An Examination of the Effectiveness of a Junior High School Career Exploration Program in the Hopkins County School System

The problem investigated in this study was a comparison of the effectiveness of a career exploration program in a junior high school curriculum versus a traditional curriculum with regard to increased career competence and positive attitudes toward the world of work as measured by Form A-1 of the Career Maturity Inventory. The population for this study consisted of the ninth-grade classes of two Hopkins County Schools. The subjects for the control group (South Hopkins) consisted of 25 ninth-grade students who had not been exposed to a career exploration program and the subjects for the experimental group (Madisonville Junior High School) consisted of 25 ninth-grade students who had been involved in a career exploration program in grades seven and eight. With the exception of the two-year career exploration program, the formal academic education of the ninth grade students in the two schools was basically the same. After the subjects were selected, they were administered Form A-1 of the Career Maturity Inventory. The mean ages, TC\u27t scores, Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills scores, and number of days missed were compared for significant differences. The parents\u27 occupations were categorized into the 12 Occupational Classifications published by the U.S. Department of Commerce and considered for possible differences in trends. Independent samples means were compared by t test. Results of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in the attitudes toward the world of work and in the five areas that were measured on the Career Competence Test. The results also indicated a significant difference in the attendance records of the two groups that participated in the study. It was concluded that the Madisonville Junior High School Career Exploration Program had a beneficial impact upon students. More positive attitudes toward the world of work, increased career knowledge, and an increased interest in school in general were found among those children who participated in a career education program in the experimental group