To decrease the steady rise in the prison population, we must deter ex-offenders from re-offending and recidivating, once they have been released. For ex-offenders, finding employment is critical to successful post-release re-integration which can help reduce the chances of them recidivating. Ex-offenders who are consistent in their employment patterns are less likely to return to a life of crime. This study investigated the relative importance and significance of 11 selected variables on four separate levels of employment consistency. The selected variables were chosen based on what has been identified in the literature as effecting employment patterns of ex-offenders and the general population, and what data was reliable and available. The study group consisted of 2,314 male Virginia ex-offenders released in fiscal year 2001. The results revealed that the variables of time served, career and technical education program completions, educational level, age at release, race, and being convicted of a violent offense were positive predictors of employment consistency. On the other hand, having a record of minor infractions and being a repeat offender were associated with decreasing employment consistency in the analysis. The findings of the study suggest that it is important for offenders to make changes in the ways they think and their attitudes. This can be accomplished by taking advantage of opportunities in prison to participate in rehabilitative services and educational programs. In addition, as offenders get older they tend to abandon criminal ways of thinking, and once released they are more apt to stay employed. Furthermore, the influence of the race variable did not affect the study group of ex-offenders as anticipated. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this embedded sequential explanatory case study with a quantitative→qualitative two-strand design of inquiry was to explain how the quality of teacher-student relationships and the gap of cognitive styles between teachers and students impact student achievement. The population for the quantitative strand of research was comprised of 11 career and technical education (CTE) teachers and 210 CTE students, representing six disciplines within CTE. The study occurred in a suburban high school in western North Carolina. Leader-member Exchange (LMX) theory and Adaption-innovation theory guided the research. In the quantitative strand, the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory was used to measure the cognitive style of teachers and students, a researcher developed survey was used to measure dyadic intensity, the Leader-Member Excellence—Shared-Leadership Exchange instrument was used to measure the perceived quality of dyadic relationships between teachers and students, and the North Carolina CTE end of course tests were used to measure student achievement in CTE classes. Additionally, demographic information was collected from teacher and student participants. In the qualitative strand, four teachers and eight students were interviewed. The purpose of the qualitative strand was to investigate how teachers and students describe their dyadic relationships. Data from both the quantitative and qualitative strands were mixed to allow for a stronger interpretation and explanation of the quantitative and qualitative results. Statistically significant relationships were identified among the various dimensions of teacher-student relationships. There was a weak, positive relationship between dyadic intensity and student GPA. A weak, positive relationship was found between dyadic intensity and teacher LMX. There was a weak, positive relationship between dyadic intensity and student LMX. There was a weak, positive relationship between student GPA and teacher LMX. A moderate, positive relationship was found between student GPA and student LMX. A moderate, positive relationship was found between student GPA and student achievement. Additionally, there was a moderate, positive relationship between teacher LMX and student LMX. A path analysis of quantitative data indicated that student GPA had a significant effect on teacher LMX. Teacher LMX and student GPA had a significant effect on student LMX. Lastly, student GPA had a significant effect on student achievement. Qualitative data validated the quantitative findings. Further, five themes surfaced from the qualitative data providing support for additional findings. The researcher recommended future investigation of the impacts of leader-member exchange and cognitive style on student achievement using alternative indicators of student achievement, an exploration of how involvement in a career and technical student organization (CTSO) interacts with teacher-student relationships and student achievement through the lens of leader-member exchange, and an examination of the impacts of leader-member exchange and cognitive style on student achievement outside of the context of CTE. The quality of teacher-student relationships from both the teacher's perspective and the student's perspective are affected by a student's grade point average. Student grade point average has a significant effect on student achievement. Much remains unknown about the antecedents of teacher-student relationships and how the relationships between teachers and students may interact with student achievement. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between participation in CTE programs and students’ graduation rates and rates of CTE students’ entrance into postsecondary education or employment after graduation. Possible differences between students’ enrollment in urban and rural school districts and their graduation, participation, and secondary placement rates were also considered. Publicly available data on high school students in the state of Tennessee were analyzed to compare the graduation rates of CTE participants with the graduation rates of non-CTE participants in the state as a whole and in nine selected urban school districts and nine selected rural school districts for the school years 2009-2010, 2010- 2011, and 2011-2012. Research cited in this study indicated that CTE participation could increase students' graduation rates. Some research also indicated that rural students were more likely to complete CTE concentrations than urban students and that other differences might exist in the CTE experiences of urban and rural students. Six research questions were created and their null hypotheses tested with a series of z-tests. Analysis of publicly available data for the selected school systems and for the state as a whole found slightly higher rates of graduation among CTE concentrators than among non-concentrators and higher rates of CTE participation among rural than urban high school students, but these differences were not statistically significant. Differences between urban and rural schools systems' graduation rates and their rates of postsecondary placement of CTE concentrators in education, the military, or employment were also found to be statistically insignificant.

Current enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in the United States and in the state of Kansas is lagging behind the future demand for skilled workers. With millions of skilled labor positions unfilled and the pending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the United States is at a critical juncture to compete in the global marketplace. High school career counselors are the primary resource for CTE program recruitment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether high school career counselors' educational backgrounds, knowledge levels of CTE initiatives and programs in Kansas, and available counseling time were associated with their perceptions of CTE. The study was based on the constructivist learning theory that suggests individuals tend to learn from their past experiences and utilize those experiences to create meaning for the future. A cross-sectional survey design was used for this study to collect data on the knowledge levels, education, counseling time, and perceptions of CTE initiatives and programs held by high school career counselors (N = 485) in the state of Kansas. Chi square analyses of the associations among variables revealed that knowledge levels and counseling time were related to counselors' perceptions of CTE. However, no significant association was found between counselor educational background and perceptions of CTE. This study is significant to educational institutions and the economy in Kansas because the findings may be used to target CTE recruitment training for high school counselors. This training may improve recruiting strategies for CTE students and address Kansas' future needs for a skilled workforce.

This dissertation investigates the nature of learning and knowing in adult formal vocational education and training. In a two-year period, I attended a training institute in western Canada and collected data from a variety of courses that were designed for practitioners to initiate a career or promote their rank in maritime industries. My research consists of four separate yet interrelated studies that, as a whole, comprise core chapters of this dissertation. I used video-mediated ethnography as my method to record and socio-cultural and situated perspectives as my primary framework to analyze and better understand my research data, participants’ interactions, and the learning and knowing possibilities in the course of the activities. In my first study, I looked at the assessment system for certification, a major impediment and contradiction that prevents the current vocational education system from reaching its objectives. I analyzed how current practices adversely affect the performance of the system and how it can be improved. In the second study, I examined and addressed the shortcomings of vocational education policies. I proposed a conceptual framework for policy analysis and design that affords the reduction or elimination of the current impediments in the implementation processes. In the third study, I developed the concept of quasi-community as a theoretical framework for theorizing the learning and teaching of adult practitioners in formal educational settings. I theorized learning as the membership and co-participation in a quasi-community developed by its members. The aim of a quasi-community is to create an interactive environment for the participants to share their expertise and utilize cultural resources in order to provide opportunities for collective activities and collaborative learning. In my final study, I focused on a new phenomenon in workplaces, namely the introduction of technology and the demand it created for change in educational systems. Based on the concept of quasi-community, I proposed a distinct pedagogical method for adult technology education. This dissertation provides empirical evidence that the conceptual framework of quasi-community allows for the creation of effective pedagogies that provide authentic learning opportunities for adult learners to develop vocational and technological competencies required in their workplaces. / Graduate

This study addressed the problem of the lack of Career and Technical Educational (CTE) courses offered at 3 high schools located in a rural Alabama county. Guided by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, this study examined cultural capital in reference to the transference of knowledge that each high school in this study provides its students throughout their high school education. The research questions explored the stakeholders' perceptions of the factors that prevent the schools from offering more CTE programs and how CTE programs should be expanded in each school. A collective case study design was used for this study, with the data collected through transcribed interviews of 9 educators from the study schools and the examination of archival documents. The data were coded and categorized into a case study spreadsheet. According to the stakeholders, the major factors that prevented the schools from offering more CTE programs were lack of funding, proximity, and conflicts within the schedule. The stakeholders believed that the school system needed to create regional CTE centers that offered more courses with hands-on learning experiences that matched the students' interests. These findings led to a policy recommendation to the Board of Education to create a section under the current CTE policy which addresses program expansion. The policy recommendation and results from this study may effect positive social change by informing the creation and implementation of CTE courses that match students' interests, which may aid in those students being more college-and-career-ready upon graduation. The results from this study are also of interest to researchers examining problems in other school districts with similar deficits.

Career and technical education (CTE) is a set of career-focused courses and pathways that provide students with technical skills and knowledge which can lead to future employment and postsecondary education. Concentration in a career and technical education pathway while still in high school supports job exploration for school-age youth and is correlated with higher levels of full-time employment after high school. This is especially true for students with disabilities. Special Education (SPED) is the educational support system for students with disabilities. CTE and SPED professionals have struggled to effectively collaborate to serve students with disabilities. Infrequent and inconsistent communication between CTE and SPED professionals as well as limited time and opportunities are barriers to effective collaboration between these professional groups. Joint training with SPED and CTE teachers may be a crucial component to a successful collaboration process. The purpose of this research is to explore the effect of joint training and collaborative teaming with CTE and SPED professionals on their knowledge and attitudes of collaboration in serving students with disabilities. The activities in this research study involved educating SPED and CTE professionals in a joint training on working together to effectively serve students with disabilities. Time for collaborative teaming and strategizing between SPED and CTE professionals was included in the training. Knowledge and attitudes were measured before and after the training. This study demonstrated that joint training and collaborative teaming with CTE and SPED professionals increased knowledge of both disciplines and improved attitudes about collaboration between disciplines. Improved knowledge and attitudes toward collaboration resulted from professionals creating a sense of network and community as they worked in interdisciplinary teams.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an ecological examination of the relationship between social integration and dropout rates at the school and community level, and the role of career and technical education in this relationship. This paper also attempts to determine if this relationship changes depending on how urbanicity is operationalized. This study adds to the existing research concerning the ecological relationships between dropout rates, community social integration, school social integration, and urbanicity in Mississippi. Three-year averaged event dropout rates for 2005-2008, multiple community and school measures of social integration, and three different operationalizations of urbanicity were used. Some expected relationships were found to be true while others indicate that social integration at both the school and community level are so intertwined in their effects on dropout rates that no clear pattern emerges. The varying results related to the role of urbanicity in this study provide support for the need to further examine the concepts of community and location as factors that impact educational outcomes such as dropping out of school. This is particularly important when one considers that most educational policies that are implemented in a state tend to be overarching treating school districts no matter what size they are the same. This study also highlights that there are factors that impact what one would traditionally expect to find in the relationship between dropout rates and social integration that do not hold true. For example, an inverse relationship between dropout rates and local funding was expected, but in this study the relationship was found to be positive. One possible explanation for this is related to the fact that local taxes for schools are mandated by the county government and not voted on by the people. This changes the theoretical expectations of this relationship leading to possibly false assumptions.

Many high schools have shifted from comprehensive graduation exams to a focus on College and Career Readiness. A common method used to determine when a student is college and career ready is a Career Readiness Indicator (CRI). Many CRIs demonstrate a benchmark learning goal for students. Among academic-based CRIs are Career and Technical Education (CTE) industry credentials. Credentials are just one way that agriculture classrooms contribute to student success. This study compiled existing research on CRIs and employability skills in CTE students to determine how the State FFA Degree could potentially fit into this category as well as highlight specific employability aspects of FFA members that coincide with the three-circle model of agricultural education. Data were collected and analyzed to compare FFA members to non-FFA members. FFA members who have earned their State FFA Degree were additionally compared to FFA members who did not earn the State FFA Degree.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers have long been active in lobbying the federal and state governments in support of CTE through their professional organizations, but these are not traditionally considered interest groups. This study sought to determine if the formal relationships—dues agreements—between the two largest national professional organizations, and their state affiliates had an impact on state funding for CTE. The impacts of professional organization unity, membership rates, and lobbying expenses on state-level CTE funding were analyzed through the lens of interest group theory, a subfield of political science. Within this population (N = 13), 1) a link was found between dues agreement type and funding; 2) Agricultural educators joined their professional organization(s) at higher rates than other CTE teachers; 3) a low relationship was discovered between professional organization membership percentages and funding; and 4) a high degree of relationship was found between lobbying expenses and funding.