Career Development Interventions in Middle Schools Publisher to insert cover image here Chapter 11 Career Development Interventions in Middle Schools Developed by: Jennifer Del Corso

Developmental Tasks of Middle School Achieve new and more sophisticated relations with peers Achieve emotional independence from parents and other adults Set vocational goals Prepare for marriage and family life Develop skills for civic competence 2

Developmental Tasks of Middle/Junior High School continued Acquire a set of values and an ethical system as a guide to behavior Set realistic goals and make plans for achieving these goals 3

Career Development in Middle School Career assistance provided to middle school students must be sensitive to the contextual, physical, and emotional transitions that students experience Akos, Konold, and Niles (2004) found that middle school student exhibit distinct patterns of needs regarding their readiness for career decision making: from career indecisions to premature career identity foreclosure Data from the National Assessment of Education Progress indicate that adolescents experience mixed success in coping with the career development tasks they confront in middle schools

Middle School Student Attitudes Currently 93% of middle school students report that their goal is to attend college; Only 44% eventually attend college, and Only 26% graduate with a college diploma within six years of enrolling (Conley, 2012)

ASCA National Standards Acquire skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions Employ strategies to achieve future success and satisfaction Understand the relationship between personal qualities, education and training, and the world of work

Career Development Goals for Middle School Enhance self-understanding Learn how to engage effectively in education and occupational exploration Career Planning 7

Career Development Goals for Middle School Students (cont.) Herr, Cramer, and Niles (2004) offer four career planning considerations for middle school school students. 1. Provide students with a broad opportunity to explore their personal characteristics as well as those educational options 2. Provide a wide array of methods to accommodate differences due to career maturity, interests, values, and abilities 3. Provide concrete hands-on direct experiences 4. Provide career programs to help students explore their feelings, needs, and uncertainties as they search for a personal identity. 8

Career Development Interventions in Middle Schools Thematic consideration of middle school-level career development competencies reveals the importance of students acquiring the necessary knowledge, skills, and understanding to advance in their career development Important to help students understand issue related to equity and access to career choice Interventions should help students construct their ideal future life and then discuss how prepared they feel for taking on those future tasks

Career Development Interventions in Middle School (continued) Psychoeducational activities for middle school students include: Classroom guidance lessons on careers and personal identity Job shadowing Attending career fairs Occupational Information Interviews Small groups Exposure to real world work experiences

Career Development Interventions in Middle School (continued) Clustering systems can be used to guide career exploration by using the clusters to organize career information resources. Patterns of life-role salience can be addressed by helping student reflect on the various life roles they have or they can create a life-role portfolio Middle school students need assistance in career and educational planning. An educational and career planning portfolio is one technique that school counselors can use to help middle school students plan effectively.

National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (2015) Clusters Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Architecture and Construction Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications Business Management and Administration Education and Training Finance Government and Public Administration Health Science Hospitality and Tourism Human Services Information Technology Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Manufacturing Marketing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics   12