Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration

Department

Business

First Advisor

Daniel W. Kemper

Second Advisor

Laura DeRigne

Third Advisor

John Sterbenz

Abstract

This thesis will focus on the study of business volunteers' perceptions of quality of Junior Achievement's Middle Grades Program. Areas of emphasis will include teaching material provided to the volunteer, support from the Junior Achievement staff, and volunteer orientation.

Business people from the St. Louis metropolitan area teach Junior Achievement programs to students in schools, during the school day. Business people, whom JA calls consultants, volunteer one hour per week for eight to fifteen weeks to share their business experience with Middle Grade students. Educators set aside valuable classroom time for Junior Achievement consultants to present activities. In the St. Louis metropolitan area, over 500 business people are participating in Junior Achievement's Middle Grades Program reaching over 17,000 students.

Before business volunteers begin teaching the Middle Grades Program, they are required to attend a two hour training session. During the training, consultants receive valuable information regarding teaching techniques and classroom etiquette. First-time volunteers also hear the "realities" of what to expect from Middle Grade students.

The kit of material that is provided to each volunteer is designed on a National level by a group of economist and educators. The material is used in 96 countries around the world. Volunteers in the St. Louis metropolitan area also receive additional activities that were designed by veteran consultants on a local level.

Continued support of the JA staff is vital to the quality of the Middle Grades Program. Junior Achievement staff support includes matching the volunteer with the right classroom, effectively training the volunteer, continued communication throughout the semester, and making sure the volunteer is recognized at the end of the year.

The information obtained through research will be a valuable tool for marketing purposes. The organization will improve the quality of the program in areas that may be lacking. The results of the research will be published in the Junior Achievement Middle Grades newsletter, and will be presented to the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley, Inc.

One hundred and twelve business volunteers participated in the study, fifty nine males and fifty three females. The subjects were administered a survey. Data were analyzed using a one-tailed multivariate test.

Results of the analysis produced considerable evidence to suggest that the hypothesis be accepted, and to conclude that business people perceive Junior Achievement's Middle Grades Program to be of high quality in the areas of teaching material, customer service, and volunteer orientation.

Download

Included in

Business Commons

Share

COinS