The Application of Career Concepts to the Academic Curriculum

1
The Application of Career Concepts to the
Academic Curriculum

• Melanie Gillespy

2
The Problem

• Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell
  em, Certainly I can! Then get busy and find
  out how to do it. Theodore Roosevelt
• Career awareness and exploration within the
  academic curriculum is something that most
  students and teachers know little, if anything,
  about.
• Most students go directly from high school either
  into the work force or into college (where they
  will pick a major based largely on what career
  they plan to pursue)

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The Research Question

• Do schools use career awareness, exploration, and
  the application of career concepts within their
  curriculum that is useful to students?

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Oklahoma State Competency 11

• The teacher shall have an understanding of the
  importance of assisting students with career
  awareness and the application of career concepts
  to the academic curriculum.
• The question challenges whether or not teachers
  use their academic curriculum to teach career
  concepts or awareness.

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The Relevant Literature

• Most educational literature speaks highly of
  exploratory classes, but there is little research
  on the subject either for or against it.
• Brazee, E. (2000). Exploratory Curriculum in the
  Middle School, ERIC Digest.
• All other literature studied contains no evidence
  of research regarding career awareness or the
  application of career concepts within the
  academic curriculum, indicating a definite need
  for this research.

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Research Procedures and Methods

• Possible informants were gathered through
  volunteers and friends of friends who were
  willing to participate.
• Interviews conducted via e-mail with teachers and
  students from middle and high schools all over
  the country.
• Triangulation
• three kinds of interviewees (student, school
  teacher, outside organization that teaches a
  program in schools).
• teachers of three different age groups.
• teachers in three different states.

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Data Teacher Questions

• What grade and subject do you teach?
• Does your school offer career awareness or
  exploration to its students? If so, what kind?
  (non-traditional classes such as shop
  professionals speaking to students about their
  careers school counselors to help in career
  planning processes career/college fairs etc.)
• Are students required to use these services, or
  are they optional?
• If services are optional, do many students use
  them?
• Do you think the services your school offers are
  helpful to students?
• Do you think that career awareness and
  exploration is important for the age/grade level
  you teach?
• Do you think the career awareness and exploration
  your school provides is adequate and appropriate?
  If not, what would you change?
• Do you use career concepts or awareness in your
  academic curriculum?
• In what city and state do you teach?

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Student Questions

• What grade are you in?
• Does your school offer career awareness or
  exploration? If so, what kind? (non-traditional
  classes such as shop professionals speaking to
  students about their careers school counselors
  to help in career planning processes
  career/college fairs etc.)
• Are you required to use these services, or are
  they optional?
• If services are optional, do you use them?
• Do you think the services your school offers are
  helpful?
• Do you think that career awareness and
  exploration is important for the age/grade level
  you are in?
• Do you think the career awareness and exploration
  your school provides is adequate and appropriate?
  If not, what would you change?
• Do your academic classes include career concepts
  or awareness within them?
• In what city and state do you attend school?

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The Answers

• The data indicated that
• Teachers believe career-related activities belong
  in extra-curricular activities or in specialty
  classes
• Teachers do not make an effort to apply career
  concepts to their academic curriculum.
• Students do not recognize any career concepts
  being taught in their classrooms.
• To summarize, the answer to the research question
  is NO.

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Differing ways of answering no to the research
question

• I feel it is more important to emphasize
  furthering education at the middle and high
  school levels. Teaching kids about jobs at this
  age just sends them the message that jobs are
  what really matters, not school. Middle school
  English teacher, Colorado Springs, CO
• Our schools University Intervarsity League is
  extra-curricular, so only the students who are
  interested participate. This gives the students
  who are interested in excelling a chance to
  compete in speech, poetry, theater, and other
  areas that arent traditionally academic. It
  doesnt specifically teach about careers, but it
  gives students a chance to explore different
  areas so they can find out what they are
  interested in as well as what they are good at.
  High school social studies teacher, Mayer, MN
• Our teachers encourage us to talk to the
  counselors and take the interest tests and stuff,
  but its not really anything that we ever do in
  class. High school student, Rio Grande City, TX

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Other Answers and Alternatives

• Career awareness and the application of career
  concepts within the academic curriculum need not
  be difficult
• Group projects, research work, presentations
• Explaining to students how certain skills and
  abilities carry from the classroom into the job
  market
• Teaching communication and technology skills as
  they apply to the academic curriculum
• Alternatives to these things might include
• Activities that occur outside of the classroom
  but are still mandatory and that apply career
  concepts to the curriculum or encourage career
  awareness field trips, career fairs, etc.

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Implications

• If classroom exercises are teaching skills that
  are only valuable within a classroom setting,
  they are probably not teaching very important
  skills.
• If teachers fail to use career awareness and
  skills application within their classroom, they
  are only teaching their students how to be good
  studentsnot how to function in the outside
  world.
• Every student eventually ends his formal
  education, whether by graduating or dropping out.
  Therefore, every student needs to be aware of
  the options and possibilities available to him
  once this point is reached.

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What to remember about this research, even if you
forget everything else

• Career awareness and the application of career
  concepts within the academic curriculum allows
  him this knowledge, and equips him with some of
  the skills he will need to succeed in this next
  step.