This phenomenological study documented the influences of a high school career exploration program, Experience-Based Career Education (E.B.C.E.), on the professional lives of nine adults who are former program participants. E.B.C.E. was an experiencebased, student-centered program that helped students develop long-term career goals and then reassessed those goals based on community-based, externship experiences. The findings in this study indicate that the utilization of John Dewey’s experiencebased, student-centered philosophy, the basis for E.B.C.E., effectively enhanced the learning process. The study's data, which was gathered exclusively through an Internet focus group session and follow-up email questions, documented the long-term influence of E.B.C.E. on program participants at Ellen Martin High School, a school that admitted only honors students in a large city in the South. E.B.C.E. participants from Ellen Martin High School participated in the Program for the last two years of high school. Program participants discovered their career interests and researched their career options while learning job skills and life skills during their junior year of E.B.C.E. Their non-paid externships, during their senior year of E.B.C.E., helped students learn how they might fit into the adult work world. Study participants developed life guides/philosophies, such as the importance of responsibility, commitment, dedication, and hard work. Adult mentors played an important role in the lives of the E.B.C.E. students, both personally and professionally and several study participants have maintained contact with their former E.B.C.E. mentors. These mentoring experiences helped E.B.C.E. participants develop a sense of confidence about their abilities in the adult world. They have maintained this sense of confidence in their present profession. Most of the study's participants experienced flow, a condition linking high challenges to feelings of enjoyment, self-worth, and ongoing development, based on their successfully meeting challenges. Some of these challenges were purposely placed in the paths of students to test them while they participated in E.B.C.E. The positive feelings about overcoming challenges, in the adult work world led E.B.C.E. students to seek higher level challenges and this recursively upward pattern of seeking higher challenges has led them to continue seeking higher challenges in their professional lives.

Esta dissertação objetivou compreender percepções de estudantes universitários sobre a transição entre os papéis de estudante a trabalhador / profissional, investigando a influência dos processos de adaptabilidade de carreira e das experiências acadêmicas, especialmente o estágio, para a transição de identidade. O Estudo 1 consistiu em um levantamento quantitativo, mapeando percepções sobre a formação e avaliando aspectos do desenvolvimento de carreira. Participaram 62 alunos de Engenharia Civil que estavam cursando o último ou penúltimo semestre. O Estudo 2, qualitativo, aprofundou a partir de entrevistas semi-estruturadas o tema investigado. Participaram 6 estudantes selecionados da amostra do Estudo 1. Os principais resultados sugeriram que as experiências de estágio influenciam o desenvolvimento de dimensões da adaptabilidade de carreira, bem como a adaptabilidade influencia o aproveitamento das vivências de estágio. Tais experiências mostraram-se fundamentais no processo de transição do papel de estudante para o papel profissional. Conclui-se com implicações para a prática e a pesquisa. / This dissertation aimed to understand university student’s perceptions of the transition from the role of student to worker and professional, investigating the influence of career adaptability processes and academic experiences, especially internships, to identity transition. Study 1 used a quantitative and exploratory method in order to identify perceptions about the graduation experiences and assess career development variables. The sample was constituted of 62 Civil Engineering students in the last or penultimate semester. Study 2 used a qualitative design to produce deeper understandings about this theme through semi-structured interviews. Six students selected from Study 1 took part on Study 2. The main results suggested that internship experiences influence career adaptability development, as well as adaptability influences how the students benefit from internship experiences. Those experiences were found to be essential in the process of transition from student to professional role. Conclusions set directions for future research and practice.

Die Dissertation umfasst vier Aufsätze zur ökonomischen Analyse von Bildung und Ungleichheit. Der erste Aufsatz zeigt, dass zwischen 1993 und 2013 der Anteil des Einkommens, der für das Wohnen ausgegeben wird, für das unterste Einkommensquintil stark anstieg, während er für das oberste Quintil zurückging. Dies kann durch einen Rückgang der Kosten des Wohneigentums im Vergleich zu den Mieten, sowie Veränderungen der Haushaltsstruktur und der regionalen Mobilität erklärt werden. Im Vergleich zu älteren Kohorten geben jüngere Kohorten im gleichen Alter einen höheren Anteil ihres Einkommens für das Wohnen aus und sparen weniger, mit möglicherweise negativen Auswirkungen auf den Vermögensaufbau. Der zweite Aufsatz analysiert Bildungswege von Schulabgängern mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund. Es wird zuerst eine „Polarisierung“ dokumentiert: Migranten besuchen häufiger eine tertiäre Ausbildung, seltener eine berufliche Ausbildung und bleiben häufiger ohne qualifizierte Ausbildung als es ihr Hintergrund vorhersagen würde. Dies kann durch die stärker akademisch orientierten Karrierepläne der Migranten erklärt werden, die unterschiedliche Effekte für gering- und hochqualifizierte Schüler haben. Der dritte Aufsatz untersucht die kausalen Effekte des Besuchs eines beruflichen Gymnasiums verglichen mit dem eines allgemeinbildenden Gymnasiums. Nach Berücksichtigung der Selektion finden sich keine Auswirkungen auf den Abschluss des Abiturs, ein kleiner negativer Effekt auf die Studierneigung, sowie positive Effekte auf Karriereplanung und Arbeitsmarktergebnisse. Der vierte Aufsatz untersucht Veränderungen der intergenerationalen Mobilität für westdeutsche Geburtskohorten 1944-1986. Er dokumentiert eine steigende Ungleichheit der Bildungsbeteiligung und der Arbeitsmarktergebnisse abhängig vom sozialen Hintergrund der Eltern. Diese Ergebnisse ändern sich nicht wesentlich, wenn ``zweite Chancen'' im deutschen Schul- und Hochschulsystem berücksichtigt werden. / This dissertation includes four essays on the economic analysis of education and inequality. The first essay shows that, between 1993 and 2013, the income share of housing expenditures in Germany increased strongly for the bottom income quintile and fell for the top quintile. These trends are driven by a decline in the costs of homeownership versus renting, changes in household structure, and residential mobility toward larger cities. Younger cohorts spend more on housing, and save less, than older cohorts did at the same age, with possibly negative consequences for wealth accumulation. The second essay analyzes post-school transitions among native and migrant pupils. Conditional on parental background, cognitive skills, and school fixed effects, there is a ``polarization'' of educational choices: migrants are more likely to attend tertiary education, less likely to attend vocational education, and more likely to end without qualified training than their background and skills would predict. This is driven by the migrant pupils' more academically oriented career plans, which have different effects for low- and high-skilled migrants. The third essay studies the causal effects of attending a vocational compared to a general higher secondary school. Identification uses both a selection-on-observables strategy including detailed pre-treatment controls as well as instrumental variable estimations. After adjusting for selection, attending a vocational higher secondary school has no effect on higher secondary graduation, a small negative effect on university attendance, as well as positive effects on career planning and labour market outcomes. The fourth essay analyzes changes in intergenerational mobility for West German birth cohorts 1944-1986. It documents rising gaps in educational and labour market outcomes between children of different parental socio-economic status. These patterns also hold after considering ``second chance'' options in Germany's education system.

The main objective of the doctoral thesis was to analyze the features of one’s vocational path during the time of undergraduate studies. Undergraduate studies can be treated as a pathway of transition from school to the world of work. Therefore, it is especially important to identify what makes vocational choice successful during this period of time. In the study, several psychological success indicators of vocational path choice were distinguished. Moreover, the following factors were analyzed as their possible predictors: internal-cognitive factors (self-efficacy and vocation-related expectations), internal-personality factors (Big Five trait dimensions), external factors (situational-demographic characteristics). The study was conducted in the framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory. 625 undergraduates representing various Lithuanian universities took part in the main study. The results provide a basis for distinguishing the most important factors of vocational path choice during the transition period, i.e., those factors that most strongly relate either to vocational choice success indicators or to the adequacy of its planning. In the discussion, both theoretical implications and practical recommendations are provided. / Disertacijoje nagrinėjami profesinio kelio ypatumai bakalauro pakopos studijų metu – pereinamuoju laikotarpiu tarp mokyklos baigimo ir įėjimo į darbo pasaulį. Darbe buvo siekiama išskirti psichologinius sėkmingo profesinio kelio pasirinkimo rodiklius bei įvertinti, kokie veiksniai jiems turi daugiausiai reikšmės. Remiantis socialine kognityvine karjeros teorija ir pereinamojo laikotarpio tyrimų apžvalga, nagrinėti vidiniai kognityviniai (įvairūs saviveiksmingumo aspektai, profesiniai lūkesčiai), asmenybės (Didžiojo Penketo asmenybės bruožai) ir išoriniai (situaciniai-demografiniai) veiksniai. Tyrime dalyvavo 625 įvairių Lietuvos universitetų bakalauro pakopos, 1–4 kurso studentai. Gauti rezultatai leidžia išskirti svarbiausius vidinius ir išorinius profesinio kelio veiksnius – tuos, kurie pereinamuoju laikotarpiu labiausiai sietini su sėkmingu profesinio kelio pasirinkimu ar adekvačiu jo planavimu. Aptariant tyrimo rezultatus, diskutuojama tiek jų reikšmė teorine prasme, tiek pritaikymo galimybės profesinio orientavimo ir konsultavimo praktikoje.

The purpose of this study was to explore and gain a greater understanding of senior university students' perceptions of their readiness to enter the work force following program completion, as well as their perceptions of the availability and helpfulness of career-related resources and services. Due to the exploratory nature of this research, no a priori hypothese were generated. A sample of 324 undergraduate students attending the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada was surveyed using the Comprehensive Career Needs Survey Post-Secondary Form, a revision of the Comprehensive Career Needs Survey developed by Magnusson and Bernes (2001). The resulting data analysis provided an overview of student perceptions of readiness to enter the work force, their thoughts about the availability and usefulness of career-related services and resources, as well as their actual use of those services and resources. This research supports previous findings regarding the benefit of experiential learning as part of the university experience and contributes information regarding the resources that students feel would be most helpful as they make the transition from school to work. / xi, 135 leaves ; 29 cm.

Experiential learning is an integral part of most programs offered at the M.L.Sultan Technikon because of the technical nature of the programs. This study focuses on learning from experience when students from the technikon are placed in work-based settings. It considers how successful workplace experience are from the perspective of staff involved with the Dental Assisting program, students registered for the program that are placed for in-service learning and employers that are involved with these placements, in the light of student learning. With transformation and restructuring within the present higher education system, currently more emphasis is being placed on experiential learning at both universities and technikons. The primary objectives of this study therefore were: (1) to examine the link between education, work and personal development, (2) to document experiences which students lived through during their placements (3) to evaluate how successful workplacements were from the perspective of staff, students and employers in the Dental Assisting program. Two models of experiential learning, Kolb's Model (1984) as a learning cycle and Boud and Walker's model (1991 ) provided a framework for examining and strengthening the critical linkages among institution, the learner and the workplace supervisor. The study looks at student preparation before the placement; it considered thoroughly the environment in which students found themselves; the difficulties students faced in the workplace and reflection during and after the event. The study provides a holistic integrative perspective on learning and the total educational experience of students. A small sample was selected to afford the opportunity of assessing a lot of information through interviews. Data was analysed by identifying patterns of responses or embedded themes from the interviews. As a qualitative and ethnographic research project the results and recommendations made from the analysis can be utilised to improve my practice. Although student placements were successful in terms of their learning, there needs to be adequate pre-placement preparation for both students and employers in order to enhance the success of the placement. There is also a need to encourage students to reflect on their experience in order to make their learning more meaningful. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2000

Each year, students who are newly enrolled in the University of Ottawa Cooperative Education Programs prepare for their first co-op work terms. In this period of pre-employment, students ask themselves important questions like, “What do I have to do to get a job?” and “What do I want to be?” As a co-op practitioner I am exposed to students’ experiences and the dilemmas they face but I still wondered what was hidden from my view and outside of my understanding. Thus, during one-on-one interviews that occurred prior to their first co-op work terms, six co-op students shared the photographs and stories of their co-op experiences with me and I shared my photographs and stories with them. Goffman’s (1959) theory of dramaturgy provided the theoretical framework to present, interpret, and understand the words and pictures that emerged from these interviews. What resulted were dramas, narratives, and allegories: six participant descriptions written as mini-biographies, verbatim transcripts prepared as a reader’s theatre script, and a set of five themes composed with vivid symbolism. The five metaphoric themes of co-op student experience are (a) journey, (b) circus, (c) metamorphosing, (d) anglers at sea, and (e) warriors. Taken together, what emerged was a deeper seeing and a richer understanding of what’s “really going on” in the time prior to students’ first co-op work terms (Goffman, 1974, p. 8) particularly with regards to legitimate peripheral participation, reflection, and experiential learning.

"2006" / Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, Institute of Higher Education Research and Development, 2007. / Bibliography: p. 167-173. / Introduction -- Experience and expression -- Becoming a professional -- Study design -- Graduates' experiences: a narrative -- Reflections on communication -- Examples of texts -- Reflections on learning and teaching -- Reflections and implications. / The aim of this study is to inform curriculum change in the mathematical sciences at university level. This study examines the transition to professional work after gaining a degree in the mathematical sciences. Communication is used as the basis for the analysis of the transition because of the importance of language choices in work situations. These experiences form part of the capabilities that become part of a person's potential to work as a professional. I found a subtle form of power and, of the opposite, lack of power due to communication skills. It is not as obvious as in, say, politics but it is just as critical to graduates and to the mathematical sciences. -- There were 18 participants in the study who were graduates within five years of graduation with majors in the mathematical sciences. In-depth interviews were analysed using phenomenography and examples of text from the workplace were analysed using discourse analysis. Descriptions of the process of gaining employment and the use of mathematical discourse have been reported in the thesis using narrative style with extensive quotes from the participants. -- The research shows that graduates had three qualitatively different conceptions of mathematical discourse when communicating with a non-mathematical audience: jargon, concepts/thinking and strength. All participants modified their use of technical terms when communicating with non-mathematicians. Those who held the jargon conception tried to simplify the language in order to explain the mathematics to their audience. Those who held the concepts/thinking conception believed that the way of thinking or the ideas were too difficult to communicate and instead their intention with mathematical discourse was to inspire or sell their ability to work with the mathematics. The strength conception considers the ethical responsibility to communicate the consequences of mathematical decisions. Not one of the participants believed that they had been taught communication skills as part of their degree. -- Participants gained a 'mathematical identity' from their studies and acquiring a degree gave them confidence and a range of problem-solving skills. Recommendations are made about changes in university curriculum to ensure that graduates are empowered to make a high-quality transition to the workplace and be in a position to use their mathematical skills. Mathematical skills are necessary but not sufficient for a successful transition to the workplace. Without the ability to communicate, graduates are unable to release the strength of their knowledge. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xi, 195 p. ill

Thesis (M.A.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία πραγματοποιήθηκε στα πλαίσια της εκπόνησης του μεταπτυχιακού προγράμματος “Νέες Μέθοδοι Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων” του τμήματος Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Αφορά έρευνα με θέμα: “Η απορρόφηση των πτυχιούχων Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών” και στόχος της είναι η εξαγωγή συμπερασμάτων σχετικά με τον βαθμό,τη ποιότητα και τη διαδικασία ένταξης των αποφοίτων του εξεταζόμενου τμήματος στην αγορά εργασίας. Η έρευνα αυτή κατατάσσεται στην κατηγορία των ερευνών “επαγγελματικής ένταξης” και “μετάβαση των νέων από την εκπαίδευση στην εργασία”. / -