Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Jennifer Polychronakos, Ed. D.

Second Advisor

Donald Heberer, Ed. D.

Third Advisor

Toni McDonald, Ed. D.

Abstract

This qualitative study demonstrated the benefits of Career and Technical Education (CTE) over the traditional educational system and identified key components necessary to implement CTE programs in smaller-sized secondary schools, like those found in the Long Island Region of New York. Although an abundance of research existed on the benefits of CTE, these studies focused on programs in large school districts with high student enrollment and, most often, multiple high schools. Long Island consisted of school districts that are unique from other geographical locations in that its school districts are community based and 87% contain a single high school with enrollments below 3,000. This study compiled qualitative data through interviews, focus-group discussions, and artifact collection to answer the following research questions: (a) How can public high schools effectively implement CTE programs? (b) What perceptions do educators have about the impact CTE has on high school students’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations? Keywords: career and technical education (CTE), student engagement, integrated curriculum, self-efficacy, career pathways, work-based learning (WBL)

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