Career development is a lifelong process that begins in childhood and continues throughout adulthood. Little effort has been devoted to childhood career development; the focus is generally for older adolescents. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the differences in career development between general education and special education students…

School counselors are professional educators who are responsible for the academic, social-emotional, and career development of students. The direct and indirect services that school counselors provide are vital for students but are more vital for students with disabilities. However, the roles and responsibilities of school counselors continue to…

Limited research exists on rural student career development from a counseling perspective. Much of the existing research focuses on the high school years and their implications for college. However, career development theory and identity models speak to the formation of self-efficacy and academic aspirations within the elementary years. Rural…

Though a primary purpose of K-12 education in the United States is to prepare students to meet the economic demands of the country, there is currently a major shortage of workers to fill the open positions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This shortage is only expected to grow in the coming decade unless a…

Although the women's rights movement of the 1970s opened new opportunities for women in education, women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions in public school districts, which might indicate a need to better understand obstacles and explore the meaning of providing greater support to women aspiring to executive level positions.…

Students are not succeeding in post-secondary education in California: 52% of community college students and 46% of students in 4-year institutions fail to graduate within 6 years. Traditionally underrepresented students have far higher rates of non-completion. In part this is because they have not been given an opportunity to engage in a…

This dissertation is a quantitative study which presents a conceptual framework which views schools as learning communities. The study focuses on relationships among professional learning communities, teacher self-efficacy, and collective efficacy. The researcher also explored teacher perceptions of these three constructs. The specific purpose of…

The population of Latino/a individuals and students in the United States continues to rise (US Census Bureau, 2012). Moreover, Latino/a students have been shown to have increased concern for dropping out, and for not believing they can achieve positive career outcomes (Pew Hispanic Center Report, 2009). As a result of these concerns in this…

Economic forecasts predict an unprecedented shortage of STEM workers in the United States. This study examined the vocational anticipatory socialization factors and classroom stratagems influencing middle school students' science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career development. Student attitudes towards STEM content areas and…

Within the framework of social cognitive career theory, social cognitive career variables, demographic variables, and the contextual variable, parent support, were examined to determine their predictive value for eighth-grade students' career exploration behavior. Results suggest that the social cognitive career variable, intentions/goals,…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) education system is missing an educational plan that can provide students the necessary information to learn about themselves and the world of work and help them make a smooth transition from primary school to secondary schools and the workplace. To address this gap, this study examined 9th graders' career awareness…

This executive position paper proposes an innovative Career and Technical Pathway for secondary education. The Secondary Teacher Education Pathway (STEP) is a teacher education pathway for high school students who are interested in teaching as a profession. The goal of this Program is to increase the number of African American male teachers in…

National efforts to interest students in STEM careers are intensifying around the globe, due to a shortage of professionals to fill the growing demands in these fields. Although some US studies find high interest in STEM in K-12 students, longitudinal studies show a decline in interest following middle school. Many students, particularly females…

College and career aspirations are important to the development of students' short and long term educational and personal goals. Although students rely on information they receive and are influenced by experiences in which they engage in a variety of settings, for many, school is an important source of college and career information. How students…

The process of educational and vocational development does not occur at a single point in time. Many indicators of dropping out of high school, for example, are present by middle school (Alexander et al., 1997; Balfanz et al., 2007). Yet, research and practice focus almost exclusively on enriching the learning and work experiences of high school…