A Preliminary Study of Career Education in Middle School

Abstract

Career exploration programs for school students are beneficial to their academic and career development (Smith, 2000). However, almost half of the students who have completed vocation preparation programs said they did not have a career plan or no one helped them develop a plan of study (Southern Regional Education Board, 1998). The majority had not met with a counselor or their parents to plan for their studies. Such lack of counseling may have limited students’ vision of career choices (Hager, Straka & Irwin, 2007). Therefore, career education should begin early (Arrington, 2000). Also, a survey of Oklahoma parents (n = 500) found that a majority of parents (54%) thought schools should begin to teach students about career options and opportunities in middle school compared to 28% in high school and 18% in elementary school (PGI Research, 1998). Almost 40% of the children surveyed started to talk to their parents seriously while they were in middle grades about careers or jobs after high school. This percentage was higher than others in any other range of grades. However, few studies were found addressing career education, including career development programs in middle schools.