Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations (LEPF)
Director
Roberts, Patrick
Committee Members
Klein, Jason; Summers, Kelly
Keywords
Career and Technical Education (CTE), Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectations, Personal Goals, Social Influences, High School Students, Course Selection, Student Motivation
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the roles self-efficacy, expected outcomes, personal goals, and social influences play in high school students’ career and technical education (CTE) course selection. Grounded in social cognitive career theory, this dissertation explored how self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, personal goals, and social influences shaped students' decisions to enroll in specific CTE courses. The dissertation was completed in three parts. Following an introduction, Part 1 is an in-depth literature review on what CTE is and its history, a background on social cognitive theory, social influences, self-efficacy beliefs, and expected outcomes and personal goals. Part 2 is an empirical qualitative study utilizing focus groups with high school students enrolled in CTE courses to better understand how internal and external motivational factors affect their CTE course selection. Part 3 is a professional development framework designed for teachers, counselors, and school administrators that explain the findings of the empirical study, and recommendations to help students make more informed and purposeful decisions that best align with their motivations and future aspirations.
Data were collected through five focus groups consisting of twenty-four high school students across multiple CTE pathways in one suburban school district in the Midwestern United States. After coding and analyzing the data, ten themes and twenty-four subthemes emerged. Findings revealed that internal factors such as self-efficacy, interest, and mastery experiences played key roles in students’ confidence and persistence in CTE coursework. As well, external factors such as the influence of family members, peers, counselors, and teachers played essential roles, both positive and negative, in shaping students’ CTE course selection. Students also cited how expected outcomes and personal goals such as college and career preparation and essential skill development played a part in shaping these decisions.
While numerous studies have been conducted related to student motivation in core academic areas such as mathematics, there has been a need for more research in elective areas like CTE. This study addresses this need and contributes to a deeper understanding of how internal and external motivation factors influence students’ CTE course selection. Although this study contributes to the existing body of research, further studies across more diverse populations and educational settings are needed to better understand the factors influencing students’ CTE course enrollment decisions.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Bruno, Joseph, "Internal and External Motivational Factors Affecting High School Students' Career and Technical Education Course Selection" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 94.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/94
Included in
Family and Consumer Sciences Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Vocational Education Commons
