The influence of high school professional-technical education: Perceptions of postsecondary preparedness.

摘要

The purpose of this mixed-method study was examine public high school graduate (N=8) perceptions of postsecondary preparedness. The study also analyzed high school transcripts (N=218) and American College Test (ACT) (n=140) and state normed Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) results (n=218) in math, language arts, and reading to determine if professional-technical education students did as well as non-professional technical education students.;The study examined the overall value of professional technical education in order to provide insights and guidance for K-12 decision makers in competitive resource milieu.;Qualitative research was a case study of rural high school graduate perceptions regarding the influence of secondary professional-technical education on postsecondary education and career success. Findings included strong graduate perceptions of postsecondary preparedness and preparedness for workplace entry-level positions.;Quantitative research focused on Grade Point Average ANOVA among four subgroups of graduates sorted by the number and type of professional-technical courses listed on their high school transcript and state test scores in math, language arts, and reading as well as differences in mean ACT scores.;Findings included a significant difference in the mean GPA, mean state scores and mean ACT scores among the four sub-groups. The study found no significant difference in the mean state scores in reading among the four-sub groups. The study found no significant difference in the mean state scores in mathematics, reading, and mean composite ACT scores. The study found significant difference in the mean state language arts scores and the mean GPA between genders. In both cases female graduates scored significantly higher.;Other findings include graduates who completed a professional-technical high school program earned the greatest number of postsecondary credits while attending high school and had the greatest number of individuals earning college credit. Graduates who did not enroll in any professional-technical classes earned the second highest number of credits.;In an era of severe budget reductions and resource compression accompanied with increased high school graduation requirements, the study has implications for retention of secondary professional technical education curriculum for K-12 leaders and policy makers.