The STEM-based sports sectors supply vital careers in clinical, athletic, and educational settings. Long-term planning is necessary to foster student interest in STEM based sports disciplines and for this purpose, educational institutions must provide learners with information about STEM careers before starting high school and encourage them to…

Solving some of the greatest problems facing humanity -- pandemics, climate change, access to clean water - will depend on a diverse STEM workforce creating socially just solutions. Thus, there is a need to broaden participation in STEM to bring diverse perspectives to bear on these complex problems. Broadening STEM participation relies on…

Faculty at a small rural high school were concerned that students would not be able to manage the transition to a much larger high school through consolidation without the level of support to which they were accustomed. The purpose of this research was to measure the effectiveness of grit curriculum implementation on student grit scale scores. The…

There is a gender gap among females studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) majors and pursuing STEM careers. More males than females pursue these majors and careers. This study explored how high school counselors influence the choices of STEM majors for female students. The researcher explored the perspectives of seven…

In an effort to prepare American high school students for future careers, many states have implemented specific career readiness standards and programs. One such program is known as Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO), which are hands-on, credit-bearing experiences outside of the classroom with an emphasis on community-based career exploration.…

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…

The purpose of this action research study was to understand the web of relationship between career exploration programming stakeholders serving public sixth through twelfth grade schools to uncover best practices. This research, originating in the state of Maine, resulted in improved understanding of the personalities, goals, and characteristics…

Pathway programs provide early exposure to various health careers. Positive program outcomes have been conveyed from the student's perspective. Previous studies yet to demonstrate a focus on the experiences of high school teachers who instruct in pathway programs. The primary research question for this study is: How do high school teachers…

It appears that a disconnect may exist between the taught curriculum in middle school and the real-world applications of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) concepts, leaving students underprepared to envision themselves in future STEM roles. This two-cycle action research study investigated the connection between middle school…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this mixed-method case study program evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of a middle-level career exploration program to determine whether any program adjustments should be implemented for overall student success. From a population of 152 core classroom teachers, 55 teachers responded to a survey…

In this mixed methods phenomenology rooted in Social Cognitive Theory, a school district in Maryland is examined from an outsider's perspective to determine the degree to which structured post-secondary planning interventions by the district were successful in cultivating career decision resilience in its former students who were in their early…

This qualitative multi-case study delved into the perceptions of five immigrant and refugee high school students enrolled in an early childhood pathway program in a Midwest high school in the USA. The primary objectives were to explore how these aspiring teachers' Funds of Identity (FOI) influenced their perceptions of teaching in the USA,…

With the rapidly changing technology, it is no surprise that the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) occupations continues to rise. Between 2009 and 2015, available STEM jobs in the United States grew by 10.5%, twice the growth of non-STEM jobs (Fayer et al., 2017). However, the United States is currently falling…

This qualitative narrative inquiry aimed to learn about the experiences associated with adapting to post-secondary life when students graduate from high school with work-related skills. A narrative inquiry was used to interview graduates who participated in a work-based learning program while attending a public high school in the coastal Northeast…

The intended purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experience of athletic trainers in the secondary school setting who supervise career technology education (CTE) health science students in the sports medicine pathway at high schools in Texas. Through the lens of the social cognitive career theory…