Abstract
While most people are apt to think of occupationsas an expedient to get money and to enjoy leisure time, some are trying to find enjoyment on living by plunging into their present occupation. However, both of them lack the challenging attitude against their social situations, so both are conceived as characteristic views of occupation in mass society. The purpose of this study is to investigate the view of occupation of 9th graders in a junior high school by the questionnaire.
The results are as follows:
1) Pupils say they are not going to choose the occupations which seem easy to get much money, high social status and security. They choose the occupations which they think they will like and which are suitable for them.
2) When they are required to rank the 12 different occupations according to 8 criteria, the rank correlations reveal that their favorites are occupations which are easy to get much money, high social status and smartness, but which do not necessarily contribute to social and public welfare.
3) The pupils were classified into three groups according to social status; upper, middle and lower, mainly by their parents' occupations. Then class differences were examined. The levels of educational and occupational aspirations of the pupils correlate with the present status of the pupils. The future images of occupational life also show marked class differences.
4) The evaluations of the occupation that the pupils chose show no class difference. This can be interpreted that those who belong to the upper class evaluate their occupations not so high but “average” from their own frames of reference and those who belong to the lower class evaluate th eirs “average” from the frame of reference of the lower.
5) From some case studies, the pupils were classified into four types according to their attitudes toward the occupations and social situations; trying to adapt themselves rather voluntarily to their situations, to accept passively their situations, to challenge against their situations and hesitating which way they should take.
These results suggested that pupils consider only the personal function of the occupation, neglecting its social function. They are not trying to reform their social situations through their occupation.
Based on these results, the philosophy of vocational guidance presented in Gakushu-shido-yoryo (course of study published by the Ministry of Education) was severely criticized in detail.
