Improving Middle School Student Engagement Through Career-Relevant Instruction in the Core Curriculum

The authors assessed the effect of career-relevant instruction on school valuing and engagement of middle school students in a southern U.S. school district. Previous research and theory indicate students learn best when new knowledge is provided within the context of information students consider t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of educational research (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 2013-01, Vol.106 (1), p.27-38
Main Authors: Orthner, Dennis K., Jones-Sanpei, Hinckley, Akos, Patrick, Rose, Roderick A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Career Development
Career Education
career orientation
Career preparation
Careers
Core Curriculum
Correlation
Intervention
Learner Engagement
Middle School Students
Middle schools
School Districts
student engagement
Student participation
Students
teacher instruction
Teaching
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Summary:The authors assessed the effect of career-relevant instruction on school valuing and engagement of middle school students in a southern U.S. school district. Previous research and theory indicate students learn best when new knowledge is provided within the context of information students consider to be of value. The data come from a school-based randomized trial of the CareerStart intervention that was introduced in 7 of 14 middle schools, and include the initial 3 years of data for 3,493 students. The authors examined the effect of the CareerStart intervention and student-reported career-relevant instruction on psychosocial measures of school engagement and school valuing. After controlling for previous school engagement, demographic, socioeconomic, and academic factors, the analysis confirms that students in the treatment schools reported significantly higher levels of school valuing than students in the control schools, and students reporting greater career-relevant instruction indicated significantly higher levels of school engagement and valuing.
ISSN:0022-0671
1940-0675
DOI:10.1080/00220671.2012.658454