A Factor Analysis of Variables Affecting CTSO Advisor’s Satisfaction Researchers: Cecelia Thompson FCS Education Leadership Academy - College of Human Sciences - Iowa State University Dale E. Thompson College of Education and Health Professions Betsy Orr College of Education and Health Professions Presented by Jena M. Rainey

Purpose of the Study The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine what factors contributed to the satisfaction levels of advisors to Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs). Bibliographic Citation Thompson, C., Thompson, D. E. & Orr, B. (2003). A factor analysis of variables affecting CTSO advisors' satisfaction. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 21 (2), 1-9.

Research Question What factors contribute to career and technical education teachers’ satisfaction with their role as a CTSO advisor?

Methodology 45-item questionnaire – 15 items for demographic information and 30 items related to data about how teachers felt about their advising duties. – field-tested – descriptive statistics were computed for all items – factor analysis was performed on 30 statements related to job satisfaction.

Results/Findings Results are presented in two tables – Table 1: Factor Structure for Intrinsic Items – Table 2: Factor Structure for Extrinsic Items Significant differences found on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors – type of CTSO – membership changes – contract length of participants

Results/Findings cont’d Researchers did not find significant differences when comparing the intrinsic and extrinsic factors to gender, pay, education level, and number of advisors.

Discussion A national study would provide a more comprehensive picture of how CTSO advisors feel Interesting insights into the intrinsic and extrinsic factors

Implications This study could have implications for the constructivist educator. The literature review for this study outlined a lot of research that showed how CTSOs are essential components of vocational education and that student participants in CTSOs tend to have more positive attitudes and values than nonmembers.

Implications cont’d The implication is that a CTSO could be used as a means for teacher and students to connect around shared values and experiences which could later serve as a conceptual frameworks for teaching concepts.

Conclusion Due to a variety of variables introduced through social complexity, researchers can’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship between teacher-practice and student learning. Nevertheless, this study provides promising implications for constructivist teaching strategies that warrant further research and investigation.