dc.contributor.author	Payton, Alvin, Jr.
dc.coverage.spatial	Central and North America -- United States	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2016-11-23T16:13:40Z
dc.date.available	2016-11-23T16:13:40Z
dc.date.issued	2016-12
dc.identifier.citation	Payton, Alvin, Jr. Technical College Graduates Career Decisions at Four Southern Technical Colleges: What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? (Dissertation) Valdosta State University, December 2016.
dc.identifier.other	268A1764-B6FE-4390-817D-54A195C45F1A	UUID
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10428/2364
dc.description.abstract	The following research was a mixed-method study exploring the relationship between career counseling and career choices of graduates at four southern technical colleges. Selection of an appropriate career is important for the graduates of technical colleges to obtain satisfactory and fulfilling employment. As the cost of post-secondary education increases, a graduate's career selection must be a wise decision. Whether it be a 4-year liberal arts university or a 2-year technical college, many changes in career choices become cost prohibitive halfway into a program that do not match a student's goals. More tragic for a graduate would be to complete the program and obtain employment in a chosen career, only to learn that it fails to match the graduate's mental, physical, or academic make-up. The researcher employed qualitative research methods to determine ways to improve knowledge and use of career service opportunities by technical college graduates. Roles of social pressure and state governmental policies influencing career selection were analyzed in graduates of four medium sized, 2-year technical colleges in South Georgia. The mixed-methods study involved use of surveys to assess levels of satisfaction with career counseling services provided by the institution, the graduates' happiness with their career selections, as well as how the graduates made their career selections. This research also involved interviews with five administrators in Academic Support and Career Counseling at four southern technical colleges.	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	TABLE OF CONTENTS \| Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1 \| Background on Career Counseling 4 \| Brief History of the Technical College System of Georgia 6 \| Increasing the Relevance of Technical Education 8 \| Introduction to the Problem 9 \| Vocational Background of the Study 10 \| Statement of the Problem 11 \| Purpose of the Study 12 \| Significance of the Study 12 \| Research Questions 12 \| Summary 13 \| Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 15 \| Social Factors Affecting Vocational Guidance 17 \| Georgia’s Role: Influencing Career Decisions 22 \| Governor Nathan Deal 25 \| Vocational Theory and Guidance 28 \| Life Skills 31 \| Perfectionists 33 \| Research Design and Rationale 35 \| Trustworthiness 37 \| Summary 38 \| Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 41 \| Introduction 41 \| Research Questions 42 \| Central Concept of the Study 42 \| Conceptualization of Variables 42 \| Instrumentation and Data Collection 43 \| Role of the Researcher 47 \| Participant Selection and Recruitment 48 \| Data Analysis 48 \| Ethical Considerations 51 \| Ethical Treatment of Data 53 \| Summary 54 \| Chapter IV: FINDINGS 55 \| Introduction 55 \| Survey Results 55 \| Interview Results 61 \| Interview Question 1 61 \| Interview Question 2 62 \| Interview Question 3 63 \| Interview Question 4 64 \| Interview Question 5 66 \| Interview Question 6 66 \| Interview Question 7 67 \| Interview Question 8 68 \| Interview Question 9 68 \| Interview Question 10 69 \| Interview Question 11 70 \| Summary 72 \| Chapter V: DISCUSSION 74 \| Statement of the Problem 75 \| Discussion of the Findings 76 \| Research Question 1 77 \| Research Question 2 79 \| Recommendations for Future Research 81 \| Comparison of Research Findings and Literature 83 \| Conclusion 84 \| REFERENCES 87 \| Appendix A: 2012 And 2015 Interview Responses 97 \| Appendix B: Graduate Survey Results: Graduation 1 104 \| Appendix C: Graduate Survey Results: Graduation 2 106 \| Appendix D: Southern Technical College Description of Career Counseling 109 \| Appendix E: Institutional Review Board Exemption Report 112 \| Appendix F: Institutional Review Board Certifications and Required Signatures 114 \|	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	Dissertations	en_US
dc.subject	Career development	en_US
dc.subject	Technical education	en_US
dc.subject	Political Science	en_US
dc.title	Technical College Graduates Career Decisions at Four Southern Technical Colleges: What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Political Science	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Peterson, James W.
dc.description.committee	Bamfo, Napoleon A.
dc.description.committee	Allen, Lee M.
dc.description.degree	D.P.A.	en_US
dc.description.major	Public Administration	en_US