of the dining room tables; c) the presentation of information regarding calories of food; d) the time given for meals; e) the number of serving lines; and f) the notion that food choices were sufficiently large so as to meet religious needs. Several explanations were offered to explain indicated differences.
This study examined several factors to determine their association with student participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). A convenience sample of male and female students (ages 14 to 19 years) attending Loara High School in Anaheim, California was used.
Findings Observed For Descriptive Analyses
All data responses were cross tabulated by the number of times per week students participated in the school lunch program: (1) two times or less per week; or (2) three or more times per week. The findings observed for analyses conducted on demographic and satisfaction data are presented below.
Demographic Characteristics Of The Sample
Descriptive analyses conducted on demographic data consisted of the computation of means, percentages, and frequencies of students' responses to the demographic items on the study's test
instrument; these items were designed to collect information regarding students' grade level, gender, and age.
Findings of these analyses indicated that 144 students actually participated in the school lunch program. Of these, only 22 or 15.27% age lunch at school two times per week or less. The remainder (N = 122 or 84.73%) at lunch at school between three and five times per week. Thus, the bulk of the sample consisted of students who participated in the school lunch program three or more times per week.
The ages of sample subjects varied from a high of 19 to a low of 13, with an overall mean of 15.37 years. Moreover, of the two student groups (those who ate lunch at school two times a week or less and those who ate lunch at school between three and five times a week), t...