Date of Award
Spring 5-6-2027
Document Type
Dissertation (799 registration)
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
Department
Graduate Studies
Committee Chair
Ximena Suarez-Sousa
Keywords
Career and Technical Education, CTE components, career pathway, Career Self-Management Model, work-based learning, experiential learning
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative correlational research project was to examine the association between the 6 CTE components (i.e., curriculum, work-based learning, mentorship/industry connections, student organizations/competitions, non-degree credentials, and experiential learning) and a students’ choice of a career pathway. The current literature stated the benefits of CTE but left a void as to which CTE component had the most impact on a student’s choice of a career pathway. With a theoretical framework based on the Career Self-Management Model, the author analyzed data from a sample consisting of current high school students, former high school students, and current CTE teachers to investigate the differences in CTE components and pathways. Secondary research questions focused on the impact of each pathway on various subgroups, such as different ethnic groups, socio-economic status and achievement levels, as well as the differences between CTE teachers and students’ views on the effectiveness of each of the CTE components in helping students choose a pathway.
The author utilized an online questionnaire with students, former students, and CTE teachers in a public high school in Southwestern Minnesota. Using a post-positivist lens with a critical realist ontology, a quantitative, correlational approach was used to study this phenomenon. Findings revealed associations between the CTE components and students’ choice of a career pathway, with mentorship and industry connections having the strongest correlation. Implications for practice included more focus on mentorship and industry connections, work-based learning, and student organizations and competitions, as well as earlier exposure to career and college readiness. The author also provided recommendations for future research, including more data on the impact of the 6 components on various subgroups (e.g., ethnicity) as well as more research on the impact of non-degree credentials.
Recommended Citation
Jorgenson, Richard P., "High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programming and Post-Secondary Career Pathways: A Correlational Study" (2027). Dissertations, Theses, and Projects. 1152.
https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/1152
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons, Vocational Education Commons