The Status of Career and Technical Education Masters Programs in the United States

The Status of Career and Technical Education Masters Programs in the United States Edward C. Fletcher, Jr

Victor Hernandez-Gantes University of South Florida

Abstract

This study reviewed all Masters level CTE programs in the United States. Findings indicate that 46 programs exists and the majority of programs may be found in the Midwest area of the U.S. The majority of programs included Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment courses and tend to target practicing CTE teachers and administrators at both the secondary and postsecondary levels as well as industry trainers. It was also found that very few programs offer blended or online degree programs as well as individual courses. The primary implication of this study is to encourage CTE Masters faculty, program coordinators, and department chairs to engage in dialogue and carefully consider the theoretical and conceptual foundation of their programs as well as their curricular direction.

Introduction

For the better part of the 20th Century, the field of vocational education—as it was recognized at that time—featured compartmentalized education in the trades (Gordon, 2008). Under this longstanding historical period in the field, the role of higher education was to prepare new teachers and provide opportunities for graduate study at the masters and doctoral level in each disciplinary area such as agricultural education, business education, industrial arts, and home economics. Masters programs, in particular, provided the tools for teachers interested in leadership positions or as the springboard for pursuing doctoral studies. The needs and issues were defined along the lines of disciplinary areas under the broader umbrella of vocational education and the higher education programs looked very much alike around the country for about 80 years.

It all began to change in the 1990s. The Carl Perkins and School-to-Work legislation of the 1990s catalyzed a reform movement leading to the transformation of vocational education into what is now known as career and technical education (CTE). Considerably different from the historical approach emphasizing detachment from core academic areas, this was the time that CTE school reform and legislative initiatives began to acknowledge and address the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and integration of academic and CTE curricula (Fletcher, 2006; Fletcher & Zirkle, 2009). As such, for program leaders and administrators the challenge was to design, develop, implement, and evaluate emerging designs requiring collaborative strategies and structures both vertically and horizontally. In turn, the new charge for teachers was to reconsider their traditional methods of teaching and learning and make a shift toward constructivist

strategies. In the emerging CTE field, the traditional emphasis on preparation for work was supplanted by a more ambitious drive advocating learning about, through, and for work.

Accordingly, colleges and universities preparing teachers under the emerging landscape in the field were faced with the dilemma of changing in response to the demands for new ways of knowing and doing in the field. Viewing reforms as another passing fad, some teacher

themselves along the way by making the identify shift to career and technical education (Lynch, 1996). Concomitantly, graduate level programs in CTE were also faced with the challenge to shift from a model of featuring traditional staple program areas under vocational education (i.e., agriculture education, business education, family and consumer sciences education, trade and industrial education) to a more holistic approach reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of career and technical education.

Over the past two decades, higher education programs have been in a state of flux as a result of questions about a shared identity, institutional value in light of the drastic changes in the field, operational structures, and faculty capacity to support them (Rojewski, 2002). In the

process, many programs around the country were closed or restructured as universities figured out conceptual and operational implications. In the state of Florida, for example, only two programs remain in operation out of five that had been available at the onset of the 21st century. Masters program, in particular, are at the center of this transformation as they represent the source of renewal for intellectual and leadership capacity in the field. In the midst of these sweeping changes and—for all practical purposes—as the premises of career and technical education are embraced, it is important to understand how masters programs are adjusting to meet new skills demands tin the field through graduate study.

Problem Statement

Despite the fairly recent phenomenon of a holistic approach for conceiving CTE graduate programs, much of the research regarding the status of career and technical education (CTE) programs at the postsecondary level have only examined the role of preparing undergraduate CTE students for initial teacher licensure (e.g., agriculture education, business education, family and consumer sciences education, trade and industrial education) in traditional baccalaureate programs (Bruening & Scanlon, 2001). Studying the trends, issues, institutional and curricular characteristics, and requirements of CTE teacher preparation programs are indeed warranted in the field. The outcomes of this type of research may lead to improved teacher preparation programs and should be of particular importance in informing the graduate education movement (Bartlett, 2002).

The problem is that research on graduate programs in the field of CTE is limited as they are somewhat removed from mainstream interest compared to teacher preparation programs. Oftentimes divergent from the mission of undergraduate programs, one of the main purposes of graduate programs, masters programs in particular, is to supply a pipeline of students interested in improving instructional and curricular practices, advancing into administrative and leadership roles, or as the stepping stone for pursuing further graduate studies. Graduate students in

masters-level studies are CTE teachers ranging from a few years of teaching experience to those who have been in the field for a while.

Given the drastic changes in the landscape of career and technical education, it is reasonable to expect that schools and districts would demand renewal of teaching and

administrative capacity to design, implement, and evaluate new CTE designs. Further, during tough economic times when professionals in the field are questioning the value of a master’s degree (Trachtenberg, 2009), they are less willing to quit their jobs to seek a graduate degree as full-time students; and are demanding flexible online delivery of graduate programs.

At the core of the emerging conversation about the relevance and value of a master’s degree is the idea of return to investment regarding documented competence (Trachtenberg, 2009; Vedder, 2009). In the field of CTE, considering the pressing demands for new ways of doing things under new program designs, a fair question to ask is the extent to which CTE masters programs are meeting the needs in the field. Since higher education is notoriously slow to adapt to change, there are programs still steeped in the tradition of servicing individual discipline areas, and preparing CTE professionals for discipline-specific practice. Thus, there is still a wide array of descriptors referring to CTE programs in discipline-specific areas such as agriculture education, business education, family and consumer sciences education, trade and industrial education; and affiliation of these diverse programs under different academic units (e.g., business education sometimes being embedded in Colleges of Business and agriculture education oftentimes housed in Colleges of Agriculture) (Lynch, 1996a). Under these conditions, current CTE masters programs follow two strands: (a) those that provide a mantra of Masters programs in specific disciplines; and, (b) those masters programs preparing CTE professionals for the field at large. This has resulted in an array of programs with different identities and a field with no agreed upon body of knowledge or curriculum.

Despite these concerns, systematic analyses of CTE programs at the masters level are still a largely overlooked topic of scholarship in the field, and further investigations are warranted to determine how masters programs are responding to the new demands in the field from

conceptual, curricular, and program delivery perspectives. Purpose of the Study

As such, the purpose of this study was to respond to the need to broaden the knowledge base related to the characteristics of CTE masters programs in the United States concerned with serving professionals in the field across disciplinary areas. The study was driven by four research questions:

1. What is the current status of CTE programs in the U.S. in terms of relative frequency and geographical distribution?

2. What is the conceptual grounding of masters programs as defined by names, aims, purposes, or missions of the CTE masters programs?

3. What is the nature of the curricula of CTE masters programs? 4. What is the status of the delivery format of CTE masters programs?

With a focus on general CTE masters programs only, this study sought to clarify the notion of a CTE masters program in terms of shared name recognition, conceptual

underpinnings, curricular emphasis, and delivery formats. What and where are the CTE programs? What is the shared purpose? What competences are taught and under what delivery format? This evidence should provide points of reference to gauge how masters programs are responding to contemporary needs in the field.

Related Research

As indicated previously in this manuscript, researchers have investigated the landscape of undergraduate teacher preparation programs in CTE in terms of its trends, curricula, clientele,

and assessment. Similarly, in a 1996 monograph focusing on the status, issues, trends, and future directions of CTE programs, a cadre of authors in the field of CTE wrote extensively about needed reform in CTE teacher preparation programs. The pressing charge articulated was that if CTE programs did not engage in self-reflection and make necessary modifications to better align itself with contemporary workforce needs; sound, research-based teaching and learning

practices; and educational legislative mandates, then the field will not survive. Curricula in CTE Programs

In the monograph, Lynch (1996) grappled with the critical question of whether CTE teacher education programs in institutes of higher education need to change to better prepare CTE teachers and to align with the workforce needs of the 21st century. He discussed the autonomous nature that CTE teacher preparation programs oftentimes operate in, in terms of divergent standards from their core academic teacher preparation counterparts. Specifically, he acknowledged that CTE teachers, unlike their core academic counterparts, are oftentimes licensed through alternative routes (particularly in trade and industrial education) that substitute years of work experience for teacher preparation. Further, Lynch recommended for major reform in the following areas: (a) professionalism; (b) epistemology; (c) knowledge bases; (d) lifelong learning; and (e) accountability. In terms of professionalism, Lynch spoke of the need to establish requirements for entry into the profession, define and understand the nature of work, and identify the needed knowledge base, among others. Lynch discussed epistemology as a need to recognize how we came to understand teaching and learning in the context of CTE. In relation to the knowledge base, Lynch articulated a need to understand workforce education; general education and the liberal arts; the learner, pedagogy, technology, professional knowledge, and clinical practice. With regard to lifelong learning, Lynch articulated the need for CTE students to be adaptive experts. For accountability, Lynch explained that CTE students would need to understand new and emerging trends of the workplace so that they may help others understand what is needed in the 21st century workforce.

In that same monograph, Miller (1996) argued that philosophy and theory in CTE

programs should be coherent because a program’s philosophical position is critical for providing a conceptual framework for guiding educational practice. He further stated “thus, a coherent philosophy for vocational teacher education – all of teacher education or any type of educational practice – is vital in the design, implementation, assessment, and continued improvement of education practice” (p. 55). Further, Miller advocated for a list of principles that would help shape CTE programs. Miller recommended pragmatism as a foundation for reforming CTE programs.

Assessment in CTE Programs

Further in the monograph, Johnson and Wentling (1996) discussed the need for CTE programs to assess their instructional practices, programs, and students’ learning. They described that CTE programs typically rely on summative measures to provide information and make decisions for the purposes of the admittance of students, completion of programs, teacher licensure, and accreditation. Johnson and Wentling recommend that CTE programs evaluate students with a holistic approach that emphasizes experiential learning. They further discussed

the need for CTE to establish the needed knowledge base for CTE teachers and focus on assessing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed of CTE teachers by utilizing multiple, formative, and authentic assessments such as teaching portfolios.

Instruction and Delivery

In addition to examining curricula and assessment, research has also investigated instructional practices and delivery. Based on responses from 227 programs from 164 institutions, Bruening and Scanlon (2001) found that the majority of undergraduate CTE programs: (a) followed a traditional approach to course structure and delivery; (b) intended to eventually integrate online courses into their curricula; and, (c) tended to emphasize instruction on the need to integrate core academic content in the P-12 classroom. They also noted that CTE initial teacher preparation programs were declining at a rate of approximately 11% over the last decade.

CTE Graduate Research Studies

The researchers only found one study that investigated graduate CTE programs. Baltzer, Lazaros, and Flowers (2007) did examine the readiness of CTE doctoral programs for making the transition from face-to-face to blended and online degree programs. They found that doctoral programs in technical education were diverse in terms of their requirements, missions, course delivery modes, and departments that house them. Respondents tended to have negative dispositions towards transitioning to online doctoral programs. The researchers warned of the domino effect occurring due to the aging of current faculty members and lack of junior CTE faculty to supplant them; Baltzer et al. stated:

A summation of the previous findings leads to a distressing picture of the possible future for education and research within the field of technical education. A lack of qualified professors at bachelor’s-granting institutions leads to a lack of qualified secondary school technology teachers. This ailing professional pipeline could further aggravate technology program closures in middle and high schools. (pgs. 38-39)

Need for the Study

As evident in the review of literature on CTE programs, very little research has been conducted to explore CTE graduate programs. And, the researchers of this study have not found any specific research examining Masters programs in CTE. Therefore, questions remain

unanswered regarding the status of CTE programs, their curricula, clientele, instructional and delivery methods, and assessment measures - thus creating a need for this study. Approaching this gap in the literature, it was helpful to utilize a conceptual framework to guide the

researchers’ investigation into CTE programs.

Conceptual Framework

To that end, Rojewski (2002) offered a useful conceptual framework that outlined five critical components to consider when conceptualizing the field of CTE (See Figure 1 below). These components included the following: (a) curriculum, (b) instruction and delivery options,

(d) student assessment, (e) clientele, and (f) program evaluation. Rojewski also described external influences affecting the field as well; these external factors include: (a) the new

economy, (b) educational reform initiatives, (c) student learning, and (d) societal expectations for CTE. The issues Rojewski articulated served as an approach to analyze the status of CTE

Masters programs.

Accordingly, this analysis examined CTE Masters program in regard to their curricula, instruction and delivery options, student assessment, clientele, and program evaluation. First, the researchers identified the number of higher education institutions offering Masters programs in CTE by region of the country as well as what terms the institutions used to name their programs. Second, the researchers examined the purposes and mission statements of the programs to uncover what conceptual basis undergirded its inception. Third, the researchers explored the curricula of the programs by reviewing courses offered and finding recurring themes among the programs. Fourth, in terms of delivery options, the researchers identified the prevalence of online and blended formats of instructional methods in contrast to the traditional face-to-face courses.

Methods

The researchers utilized the National Center for Education Sciences (NCES) College Navigator website to locate CTE Masters programs. This website enabled the researchers to do the following: (a) search colleges and universities based on each state; (b) limit the investigation to only those colleges and universities that offer advanced degrees; and, (c) limit the analysis to only public, four-year institutions. Once those specifications were set, the researchers then searched each website to discover whether each institution offered a CTE Masters program. Only programs that focused on CTE holistically as a general field of study were included in this study. Therefore, programs that focused on disciplines within CTE such as business education,

agriculture education, family and consumer sciences education, etc. were excluded from analysis in this study.

Results

Response to Research Question One: What is the current status of CTE programs in the U.S. in terms of the number of programs within each region that offer them and the names of those programs?

Table one below outlines the universities that offer CTE programs at the Masters level; a total of 46 existing programs were offered. The largest concentration of programs was in the Midwest with a total of 17 (37%). Of all of the programs reviewed, 20 programs (approximately 44%) that offer CTE programs at the Masters level indeed utilize the term CTE. However, diversity does exist in regard to the term used to identify such programs. Examples of the array of terms used include: Adult and Career Education, Business Workforce Development, Career, Technical and Leadership Education (or some combination of the term), Career and Technology Education, Comprehensive Work and Human Resource Education, Occupational Education Studies, Professional Technical Education, Workforce Development and Education (or some combination of the term), Workforce Development Advocacy, Vocational Education, and Vocational-Technical Administration.

Table 1

Universities with CTE Masters Programs by Region

Region Number of Colleges and Universities with CTE Masters Programs Northeast 5 Southeast 14 Midwest 17 Southwest 5 West 5 n = 46

Response to Research Question Two: What are the aims, purposes, or missions of the CTE programs?

With the exception of two programs, all CTE programs reviewed discuss their aims, purposes, and missions in terms of the targeted clientele they intend to attract to their programs. Most of the statements mention that their programs are for teachers and administrators at the secondary and postsecondary levels as well as for industry trainers. In addition, most indicate that their purposes are to advance knowledge and expand professional competence for current CTE professionals. Further, some programs explicate that they seek to advance the knowledge base of CTE and prepare professionals to instruct, conduct research, assume leadership roles, and develop policy in adult, career, and workforce settings.

Based on a review of 215 courses in 46 CTE programs across the nation, 15 themes emerged. The theme with the largest number of courses listed was in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (Teaching and Learning) category. To illustrate, several of the titles of the courses included (listed in order of frequency): Curriculum and Assessment in CTE, Curriculum Integration and Differentiating Instruction in CTE, Curriculum Development for CTE, and Teaching Methods in CTE. Other themes that emerged, in order of frequency, included the following: (a) Research; (b) Administration; (c) Training and Human Resource Development; (d) Foundational and Historical Content; (e) Issues and Trends; (f) Diversity; (g) Technology; (i) Internship/Practical Experiences; (j) Study of Work and Policy; (k) Adult Education; (l) Cooperative Occupational Education; (m) Communication; (n) Career Development; and (o) School/Community Relations.

Response to Research Question Four: How are instruction and programs delivered in CTE programs?

Of the 46 programs offering CTE programs, only four of the programs offered online courses, six courses offered blended learning opportunities, and 36 programs were traditional face-to-face programs. The programs did not provide detailed discussions of the nature and scope of the online, blended, or face-to-face formats. No discussion was provided to inform applicants of the types of technologies that were being implemented to teach students, such as course management systems (i.e., Blackboard, Moodle, WebCT, etc.) used. In addition, none of the online degree programs’ websites indicated whether their programs offered asynchronous or synchronous learning tools. Further, programs did not mention technologies that were integrated to enhance learning or for their students to experience in order to implement them in their own classrooms, such as blogs, wikis, or synchronous technologies such as Elluminate or Skype. Only one program was found explicating the number of times that blended courses met face-to-face (three times annually). And, only a few traditional face-to-face-to-face-to-face programs indicated that they also featured several online courses.

Conclusions and Discussion

A total of 46 CTE Masters programs were found in the United States and the majority of them were offered in the Midwest section. It was found that a great diversity of terms was being used to represent CTE. This finding is important because it is likely to add to the confusion and difficulty for interested applicants to locate CTE programs. In addition, this issue might be emblematic of a greater problem for the field of CTE: the problem of not having a true identity and conceptual boundary. This issue was raised by Miller (1996) who indicated that CTE programs were lacking in a philosophical position which is needed to form a conceptual framework to drive educational practice.

In terms of the purposes, aims, and missions of the CTE Masters programs found, the majority of the programs emphasized the targeted clientele they sought. Although this practice may assist the faculty in admitting qualified applicants and aid students in determining potential fit within a program, this practice is concomitantly problematic because a mission statement should explain the goals of the organization and provide the faculty with a sense of direction. The mission helps the faculty also make decisions that are aligned with the mission statement. As

such, the mission statements reviewed did not clarify the conceptual basis for the programs nor did it give any indication of what the accepted body of knowledge or curriculum entailed. When examining the curricula of the programs reviewed, it was evident that Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment were consistently being taught by CTE Masters programs. This quite

conceivably could be due to the professional development objective of most educational Masters programs and the fact that most programs were targeting teachers, administrators, and industry trainers at the secondary and postsecondary levels – all of which might benefit from learning research-based and promising practices in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Therefore, the main goal of most programs might include enhancing practicing teachers’ and other related professionals’ skills in the classroom. Given that most Masters programs also have an objective of preparing students to go into doctoral programs, it was not surprising to find that most programs also required a research course or two.

With the rapidly expanding technological innovations and the expansion of online courses and programs in higher education, it was surprising that merely four programs were offered totally online and only six programs offered blended formats. It seems that CTE Masters programs are slow to expand online. This finding is similar to Baltzer et al. (2007) study of technical education doctoral programs that were hesitant to offer blended and online programs. Further, it was found that most programs did not mention the technologies they use to enhance the learning of their students. This seems to be an area of opportunity to increase their pool of students and reach as well as help them market their programs by demonstrating their

technological prowess, which is critical in meeting the needs of the 21st century

teacher/professional. Zirkle and Fletcher (2009) discussed the need for CTE programs to consider adopting online formats:

Legislative calls for ease of access, affordability, and increased numbers of students enrolled in postsecondary education have caused institutions to focus more efforts on new technologies to deliver courses and degree programs. As the technical skills shortage in the United States continues to grow, these issues have begun to affect career and technical education programs as well.

Further Research

Much more research is needed examining the status of CTE graduate programs, both at the Masters and doctoral levels. Future studies might interview or survey CTE program

coordinators or department chairs to examine what they believe the ideal curriculum of graduate CTE programs should be as well as establish what the body of knowledge CTE professionals should hold in terms of the needed knowledge, skills, and dispositions of their graduates.

More examination is needed in the area of readiness to integrate blended and online formats with regard to CTE graduate programs. Future studies might investigate the perceptions of CTE graduate students of the use of technology in their fields of practice as well as the willingness of faculty to integrate technology into their teaching.

The primary implication of this study is to encourage CTE Masters faculty, program coordinators, and department chairs to engage in dialogue and carefully consider the theoretical and conceptual foundation of their programs as well as their curricular direction. These

conversations are critical to better understand the purpose and mission of the program and will also help in determining appropriate course offerings and assessment of graduate students. Thus, a critical question is what is it that CTE Masters students should know and be able to do upon completion of a program. Second, CTE programs should strongly consider integrating online or blended courses to provide opportunity for working adults and those that would otherwise not have access to graduate education. Further, programs should consider describing the educational technologies they utilize to enhance student learning.

Contribution to the Knowledge Base

This study is the first to examine U.S. Masters level programs in CTE. Findings indicate that 46 programs exists and the majority of programs may be found in the Midwest area of the U.S. The majority of programs included Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment courses and tend to target practicing CTE teachers and administrators at both the secondary and

postsecondary levels as well as industry trainers. It was also found that very few programs offer blended or online degree programs as well as individual courses.

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