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The conceptual framework in social mobility studies in terms of the theoretical and methodological orientation of the social mobility paradigm and its ideological connotations are discussed in the introduction of this paper. Other topics discussed in this section include the following: the inconsistency of the theoretical orientation, a theoretical reorientation of social mobility research, and the liberal-functionalist theoretical model and social mobility studies in Spain. A section on the contemporary Spanish society addresses some of the major contemporary changes in Spanish society and, more exactly, how some of these changes are understood and documented by existing mobility studies. The study of the overall changes in Spanish society and the expansion of formal education is found to be a challenge to the researcher. In the rest of the paper, attention is given to two main problems. First, the extent to which the Spaniards are profitting differentially from these educational benefits is explored. This is, by itself, a complex and many-sided question, and the research is limited to the influence of social origins on the educational attainments of student. Second, in relation to the consequences of educational changes, the effects of schooling on the occupational and economic status of the individual are estimated. (Atuhor/AM)

Social mobility is generally studied in three different ways: stratum mobility, intergenerational social mobility, and intragenerational or career mobility. This paper deals with the first two types of mobility and more with intergenerational mobility than with stratum mobility. The working hypothesis of both discussions is that, in general, a decline in inequalities has not occurred despite economic growth and the expansion of education. The question of inequality is at the forefront of this paper's analysis of intergenerational occupational outflow data, and the original hypothesis--that manual sons have not improved their mobility opportunities relative to those of nonmanual sons to maintain or improve theirs--is not sustained. In some countries examined the hypothesis seems true; in others, it is not. Explanations to account for why it goes one way in one nation and another way in a different country are needed. Labor markets (internal and external) are largely ignored in the study of the causes and patterns of intergenerational occupational mobility. The connections between schooling, social structure (e.g., ethnicity), and mobility should be key elements in research and in public policy formation. It is suggested that all results of this study must be taken with great caution and recognition that more and better understood data may overturn these findings. (Author/AM)

The effects of both vertical and nonvertical dimensions of fathers' work on family relations and vocational socialization are explored through a multivariate analysis of data collected from several hundred male student participants enrolled in a Michigan College from 1962-1967. Social class and occupationally-related differences in family characteristics are the subject of the first part of the analysis; differences by occupation, in the impacts of family relationships on the vocational socialization process constitute the second focus of the paper. Findings suggest that there are occupationally-related variations in the character of father-son relations and in the vocational socialization process. The results of the second part of the study support the hypothesis concerning the importance of the father's actual work experience for the socialization process. Closeness to father emerges as an important, structurally-related, intervening variable, mediating the transmission of different occupational reward values, depending on the situs, prestige, and functional focus of his work. In more prestigious occupational origin groups, closeness is associated with nonvertical patterns of intergenerational occupational movement. The analysis suggests that the combination of a prestigious paternal role model and a close father-son relationship engenders the most occupationally-differentiated vocational socialization. (Author/AM)

The three papers in this collection describe the process of socialization that results in the attainment of the school superintendency. These articles deal with the vice-principalship as a stepping stone to higher office and with the lack of success that minority group members and women experience in educational administration advancement. The editor concludes that the attainment of the superintendency position is dependent on a specific career pattern, that the upward mobility process is complex and highly selective, that advancement is dependent on preliminary positions held as well as on the length of time each position is held, that failure to observe the process results in the exclusion of certain groups such as minorities and women, and that career patterns may be systematically established by the excluded groups that are different from others. (Author)

This report deals with the employment and economic status of Asian and Pacific women in the United States. Data collected for a set of socioeconomic variables were analyzed and interpreted. Variables were analyzed by specific Asian ethnicity and by age. Data aggregated at the standard metropolitan statistical area level were used whenever possible. The topics considered were: (1) the economic status of Asian American women as reflected by labor force participation patterns; (2) the economic, employment, and marital status of Asian American women; (3) factors which depress the earning power of Asian American women; (4) occupational stratification theory; (5) occupational distribution and age cohorts; (6) occupational mobility; and (7) employment distribution by industry. The data analyses were used to identify areas for future research. Tables of data are included in the report. (MK)

The three papers compiled here on vocational and technical education in Europe were prepared and discussed by experts in the course of three meetings held in 1977. Focus is on polyvalent occupational training, which prepares students for maximum adaptability to technical and social changes and for occupational mobility. The first paper describes ways in which polyvalent training can be achieved and defines basic occupational training in terms of considerations external to and within the training system. The second paper deals with systematic analysis applied to the conception of a basic occupational training course and includes skills and educational objectives; structural analysis of three levels of a system (learning, production, and social); and relationships among social behaviors, production activities, and educational contents. The next paper covers the role of work systems analysis in the determination of occupational skills to be developed in education and training. The last paper discusses the concept of occupational families in relation to occupational training, including aims, implications, methods, and contents. (EM)

Recent research casts doubt on the commonly held notions that administrators affect student learning through instructional leadership and that changing administrators will improve school performance. To help construct a model for examining the process of leader succession that specifies a number of major school process and outcome variables associated with such succession, a literature review of succession factors based on two fundamental categories proposed by G. E. Gordon and N. Rosen (1981) is provided. The first of these categories, "Prearrival factors," focuses on reasons for succession, the selection process, and leader reputations and orientations. The second category, "Arrival factors," focuses on demography, school structures and processes, educational programs, successor actions, community environment, and school effectiveness. On the basis of literature reviews on each of these factors, it is argued that principal succession may have only marginal effects on subsequent school processes, structures, and outcomes. In conclusion, three longitudinally based empirical approaches to administrator succession--qualitative case studies, actuarial studies, and naturally occurring field experiments--are recommended and Gordon and Rosen's recommendation that leadership succession research replace more traditional leadership studies is affirmed. (JBM)

The effects of family background factors on the mobility aspirations of 70 black and white Chicago, Illinois male adolescents were investigated. Data on family socioeconomic status, family structure, parent aspirations for the son and parent-child relationships were obtained by interviewing the father, mother, and son in each family. Results indicate that although levels of aspiration do not differ by race, the determinants of these aspirations do. Among black adolescents, the mother was the most influential in the determination of aspirational levels, while among the whites it was the father. This finding is not to be construed as a negation of the other parent's role, however, since in both cases the overall parent effect on son's aspiration was positive. Parent aspirations for the son explains nearly half the variance in adolescent aspiration for both races. (Author/AM)

Complete career patterns for a sample of immigrant men were studied to determine what factors influenced occupational decisions and the type and status of the jobs which the men obtained. A sample of 202 Polish, Italian, and other immigrant men in Rome, New York, provided three groups for comparison. Residential and occupational information were obtained from city directories and school attendance records of their children. Occupational titles were standardized into four categories: unskilled; operator, clerical and sales; craftsmen and foremen; and professional and managerial. Data indicate significant residential segregation by ethnic group; none of the immigrant fathers held professional jobs, although small percentages were store managers; Italian children remained in school for the shortest amount of time, yet obtained higher job status than did Poles; and career growth often came through midcareer job changes. These findings suggest that traditional career education job models, which show a long period of development in one job, are not appropriate for immigrant children. Also, additional scholarship funds should be available for adults to return to school for further training or education. (Author/AV)

The study explored the career and professional socialization patterns of top women administrators in comparison to their male counterparts. A 24-item questionnaire was developed and 89 usable questionnaires were returned from women administrators in Pennsylvania. Subjects were classified into one of three position categories--major academic, middle academic, and major support. Background characteristics, such as age, marital status, and education, are reviewed. Findings revealed that many women had changed positions recently; the majority of women, however, have built their careers in one institution. Forty percent of the women said they anticipated a move to another position within the next five years. As to the question of a mentor, only about one third of the major academic respondents indicated that a mentor was important to them in their careers. The other two categories of women administrators were split nearly evenly between those who had mentors and those who did not. The majority of women felt that having held a particular position was the significant career influence. As the findings were limited to Pennsylvania, the sample was considered too specific to permit generalizations. (PHR)

The Illinois State Board of Education has demonstrated a concern for improving the representation of women and minorities in educational administration. Within the agency, this concern takes the form of policy statements, the hiring of a committed staff, agency self-evaluation, equal employment opportunity training for agency managers, and the provision of growth opportunities for women and minorities. The board also provides leadership to local education agencies by encouraging legislation, promulgating appropriate regulations, issuing formal resolutions supporting equal employment opportunity activities, offering management seminars, promoting support networks, and developing and disseminating useful resources. (Author/PGD)

In a study of turnover in a midwest trucking firm, the files of 199 terminated drivers were used in a statistical analysis of 19 variables that might have been correlated to length of service. A series of interviews with drivers and key management personnel supplemented the statistical data. It was found that previously identified biographical correlates were less predictive than expected. It was suggested that these findings resulted from intervening variables, such as an adverse working environment, dissatisfaction, and perceived high opportunity. These results highlighted some of the logical problems with identifying intervening variables, the need for an alternative method of statistical analysis, and the possibility of a "satisfaction threshold" below which traditional correlates lose their predictive ability. In short, the study implied that information about the present organizational climate and satisfaction with working conditions were valuable in the selection of correlates to turnover, the interpretation of statistical information, and the identification of possible intervening variables. The study also suggested important redefinitions of key concepts, such as satisfaction, opportunity, and length of service. (RL)

Focusing on five possible transition points in a woman's career, these five symposium papers explore some major problems that women encounter in career and job transitions and present existing and potential solutions and the extent to which women develop skills and abilities in one setting that are transferable to another situation. Priscilla Elfrey, Transition Point I presenter (initial entry), discusses the importance of power, including competence, confidence, and connections, in helping women obtain, progress, and change their jobs and careers. Carol Eliason, Transition Point II presenter (re-entry), stresses the need for women re-entering the work world to validate life skills. Joan Humphries (Transition Point III) suggests counseling/career services, training programs, educational and employment practices, and applied research activities to help women assess their career progression during this period of career advancement. To help women achieve upward mobility, Corrine Rieder, Transition Point IV presenter (job mobility), recommends two perspectives: an academic approach and a more personal experiential approach. Phillip Randall, Transition Point V presenter (pre- or post-employment), discusses the factors and events leading to post-retirement jobs and careers. He proposes work-, education-, and community-related approaches to helping older women returning to or changing in the paid labor force. (YLB)

This report of the Social Science Research Council's Conference on the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience (NLS) begins with a description of the rationale and background for the conference. In the first of four parts, the conference objectives are stated: (1) review previous research based on the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS), (2) identify new directions, (3) suggest analytic strategies, and (4) comment on survey content. The NLS function is described as that of analyzing variation in labor market behavior with emphasis given to policy-relevant research issues. Section 2 overviews the conference proceedings and focuses on potential NLS research issues in the areas of work-family relationships, labor-force socialization, structural variables, and methodological issues. Section 3 contains documentation relating to the conference--correspondence, the program, and a participants' list. Section 4 contains a collection of the papers and memoranda presented at the conference. Papers include "Labor Force Issues Circa 1984," by Harold W. Watts and Felicity Skidmore; "Individual Histories as Units of Analysis in Longitudinal Surveys," by Burton Singer; "Childrearing, Work and Welfare: Research Issues," by Harriet B. Presser; and "Events as Units of Analysis in Life History Studies," by Natalie Rogoff Ramsoy and Sten-Erik Clausen. Six memoranda are also presented. (For a review paper, titled "Research Uses of the National Longitudinal Surveys," see CE 019 754.) (Author/CSS)

The impact of an evaluation design on the effective implementation of a training program for women in higher education leadership and management was assessed. The program was designed by the University of Pennsylvania's Higher Education Resource Services. The training program, entitled "The Next Move," was introduced at three pilot sites: a large, public urban institution, part of a multi-campus system; a small, private university in a suburban setting; and a senior college of an urban public university system. To increase chances for career mobility for women and to assist in the development of a positive self-image, the program utilized leadership and management training to provide women with an institutional perspective, strengthen and encourage local leadership, and foster the growth of networks. The program consisted of a one-half day case study workshop, a one-day leadership and management clinic, and brown bag seminars. To insure implementation of the model on a nationwide basis, it was necessary that the evaluative design consider the special problems of a model focusing on institutional change, while carefully appraising the potential adaptability or transportability of the program. The evaluation design selected was illuminative evaluation, which encompassed both process and product components and the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Because the program was designed in three stages, formative evaluation was easily built into the evaluative model. Quantitative data were obtained through a questionnaire, administered after the case study workshop and qualitative data were obtained through observations and interviews. Results of the evaluation are considered. (SW)

In Norway, there has been a change from net out-migration from rural areas to net in-migration since about 1970; however, this apparent change is a manifestation of changes in occupational patterns and characteristics of certain age groups. The rise in technical and professional occupations has been dramatic, and a particularly high proportion of this occupational group has been in the relatively mobile early career stages and at mobile ages. Net losses and gains to rural or agricultural areas are equal to only about 10% of the respective gross out- and in-movements. In absolute terms, there is an approximate balance between in- and out-movement which suggests that few of these migrants settle in a commune for any length of time. Migrants consist predominantly of those in the highest and lowest socio-economic strata. The net out-migration of village natives is generally higher than net in-migration of other people. There has been growth in employment opportunities in rural areas in the secondary sector during the 1970's, notably in the public service sector. Although these changes in the occupational structure of rural areas are bringing about conditions considered necessary to stop out-migration, the jobs created are, in principal, open to anyone and not reserved for local inhabitants. (CM)

Although career pathing would seem to have utility for mental health organizations, little research has been done on such activities. In a survey of 314 administrators employed in 109 community level, public sector mental health organizations, six career types of mental health administrators were identified on the basis of: (1) education; (2) homogeneity of work experience; and (3) number of service positions held prior to entering administration. Data analyses revealed that perceived role characteristics and personality variables differed across educational levels, while factors considered when taking another job differed based on the administrator's work experience. Administrators who began their career in mental health and had held two or more direct service positions engaged in more diversified and general activities than less educated or experienced administrators. The findings have implications for the areas of administrator selection, placement, and retention. (Author/JAC)

Business firms are an integral part of the age stratification structure of society. Although the age structures of people and roles within the organization are dynamic, these structures yield a fairly stable strata in which norms exist to suggest the various roles expected of certain persons. Those in roles with greater financial rewards, power, and prestige tend to be older. This is true, not only because age suggests knowledge and experience, but also because such a system provides motivation for younger workers to improve performances and stay with one company. Furthermore, older members in the top ranks also ensure turnover in the top ranks. Several organizational practices, such as career paths, serve to maintain the age stratification system. Three observations can be made about formal organizations and the aging process, i.e.,: (1) several kinds of individual aging take place within an organization; (2) aging is a form of automatic mobility; and (3) work organizations need a continual replenishment of the ranks in order to survive. The study of the aging individual cohort and of the succession of cohorts is needed to further the understanding of organizational processes and aging. (NRB)

A study was conducted to examine the characteristics of women administrators in Texas public community colleges. Specifically, the study examined what positions women administrators occupied at what institutions; their educational, professional, and personal background; career mobility issues; the significance of mentoring; the differences among qualifications, mobility, mentoring, age, and marital status according to administrative rank; and the factors that contributed to their success. Questionnaires were mailed to all women administrators at the state's two-year colleges from the level of coordinator to chancellor (N=294). Study findings, based on a 80% response rate, included the following: (1) women administrators functioned at every level except chancellor, with 50% serving as directors; (2) the majority of the 49 Texas community colleges employed--on the average--between one to five women administrators; (3) 53.8% of the respondents held a master's degree as their highest degree; (4) 53.4% of the respondents were the "founding" administrators for at least one of the positions they had held; (5) 47% were clustered in the student services track, 18.1% were in academic affairs positions, and 17.5% were in administration; (6) only 16 of the 212 respondents had worked in more than one Texas community college; (7) 57% indicated that they had a mentor in their career in higher education administration; and (8) personal contacts were the best source of information about new positions. (UCM)

This study explored possible gender differences between the career paths of incumbent educational administrators holding the positions of superintendent, assistant superintendent, secondary principal, and elementary principal. Study data had been obtained from an earlier comprehensive survey of 622 incumbent and aspiring Pennsylvania administrators. That study explored five areas: career pathways, job search strategies, time usage, mentors and their functions, and barriers experienced with strategies to overcome them. The present study, which did not include aspirants, focused on line versus staff career patterns, the use of leaves, the number of moves among districts, degrees obtained, age at beginning administrative positions, and family characteristics. A majority of respondents pursued a line career path, with men (71 percent) more likely than women (52 percent) to have one. For both the superintendency and the elementary principalship, line paths were followed by men (82 percent) and women (54 percent). Both genders used line paths to reach the secondary principalship. For the assistant superintendency, women followed a staff path (73 percent) and men a line path (54 percent). Results for leaves, district moves, length of teaching service, and age and family characteristics are also discussed. Recommendations for practitioners are provided, including the importance of obtaining line positions, developing employment strategies for females, reviewing hiring and promotion standards and analyzing them for equity, and encouraging support groups. Recommendations for further research are also provided. Included are 14 references and 11 tables. (MLH)

This study of the career paths of 147 Tennessee school superintendents sought to determine to what extent coaching and principalships are routes to that office. The majority of respondents were white males; only one was black, and 10 were female. The data were analyzed by group, race, sex, years in office, and method of selection (elected or appointed). Central tendency statistics and significance tests were used where appropriate. Findings revealed a clearly identifiable path to the superintendency--from coach to principal to central office administrator--with some variation in the particulars of the path, especially for appointed administrators. For instance, appointed female superintendents' career paths differed from those of appointed male superintendents. None had been high school administrators, nor coaches, although almost all had been central office administrators. The results suggest truth to the notion that coaching and high school administration are routes to the superintendency. (JAM)

Reanalysis of a standard set of data for 16 nations has brought new insights into the leading issues of comparative social mobility. The reanalysis provides considerable support for the Featherman-Jones-Hauser hypothesis, which claims that there is convergence in mobility processes once conditions of occupational supply and demand are controlled. The hypothesis is modified, however, in two respects: First, it is qualified by the suggestion that uniformity in mobility regimes is not limited to highly industrialized societies but may apply equally to less developed societies; and second, it is elaborated through specification of the structure of the shared mobility regime. Properties of mobility shared by the 16 countries considered are: (1) symmetry of exchange between occupational strata; (2) equality of mobility chances off the main diagonal; (3) severe immobility at the two extremes of the occupational hierachy; and (4) considerable mobility in the middle of the hierachy. These findings of basic similarity do not preclude findings of deviation from the common mobility regime, which seem to be at least as much a consequence of political organization as of economic development. The effects of political and economic variables on mobility processes are more complex than commonly supposed because they differ across occupational strata. (Author/CMG)

A case study of 1100 high school teachers in a large urban district that has experienced declining enrollment for eight years illustrates several of the exit options and career mobility effects of riffing (reduction in force). The findings show that during decline, freely chosen movement out (exit), or laterally (moderate number of location changes), or to enhanced positions was reduced for all, riffed or not. But women and minorities were more likely to experience forced exit (riffing) and more apparently nonvoluntary lateral moves. Further, women were more likely to end up with unwieldy teaching loads, including more preparations in more diverse contents areas. When given the exit options of resignation and retirement, more senior women took them than men, but the content areas which showed the greatest percentage of voluntary exit use were typically male dominated areas (industrial arts and math), where the risks of exit were reduced due to external demands. To young teachers, especially young female and minority teachers, riffing signaled their second class citizenship. To potential teachers, it signaled that high schools are not places of professional growth. And to the school district itself, riffing signaled, or should have signaled, the district's declining long term health. (CMG)