middle grades research series: career awareness & preparation activities

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MIDDLE GRADES RESEARCH SERIESMIDDLE GRADES RESEARCH SERIES

April 2015 www.careerandcollegeclubs.org

CAREER AWARENESS CAREER AWARENESS CAREER AWARENESS & PREPARATION ACTIVITIES& PREPARATION ACTIVITIES& PREPARATION ACTIVITIES

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The Need for Career Awareness/Preparation Activities in the Middle Grades

Many middle school students lack awareness of the work world, while few have realistic career plans.

Few middle school students have definite ideas about what career they want to pursue (Kerka, 2000; Johnson, 2000). In one study only 33% of middle school students had definite ideas about what career they wanted to aim for (Vandegrift & Larson, 1997).

Students lack understanding of how what they are learning in school relates to work (Johnson, 2000).

At-risk students, girls, and minorities often limit their career choices at an early age because they lack occupational awareness (O’Brien, 1999).

Students, particularly boys, form stereotypes about gender-appropriate occupations at an early age (Hanover Research, 2012; American Youth Policy Forum, 2014).

Students from low income backgrounds have limited access to career and college information as compared with high socio-economic background students (Brand & Valent, 2014).

Middle school students need support to discover their career interests and understand the relationship between their interests and education.

Parents want their children to receive career guidance in middle school more than at any other grade level (Akos, Konold, & Niles, 2004).

Middle school staff need to help students identify career fields they are interested in and understand the connection between school achievement and future endeavors (Hanover Research, 2012).

Few students participate in individualized career exploration. In one study only 17% of students had an adult at their school talk with them about their career interests and only 9% had taken a career interest inventory (Vandegrift & Larson, 1997).

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CAREER AWARENESS & PREPARATION ACTIVITIESCAREER AWARENESS & PREPARATION ACTIVITIESCAREER AWARENESS & PREPARATION ACTIVITIES

Middle school students need to be actively engaged in career exploration to be able to make informed decisions about high school programs and courses.

Middle school students who do not engage in career development activities risk being unprepared for choosing high school programs and courses that will inadequately prepare them for the future (ACT, 2008).

For students to make informed decisions about high school academics, they need to develop a reservoir of career information they can use to form career goals (Akos, Konold, & Niles, 2004). Even tentative goals have value because they motivate students to engage further in the career exploration process (Hirschi, Niles & Akos, 20090).

Middle school students need career information more than they do career decision-making assistance (Akos, Konold, & Niles, 2004).

Many students have limited access to career education.

A national study of high school guidance found that only 27% of public school students had participated in career education courses (Parsad, Alexander, Farris, & Hudson, 2003).

Frequently middle school career education consists of only one or two sessions a year (Maddy-Bernstein & Dare, 1997).

Few programs offer opportunities for students to connect their career knowledge to real world situations (Chi, Snow, Goldstein, Lee & Chung, 2010).

Most high schools do not provide opportunities for students to visit work places or learn about careers; such opportunities are particularly important for students who have little career exposure through their families or neighborhoods (Hirsch, Hedges, Stawicki, & Mekinda, 2011).

Impact of Career Awareness/Preparation Activities in the Middle Grades

Middle school students who participate in career education before high school are better able to make effective career decisions.

Students who participate in career education in middle school make better decisions about high school (Peterson, Long, & Billups, 1997).

Participation in career education enhances the ability of adolescents to develop occupational goals and take early steps toward a future career (Super, 1990).

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The more career awareness activities students engage in, the easier it is for them to talk about their career goals (Vandegrif & Larson, 1997).

Participating in career education in middle school develops the career maturity level of at-risk students and increases their chances of undertaking high school studies that will prepare them for future options (Rojewski, 1994.; Loughhead, Liu, & Middleton).

Personalized career counseling has a positive impact on middle school students.

Individualized career guidance for adolescents of color and those with disabilities significantly increases their career maturity (Haas & Sullivan, 1991; Hutchinson, Freeman, Downey, & Kilbreath, 1992).

Career counseling that focused on specific career-related skills had a significantly greater impact on students than generalized career preparation (Whiston, Sexton & Lasoff, 1998).

Career guidance and academic advising combined are highly effective in developing middle school students’ career awareness (Hughes & Karp, 2004).

Workshops, structured groups, and online career exploration programs combined with counseling produce better outcomes than any of these activities alone (Southern Regional Education Board, 2011).

Career exploration positively affects students’ school engagement and achievement.

Middle school students who can connect their classroom experiences with work world expectations are more likely to understand why it is important to stay in school and to improve their academic performance (Legum & Hoare, 2004).

High school students who participate in school-to-work programs have higher levels of school engagement and lower dropout rates than students who do not participate in career exploration (Castellano, Stringfield, & Stone, 2003 ).

Ninth graders from low-income families with higher levels of career planning experience, place greater value on school, and have stronger connections to school than students with lower levels of exposure (Kenny, Blustein, Hasse, Jackson, & Perry, 2006).

Students are more engaged in school and view school has having greater value when they see the content of their classes as relevant to their future choices (Orthner, Akos, Jones-Sanpei, & Rose, 2013).

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Student engagement is higher in schools that help students focus on their futures, including career exploration and development of plans to achieve their goals (Southern Regional Education Board, 2011).

Engaging in experiential career exploration activities related to real world issues enables students to connect their career interests with their academics (Brand & Valent, 2014).

Middle school students benefit academically and vocationally from programs that develop students’ career exploration skills and increase their understanding of career options and pathways (Hanover Research, 2012).

Students who participate in extended career awareness activities have a clearer understanding of the importance of their high school choices for college and career goals than students participating in short-term programs (Peterson, Long, & Billips, 2003).

Students who have a career plan achieve at higher levels in school, take more rigorous courses, and get better grades than those who do not have a plan (ACT, 2014).

The most effective career development programs are systemic.

Systemic career education programs are embedded in the core curriculum, making them an integral part of educating middle school students for the future (Kerka, 2000).

Best practices for middle school career education encompass engaging students in inquiry and constructing new knowledge, learning that is contextualized in real-world experiences, mentoring by a caring adult, and use of technology designed to motivate students to explore careers (Kerka, 2000).

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Career & College Clubs

We published the Middle Grades Research Series to help spread the word on the middle grades’ importance, and to document Career & College Clubs’ basis in research.

Career & College Clubs believes—and research confirms—the middle school space, that critical time when young people begin forming the attitudes, thought patterns, and work habits that they will carry through the rest of their lives, is a key leverage point: reaching students in the middle grades will have a positive impact for high school, college, and beyond.

Career & College Clubs is a comprehensive, standards-aligned program that explores academic and social-emotional concepts critical for success in high school, college, and life. In addition to professional development for staff, the program includes a curriculum with up to two years’ worth of activities covering college and career readiness, the college admissions process, personal financial literacy, job readiness skills, leadership skills, and community improvement.

The program uses a peer-to-peer learning model to engage students in the material and influence their friends, resulting in a school-wide improvement in culture.

Reviews of the program by ACT, Inc. have found that Career & College Clubs has a significant impact on students and their peers, improving student aspirations and college enrollment rates.

For more information:

Career & College Clubs www.careerandcollegeclubs.org 310-242-8860 [email protected]

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References

ACT. 2008. The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School. Iowa City, IA: ACT.

ACT. 2014. Condition of College and Career Readiness 2013: Students from Low-Income Families. ACT & National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. Iowa City, IA: ACT.

Akos, P., Charles, P., Orthner, D., & Cooley, V. 2011. '"Teacher Perspectives on Career-Relevant Curriculum in Middle School." Online Research in Middle Level Education, 34.5.

Akos, P., Konold, T., & Niles, S. 2004. "A Career Readiness Typology and Typal Membership in Middle School." The Career Development Quarterly, 53.1.

Brand, B. & Valent, A. 2014. Career and College Exploration in Afterschool Programs. Washington, DC: American Youth Policy Forum.

Castellano, M., Stringfield, S., & Stone, J. 2003. “Secondary Career and Technical Education and Comprehensive School Reform: Implications for Research and Practice.” Review of Educational Research, 73, 231-272.

Chi, B., Snow, L., Goldstein, D,. Lee, S., & Chung, J. 2010. Project Exploration: 10-year Retrospective Evaluation Narrative Report. Berkeley, CA: University of California Berkeley, Lawrence Hall of Science.

Haas, N. & Sullivan, H. 1991. “Use of Ethnically Matched Role Models in Career Materials for Hispanic Students.” Contemporary Educational Psychology, 16, 272-278.

Hanover Research. 2012. Effective Career Awareness and Development Programs for K-8 Students. Washington, DC: Hanover Research.

Hirsch, B., Hedges, L., Stawicki, J., & Mekinda, M. 2011. After-School Programs for High School Students: An Evaluation of After School Matters. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University.

Hirschii, A., Niles, S., & Akos, P. 2009. "Engagement in Adolescent Career Preparation: Social Support, Personality and the Development of Choice Decidedness and Congruence." Journal of Adolescence, doi: 1016/j.adolescence.

Hughes, K. & Karp, M. 2004. School-Based Career Development: A Synthesis of the Literature. New York, NY: Institute on Education and the Economy, Columbia University.

Johnson, L. 2000. “The Relevance of School to Career: A Study in Student Awareness.” Journal of Career Development, 26, 4: 263-276.

Kenny, M., Blustein, D., Haase, R., Jackson, J., &Perry, J. 2006. “Setting the Stage: Career Development and the Student Engagement Process.” Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 272-279.

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Kerka, S. 2000. Middle School Career Education and Development Practice Application Brief No. 9. ACVE.

Legum, H. & Hoare, C. 2004. "Impact of a Career Intervention on At-Risk Middle School Students' Career Maturity Levels, Academic Achievement, and Self-Esteem." Professional School Counseling, 8.2, 148-155.

Loughead, T., Liu, S-H, & Middleton, E. 1995. “Career Development for At-Risk Youth: A Program Evaluation.” The Career Development Quarterly, 43, 274-284.

Maddy-Bernstein, C. & Dare, D. 1997. “Career Guidance for Midle and High School Students.” Office of Student Services Brief 9, 1. Urbana-Champaign, IL: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

O’Brien, K., Dukstein, R., Jackson, S., Tomlinson, M., & Kamatuka, N. 1999. “Broadening Career Horizons for Students in At-Risk Environments.” Career Development Quarterly, 4. 3. 215-229.

Orthner, D., Akos, P., Rose, R., & Jones-Sanpei, H. 2013. "Improving Middle School Student Engagement Through Career-Relevant Instruction in the Core Curriculum." The Journal of Educational Research, 106.27-28, 27-38.

Parsad, B., Alexander, D., Farris, E., & Hudson, L. 2003. High School Guidance Counseling (NCES 2003-015). Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics, US Department of Education.

Peterson, G., Long, K., & Billups, A. 2003. "How Do Career Interventions Impact the Educational Choices of Eighth Grade Students?" Professional School Counseling, 3.1, 34-42.

Rojewski, J. 1994. Predicting Career Maturity Attitudes in Rural Economically Disadvantaged Youth.” Journal of Career Development, 21, 1, 49-61.

Southern Regional Education Board. 2011. A New Mission for the Middle Grades: Preparing Students for a Changing World. Atlanta, GA: Southern Regional Education Board Middle Grades Commission.

Super, D. 1990. “A Life-Span, Life-Space Approach to Career Development.” In D. Brown & L. Brooks, Eds., Career Choice and Development: Applying Contemporary Theories to Practice, 2nd ed, pp. 197-262. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Vandegrift, J. & Larson, E. 1997. Seventh Grade Students' Perceptions of Career Awareness and Exploration Activities in Arizona Schools. Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

Whiston, S., Sexton, T., & Lasoff, D. 1998. “Career Intervention Outcome: A Replication and Extension of Oliver and Spokane. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 150-165.

middle grades research series: career awareness & preparation activities

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