Alienation Among Rural Adults of Low Educational Attainment

Abstract

To identify those socio-economic characteristics of rural adults differentiating among those of varying levels of alienation, struc tured interviews were conducted with a sample of household heads resident in a specified area of British Columbia. Educational attainment was found to be inversely related to alienation in the total sample. Data from 293 respondents with eight or less years of school completed were analyzed with respect to alienation category, and five variables which were statistically significant at the .05 level. In the educationally disadvantaged group, the less as compared to the more alienated household heads were charac terized by a birthplace closer to the present place of residence, more participation in community organizations, a farm rather than non-farm occupation, less unemployment in the preceding three years, and greater satisfaction with the present job.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anderson, Darrell and Niemi, John A. Adult Education and the Disadvantaged Adult (In press).

Bell, Wendell. "Anomie, Social Isolation, and the Class Structure ," Sociometry, XX ( 1957), pp. 105-116.

Bonjean, C.M. , Bruce, G.D. , and Williams , J.A. "Social Mobility and Job Satisfaction: A Replication and Extension," Social Forces , XLV (1967), pp. 492-501.

Chapin, F.S. Social Participation Scale (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1938).

Clinard, Marshall B. "The Theoretical Implications of Anomie and Deviant Behavior," Anomie and Deviant Behavior, ed. Marshall B. Clinard (New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1964), pp. 1-56.

Cole, Stephen and Zuckerman, Harriet. "Appendix: Inventory of Empirical and Theoretical Studies of Anomie," Anomie and Deviant Behavior, ed. Marshall B. Clinard (New York: The Free Press of Glencoe, 1964), pp. 243-311.

Dean, Dwight G. "Alienation: Its Meaning and Measurement," American Sociological Review, XXVI ( 1961), pp. 753-758.

Edwards, Allen L. Statistical Methods for the Behavioral Sciences (New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964 ).

Kon, Igor S. "The Concept of Alienation in Modem Sociology ," Social Research, XXXIV (1967), pp. 507-528.

10.

MacDonald, A.A. and Clare, W.B. The Relationship Between Fisheries Technology and Community Social Structure (Antigonish, Nova Scotia : St. Francis Xavier University Extension Department , 1967).

11.

Marsh, C. Paul , Dolan, Robert Jr., and Riddick , William L. "Anomia and Communication Behavior: The Relationship Between Anomia and Utilization of Three Public Bureaucracies," Rural Sociology, XXXII (1967), pp. 435-445.

12.

Puder, William H. and Hand, S.E. "Personality Factors Which May Interfere with the Learning of Adult Basic Education Students," Adult Education, XVIII (1968), pp. 81-93.

13.

Rhodes, Lewis. "Anomia, Aspiration, and Status," Social Forces, XLII (1964), pp. 433-440.

14.

Seeman, Melvin. "On the Meaning of Alienation," American Sociological Review, XXIV ( 1959), pp. 783-791.

15.

Srole, Leo. "Social Integration and Certain Corollaries: An Exploratory Study," American Sociological Review, XXI ( 1956), pp. 709-716.

16.

Verner, Coolie. Planning and Conducting a Surve y: A Case Study (Ottawa : Rural Development Branch, Department of Forestry and Rural Development, 1967).

17.

Zahn, Jane. "Some Adult Attitudes Affecting Learning: Powerless-ness, Conflicting Needs and Role Transition," Adult Education, XIX (1969), pp. 91-97.