Teach for tomorrow: Career education and student engagement

Career education, student engagement, and social justice are linked, as students’ career aspirations are influenced by their ethnic affiliations and socioeconomic conditions (Porfeli, Hartung, & Vondracek, 2008). In this paper, I will underscore the importance of career education in promoting positive life outcomes for all students.

Career Education and Engagement

Student engagement involves the interplay between the resources invested by students and institutions to optimize students’ experiences, learning outcomes, and development (Trowler, 2010). Kuh (2009) suggests that higher engagement correlates with increased opportunities for students of all educational and social backgrounds to:

• Reach their educational and personal goals;
• Gain the skills and competencies demanded by the challenges of modern society; and
• Experience intellectual and monetary advantages to attaining an education.

For these reasons, student engagement should be considered within the context of career education, as enhanced engagement may inform and direct the course of a student’s subsequent career path. Based on definitions of engagement (i.e., Alberta Learning, n.d.; Trowler, 2010), I propose that career education may foster student engagement if students are encouraged to:

• Critically reflect on their experiences, abilities, and personal attributes;
• Conduct research to explore potential career options;
• Make meaningful connections between academic pursuits and the world of work;
• Interact with their peers and genuinely participate in career-related activities; and
• Participate in activities that are purposefully designed to foster self- and career exploration.

Research Evidence

Career education programs can enhance student engagement (Kenny, Blustein, Haase, Jackson, & Perry, 2006; Orthner, Jones-Sanpei, Arkos, & Rose, 2013; Sutherland, Levine, & Barth, 2005). Orthner et al. investigated the impact of three years of career-relevant instruction, CareerStart, on American middle school students’ ratings of school valuing and engagement. Orthner et al. discovered that students in CareerStart programs reported higher ratings of school valuing in comparison to students in control schools, and students who reported greater exposure to career-relevant instruction scored higher on measures of school engagement. These findings indicate that students who receive career education may be more inclined to connect academic learning with real-life situations, and therefore experience greater school engagement.

Kenny, Blustein, Haase, Jackson, and Perry (2006) assessed the link between career development and school engagement with an American, urban sample of ninth-grade students. Students who developed career planning skills and positive school expectations displayed higher levels of school engagement than their peers. Notably, these results were found with predominantly non-White, low-income students, and this population typically experiences inequities in educational and career success. Therefore, this study suggests that providing career development at the junior high level may help students to experience increased school engagement. If students are engaged with what they are learning, then they may be at an advantage to continue with their education and experience enhanced career and life outcomes.

From a Canadian perspective, Sutherland, Levine, and Barth (2005) examined the effectiveness of career education on student engagement with a sample of 33 Career Trek participants. Career Trek is a program targeted towards inner-city students with perceived barriers to post-secondary education such as socio-economic status, disability, or membership in a marginalized group. When interviewed, Career Trek participants reported themes of persistence, increased self-esteem, and an increased ability to identify themselves as students. These factors have been significantly associated with academic engagement and school retention in previous research (Evans & Burke, as cited in Sutherland et al.).

Despite positive interview findings (Sutherland, Levine, & Barth, 2005), Career Trek participants reported significantly lowered perceptions of ability related to school tasks after participation; this may reflect the perceived disconnect between isolated career education and the typical educational context (Sutherland et al.). Therefore, it is imperative to directly integrate career education with classroom tasks, such as CareerStart (Orthner, Jones-Sanpei, Arkos, & Rose, 2013), which connect academic and career instruction. Career education should take place throughout students’ academic development. For at-risk students, this would allow them to “experience connections between education, careers, meaningful employment, and not living in poverty” (Sutherland et al., p. 154). Like Kenny, Blustein, Haase, Jackson, and Perry (2006), Sutherland et al. highlight the importance of career education to increase student engagement for all students, especially those that are disadvantaged by economic and/or social circumstances.

Conclusion

Career education has been linked to student engagement and social justice (Kenny, Blustein, Haase, Jackson, & Perry, 2006; Orthner, Jones-Sanpei, Arkos, & Rose; Sutherland, Levine, & Barth, 2005), which accentuates the importance of continuous career education throughout a student’s academic career. ­­­­­­To be most effective, researchers recommend that career education be implemented early on in students’ academic careers (Bardick, Bernes, Magnusson, & Witko, 2004; Gibbons, Borders, Wiles, Stephan, & Patrick, 2006; Johnson, 2000; Knight, 2014; Orthner et al.), thereby promoting enhanced career and life outcomes for all students.

Author Bio

Annelise Welde is currently completing a Master of Education (Counselling Psychology) degree at the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta. She has research interests in career education and development, and aspire to eventually become a Registered Psychologist in Alberta.

References

Bardick, A.D., Bernes, K.B., Magnusson, K.C., & Witko, K.D. (2004). Junior high career planning: What students want. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 38, 104-117.

Gibbons, M.M., Borders, L.D., Wiles, M.E., Stephan, J.B., & Davis, P.E. (2006). Career and college planning needs of ninth graders – as reported by ninth graders. Professional School Counseling, 10, 168-178. Retrieved from http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/L_Borders_Career_2006%20(MULTI%20UNCG%20AUTHORS).pdf

Johnson, L.S. (2000). The relevance of school to career: A study in student awareness. Journal of Career Development, 26, 263-276.

Kenny, M.E., Blustein, D.L., Haase, R.F., Jackson, J., & Perry, J.C. (2006). Setting the stage: Career development and the student engagement process. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 272-279. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.2.272

Knight, J.L. (2014). Preparing elementary school counselors to promote career development: Recommendations for school counselor education programs. Journal of Career Development, 1-14. doi:10.1177/0894845314533745

Kuh, G.D. (2009). What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 683-706. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0099

Orthner, D.K., Jones-Sanpei, H., Akos, P., & Rose, R.A. (2013). Improving middle school student engagement through career-relevant instruction in the core curriculum. The Journal of Educational Research, 106, 27-38. doi: 10.1080/00220671.2012.658454

Porfeli, E.J., Hartung, P.J., & Vondracek, F.W. (2008). Children’s vocational development: A research rationale. The Career Development Quarterly, 57, 25-37. doi:10.1002/j.261-0045.2008.tb00163.x

Sutherland, D., Levine, K., & Barth, B. (2005). Investigating the impact of a career education program on school engagement. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 14, 131-157.

Trowler, V. (2010). Student engagement literature review. Heslington, York: The Higher Education Academy.