATION TO ENTRY LEVEL COAL MINING OCCUPATIONS UPON THE SELF CONCEPT OF WOMEN SEEKING TRAINING FOR ENTRY LEVEL COAL MINING OCCUPATIONS.

摘要

Purpose of the Study. Women are entering the paid workforce in unprecedented numbers. Because of past stereotypic roles, however, they continue to be clustered in typical "female" jobs. Women have been, and continue to be, underutilized in the skilled trades. Equal opportunity legislation and recent court cases have resulted in affirmative action to eliminate sex discrimination. Consequently, doors have been opened to the skilled trades for women, particularly in the coal mining industry. In spite of this movement, however, women who are seeking job opportunities in the coal mining industry find they lack the skills, knowledges and self-confidence required to take advantage of these high-paying jobs.;Procedures. The sample was drawn from a population of adult women residing in ten counties of Western Kentucky. The subjects for this research were 40 women who applied, and who met the screening criteria for the orientation to entry level coal mining occupations training. The first 20 women who met the screening criteria were labeled Group I and the second 20 women who met the screening criteria were labeled Group II. The treatment was randomly assigned to Group I, which comprised the Experimental Group. Group II was then labeled the Control Group. Three participants withdrew before the training began and were dropped from the study. One subject withdrew from the Experimental Group and two subjects withdrew from the Control Group.;The Experimental Group met for five, three-hour sessions for a total of fifteen hours of orientation to entry level coal mining training. Six phases of orientation training were incorporated into the 15-hour program.;The data used in this study were obtained from the Tennessee Self Concept Scale pretest and posttest score sheets of the Experimental and Control Groups. This study investigated the self-concept of adult women who participated in the orientation to entry-level coal mining occupations training program. One major research question and four subquestions were addressed. The scores that provided answers to the research questions were analyzed by the various inferential and descriptive components of the computer program of the Statistical Analysis System.;As women seek to enter nontraditional occupations, there is a need to understand and investigate experiences that have a positive effect upon their self-concept. The underlying assumption of this study was that the self-concept of women seeking nontraditional occupations could be enhanced through positive learning experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between an orientation to entry level coal mining occupations training program, and the development of positive attitudes toward one's self.;Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations. Statistical analysis of the scores pertaining to the major research question and the four subquestions did not reveal a significant difference between the scores of the Experimental and Control Groups. Explanations for the Experimental Group's scores not being significantly different from the Control Group's scores at the conclusion of the training program might be attributed to the following factors: (1) the 15-hour training program was not long enough to adequately cover the subject matter, and (2) the content of the training program (the realistic and candid exposure to work involved in the coal mines) might have produced a negative effect upon the participants.;Recommendations based upon the findings of the study are: (1) the orientation training should be conducted in a genuine or simulated coal mine, (2) the content of the training program should be administered over a longer period of time, and (3) the content of the training program should be updated frequently in order to apprise beginning employees to new federal regulations and new technology that affect the coal mining industry.