Job Shadowing as a Mechanism for College and Career ReadinessEnglish, Neil (2018) Job Shadowing as a Mechanism for College and Career Readiness. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)
AbstractSchools currently face problems in preparing students for their post-secondary pursuits. The current job market remains unsaturated and almost half of all students that attend college end up dropping out. Almost a third of the students that do graduate end up working in a field unrelated to their course of study and college costs and debt are on the rise. To combat these issues, many The purpose of this research is to better determine whether the job shadowing program at Mountainside Junior-Senior High School provides students with a more acute awareness of career decision making self-efficacy, knowledge of career entry requirements, and ideal job A Randomized Control Trial (RCT) with two conditions on a volunteer sample of 30 ninth-grade students at Mountainside Junior-Senior High School was conducted. The treatment consisted of a one-day job shadowing experience of the students’ (and families’) choice; wherein the student closely observed the work of an experienced employee for approximately three to seven hours. In the treatment group, job shadow placements included working in an auto body shop, observing a symphony orchestra flutist, working in a law firm, and observing a hospital Although no statistically significant differences in outcomes between the treatment and control groups were found, students were qualitatively appraised as developing a more acute awareness of the job preparation necessary to acquire a job. Additionally, many students either found the experience “very useful” or “extremely useless.” These extremes are worthy of further consideration and will be discussed in more detail. Overall, this research provides much needed insight concerning job shadowing and informs current practices at Mountainside Junior-Senior High School and countless other high schools across Pennsylvania and the United States. Share
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