A STUDY OF THE 1953, 1954, AND 1955 WEST TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO HAD COMPLETED 1 OR MORE YEARS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE WAS CONDUCTED TO (1) DETERMINE PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL STATUS, (2) DETERMINE FACTORS RELATED TO OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE, (3) EVALUATE HIGH SCHOOL COURSES AND VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS AS RELATED TO OCCUPATIONS, AND (4) DETERMINE POSSIBLE CHANGES IN VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE NEEDED TO MEET NEEDS OF GRADUATES. QUESTIONNAIRES SENT TO GRADUATES OF 45 HIGH SCHOOLS YIELDED 846 RESPONSES OR 70.4 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL. OF THE 846 RESPONDENTS, 28.4 PERCENT WERE FARM OPERATORS, 15.7 PERCENT WERE IN OFF-FARM AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS, AND 5.4 PERCENT WERE IN MILITARY SERVICE. FACTORS RELATED SIGNIFICANTLY TO OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE AT THE .01 LEVEL BY CHI-SQUARE TEST INCLUDED--OCCUPATION OF FATHER, FARM SIZE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL, YEARS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE, AND COLLEGE ATTENDANCE. THE GRADUATE'S SCHOLASTIC RANK WAS RELATED TO CHOICE AT THE .05 LEVEL. APPROXIMATELY 60 PERCENT OF THE GRADUATES ATTENDED COLLEGE AND ONE-HALF OF THESE RECEIVED A DEGREE. GRADUATES RATED THE VALUE OF HIGH SCHOOL COURSE AREAS IN THE FOLLOWING DESCENDING ORDER--MATHEMATICS, ENGLISH, BUSINESS AND BOOKKEEPING, SPEECH, VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE, INDUSTRIAL ARTS, TYPING, AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE. FARM OPERATORS AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL WORKERS RATED VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE HIGHER. VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE UNITS RATED HIGHEST IN VALUE BY FARM OPERATORS WERE CROP PRODUCTION, FARM MANAGEMENT, AND FARM MECHANICS. OTHER AGRICULTURAL WORKERS RATED SOILS AND LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES HIGHER. THIS PH.D. THESIS, WHICH WAS SUBMITTED TO IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, IS AVAILABLE AS 64-10,638 FOR $2.75 ON MICROFILM AND FOR $8.20 AS XEROXED COPY FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC., 300 NORTH ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48106. (JM)