AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INVOLVEMENT OF NATIONAL INTEREST GROUPS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION LEGISLATION AND THE IMPACT THEIR PRINCIPAL ISSUES OF ADVOCACY HAS HAD ON SELECTED VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACTS, 1917 - 1967 (FEDERAL, POLITICAL INFLUENCES, HISTORY)

Statement of Problem. The problem of this study was to determine and compare the principal issues of advocacy for vocational education fostered by national interest groups with respect to six selected Vocational Education Acts enacted during the period 1917 to 1967.;Source of Data and Method Used. The sources of material consisted largely of the publications of the Federal Government, the publications of the four selected national interest groups or their predecessors, and the writings of certain outstanding leaders and opponents of the vocational education movement. The data were classified in chronological order to show the involvement of the selected national interest groups with respect to the six selected Vocational Education Acts enacted during the period 1917 to 1967. Tentative conclusions were determined from the data and submitted to a panel of jurors for validation.;Summary. This study focused on the involvement of national interest groups in the process leading to the enactment of federal legislation from 1917 to 1967, and particularly on the six selected vocational enacted during this period. From the thirty-one national interest groups identified in the review of the literature four national interest groups, and their predecessors, were selected based on the following criteria: (1) Each supported a position on the issues addressed in vocational education legislation prior to 1917 and continued their involvement during the period of this study; (2) Each had a national impact on the process leading to the enactment of six selected Vocational Education Acts addressed in this study through their generation of public support for vocational education and their involvement in the administration of the Acts.;Conclusions. The four selected national interest groups, or their predecessors: (1) Actively promoted public support and interest for vocational education by their national commitment to vocational education legislation prior to 1917, and their continued involvement to generate public support for vocational education from 1917 to 1967; (2) Advocated issues that were considered in the proposed vocational education legislation or included in the selected acts addressed in this study; (3) Had a measurable impact on the process leading to the enactment of federal legislation which influenced the passage of the six selected Vocational Education Acts addressed in this study.