Campus Location
Abilene Campus (Residential)
Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Social Work
Degree Name
Master of Science
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Tom Winter
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Stephanie Hamm
Abstract
This study examined the impact of a regional career development education program using a post-test-only, exploratory descriptive design with middle and high school students from rural and urban school districts in West Central Texas. Students who participated in the Career and Education Outreach (CEO) program received four classroom sessions focused on labor market information, high-demand industries, employability skills, and career pathways. The purpose of this research was to explore whether students’ perceptions of the value of career development education differed based on geographic region, economic level, educational level, ethnic composition of the district, and the students’ own demographic characteristics. A total of 289 students completed the post-test instrument designed to measure program impact. Findings showed that students rated the CEO program positively, and no significant differences were found between rural and urban respondents. However, significant differences emerged when comparing perceptions based on economic context, community education levels, and district ethnic composition. Students from economically disadvantaged areas and from districts with higher educational attainment reported slightly higher perceived value. No significant differences were found based on students’ gender or ethnicity. The CEO program provided meaningful exposure to career information and employability skills, demonstrating that structured career development education can benefit students across diverse community settings.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Austin, Hayden S., "The Impact of Career Development Education in Rural Communities: A Program Evaluation" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 966.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/966