Investigating Students' Career-Readiness in the Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study

Autor/inn/en	Parrella, Jean A.; Leggette, Holli R.; Murphrey, Theresa Pesl; Esquivel, Christi
Titel	Investigating Students' Career-Readiness in the Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study
Quelle	In: Journal of Research in Technical Careers, 7 (2023) 1, S.20-44 (25 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	Career Readiness; Agricultural Education; Employment Potential; Career Counseling; Information Seeking; Skill Development; Student Experience; Information Sources; Undergraduate Students; Soft Skills; Social Networks; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Agriculture; Education; Landwirtschaftliche Ausbildung; Landwirtschaft; Ausbildung; Arbeitsmarktbezogene Qualifikation; Beschäftigungsfähigkeit; Informationserschließung; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Studienerfahrung; Information source; Informationsquelle; Social network; Soziales Netzwerk
Abstract	The agricultural industry lacks qualified workers, suggesting students may not participate in opportunities that effectively develop their employability skills. We used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students' career-readiness and factors influencing career-readiness. We conducted interviews with 19 juniors and seniors. Open coding procedures revealed five emergent themes--"Career Advice-Seeking Behavior," "Employability Skills Development," "Network Establishment," "Relevant Experiences," and "Personal Growth." Findings indicate that students do not take advantage of University resources to help them with career preparation. Findings also revealed a lack of employability skills development, especially relating to students' communication and science communication skills. Students identified high-impact experiences they believed improved their employability skills. We recommend strategies for educators to improve agriculture students' career-readiness and offer research recommendations to examine career-readiness factors that may help prepare students to meet 21st century agricultural workforce demands. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	UNLV Department of Teaching and Learning. 4505 South Maryland Parkway PO Box 3005, Las Vegas, NV 89154. e-mail: jrtc@unlv.edu; Web site: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jrtc/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01