Vocational Education Commons^™

Examining The Perceived Implications Of Eliminating The Stem Career Cluster In Kansas, Trevor Maiseroulle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Career and technical education (CTE) has been an effort in the United States to help bring quality career preparation programs to secondary schools nationwide, with many career clusters allowing schools to teach various courses. For example, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career cluster provides interdisciplinary approaches and hands-on activities to help students succeed in postsecondary ventures. One of the integral subjects in STEM education is technology and engineering education (T&EE), which has been synonymous with STEM education for decades. T&EE is a discipline which has been around for over a century, nevertheless it may be confused with CTE. …

Design Of A Freight Transportation Outreach Curriculum, Breanna Stoesz

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project is centered around finding a solution to the shortage of truck drivers within the freight industry. Specifically, this project aims to lessen this shortage by ensuring potential future drivers are aware of the benefits of the industry and are encouraged to consider this career path for themselves. By producing an engaging and educational freight transportation curriculum for middle and high school students to go through in outreach programs, these students would have an increased likelihood of joining the trucking profession and encourage others to become informed about the profession as well. In addition to the direct driving role, …

A Case Study Of Eastern Region Arkansas Promise Participants And Their Expectations For The Future, Robin Freeman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop an in-depth understanding of how Eastern Arkansas youth with disabilities and their parents describe their expectations for the future, after participating in the Arkansas PROMISE program. The study sought an understanding of how participants viewed themselves and their expectations for the future, for employment, for participation in higher education, for independent living, and for future financial support. The research used a case study approach, interviewing five students and five parent participants. Participants were asked a series of questions to get an understanding of their experiences, their expectations for the future, and their …

The Impact Of Funds Of Knowledge Instruction In Career And Technical Education Among Junior High Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Sheri D. Deaton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate students’ perceptions of their own Funds of Knowledge (FOK) and the impact that these funds have as students prepare for careers. This purpose was achieved through an embedded mixed methods design with qualitative data collection and analysis embedded within the quantitative research design. Analysis of data collected in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) classroom from the pre and post assessment instrument reveal that while direct instruction regarding FOK did not result in a statistically significant difference between the control and treatment groups, post assessment scores for participants in the …

Leaders Of The Pack: The Effect Of Companion And Livestock Animal Ownership And/Or Management On Leadership Skills In College Students, Laurel E. Dhority

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Having and maintaining good leadership skills should be an important way of life for most college students. As these individuals search for their first jobs and employment outside of the university experience, many businesses and employers will utilize these leadership traits and officer positions within specific clubs and organizations to select who to extend a job offer. Many student associations which place their focus on animals, both agriculturally raised livestock and companion animals, take pride in the skills and proficiencies they teach their members. This study utilized a survey of both multiple choice and Likert Scale styled questions in order …

Footprints Of Resilience: Tracking The Career Development Steps Of African American Male Musicians, Patrice Tiffany Leshay Bax

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For African American (AA) male musicians, the road toward career advancement in the entertainment industry is particularly arduous. Despite many difficulties on the journey to career success, the history of gospel, R&B, jazz, and funk music is evidence that many AA male musicians find their way to develop and advance their careers. Many AA male musicians find career development and advancement opportunities through religious and sacred institutions. However, the journey to become a professional musician for AA males is fluid and not formalized causing ambiguity in the steps taken to enter this career field and sustain growth in a rapidly …

Career Transitions Caused By Chronic Illness: A Career Construction Perspective, Julie Christine Hill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People living with chronic illness face significant challenges when it comes to finding and maintaining employment. There is ample research available that discussed the challenges and barriers to employment for this population. However, there is a lack of research devoted to interventions dedicated to assisting people with chronic illness in career exploration and development. This study attempted to address one possible intervention to assist people with chronic illness identify and pursue possible careers. The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of participating in the Career Construction Interview on the career exploration of individuals facing a forced …

Why Career And Technical Education Teachers Contribute Intellectual Capital To Open Education Repositories: A Case Study, Kelley J. Manley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High quality Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are necessary in order to prepare students to fill the gap in the nation’s technical workforce. Technical skills taught by high school CTE teachers assist students as they continue their education in post-secondary technical schools. Post-secondary CTE teachers assist students in their preparation for future high-wage, high-demand technical careers. One of the many challenges reported by CTE teachers is the time-consuming development of relevant curriculum. The open education resource (OER) movement has been reported in research to alleviate some of these challenges for teachers, but research is lacking in the area of …

The Effectiveness Of The Three-Module Job Training Intervention On Job Search Knowledge, Job Search Attitude Knowledge, And Job Survival/Maintenance Knowledge, Tris Middleton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Three-Module Job Training Intervention on increasing job search knowledge, job search attitude knowledge, and job survival/maintenance knowledge. The Three-Module Job Training Intervention consists of Module I-Job Search Training (JST); Module II-Job Search Attitude Training (JSAT); and Module III-Job Survival and Maintenance Training (JSMT).

In this study, the researcher used three instruments to measure pre-training and post-training levels of job search knowledge, job search attitude knowledge, and job survival/maintenance knowledge. The Job Search Knowledge Scale (JSKS) measured the level of job search knowledge; the Job Search Attitude Inventory (JSAI) …

Use Of The Silver-Level Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate As A Pre-Hire Screening Tool, Bentley E. Wallace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At a statewide level in Arkansas, the Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate (ACRC) is marketed as a means for assessing and exhibiting individual worker skill levels and as an additional aggregate credential to be presented alongside high school and college degree attainment levels. Employers from multiple sectors use the ACRC as a pre-hire screening tool and to determine incumbent worker eligibility for advancement.

Despite having been in place in the state for nearly a decade with over 65,000 Arkansans earning an ACRC, prior to this study no research had been conducted to determine the effectiveness of the ACRC as a pre-hire …

The Juvenile Addiction Risk Rating For Use In Vocational Rehabilitation, Paul Tyler Hickerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of substance use among adolescents warrants considerable concern since it often has detrimental effects on an individual’s physical and mental health, and correlates with worsened Social, physical, and employment outcomes. Research shows that adolescents with disabilities are especially susceptible to the development of substance use disorders. To address this concern and to ensure accurate rehabilitation service planning, effective screening for substance use risk is necessary. Unfortunately, the most common screening instruments for adolescent substance use rely on information obtained solely from self-report. This type of data, although useful, is also susceptible to inaccuracies due to such factors as …

Discretion And The Implementation Of Federal Disability Policy In Postsecondary Education, Katy Annette Washington

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disability Services Providers (DSPs) have historically been the personnel tasked with implementing federal disability policy at postsecondary institutions primarily since the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The model adopted by the majority of DSP offices is student-driven and requires students seeking academic accommodations must go through a formal process to determine eligibility for services, and then play an active role in their provision. Disability-related policies at the campus level are usually authored by DSPs who are seen as experts by the institution and its stakeholders. However, sometimes …

Vocational Implications Of Cult Involvement, Melissa Dawn Jones Wilkins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, the majority of studies published on cult membership have been quantitative and have focused primarily on theories and trends about cult membership. These studies have been insufficient in shedding light on the individual’s experience. Qualitative studies are necessary to explore the individual’s accounts of their experiences with past cult involvement and the impact these experiences have on employment. Because of the potential vocational impacts of cult involvement, it is valuable to explore the psychoSocial aspects of work. A qualitative methodology informed by phenomenology was utilized to investigate the unique experience of individuals obtaining employment after leaving a cult. Seven …

Instilling Hope: Showing Individuals With New Disabilities Between The Ages Of 18 And 24 That Suicide Is Not The Answer, Christine Ann Whiting

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore what can be done to mitigate the onset of a disability for young adults aged 18-24 in order to prevent suicidal thoughts or actions. Research suggests that many factors play into suicidal ideation for this young population, including lost hope, lack of coping mechanisms, lack of financial security and bullying. The goal of this research is to determine what rehabilitation professionals can do differently that will hopefully eradicate suicide for this group.

Satisfaction Of Graduates/Completers Of A Career And Technical Teacher Education In-Service Program: Professional Currency, Sho-Hsien Su

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the learning satisfaction of graduates or completers from the Career and Technical Teacher Education (CTTE) in-service program at a public university in the state of Kansas. The conceptual framework and the survey instrument were adapted from the Performance-Based Teacher Education learning packages and revised based on current educational situations, technologies, and terminologies to measure participants’ learning satisfaction. The participants included 96 career and technical education in-service teachers who had completed their degrees or certificates requirements from the CTTE in-service program between 2004 spring and 2015 summer. An on-line survey was administered by …

Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy: Examining The Effects Of Career Choice, Education, And Work Experience Of Entrepreneurs, Melissa W. Sisco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research on the relationship between self-efficacy and career decision making is inconclusive because of the lack of theoretical background and causal conclusions. More research is needed to investigate how the educational background, career choice, and work experience, of entrepreneurs, influences their career decision-making self-efficacy beliefs and how those beliefs effect their decision to become entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent career choice, education, and work experience related to the level of career decision-making self-efficacy among participants in the Ventureprise business incubation program who are or are intending to become entrepreneurs. The education and …

The Perceived Benefits Of Automotive Service Excellence (Ase) Certifications For Graduates Of Four-Year Automotive Technology Programs, John Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The roots of certification in America date back to guild-like associations similar to those in Europe, but did not gain industry recognition until after World War II. It is recognized as a way for an industry to elevate itself and be recognized as a stand-alone, autonomous profession, as long as there is validity in the process and impartial oversight by an accredited governing body. It is also a way for individuals to distinguish themselves from their peers by proving a technical aptitude or competence. It allows a prospective job candidate to signal to a potential employer that they have attained …

Career Self-Management And Career Capital Of Mid-Level Administrators In Higher Education Who Previously Served As Professional Academic Advisors, Elecia Cole Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the prerequisites for career advancement helps to keep employees motivated and engaged. However, in the higher education (H.E.) workplace, where formalized career ladders are sparse and ambiguous for staff personnel - especially those in professional academic advising - employees who are interested in career advancement into mid-level administration (MLA) are often left to maneuver the professional, political, and social landscape unescorted. Some manage to find their way just fine, while others become frustrated or stagnant or decide to leave academia entirely. For those who create their own path and find their way to mid-level administration, what is their secret? …

The Impact Of Personality Type On Undergraduate College Student Success At Oklahoma State University, Pamela I. Ehlers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive/causal-comparative study was to determine if relationships existed between individual personality types as determined by the Do What You Are (DWYA) on-line personality inventory and gender, ethnicity, area of academic study, entering and exiting grade point averages (GPA), and time to degree completion of undergraduate students at the case study institution.

Data were collected over a six year period by the institution's career development center. The student respondents were undergraduates and were self-selected to take the inventory. The sample included 2, 533 undergraduate students surveyed between 2003 and 2007.

Statistical analysis utilized scores on the four …

Comparing State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies With High Verses Low Rates Of Competitive Employment For Blind Consumers: Defining Quality Employment And Describing Effective Service Patterns, Edward Bell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies were rank ordered by their rate of competitive employment for consumers who are legally blind. Based on each state's competitive closure rate (CCR), the top six- and bottom six-ranked agencies were identified and formed two groups of high- and low-performing states. Top- versus bottom-ranked agencies were compared by quality of jobs obtained, services offered, consumer characteristics, and geographic/economic differences. The quality of jobs obtained was assessed via three indices: average wage, medical insurance, and selfsupport. Six services were hypothesized to explain differences between high- and lowranked states: cost of case services, adjustment training, college education, …

Changing Career Paths In Environmental, Soil, And Water Science And Crop Management: Survey Results, Thalia M. Madewell, Kristofor Brye, Mary C. Savin

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Periodic assessment of goals is critical to maintaining a successful academic program. Two surveys were designed and distributed to alumni and potential employers of graduates of the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences (CSES) in the summer of 2002 to assess the profitability of advanced degrees in terms of earning potential and to determine sectors of the workforce currently employing department graduates. The CSES Alumni Satisfaction Survey was sent to 792 department alumni, including graduates of the previous Agronomy program as well as the current Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences program. The CSES Employer Survey was distributed to 281 …