Dropping out of school is a major concern as high school graduation credentials have been used as an important measurement tool to define post-secondary success. Numerous researchers presented a multitude of factors that predict dropouts at individual and school levels. Curriculum track choice, or high school course-taking sequence, defines students' schooling career and ultimately the post-secondary path that they choose (Plank, DeLuca, & Estacion, 2008). Scholars have debated on various outcomes related to dropouts influenced by various curriculum choices, namely academic, career and technical education (CTE), dual enrollment, and general curriculum. Several argued students following academic tracks are more likely to graduate. Others claim that CTE benefits students who are at-risk and suppresses dropout likelihood (Rumberger & Sun, 2008). New vocationalism or dual enrollment has proven successful at reducing dropout rates. This study attempted to investigate the influence of curriculum track and CTE program areas on dropout likelihood while controlling for possible individual differences. Analysis was conducted via Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling (HGLM) due to the nested data structure of Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS). Variables included were academic background, academic and career aspiration, school-sponsored activity participation, school minority composition, school average student socio-economic status (SES), school type (private or public), school urbanicity, CTE courses offered at the school, and demographic indicators (gender, race, and SES). Findings reflect higher dropout likelihood among general curriculum participants than academic and occupational concentrators after controlling for all possible individual differences. Dual concentrators had 0% dropout rate, and therefore comparison with other curriculum tracks was not possible via HGLM analysis. Results suggest substantial importance of academic background, post-secondary education plans, and school-sponsored activity participation in predicting dropout likelihood. Comparing CTE program areas, Family and Consumer Sciences, Human Services, Public Services, Health and Education (Human Services area) participants were more likely to drop out than other program areas while Technology Education participants were less likely to drop out than Human Services and 2 or more CTE program area participants. Results suggest 9th grade overall GPA and school-sponsored activity participation as substantial predictors of dropout likelihood among occupational concentrators. Variability across schools was insignificant. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of an expert group of secondary school business teachers regarding whether previously identified competencies for working with students who have disabilities are important for secondary business teachers. The research questions used as a guide to conduct the study were: 1. From a list of identified competencies compiled from course objectives and literature, to what extent did the members of the expert panel of secondary school business teachers in Virginia and agree on competencies that are essential for business teachers related to working with students who have disabilities? 2. What comparisons can be made among the ratings of competencies by the members of the expert panel? The data were collected using a modified, two-round Delphi technique. The initial instrument used in Round I was developed by the researcher based on a literature review and authenticated by a validation panel. The 28 competencies were grouped in eight topical categories to assist in the review by the validation panel. The 16 members of a nominated Delphi panel were business education teachers from Virginia. The Delphi panel responded to the competencies using a five point Likert-type scale in which 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree. The Round II instrument consisted of four competencies that did not meet consensus in Round I by having a standard deviation equal to or less than 1, and consensus was achieved on all four competencies in Round II. Of the original 28 competencies, 27 achieved the predetermined minimum mean score of 3.5 to be considered as important. The category of classroom management had the highest mean rating of 4.61 on the 5.0 scale. Also, the mean ratings were high for the categories of inclusion (4.31) and individual education programs (4.29). The two categories that had the lowest mean ratings (3.88) were characteristics of learners and transition services. Recommendations based on the results were made for improved policy and practice and for further research. / Ed. D.

Learning in school requires active engagement. Student engagement is an important aspect for all students, whether urban, suburban, or rural, and regardless of socioeconomic background. Students enter Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs for a multitude of reasons and CTE programs offer unique support for student success by increasing student engagement. This study will focus on CTE teachers' perceptions of the influence that CTE programs and industry credentialing have on student engagement. Utilizing information on student engagement will help educators develop strategies to promote student motivation and student engagement, thus leading to student academic success. This study is a quantitative, descriptive statistical study in which the researcher examined studies that focused on student engagement and student engagement predictors. The research identified six qualities of student engagement: positive conduct and absence of disruptive conduct, school attendance, academic progress, social membership, high expectations in students' ability to achieve, and emotional support. The researcher developed a survey to examine teachers' perceptions of CTE influence on student engagement by including the six qualities of student engagement as guidelines for questionnaire development. Results of the survey indicate that CTE teachers identify all six domains of student engagement as represented within their course structure. Responses of all groups were similar, while their levels of industry involvement different. Additional results of all teacher responses are provided in the paper. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to describe the needs and concerns regarding the Virginia Credentialing Initiative (VCI) of career and technical education (CTE) stakeholders in rural southwestern Virginia. These stakeholders included central office CTE administrators, high school principals, guidance counselors, and high school CTE teachers. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2008) was sent to 355 participants with 260 responding for a return rate of 73%. All of the respondents were employed in Superintendents' Region Seven. There are seven Stages of Concern: 0 Unconcerned, 1 Informational, 2 Personal, 3 Management, 4 Consequence, 5 Collaboration, and 6 Refocusing. Results revealed that when categorized by occupational areas, central office CTE administrators and teachers had primary concerns that ranged from Unconcerned to Personal. Guidance counselors had primary concerns that ranged from Unconcerned to Informational. High school principals had primary concerns that ranged from Unconcerned to Personal. All groups had lowest concern levels at the Consequence and Refocusing stages. Results for each group varied slightly when the number of years of experience was used as a reporting category. The primary level of concern was at the Unconcerned stage for each group when the respondents had 5 or fewer years of experience. CTE teacher groups were also categorized by subject area as those with long-standing licensing history (cosmetology, nursing, welding) and those newer to credentialing (agriculture, business, family and consumer sciences, marketing). The fields of nursing and welding had primary concerns at the Unconcerned level, while those in the agriculture, business, cosmetology, family and consumer sciences, and marketing subject areas peaked at the Personal level. Further research is recommended in relation to CTE stakeholder concerns and the implementation and use of the VCI. The implementation of new state legislation will affect CTE stakeholders as they adapt to the new graduation requirements for students pursuing a standard diploma. It is also recommended that qualitative research be conducted to ascertain specific avenues for addressing stakeholder needs and concerns, such as professional development. / Ed. D.

Little is known about how students learn when using computer-assisted modular curriculum, if such curriculum truly promotes self-regulated learning, or if the cognitive principles of teaching and learning are integrated throughout the design of the modules. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of student cognitive responses to learning with computer-assisted modular curriculum, based on the Phases and Subprocesses of Self-Regulation. This triangulation mixed methods case study connected qualitative and quantitative data derived from curriculum content analysis, student course evaluations, participant observations, and interviews. Thirty-six middle school students enrolled in an agricultural education course designed with computer-assisted modules served as the case study group. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed, leading to the emergence of six common themes. Overall, the design and content of the computer-assisted modules lack integral principles of teaching and learning. Participants prefer a mix of traditional and computer-assisted instruction because of the variety of instruction, opportunities for social learning, and the hands-on activities. When integrated properly, computer-assisted modules do not inhibit interactions among the teacher and the students. The activities associated with the modules do not encourage self-regulatory processes. However, self-regulation is innate and students engage in self-regulation at different levels during the learning experience. Despite intrinsic interest or value for a particular topic, participants felt it was always important to pay attention in school. Thus, when learning with computer-assisted modules, students engage in social learning with their peers and desire hands-on learning experiences, with or without the modules. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

In 2002, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation (U.S. Department of Education, 2002) was signed into law to help children in the United States receive quality education and learn the basic skills needed to be successful (Chadd & Drage, 2006). The central focus of this legislation is the core academic subjects, which are identified in the legislation as English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography. Career and technical education (CTE) is not specifically mentioned in the legislation, which suggests that NCLB and the high-stakes testing associated with the accountability benchmarks could impact the future of CTE. Even though the primary expectation of high-stakes testing is to increase academic achievement in specific areas, many worthwhile school programs could suffer from unintended consequences of this high-stakes testing initiative. One of the strategies that many school districts are using to improve student performance in the core subject areas mentioned in the NCLB legislation is to devote more instructional time to the tested content subjects, such as reading, mathematics, social studies and science. Hence, the development of an unintended consequence of narrowing the curriculum offered to secondary students. As a result more CTE courses may be dropped from high school master schedules, which make the topic of specific concern for educational leaders (Gordon et al., 2007). School administrators and school leaders are concerned about school accreditation and student performance on state mandated tests. Therefore, examining career and technical education student performance on Virginia's Standards of Learning assessments and the graduation rates of CTE students would help to determine the impact of CTE enrollment on student achievement. As such, the impact of CTE on high-stakes testing in the Commonwealth of Virginia was the impetus for this topic of study. This purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the academic performance of CTE completers and non-CTE completers in the Commonwealth of Virginia on the Standards of Learning English and mathematics assessments, as well as cohort graduation rates. This quantitative study used descriptive statistics, such as mean and standard deviation, to determine if their pass rates and graduation rates differ during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 school years. A t-test was used to determine if they differ significantly from each other. Findings indicate that statistically (p<.05), CTE completers had higher mathematics and Grade 11 English reading pass rates from those of non-CTE completers. The CTE completers in this study also demonstrated higher cohort graduation rates. It appears that a concentration of career and technical education makes a positive impact the pass rates of students on the Standards of Learning assessments and cohort graduation rates. / Doctor of Education

Experiential opportunities at the secondary level give students the 'intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and education' (Dewey, 1938, p. 19-20). Career and Technical Education classes (CTE) and co-curricular experiences, one type of experiential learning, underpin and cultivate student curiosity and often channel interests into STEM-related post-secondary disciplines and career choices. There is little existent research on the characteristics of exemplary experiential learning opportunities and the impact on stakeholders. This study is intended to identify the qualities and characteristics of an exemplary secondary experience through the lived experiences of the stakeholders; students, STEM-related teachers, and CTE/STEM Administrators. A qualitative research design was used to examine characteristics and implications for students of four STEM-related programs throughout Virginia. Conclusions from the study include fundamental principles for providing exemplary experiential STEM-related learning opportunities. These principles include: providing hands-on, real world learning opportunities for students, providing learning opportunities that will enhance student ownership in their learning, providing unique and comprehensive career exploration opportunities for students, providing a schedule for teachers that will give them time to plan, deliver, and manage exemplary experiential learning opportunities, providing continual teacher and administrator in-service training relative to planning and implementing exemplary experiential learning opportunities, investing appropriate funds for providing exemplary experiential learning opportunities. Establishing and maintaining active partnerships with business/industry and colleges/universities, and maintaining active advisory communities, providing appropriate staff to support the provision of exemplary experiential learning opportunities is needed. The need for adequate funding, improving perception of CTE and STEM programs, and small class sizes was also recommended. / Ph. D.

This study was conducted to identify personal and institutional barriers preventing community college students from completing their education goals, whether that was a degree program, diploma program, or credentialing program. It was also conducted to identify strategies that can be used to assist these students in overcoming these barriers. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of students at one West Virginia Community and Technical College who dropped out of their programs of study. The study sought to identify actions and events that contributed to students choosing to drop out and strategies that can be used to reduce their dropping out. Understanding the students' perspectives concerning their decisions to drop out will assist community college personnel to evaluate the on- and off-campus factors influencing these decisions. This qualitative study sought to directly ask students about their personal lives and also about the people and events on campus that influenced their decision to drop out of Thompson Community and Technical College (pseudonym). The study contains three major research questions: What personal factors contributed to students dropping out of one West Virginia Community and Technical College? What institutional factors contributed to students dropping out of one West Virginia Community and Technical College? What strategies can one West Virginia Community and Technical College implement to enhance student retention and decrease student dropout rates? The basic qualitative research design of conducting one-on-one qualitative interviews was used for this study. Criterion and purposeful sampling were utilized to identify participants. Semi-structured interviewing and document reviewing was utilized to gather data to discover rich information from the participants' lived experiences. Participants were suggested by current or former faculty or staff members at one of the West Virginia Community and Technical College campuses in the state of West Virginia. They were students who had already attended for at least one semester and who had subsequently dropped out of their programs of study. Fifteen participants were interviewed for the study. / Doctor of Education / This study tried to find out if there were specific personal reasons or specific college reasons why students did not finish school and graduate from their community college. It also tried to find out if students had suggestions for what might have kept them in college. Finding out this information could maybe help colleges figure out how to help students stay in school and graduate. Fifteen former students were interviewed face-to-face by the researcher for this study. Each person had finished at least one semester at a West Virginia Community and Technical College, but then had left before they graduated. Three of them left for only personal reasons. Twelve of them left because of what happened at the college. They shared many stories and gave many suggestions for improvement. They also shared good experiences.

The purpose of this research study was to examine how chefs and other individuals in the food industry understood the field of culinary arts. This study used an instrumental case study with purposeful sampling of multiple cases. Through a series of open-ended interviews using snowball-sampling strategy that concluded with 45 participants sharing their experiences in culinary education and employment, several themes emerged across all of the interviews: (1) Disempowerment of those who have been successful in the culinary arts; (2) Conflict in the field; and, (3) Needs of employers not being met. Following the analysis of the data, two research questions were inductively formed: (1) How do the participants' understandings vary based upon the three models (apprenticeship, associate degree, and baccalaureate degree) of culinary education? (2) How do these themes vary depending upon the three models of culinary education? What resulted was thick description of the impact of the three models of formal chef education has had on the field of culinary arts, followed by the potential in the development of the baccalaureate degree model as it represented an opportunity for field redefinition in culinary arts. This study produced a set of data revealing that current culinary education has become one that has bred disempowerment, continued conflict in the field of culinary arts, and left needs unfullfilled related to technical skills required for successful employment. The shift from the time-consuming and expensive model of apprenticeship to the development of the associate degree has necessitated a reconsideration of culinary education. What has been offered in this research is the potential for a transformation facilitated within a baccalaureate degree that could intertwine both technical skills and academic knowledge.

Esta dissertação é resultado de um processo que buscou conhecer e discutir as expressões e contribuições do ensino de psicologia no campo das Escolas Técnicas Estaduais de São Paulo (Etecs) tendo como fundamentação teórico-metodológica o Materialismo Histórico Dialético. No primeiro momento, realizou-se levantamento do campo de atuação possível para o licenciado em psicologia nas Etecs, obtendo- se que em número de discentes, diversidade de cursos e porcentagem de Etecs esse campo é amplo. Posteriormente, realizou-se pesquisa de campo em uma Escola Técnica Estadual de São Paulo envolvendo: observação de espaços comuns da escola e aulas de Psicologia Organizacional (curso de técnico em Administração) e Psicologia Social (curso de técnico em Marketing); análise de documentos; conversas informais e entrevista com o docente das disciplinas observadas. O processo de análise partiu das questões construídas durante a pesquisa de campo e as significou a partir da teoria. Foi possível identificar a existência de processos potencialmente alienantes e processos potencialmente emancipatórios no ensino de psicologia, os quais são profundamente condicionados pela histórica subordinação da educação profissional às demandas ideológicas do mercado de trabalho e às condições de trabalho existentes nas Etecs, as quais entre outras questões restringem a autonomia dos docentes e os reduzem a técnicos. Compreendeu-se que há no ensino de psicologia das Etecs predominância dos processos potencialmente alienantes, os quais foram discutidos em termos de: 1) redução dos conhecimentos psicológicos ao uso instrumental; 2) marginalidade do conteúdo; 3) prescrição de formas de ser e agir; e 4) equívocos no ensino de conteúdos. Desvelou-se a existência de brechas que possibilitaram a existência de processos potencialmente emancipatórios, tais como: 1) relações de respeito mútuo; e 2) ensino de conhecimentos histórico-socialmente construídos. A pesquisa permite entrever as potencialidades do ensino de psicologia no campo das Etecs e afirmar a possibilidade deste contribuir para a formação humana emancipada, desde que: a) considere criticamente os condicionantes inerentes a seu próprio campo de conhecimento, atuação e formação de seus professores; e b) busque incessantemente superá-los. Para tal considerou-se como necessárias lutas no sentido da modificação de políticas públicas de educação e transformações na formação inicial e contínua dos professores de psicologia / This dissertation results of a process that aimed to discover and discuss the expressions and contributions of the teaching of psychology in the field of the technical schools of the state of São Paulo (Etecs), having as theoretical and methodological basis the historical and dialectical materialism. At first, the potential field for psychology teachers at the Etecs was surveyed, getting that, in number of students, diversity of courses and percentage of Etecs, this field is wide. Subsequent field research took place in an Etec, including: observation of the common areas of the school and of classes in Organizational Psychology (technical course in Business Administration) and Social Psychology (technical course in Marketing), analysis of documents; informal conversations and interviews with the teacher of the observed subjects. The process of analysis was built upon the issues raised during the field research and sought their meaning in theory. It was possible to identify the existence of potentially alienating processes and potentially emancipatory processes in the teaching of psychology, which are heavily affected by the historical subordination of vocational education to ideological demands of the labor market and by the working conditions existing in the Etecs which, among other issues, restrict the autonomy of teachers and reduce them to technicians. It was understood that there is, in the teaching of psychology in Etecs, prevalence of potentially alienating processes, which were discussed in terms of: 1) reduction of psychological knowledge to instrumental use, 2) marginality of contents, 3) prescription of ways of being and acting; and 4) mistakes in the teaching of contents. Was unveiled the existence of breaches that allowed the existence of potentially emancipatory processes, such as: 1) relations of mutual respect; and 2) teaching of historically and socially constructed knowledge. The research provides a glimpse of the potentialities of the teaching of psychology in the field of the Etecs and allows to affirm the possibility that it contributes to the emancipated human formation, provided that it: a) critically considers the inherent constraints to its own field of knowledge, its work and the formation of its teachers; and b) constantly seeks to overcome them. For this, struggles for the modification of public education policies and for changes in initial and continuing training of psychology teachers are necessary