A Statewide Study of Secondary CTE Policies, Practices, and Procedures

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of selected CTE directors regarding policies, practices, and procedures in West Virginia. Specific CTE components investigated included philosophy and rationale, structure, curricula, partnerships, evaluation, challenges, and future goals. Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to select study participants (N=20) who were active CTE directors in West Virginia. Participants had to possess at least one year of experience as a CTE administrator in their current position to be eligible for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the 20 directors to gather their perspective regarding CTE policies, practices, and procedures. Thematic analysis was used to organize and interpret the information collected. Findings suggest CTE directors have a positive outlook about the direction of CTE. Supporting career and college awareness and readiness, while shaping their programming to support local industry is their primary focus. Further research suggestions include repeating this study in multiple states, interviewing middle and secondary principals, for a deeper dive into the framework elements, procedural guidelines, and a detailed look at what it takes to develop a program; and interviewing post-secondary directors involved with CTE to gain an understanding of the alignment between secondary education and post-secondary education from a higher education perspective. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]