The Need for Middle School Career Education

One concern about whether career education and development are appropriate in middle school is the possibility of tracking or forcing children into a career path too early (Finch and Mooney 1997). Some people view it as an add-on to an already encumbered curriculum (ibid.). Others see an incompatibility between the philosophy of middle schools and that of career education initiatives such as school-to-work (ibid.). However, studies of adolescents have uncovered a number of reasons that justify the inclusion of career education at this level:

• Sex-role stereotypes, particularly about gender-appropriate occupations, are formed early (Guss and Adams 1998).
• Students at risk, girls, and minority group children often limit their career choices early (O'Brien et al. 1999).
• Few middle schoolers have realistic career plans, and many lack awareness of the world of work (Finch and Mooney 1997).

Interviews with sixth and ninth graders (Johnson 2000) showed that most had only a shallow understanding of how school relates to work, had limited awareness of the knowledge and skills needed for work and little sense of how to develop them, had little or no awareness of the type of work involved in their career aspiration, and believed that schoolwork needs to be career specific to be relevant.

Thus, at the middle school level, career education is needed to lay the groundwork for future career development by helping students achieve the following goals ("Developmental Career Programs" 1998): knowledge of personal characteristics, interests, aptitudes, and skills; awareness of and respect for the diversity of the world of work; understanding of the relationship between school performance and future choices; and development of a positive attitude toward work.

These goals are compatible with the developmental needs of 11-14 year-olds: academic and social skill development, identity formation, development of a future orientation, and testing of adult roles, including work roles (ibid.). At this level, students should continue the self- and career awareness ideally begun in elementary school and begin orientation and exploration activities regarding careers. They should make tentative choices related to their interests and investigate them thoroughly in preparation for high school courses that will direct them on a career path ("Developmental Career Programs" 1998).

"Too frequently, career preparation for middle grade students consists of a single, brief unit once a year" ("Developmental Career Programs" 1998, n.p.). Ideally, career education and development should be infused into the curriculum. Maddy-Bernstein and Dare (1997) found that the most effective career development programs are systemic-developmental, accessible to all learners, and embedded in the curriculum "as part of the whole process of educating a child for the larger thing called life" (p. 2).

Infusion practices may include an introductory career orientation course, integration of career exploration topics in subject classes, a thematic interdisciplinary curriculum, and career portfolios ("Developmental Career Programs" 1998; Finch and Mooney 1997). Portfolios can be used throughout the middle school years to document self-knowledge acquired through appropriate assessment tools such as interest inventories and participation in such activities as job shadowing and career day; and results of computer and real-world information gathering about occupations.