The relationship of participation in three career programs and the career maturity of gifted high school students

Abstract

The present study was concerned with career maturity of high school gifted students. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship of participation in three different career education programs to the career maturity of gifted students. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine the relationship of selected variables (sex, age, grade, work experience, family income, leisure, and volunteer involvement). The three career programs in which the students participated were: The Alternative (internship), the Gifted (mentorship), and the Traditional. The Gifted and Alternative Career Programs provided classroom learning experiences and experiential activities which extended beyond the Traditional classroom approach and utilized the resources of the metropolitan community. The Traditional Career Program was taught in collaboration with the English and vocational classes within the school environment. Career decision-making skills, interviewing, assessment of career interest, resume writing, high school program planning, seminars, guest speakers, occupational research, and career fairs constituted the career experiences of students in the Traditional Career Program. The significance of the difference between the groups on the Career Maturity Inventory was determined by analysis of variance using the .05 level of significance. The location of existing differences were determined by the Duncan's Multiple Range Test. An analysis of the data revealed: (1) Gifted program respondents had higher attitude maturity than the Alternative and Traditional Program respondents; (2) Alternative and Traditional Program respondents know less about occupations and career decisions than those respondents in the Gifted Career Program; (3) No differences were found for sex and grade; (4) A difference with family income on total competence scores; and (5) The variables age, sex, grade, income could be viewed independently when the scores of the respondents were considered with program interaction.