This convergent mixed-methods study aimed to evaluate the mentorships in a high school with well-established student mentorship opportunities. Examining the characteristics and role of mentorships for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers determined how mentorships impact STEM career decisions.…

Nationally, schools in the United States struggle to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. Previous research supports using teacher pedagogy training and mentorship to increase retention. This study examines the use of mentorship in a high school Grow Your Own teacher training program and student career selection. The action research study…

The purpose of this study is to compare the immediate college enrollment of students who participated in the community college's dual credit program in high school with students who did not participate in the dual credit program. Data from a local community college's dual credit program is analyzed to understand the effects of participation,…

The study evaluated the effectiveness of career and technical education internships during high school and gave the administration some insights that can guide the program forward. A key component of the program's effectiveness is the impact the program has on the overall education and career choices of students involved in career and technical…

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of first-generation community college faculty through narrative inquiry. Qualitative data were collected through semi-standard interviews with full-time community college faculty who were first-generation college students. In the first level of analysis, narrative accounts were created…

As the hospitality and tourism workforce evolves high school Career and Technology Education (CTE) hospitality and tourism programs must remain relevant and innovative (Gauthier, 2020). One of the main goals of offering hospitality and tourism as a program of study during high school is to transition graduates into the hospitality and tourism…

The number of individuals entering the workforce with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers is low across the United States. Although exposure to STEM careers through the intentional integration of career exploration can positively influence career choice, most student exposure to STEM career exploration…

In this dissertation study, I aimed to 1) investigate gender patterns in students' career aspirations, in both STEM and non-STEM fields, and 2) identify factors contributing to persistent gender differences within specific STEM disciplines. Drawing on Gottfredson's (1983) model of circumscription and compromise, I examined gender patterns and…

Preparing students for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is one of the United States' K-12 educational concerns (Gandhi et al., 2016). Despite the National Science Foundation's (NSF) report that the number of students participating in STEM fields continues to increase, the number of underrepresented students…

The computer science industry and college degree programs for computer science throughout the country suffer from the "pipeline shrinkage problem", which describes the declining number of qualified people in various industries (Kordaki & Berdousis, 2014). For computer science, the specific population decline relates to a shortage of…

Career and technical education (CTE) incorporates occupational skills, workforce readiness skills, and credentials that make high school graduates better prepared for the workforce. Students who complete CTE programs of study have higher employment rates after high school graduation and often go on to postsecondary education. For those who do not…

College-level study abroad participation has been shown to positively influence a range of student outcomes including GPA, graduation rates, cultural competence, cultural capital acquisition, as well as, students' leadership skills. However, the influence of study abroad at the high school programs have mostly gone unresearched. The study abroad…

This study was aimed to explore Chinese college and university students' motivations to study abroad and examining how their career aspiration influence their decision-making process. 5 research questions were developed from this research topic. A qualitative phenomenological methodology was applied. The researcher himself and the face-to-face…

Science Olympiad (SO) is a team-oriented STEM competition that offers students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of STEM topics attracting students with varying STEM interests. This hermeneutic phenomenological cross-case study explored the experiences of 12 SO coaches with experience coaching middle school and/or high school teams.…

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the effect of a single-gender intervention on the STEM Education Outcomes and STEM Identity Outcomes of females in STEM, as well as an understanding of the experiences of the female participants of the single-gender classroom. The conceptual framework was based on Maslow's Hierarchy of…