Development and Validation of a Short Form of the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory

Authors, HwaChoon Park and Roger B. Hill

Researchers, HwaChoon Park (Pusan National University, Korea) and Rober B. Hill (University of Georgia), have published the results of a study entitled “Development and Validation of a Short Form of the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory” on the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE).

The authors reported that the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI) has been widely used to measure work ethic constructs by professionals in the fields of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Human Resource Development (HRD).  However, there are circumstances when a shorter instrument would have advantages, especially when a measure of work ethic is needed along with other instruments. To address this need, the authors developed a short version of the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI), the OWEI-SF.  To that end, Park and Hill identified a subset of items from the original OWEI using a confirmatory factor analysis.  The instrument was reduced from 50 items to 12 items. Item selection, parameter estimation, cross-validation, and comparisons with the original OWEI are presented and discussed.  The results of this work indicated that the shortened version demonstrates psychometric properties similar to the original full version and is practical and efficient to administer.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 32, Issue 1 (2017) of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/information/authors

Critical Success Factors in a High School Healthcare Education Program

Authors, from left to right: Rebecca A. Thessin,
Ellen Scully-Russ, and Daina S. Lieberman

A team of researchers from The George Washington University and Fairfax County Public Schools have published the results of a study entitled “Critical Success Factors in a High School Healthcare Education Program” on the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE). The authors, Rebecca A. Thessin, Ellen Scully-Russ, and Daina Lieberman explored factors that make a difference in student success in the context of a high school healthcare program.

The authors noted that research has demonstrated career and technical education (CTE) programs have a strong positive influence on secondary students’ behavior, attendance, academic achievement, and college persistence.  Critical success factors common to career academies, small schools, and CTE programs include socio-emotional support and community, along with a culture of high expectations and student engagement.  Yet little research has been conducted on social and cultural factors involved in these programs’ success.  To address this issue, the researchers conducted a qualitative study focused on one high school healthcare education program in the Mid-Atlantic to identify the social and cultural critical success factors that contributed to successful student outcomes. Through classroom observations; interviews with administrators, teachers, partners, program graduates, and parents; surveys of graduates; and focus groups with current students, the following critical success factors were identified: learning environment and community, focused student support, engagement through a real-world context, and a culture of professionalism.

The authors suggested that their findings may help educators and districts focus their attention and efforts on the critical factors that impact student success as they seek to expand and improve CTE programs.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 32, Issue 1 (2017) of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/information/authors

JCTE 2017 Issue is now available

In 2017, a total of 12 manuscripts were submitted for publication consideration in the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE). At the end of November, the review process was fully completed for all manuscripts. Based on the review results, three articles met the standards for publication and were accepted to produce Volume 32, Issue 1 of the journal, for an acceptance rate of 25 percent.

The articles featured in the current issue used regression analysis and qualitative research approaches to address important issues related to the measurement of work ethic, self-efficacy associated with applied STEM coursework, student success in high school healthcare education programs.

In the first article, Development and Validation of a Short Form of the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory, Park and Hill cross-validated an instrument measuring occupational work ethic. Using confirmatory factor analysis to reduce the instrument, the validation results indicated that the shorter version had psychometric properties similar to the original full version and was practical to administer. In turn, Sublett and Plasman reported the results of a study entitled, How Does Applied STEM Coursework Relate to Mathematics and Science Self-Efficacy Among High School Students? Evidence from a National Sample. The goal of the study was to explore whether there was a relationship between applied STEM coursework and feelings of self-efficacy and the results suggested an increase in math and science self-efficacy with the exception of female and disabled students. Finally, the third article features the results of the study, Critical Success Factors in a High School Healthcare Education Program. In this study, Thessin, Scully-Russ, & Lieberman conducted a qualitative study of a high school healthcare education program to identify success factors related to student outcomes. Based on classroom observations, interviews, and survey strategies, the authors identified the following success factors: learning environment and community, student supports, engagement through applied learning experiences, and a culture of professionalism.

The results of these studies add to the growing body of knowledge regarding the connection between applied learning opportunities and student outcomes. Using regression analyses and a large dataset, Sublett and Plasman established a related connection in the context of applied STEM coursework and self-efficacy. Concurrently, Thessin, Scully-Russ, and Lieberman found similar results following a qualitative approach in the context of a high school healthcare program. The latter results also pointed to the ecology of a school and community in terms of other factor of success that should be considered in career and technical education. To that end, the work of Park and Hill is also relevant in the quest to study work ethic, a construct that has been hard to measure. In that regard, developing and producing instruments to help measure important constructs contributing to student college and career readiness represents a worthwhile research endeavor.

As Co-Editors of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, we value the work of researchers in the field and choosing our journal for publication consideration and keep readers abreast of new developments in the field. As such, Web analytics data indicated that 30,808 users accessed the journal electronically in 2017 (December 6, 2016 trough December 3, 2017). Users were primarily located in the United States (40%) while the rest included traffic from nine other countries (Philippines, India, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, South Africa).
Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude for the continued support of the reviewers who made the selection of articles featured in this issue possible. In addition, we also want to acknowledge the support of Robert Browder at Virginia Tech, who took over as our de facto Managing Editor. Mr. Browder is a Digital Publishing Specialist at the Newman Library at Virginia Tech and his support was instrumental in transitioning the journal site to a new publication platform and producing this issue. Thank you.

Victor M. Hernandez-Gantes & Edward C. Fletcher Jr.
Co-Editors, University of South Florida

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 32, Issue 1 (2017) of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/information/authors

2016 Issue is now available

Three articles are featured in the 2016 issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE). The underlying research used linear modeling and qualitative research approaches to address important issues related to student participation and outcomes in the context of transitions from high school to community colleges.

In the first article, The Postsecondary Outcomes of High School Career and Technical Education Students who Matriculate to Community Colleges, Dietrich, Lichtenberger, and Kamalludeen explored community college outcomes for a cohort of students initially enrolling at community colleges after high school graduation. Using a hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM), the authors found that community college students from high school CTE programs were either just as likely or more than likely to attain all of the outcomes measured in the study when compared to students from general curriculum programs. 

In turn, Schmidtke reported the results of a study entitled, The Relationship Between Academic Student Services and the Retention of American Indian Students at a Sub-Baccalaureate Technical College. The goal of the study was to characterize the perceptions of graduating American Indian students at a mainstream sub-baccalaureate technical college. Specifically, Schmidtke sought to explore how support from academic student services had helped them learn and persist in their studies. In the findings, Schmidtke reported that American Indian students would like to see student services staff to focus more on advocacy to help them navigate university bureaucracy and ensure successful participation in their college programs.

Finally, the third article features the results of the study, Optimizing Technical Education Pathways: Does Dual-Credit Course Completion Predict Students’ College and Labor Market Success? In this study, Phelps and Chan, used longitudinal student record data to examine the relationship between college and career success and the completion of dual credit courses in high school. Based on the analysis of hierarchical linear models, the authors found that dual credit learners had significantly better outcomes than non-dual credit learners using college course completion rates, second year retention, three-year graduation rate, as well as earnings in 2012-13 as a reference. The authors also reported program and student factors that appear to contribute to students’ college and labor market success.

The results of the two studies seeking to document postsecondary outcomes contribute to growing evidence of the role and value of participation in career and technical education (CTE) programs in terms of college and career readiness. The results of these two studies underscore the positive relationship between participation in high school CTE programs and college and labor market outcomes. These studies also highlight the importance of rigorous analyses to document related trends and the implications for practice. In turn, the qualitative study serves as reminder of the importance of documenting student perspectives to develop organic understandings of college participation experiences to ensure a successful transition from high school. This need is even more relevant when it comes to students have been historically underrepresented in college as reported in the second article.

Once again, we appreciate the work of researchers in the field and the selection of our journal for publication consideration. In this regard, the review process plays a key role in the production of a journal issue and we would like to extend our gratitude for the continued support of the reviewers who made the selection of articles featured in this issue possible.

We also want to acknowledge the support of Gail McMillan at Virginia Tech, who took over as our de facto Managing Editor. Ms. McMillan is a Digital Publishing Specialist at the Virginia Tech University Libraries and her support was instrumental in producing this issue.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles

The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 31, Issue 1 (2016) of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/index

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication

To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions

Does High School CTE Participation Make a Difference in Predicting Community College Outcomes?

Authors, from left to right: Drs. Cecile Dietrich,
Eric Lichtenberger, and Rosemaliza Kamalludeen

Researchers at Radford University, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the International Islamic University of Malaysia have published the results of a study entitled “Predicting Community College Outcomes: Does High School CTE Participation Have a Significant Effect?” in the Journal of Career and Technical Education. The authors, Cecile Dietrich, Eric Lichtenberger, and Rosemaliza Mohd Kamalludeen explored the relative importance of participation in high school career and technical education (CTE) programs in predicting community college outcomes using a hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM).

Results show that even after controlling for various pre-college and environmental factors, community college students who had participated in a high school CTE program were either just as likely or more than likely to attain all of the outcomes measured in the study when compared to students from general curriculum programs. Although high school CTE students who matriculated to community colleges were significantly less likely to transfer to a four-year college with or without a credential as compared with college prep students, they had significantly greater odds of earning an associate’s degree or a certificate.

Dietrich and Lichtenberger, the study’s lead authors, noted that “high school CTE participation may help facilitate goals related to the completion agenda which call for increasing the number of individuals with quality postsecondary credentials.”

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 31, Issue 1 (Winter 2016) of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/article/view/1506

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions

Dual Credit-Course Completion Leads to Success in College

Authors, Dr. L. Allen Phelps and Dr. Hsun-Yu Chan

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have published the results of a study entitled “Optimizing Technical Education Pathways: Does Dual-Credit Course Completion Predict Students’ College and Labor Market Success?” in the 2016 Issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE).

Authors L. Allen Phelps and Hsun-Yu Chan (now at the Texas A&M University-Commerce) explored a variety of student and school level factors associated with student success in CTE program paths featuring dual credit courses.  Looking at the experiences of more than 2,000 students across five years, Phelps noted that, “This is one of the first longitudinal studies of dual credit course taking that has included the labor market effects, as well as important program factors such as the location of the courses and instructor affiliations.”

Based on the results, the authors concluded that after controlling for several high school-level and individual-level factors, hierarchical linear models revealed that dual credit learners attending a technical college, compared to non-dual credit learner attending the same college from the same high schools, had several significantly better outcomes including: college course completion rates, second year retention, three-year graduation rate, as well as earnings in 2012-13.

According to Phelps, “While our findings are limited to an upper Midwest community, they extend and highlight the positive relationship between high school dual credit completion and later college and labor market outcomes. Compared to dual credit courses completed on the college campus, courses offered at the high school and taught by high school career and technical instructors consistently predicted greater levels of college student success and better labor market outcomes.”  Several implications and suggestions for CTE practice, policy and research related to dual credit instruction are offered.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 31, Issue 1 (2016) of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/article/view/1496

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions

How safe are Agricultural Education programs?

Dr. Mark D. Threeton, Penn
State University

Researchers at Penn State University have published the results of a study entitled “Occupational Safety and Health: A View of Current Practices in Agricultural Education” on the 2015 Issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE).

Authors Mark D. Threeton, John C. Ewing, and Danielle C. Evanoski, sought to explore safety and health practices within secondary Agricultural Mechanics Education. Threeton, the lead author, noted that, "while a multitude of studies have examined safety and health practices within the workforce, few have investigated this topic within Agricultural Education." In this regard, Threeton also reported "there is a need for concern related to occupational safety and health elements within some Agricultural Mechanics programs."

Based on the results, the authors concluded that although the majority of agricultural education programs in the study included a safety program, about of a fourth of programs did not. Further, the authors found that most of the students receive safety training, while a small fraction of teachers do not provide related instruction. Lack of adequate funding and classroom facilities combined with high student enrollment appeared to hinder the implementation of safety programs.

Therefore, Threeton suggested, "the results of this study should be viewed as an initial call to action, which promotes further research and professional development to advance proper occupational safety and health practices within Agricultural Education."

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 30, Issue 1 (Winter 2015) issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/v30n1/

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at http://cwe-usf-ott.blogspot.com/p/jcte.html

High school predictors of a career in medicine: What makes a difference?

From left to right: Travis T. Fuchs, Dr. Phillip M. Sadler,

and Dr. Gerhard Sonnert

Researchers at Harvard University have published the results of a study entitled “High School Predictors of a Career in Medicine” on the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE). The authors, Travis T. Fuchs, Philip M. Sadler, and Gerhard Sonnert, examined how background, academic, and motivation variables influenced students’ desire, at the end of high school, for a medical career, and, in particular, how these variables differed by race/ethnicity. The study aimed to add to the evidence base about students’ career interests in medicine at the end of high school to inform policy initiatives that are planned to support underrepresented minority (URM) students. Based on multiple logistic regression models the authors found that interest in a medical career at the beginning of high school strongly predicted interest in a medical career at the end of high school. 

According to the authors, this finding highlighted how early medical career intentions take shape and, thus, how important early strategies may be if one wants to foster students’ interest in medicine. In addition, the authors found almost no racial/ethnic differences when predicting end of high school interest in medicine, after controlling for other predictors. The exception was elevated medical career interest amongst Non-Hispanic Asian students. Furthermore, Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic students who wanted to become physicians tended to have low science performance. This limited proficiency may impede Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic students’ further progress through the medical pipeline. 

Based on the results of their study, the authors recommend for those wishing to develop intervention strategies that support URM students on the path toward medicine, that they strengthen the scientific achievement of high school students who already have an interest in medicine.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 30, Issue 1 (Winter 2015) issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/v30n1/

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at http://cwe-usf-ott.blogspot.com/p/jcte.html

Ethnic and gender-based inequities present in CTE clusters

From left to right: Dr. Joel R. Malin, Dr. Asia Fuller 
Hamilton, and Dr. Donald G. Hackmann

Researchers at the University of Illinois and Miami University have published the results of a study entitled “Racial/Ethnic and Gender Equity Patterns in Illinois High School Career and Technical Education” on the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE).

The authors reported that creating racial/ethnic and gender equity in the workplace begins with the preparation that students receive in the PK-12 education system. While jobs are expanding in high-tech fields, postsecondary institutions are producing insufficient numbers of graduates within those fields. Focusing on historically marginalized populations within high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs is one way of addressing this problem.  Women, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanics have consistently been underrepresented in STEM occupations (Beede, Julian, Langdon et al., 2011; Beede, Julian, Khan et al., 2011) and racial and ethnic inequities in CTE STEM course enrollments restrict access to STEM fields in postsecondary educational experiences and in STEM occupations.

Thus, in Racial/Ethnic and Gender Equity Patterns in Illinois High School Career and Technical Education, authors Asia Fuller Hamilton, Joel Malin, and Donald Hackmann examined Illinois high school student enrollments in Career and Technical Education courses in STEM career cluster areas and STEM pathways, as defined by the Illinois Race to the Top application parameters. The authors noted that the results of the study suggested that:

1. Significant gender-based inequities were found in certain career cluster areas, with more equitable patterns in others.
2. Student enrollments within STEM career clusters included substantially greater male than female participation (64.1% male, 35.9% female)
3. Non-STEM clusters showed reverse enrollment patterns (55.0% female, 45.0% male).
4. Conspicuous racial/ethnic participation differences in Illinois CTE enrollments were found in several career clusters, including an overrepresentation of White students in every career cluster and underrepresentation of Black students in all but one career cluster.
5. Participation rates in Illinois CTE courses showed White and Asian participation rates were greater in STEM than non-STEM career clusters. However, reverse patterns were found for Black (12.1% STEM, 14.1% non-STEM), Hispanic (14.8% STEM, 16.3% non-STEM), and “other” racial/ethnic groups (2.6% STEM, 2.9% non-STEM). 

Based on the results of their study, the authors recommended examining and influencing changes in inequitable practices within CTE STEM areas provided for state, local, and federal policy makers and school practitioners. The authors indicated that these findings hold great importance because they draw attention to inequities within Illinois high school CTE programs with respect to gender and race/ethnicity, which they hope will ultimately lead to the expansion of access and opportunities for marginalized populations within these programs.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles
The full version of this article may be accessed as part of Volume 30, Issue 1 (Winter 2015) issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/v30n1/

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at http://cwe-usf-ott.blogspot.com/p/jcte.html

2015 JCTE Issue is now available

In the recently released issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE), Volume 30, Number 1 / Winter 2015, three articles are featured. The articles represent two methodological approaches (correlational and descriptive), and address important issues related to career development, equity, and program practice.

In the first article, High School Predictors of a Career in Medicine, Fuchs, Sadler, and Sonnert reported the results of a study of high school students interested in medicine as a career. The authors noted the need to boost participation and equity in the medical career pathway and were particularly interested in determining whether interest at the end of high school is mediated by race/ethnicity. Using multiple logistic regression models, the authors determined there is a relationship between early and at the end of high school. The authors found no racial/ethnic differences in related interest although Asian students tended to show higher interest, while Black and Hispanic students showed high intrinsic motivation but lower science performance limiting the pursuit of related career pathways.

In the second article, Fuller Hamilton, Malin, and Hackman reported the results of a study entitled, Racial/Ethnic and Gender Equity Patterns in Illinois High School Career and Technical Education Course-work. In their study, the authors sought to analyze Career and Technical Education (CTE) student enrollments in Illinois by career cluster and pathway in terms of gender and racial/ethnic participation. The authors were particularly interested in determining participation trends in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) CTE pathways. This was an ex post facto descriptive study using state data to determine participation trends and the authors found gender and ethnicity-based inequities in certain areas, while more equitable patterns were apparent in others. For example, the authors described higher enrollment of male students within STEM pathways, but in other CTE pathways the trend was reversed. In general, based on the results of this study, White student participation was found to be more prevalent in CTE programs in the Illinois when compared to other students.

In turn, the third article features the results of the study, Occupational Safety and Health: A View of Current Practices in Agricultural Education, conducted by Threeton, Ewing, and Evanoski. In this study, the authors used descriptive research relying on a survey to document safety practices in the context of instruction in secondary agricultural education. Based on the results, the authors concluded that although the majority of agricultural education programs in the study included a safety program, about of a fourth of programs did not. Further, the authors found that most of the students receive safety training, while a small fraction of teachers do not provide related instruction. Lack of adequate funding and classroom facilities combined with high student enrollment appeared to hinder the implementation of safety programs.

The results of the first two studies confirm relevant literature in STEM related pathways, especially in the areas of engineering and computer science, noting the need for boosting the participation of underrepresented students in the education pipeline. In addition, the third article contributes to our understanding related to the creation of a safety environment for student participation that should be at the core of CTE programs.

Overall, we appreciate the work of researchers in the field and the opportunity to share their work with others in the CTE community through our journal.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles

Volume 30, Issue 1 (Winter 2015) issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education may be accessed at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/v30n1/

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication
To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at http://cwe-usf-ott.blogspot.com/p/jcte.html

JCTE Issue is Now Available Online

In the recently released issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JCTE), Volume 28, Number 1 / Spring 2013, three articles are featured. Two articles addressed topics related to the promotion of college and career readiness, wile the other focused on professional development needs in secondary education.

Besnoy, Clayton-Code, and Whitman conducted a qualitative study to evaluate the effectiveness of a daylong career development conference offered to male high school juniors and seniors residing in a Midwestern metropolitan area. The conference referred to as Man Up! Men’s Leadership Summit, served as the focus in the study and included the participation of 166 high school students interested in charting a career path. The authors concluded that this type of conferences can have a positive impact on assisting male students in identifying transitional paths to postsecondary education.

In turn, George-Jackson and Lichtenberger examined how background and school factors impact interest to major in one of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields for high school students. Based on the analysis of a binary logistic regression model, the authors found that high school course taking in science and scores on science and math standardized tests were significantly and positively related to an increased interest in STEM majors. Other significant individual factors shaping college aspirations were gender, ethnicity, and SES. On the other hand school factors such as teacher academic qualifications had a negative but significant relationship with STEM interest, while teacher experience had a small but significant positive relationship.

Finally, Cannon, Kitchel, and Tenuto shared the findings of a study seeking to describe Idaho superintendents’ perceptions of Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher’s professional development needs. Based on a descriptive method, the authors reported that teaching critical/creative thinking skills and proper safety attitudes were viewed as most important. Further, integrating reading and writing standards into CTE curricula were rated as the highest priority for perceived in-service professional development.

Collectively, the articles reflect the current interest in understanding how to promote college and career readiness in general and in STEM fields in particular. In addition to background and school factors, career and technical education is becoming an important vehicle for promoting both college and career readiness. In addition, the role of professional development is also recognized as an important component for improving the quality of teaching, learning, and career development in schools.

Reading/Downloading Full Articles

To access the full version of the articles, you may access Volume 28, Issue 1 (Spring 2013) issue of the Journal of Career and Technical Education at http://ott.metapress.com/content/122477?sortorder=asc. Access is free to OTT members. Previous issues of the journal can be accessed at the following location: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/

Submitting Manuscripts for Publication

To submit manuscripts and preparation guidelines, please visit the JCTE's page at http://cwe-usf-ott.blogspot.com/p/jcte.html

OTT-Alpha Gamma Chapter officers installed and new members initiated

Tampa, FL - January 6, 2014. The Alpha Gamma Chapter of the Omicron Tau Theta professional organization, established at the University of South Florida in 2013, started the new year with a bang holding another initiation ceremony to install chapter officers and welcome new members on board. Shetay Ashford, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, reported the installation of chapter officers and that 10 new members were inducted into OTT’s Alpha Gamma Chapter at USF on January 4th at the Tampa campus. 

Sponsored by our OTT chapter, prior to the initiation ceremony, Dr. Daniel Cox presented the results of his dissertation research to the group. In his dissertation study Daniel analyzed predictors of student enrollment patterns in high school career academies. He defended his dissertation on November 14, 2013.

After lunch, which was provided by Chef Bonnie James, Shetay Ashford’s mom, Dr. Johanna Lasonen, Chapter Advisor, introduced the ceremony providing some historical background about OTT and the Alpha Gamma Chapter at USF. Dr. Lasonen explained that to establish the chapter, officers had been chosen on a volunteer basis to get activities started. To formalize officers' roles, an installation ceremony was held to recognize Shetay Ashford as Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Dr. Daniel Cox as Historian, Dr. Bill Blank as Parlamentarian, Meredith Bogush as Secretary, Lysey Reys Nickel as Public Relations Officer, Jessica Shearer as Board Member, Dr. Edward Fletcher as President Elect, and Dr. Victor Hernandez as President.

The installation of officers was followed by the initiation of new members including Moni Dickerson, Cichele Fields, Zachary Riffell, Ansberto Vallejo, Todd Van Auken, Lisa Martino, Fred Edora. The new members are currently in the process of completing doctoral studiers in Career and Workforce Education. Congratulations on your induction to OTT’s Alpha Gamma Chapter!

The ceremony concluded with a conversation with Pekka Kämäräinen about the German workforce education system. Pekka Kämäräinen serves as Researcher at the Institute of Technology and Education, University of Bremen in Germany, and contributes to the work of the Department of International Research on Vocational Education and Training, Innovation, and Industrial Culture.

Below are some pictures of the OTT chapter event.

  

New members initiated into the OTT-Alpha Gamma Chapter

Tampa, FL - December 9, 2013. The Alpha Gamma Chapter of the Omicron Tau Theta professional organization, established at the University of South Florida in 2013, held an initiation ceremony to welcome new members on board. Shetay Ashford, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, reported that 16 new members were inducted into OTT’s Alpha Gamma Chapter at USF on December 7th in the Tampa campus.

Sponsored by our OTT chapter, Prior to the initiation ceremony, Dr. William Underwood presented the results of his dissertation research to the group. In his dissertation study Bill examined the relationship of community college Opticianry student outcomes with instructional delivery methods and student age. He defended his dissertation on November 7, 2013.

After lunch, which was provided by Chef Bonnie James, Shetay Ashford’s mom, Dr. Johanna Lasonen, Chapter Advisor, introduced the ceremony providing some historical background about OTT and the Alpha Gamma Chapter at USF. Dr. Lasonen also sponsored the cake to celebrate the initiation of new members.

The new members are Dian Ginsberg, Deborah Lanigan, Candice Pietri, Paula Rich, Cheryl Rizi, Lori Scribner, LaTonya Williams, Jenny Burrell, Denise Skivers, Marilyn Leon, Corella Edwards, SharlTonya Weathers, Dioan Johnson, Norma Bedell, Simone Brookins, Anthony Grant. The new members are currently in the process of completing the Master of Arts in Career and Technical Education. Congratulations on your induction to OTT’s Alpha Gamma Chapter!

In an upcoming ceremony scheduled on January 4th, 2014, doctoral students will be inducted into our OTT chapter as well. Below are some pictures of the initiation on December 9th.

  

 

 

 

OTT presents awards at national meeting in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV - December 6, 2013. The OTT Executive Board had a busy meeting at the annual meeting in Las Vegas as several awards were presented in recognition for service and scholarship.  As a national professional organization with a core mission to acknowledge the achievement of graduate students, professional educators, leaders in business, industry and government in career and technical education, the Executive Board presented the following awards:

Dr. Elaine Adams presenting award
to Dr. John Cannon

OTT Service Award. Dr. John Cannon, Coordinator of CTE Programs at the University of Idaho-Boise Center, was presented with a plaque for distinguished service on the Omicron Tau Theta (OTT) professional organization at the annual meeting in Las Vegas held on December 3-4, 2014. Dr. Elaine Adams of the University of Georgia, and OTT Advisor/Director, presented Dr. Cannon with the service award. Dr. Cannon has served on the OTT Executive Board as President-Elect, President, Past-President, and is currently serving on the national Executive Board.

Outstanding Chapter Award. This award has been established to recognize outstanding OTT Chapters based on the activities reported in annual reports. The outstanding chapter is selected based on activities that revolve around the active involvement, membership activities, chapter activities, and national participation. There are currently twelve active chapters and based on historical reports for 2012 submitted to the National Secretary/Historian, the 2012 Outstanding Chapter Award was presented to the Upsilon Chapter at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.

Dr. Daisy Stewart receiving
dissertation award on behalf of
Dr. Rosemaliza Mohd
Kamalludeen

Outstanding Dissertation Award. An award for outstanding doctoral research is presented annually in the form of a plaque. The award is named Omicron Tau Theta Outstanding Doctoral Research Award. The award recognizes original research completed by doctoral students and this year’s award was presented to Rosemaliza Mohd Kamalludeen for her dissertation entitled “Curriculum Track and Its Influence on Reducing High School Dropout Likelihood.” The award was received by Dr. Daisy Stewart Cartwright, Associate Professor Emerita in the School of Education in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia.

Outstanding Journal Article. An award for outstanding JCTE article of the year is presented annually in the form of a certificate.  The award is named Omicron Tau Theta Outstanding Journal Article Award and seeks to recognize high quality research reports published in the Journal of Career and Technical Education. This year’s award was presented to Holly Yettick (University of Colorado at Boulder), Fred Cline and John Young )Educational Testing Service) for their article entitled, "Dual Goals:  The Academic Achievement of College Prep Students with Career Majors:.” The article was published in volume 27, Issue No. 2, in 2012.

Congratulations to award recipients your achievements!

New OTT officers installed

Steve McCaskey in his role of OTT President installing
Kristin Stair and Ryan Foor.

Las Vegas, NV. – December 5, 2013. At the Annual OTT Meeting held in Las Vegas on December 3-4, new officers were installed to begin service in executive roles in 2014. Dr. Sally E. Arnett-Hartwick, currently service as OTT President-Elect was installed as President. Dr. Arnett-Hartwick was not able to attend the meeting as she is in maternity leave. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) at Illinois State University since Fall 2013.  She also serves as the FCS Teacher Education Coordinator for the department and teaches courses in FCS teacher education. She earned her B.S. degree from Illinois State University in Home Economics Education and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Workforce Education and Development.

Kristin Stair, currently serving as OTT Secretary was installed as President-Elect for the 2014 term. Dr. Stair is Assistant Professor in the Agricultural and Extension Education Department at New Mexico State University.  She earned her B.S. in Agricultural Information Science and Education from Mississippi State University and taught high school agriculture in North Carolina before completing her M.S. in Agricultural Education and her PhD in Agricultural Education at North Carolina State University.

Further, recognizing the need to enhance internal OTT communication and visibility in the field, the office of Communications Director was created to help with related supports and strategies. Dr. Ryan Foor was installed to serve as Communications Director in 2014. Dr. Foor is

an Assistant Professor and is the Director for Graduate Studies in the Department of Agricultural Education at Arizona State University.  He taught high school agriculture for five years in Iowa before going to The Ohio State University for graduate where he earned his master and doctoral degrees in Agricultural and Extension Education.

Congratulations to Drs. Arnett-Hartwick, Stair, and Foor for their installation into new executive OTT roles.

Steve McCaskey recognized for OTT service

Las Vegas, NV. – December 4, 2013. Stephen McCaskey (Indiana State University) was recognized at the Annual OTT Meeting held in Las Vegas for his service as President of the organization. Dr. McCaskey stepped up at a time when service in that capacity was needed and agreed to serve in an extended period to help OTT achieve stability. Typically, executive officers serve for one year in their respective roles, but during certain periods extended service is needed to help an organization regroup. Dr. McCaskey represents such case and his service to the OTT is greatly appreciated. Dr. Elaine Adams, OTT Advisor/Director, presented Steve with a plaque recognizing him for his service to the organization.

During his tenure he renewed OTT synergy, brought members together, and facilitated the transition of new editors for the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JVTE). Dr. McCaskey will continue serving on the OTT Executive Board as Past-President in 2014. Thank you Dr. McCaskey for the continued service on the organization.

OTT presents awards for best poster presentations at ACTER

Las Vegas, NV. – December 4, 2013. As is customary, Omicron Tau Theta (OTT) was responsible for the selection and organization of poster presentations conducted at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Career and Technical Education Research (ACTER).  At this annual meeting, OTT accepted 20 poster presentations featuring a variety of topics of interest in the field. During the meeting, poster presentations were further evaluated as they were conducted and the three best poster presentations were recognized with an OTT Poster Presentation Award.

Based on the results of the evaluation, the poster presentation entitled “Moving toward career readiness: Teacher and exhibitor perceptions of a ninth grade career exploration fair” was identified as the Best Poster Presentation. Congratulations to authors Chaney Mosley and Beverly Creul of Metro Nashville Public Schools!

Karen Shaw of the College of Southern Nevada also received an award for 2nd Best Poster Presentation on the results of a project entitled, “Credentialing success in respiratory therapy: Revisiting Bordiue’s of field and capital.” In turn, Jodi K. Walker, Karen L. Alexander, Kimberlee Davis, Sue Couch, and Betty Stout of Texas Tech University, were recognized with an award for 3rd Best Poster Presentation on the results of the project “Texas high school counselors’ perceptions of local implementation of the achieve Texas College and Career initiative.”

Congratulations to OTT Poster Presentations Award winners! Please mark your calendars for next year’s meeting at Nashville, Tennessee, on November 20-22, 2014.

Daniel Cox, Victor Hernandez, and Edward Fletcher presented at ACTER

Las Vegas, NV. – December 4, 2013. Drs. Daniel Cox, Victor Hernandez, and Edward Fletcher presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Career and Technical Education held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 3-4. The presentation entitled, “Who participates in high school career academies? A descriptive analysis of six-year enrollment trends in a local district,” was based on Dr. Cox’s dissertation research completed in 2013.

Dr. Cox is CTE Specialist at Volusia County Schools in Daytona, Florida. Dr. Hernandez is Associate Professor and Director of the Career and Workforce Education program at the University of South Florida. Dr. Fletcher, also at the University of South Florida, is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Career and Technical Education.

The purpose of this study was to describe the demographics of students participating in career academies.  The major question driving the study was: What are the participation trends in career academies over a recent six-year period (2007-2012) based on demographic variables including gender, race/ethnicity, and socio-economic status (SES)? The findings of this study indicated that more students are participating in career academies.  The findings also suggested that there continues to be a gender gap across career academies and that within specific career academies based on Career Cluster™ some gaps remain considerable.  In addition, the findings suggested there has been an increase in the participation rates among students of color, albeit these data do not yet correlate to population ratios of high school students across the school district.  While there are pockets of diversity in corners of the district, the metropolitan statistical area is still heavily Caucasian.  More to the point, Caucasian students continue to hold more seats across career academies compared to their peers.  This concern warrants additional research.

For further information about the study or copies of the manuscript submitted for the presentation, you may contact Dr. Cox at ecox@volusia.k12.fl.us.

Kristin Pierce and Victor Hernandez presented at ACTER in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV. – December 4, 2013. Drs. Kristin Pierce and Victor Hernandez presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Career and Technical Education held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 3-4. The presentation entitled, “Do mathematics and reading competencies integrated into career and technical education courses improve high school student state assessment scores?” was based on Dr. Pierce’s dissertation research completed earlier in 2013.

Dr. Pierce is CTE Specialist at Volusia County Schools in Daytona, Florida. Dr. Hernandez is Associated Professor and Director of the Career and Workforce Education program at the University of South Florida.

The results of a quasi-experimental study that tested a contextual teaching and learning (CTL) model for integrating reading and mathematics competencies through 13 introductory Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses were shared in this presentation. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students who participated in CTE courses that integrated core mathematics and reading standards performed better on a test of mathematics and reading skills compared to students who participated in traditional, non-integrated courses.  The treatment group consisted of students in the 13 introductory courses taught by the CTE Lead Teachers and the control group consisted of students in all other sections of the 13 introductory courses not taught by CTE Lead Teachers.  After a 26-week intervention, 9th and 10th grade student FCAT reading and mathematics scores were analyzed to determine if the mean change in post-test scores was greater in the treatment group than the mean change in scores in the control group.  An ANCOVA and multiple regression analysis of quantitative data revealed that the integrated CTE courses were statistically significant in improving reading treatment group scores, but not statistically significant in improving mathematics treatment group scores.

For further information about the study or copies of the manuscript submitted for the presentation, you may contact Dr. Pierce at kbpierce@volusia.k12.fl.us.

JCTE status discussed at ACTER symposium

Las Vegas, NV. – December 4, 2013. Representatives of the Journal of Career and Technical Education (JVTE) Editorial Board conducted a symposium at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Career and Technical Education held in Las Vegas on December 3-4. The symposium was chaired by Edward Fletcher (University of South Florida) and conducted in collaboration with Board members Paul Asunda and Barbara Hagler of Southern Illinois University, Stephen McCaskey (Indiana State University), and Victor Hernandez (University of South Florida).

This symposium was aimed at discussing the role and purpose JCTE, a journal affiliated with Omicron Tau Theta (OTT). The symposium provided an opportunity for ACTER members to meet the new co-editors of the JCTE, Edward Fletcher and Victor Hernandez (University of South Florida) and to learn more about the journal. Editorial board members discussed the journal’s content, emphasis, and scope in terms of targeted manuscript submissions; the expectations of quality for publishing in the journal; and the submission and review process. Panelist also engaged the audience in a discussion about the current status and quality of the journal as well as future directions for its viability.

For further information about the journal and/or manuscript submission, you may visit the JCTE site at the University of South Florida.