Career education program with at-risk population- the developmental nature of teacher perceptions Rachel Gali Cinamon Career Development Lab, School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Rationale Career education aims to foster and enrich students’ career development, and is crucially important due to the uncertain nature of the world of work. Career interventions within schools comprise a broad range of goals and theoretical frameworks that characterize different types of programs. The call for evidence-based interventions is crucial in order to attain the best possible results from educational endeavors (Han, Weiss, & Weiss, 2005). Evidence-based career interventions are especially important, due to the ongoing need to convince school principals and teachers of the merits of implementing career interventions. OECD. (2015), Education at a Glance 2015: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris. transition from school to work  : Trends in the percentage of 15-29 year-olds in education/not in education, employed or not, by educational attainment and gender DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2015-en Quintini, G. (2015), “Working and learning: A diversity of patterns”, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 169, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5jrw4bz6hl43-en

Most studies investigating career interventions in educational systems have focused upon the relationships between the program components and their outcomes. These studies lack the dynamic and multi-dimensional factors associated with the success of the programs, as well as the changing attitudes of teachers over time (Ross, Romer, & Horner, 2012). Studies on career intervention effectiveness disregard teachers’ perceptions concerning interventions and their effectiveness. This lack is surprising, due to the teachers' recognized role in implementing school interventions (Stauffer, Heath, Coyne, & Ferrin, 2012).

Goals of the current study To explore teachers’ perceptions regarding career interventions in which they were involved. To learn about changing perceptions over time. To understand organizational and contextual factors related to these perceptions and changes.

General description of the intervention The intervention applied a broad definition of the concept of career that incorporates at least four life roles: work, family, community, and leisure, and the interfaces between them (Cinamon, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014). Emphasizing the importance of teaching adolescents the developmental nature of the career development process, along with the role of contextual factors, such as social support and cultural capital. The intervention included three main components: knowledge about the self (for example, activities encouraging values exploration, interests and preferences in different life roles), knowledge of the world of work and the community (e.g., types of occupations, families, social communities and leisure activities), and skills training (time management, critical thinking, critical reflection) (Cinamon, 2015). The intervention was implemented by the teachers with all 7-12th graders of one Israeli high school in one of the poorer cities in northern Israel. This program was presented as a supplemental lesson in the curriculum, one hour weekly for all students. School counselors met with the teachers for at least two hours monthly to guide and support their role in the program.

Method Participants: Fifteen school staff members (3 men and 12 women). Mean age of the participants was 43.53 (SD= 9.64). Measures: Semi-structured interviews comprised one primary question: "What do you think about the career education program operating in the school"? Secondary questions included: "What helps you facilitate the program?" "What are the difficulties you are facing?"

Process Teachers were invited to participate voluntarily via the school messages system. All participants were informed of the interview's purpose in advance, but were free to address other subjects and issues relevant to them. They were interviewed three times during the academic year (at two, seven, and ten months after the beginning of the program (T1, T2, and T3, respectively). The transcribed interviews were analyzed by three members of the Career Development Lab in Tel Aviv University (Israel) based upon Rich and Cinamon's (2007) adaptation of the CQR method of analysis.

Results Six themes emerged from the content analyses: Knowledge about career development Teachers’ interest and motivation Teachers’ role in the program Working techniques Environmental context Organizational aspects

Knowledge and attitudes about career development and career education Two types of knowledge were identified: Theoretical knowledge on career education, and Practical knowledge. Changes in teacher's perceptions toward types of knowledge also emerged. At T1, participants emphasized the need to learn about relevant theories and post-secondary programs for post-high school study. This initial approach broadened conceptually at the second and third interview period. During the latter interviews, interviewees emphasized the importance of preparing students for a variety of experiences in multiple life roles, the importance of preparing them for the changing nature of the world of work, as well as preparing themselves for this process. Teachers' attitude evolved from concerns regarding the need for a one-time fit for a student to a particular profession, to a broad developmental approach. Teachers changed their perceptions about the role of schools: from a system designed to train for certification to a broader concept of life preparation.

Teachers’ Interest and Motivation Two subcategories: Professional interest, Personal interest. Many teachers expressed professional interest regarding career development and the role of the school and teachers in this process. All mentioned the importance of this subject in relation to their own lives, as working adults as well as their role as parents who are concerned about their own children's career development. This personal interest served as a driving force for their participation and commitment to the intervention program. More positive attitudes toward the program and high involvement in teachers’ training sessions were found among teachers who reported having professional interest and personal involvement in career education.

Teachers' Role in the Program Teachers were concerned about the role of schools in general and of the teachers' role in students’ career development. Frequently-asked questions: Is career development part of the teachers' professional responsibility? Are teachers trained to do this? Who is the right person to train and guide teachers? A shift in teachers’ attitudes regarding their role was revealed: from a teaching-focused approach (T1), which emphasized teaching related academic materials along with hesitations regarding the school's role in students’ career development, toward a guidance-focused approach (T2) to match students’ specific occupation, toward a role of guiding students through their ongoing identity-construction process, recognizing the need to conduct meaningful dialogue with the students about their future plans (T3). Thus, a change in the teacher's perceptions regarding their work is apparent: from being teaching-focused to being guidance-focused.

Working Techniques At T1, teachers’ spoke about their need to familiarize themselves with detailed teaching lessons, detailing the procedures of each step of the lesson. At T2 and T3, they spoke more about teaching techniques, such as creativity, innovative pedagogy, seeking relevant subject matter for discussions with the students, and meaningful learning. From T2, teachers began speaking about the importance of personal experiences in workshops, focusing upon their own career development process.

Environmental Contexts Two important environmental contexts: the students and the city. All participants noted the unique characteristics of the school's student body and the city in which the school is located. Many wondered if the content and approach of the career education program suited their students’ cultural and economic background. The teachers related to the various ways in which the program could be adapted to students coming from traditional families of low economic status. The relevance of the city's specific economic situation was mentioned as well, especially due to its high rate of unemployment and the students’ families' financial difficulties. At T3, there was an increase in suggestions for including community businesses and the students’ parents in the program.

Organizational aspects This theme emerged mainly at T2 and T3. The was a need to integrate the program into the curriculum, rather than maintaining its separate status. The school needed to prioritize its goals, rather than declaring, "Everything is important." Many teachers spoke about the strain between the need to bring the students to high academic achievement and the need to devote time and energy to career activities and discussions about their identities and future. The importance of providing a proper time and place for the teachers’ training workshops. They found this issue particularly important and were frustrated to have to sacrifice their free time for this program.

Discussion Current findings support recent studies that stress the importance of school management and staff commitment towards activating and implementing various career educational programs in schools (.i.e., Han et al., 2005). Attention should be given to several aspects: structuring the program as an integral component of the school's curriculum, adapting the program to the specific needs of the school, the city, and the broader community in which it operates. These findings, together with previous studies (i.e., Beets et al., 2008),highlight the centrality of teachers' roles in school career intervention programs, and the importance of developmental teacher guidance. Finally, our findings suggest the importance of incorporating career development subject matter in teacher training programs in order to increase teachers’ commitment to this subject.

Thank you for listening https://education.tau.ac.il/yeuts_career_lab The presentation can be downloaded from Cinamon’s Career Development Lab Website: https://education.tau.ac.il/yeuts_career_lab