Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Peter Kiriakidis

Abstract

Curricula developers have not been aligning high school career and technical education (CTE) business curricula to prepare high school students for college business courses. The purpose of this research was to explore and seek to understand misalignment issues regarding CTE business curricula at a public school district and three surrounding colleges in the southern United States. The conceptual framework was curricula integration theory, which posits that education leaders and curricula developers improve existing knowledge by designing curricula systems that address real-world problems, issues, and concerns. The research questions for this qualitative case study were about the perceptions of college business professors and high school CTE business teachers regarding student preparedness and the alignment issues between college business and high school CTE business curricula. Purposive sampling was used to select business teachers and professors. Data were collected from 6 business teachers and 6 professors via face-to-face semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis for emergent themes. The themes that emerged were unified efforts to positively change CTE business perspectives with all education stakeholders, business curricula alignment that can be enhanced through state-regulated assessments, CTE planning between high school teachers and college professors, development of CTE online programs, allocation of time for CTE planning for business high school teachers and college professors, and administrative CTE support. Positive social change implications include implementations leading to the alignment of CTE curricula for high schools and colleges to better prepare high school graduates for college and to join the business work environment.

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