ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student

Organizations. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest..................................... 1

OUTCOMES OF PARTICIPATION IN CTE STUDENT

ORGANIZATIONS........................................................ 2

HOW ORGANIZATIONS ARE CHANGING AS CTE EVOLVES....... 4

REFERENCES.................................................................. 6

ERIC Identifier: ED467238

Publication Date: 2002-00-00

Author: Brown, Bettina Lankard

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Career and Vocational Education Columbus OH.

CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

Student organizations have been established to support and enhance learning in many

career-technical fields: Future Farmers of America (FFA), agriculture; Future Business

Leaders of America (FBLA), business; Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA),

marketing; Technology Student Association (TSA), technology; and Health Occupations

Students of America (HOSA), allied health. These organizations provide opportunities

for leadership development, service learning, and career exploration. Students,

teachers, and parents expect that membership in these organizations will result in

learning and enhanced skills as well as the development of positive values, social skills,

ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest. Page 1 of 7
and an ability to work independently and collaboratively (Vaughn, Kieth, and Lockaby

1999; Williams 2001). It is the anticipation of these academic, professional, and

career-related benefits, as well as opportunities for friendship and belonging, that lead

many young people to become members of career and technical education (CTE)

student organizations. Intended for CTE educators, this Digest reviews research on

outcomes students have realized from membership in these organizations and

describes how the organizations are changing as CTE evolves.

OUTCOMES OF PARTICIPATION IN CTE

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

A major research study was conducted by Purdue University comparing agricultural

education students to the "typical high school student," as quantified in THE STATE OF

OUR NATION'S YOUTH (Reese 2001). The Purdue study showed outcomes for

students who participated in FFA, a CTE student organization with about 450,000

members (Stagg and Stuller 1999). Because all career-technical student organizations

share similar goals for membership and participation, the outcomes of the Purdue study

serve as the basis for this discussion, focusing on four major outcome areas:

scholarship, motivation, professional development, and citizenship.

Scholarship

Key findings of the Purdue study showed that students involved in FFA are more

enthusiastic about and attach greater value to their school studies than do average

students. The FFA students also are more actively engaged in school activities, more

likely than the average student to relate personal effort to success, and more likely to

prepare for postsecondary studies and attend two-year and four-year colleges (Reese

2001).

One reason CTE student organizations inspire scholarship is that the school-business

partnerships that characterize these organizations connect school learning to its

application in the workplace. Minorities in Agriculture, National Resources, and Related

Sciences (MANRRS) is one such national student organization that is committed to

fostering partnerships between minority students in agriculture and national resources

and professionals from academia, government, and business. Through MANRRS

membership, students are able to network with more than 50 governmental, private

industry, and educational entities. Studies showed that college freshmen and

upperclass students who participated in MANRRS in 1993-94 (mostly African

Americans and Hispanics), "had a 70% graduation rate within 6 years compared to a

56% average projected graduation rate for these groups for the entire university.

Fifty-three percent graduated in 4 years or less; 3% graduated in 5 years of less; and

87% had received degrees by August 1998" (Talbert, Larke, and Jones 1999, p. 5).

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Page 2 of 7 ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest.
Motivation

Students who become members of CTE student organizations are inspired to join

because their peers or family members have recommended membership, they desire to

participate in career-related activities and competitions, and they want to connect with

other students who share common career interests. This motivation for membership

appears to nurture a motivation for learning. According to the Purdue study, "83 percent

of FFA students consider their agriculture courses to be exciting, interesting, and

challenging as compared to only 32% of typical students. These students are also more

likely to believe the amount of work they do in school is important to their success later

in life and more likely to believe it is important to do their best in all of their classes"

(Reese 2001, p. S17).

A positive attitude about the benefits of CTE student organizations often occurs as a

result of the testimonials of other members of the organization. For example, Katrina

Miller's decision to join the Technology Student Association was influenced by a former

TSA president who spoke at a TSA Fall Leadership Conference. "She told us about the

TSA offices she had won and her achievements in TSA competitions. She was so

poised and passionate, and I knew right then that if she could do these things, I could

too" (Miller and Meuleners 2000, p. 24.).

Professionalism

Many students join CTE student organizations because they believe membership

experiences and competitions will prepare them for employment in their chosen careers.

Membership appears to enhance students' self-confidence in this regard. Eighty-nine

percent of FFA students believe they can realize success in their chosen career area

(Reese 2001). These students also have more specific career goals and are more likely

to work while in high school, which serves to enhance their professional development.

Through participation in CTE student organizations' national conferences and

competitions, students gain valuable professional experience. "In 2000, over 125

students traveled to national conferences to compete in contests, network with business

people and peers, and learn information that is vital to their futures" (Wills 2000, p. 44).

These activities give students opportunities to apply their evolving communication,

leadership, and networking skills.

Businesses that support CTE student organizations become involved as a way to

ensure that their employment needs will be met by the future generation of workers. The

heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industry, for example, supports

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ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest. Page 3 of 7
the Skills USA-Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) by enlisting companies to

donate equipment for national competitions and provide employees to serve as judges.

In this way, the industry has a vehicle for introducing students to its equipment and

ensuring that schools connect academic learning with the skill demands of the

workplace. This gives businesses an opportunity to have a hand in shaping potential

employees; at the same time, the competitions afford professional benefits to the

students. The gold medalist of the 1997 Skills USA-VICA competition, for example, was

able to train at the Carrier company's Bynum Education Center in Syracuse, New York.

He trained one on one with a Carrier worker and "Carrier picked up the cost of his

airfare and accommodations" (Siegel 2001, p. 42).

Citizenship

Research shows that students who are members of youth organizations are more

actively engaged in community as well as school activities. The Purdue study found that

90 percent of FFA members participate in school and community activities (Reese

2001). Another study revealed that students involved with student organizations were

more likely to be involved in community affairs and organizations, school organizations,

and church (Leventhal 1999). Activities for linking CTE student organizations with the

community include job shadowing, service projects, student-organized field trips,

employer-employee banquets, and alumni-student gatherings (Miller 1997).

HOW ORGANIZATIONS ARE CHANGING AS

CTE EVOLVES

Student organizations will not be successful in the future unless they can motivate new

students to join and participate in the activities. Two primary ways that CTE student

organizations can achieve this goal are to (1) make their focus more relevant to today's

workplace and (2) strive to recruit a diverse student population.

Workplace Relevance

Society has undergone many changes since the inception of most CTE student

organizations and these changes influence how and where people work. When the FFA

was started in 1928, for example, people were leaving farming communities and

migrating to the cities. The organization was initiated as a way to keep vocational

agriculture in the public school system and offer the typically white, rural youth a means

of improving their farming production skills and developing a sense of self-worth and

recognition for their accomplishments so they would remain in agriculture (Vaughn et al.

1999). Today, there are fewer and fewer family farms and a decreasing number of youth

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Page 4 of 7 ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest.
have family ties to production agriculture (Igo and White 1999).

To be viable today, CTE student organizations must be designed to satisfy the primary

need of today's students--improving their employment potential in a technologically

oriented workplace. They must draw their members' interests toward areas that offer job

potential, e.g., in agriculture, it is important to provide opportunities that extend beyond

agriculture production to business, communication, agriscience, and technology as

applied in the agriculture industry (Gliem and Gliem 2000).

Diverse Membership

Other changes in society relate to work force composition. Today the workplace is

composed of people with varied ethnic and economic backgrounds. Igo and White

(1999) note that future generations of students involved in agriculture will not be from

the typical rural areas, but from urban communities. To thrive, CTE student

organizations must recruit students from these areas and from the various cultures they

represent. In a study conducted to learn the characteristics of students enrolled in

agricultural education who elected not to join FFA (Stagg and Stuller 1999), it was found

that non-FFA members included significantly more Asians, African Americans, and

Hispanics. This reflection of selective membership may be one reason that, of the over

800,000 students involved in agricultural education, only 450,000 are FFA members.

CTE student organizations need to find ways to attract all students by providing and

emphasizing benefits that membership will afford them, both personally and

professionally.

The recruitment of diverse members should also include students with disabilities.

Ploss, Field, and Frick (1996) describe youth with disabilities who have participated in

CTE student organizations. One female student who was blind participated fully in FFA.

The authors describe her enthusiasm for belonging to FFA and participating in its

national competitions. They note that she was so professional and well spoken that the

audience and often the judges were not aware that she was visually impaired.

Students can also promote membership in CTE student organizations by sharing with a

diverse array of their peers the personal benefits they have realized through

membership: For example, Rich Klein reports that "because of VICA, I did a lot of

advanced study in my field" (Siegel 2001, p. 5). Katrina Miller notes that "through my

TSA experiences I have learned to be confident in my abilities and move forward in my

career goals" (Miller and Meuleners 2000, p. 24). Testimonials like these can be strong

motivators for students who have little or no background in student organizations.

Young people have a variety of needs that must be met if they are to become mature,

responsible, caring, and informed individuals. CTE student organizations provide a

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ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest. Page 5 of 7
variety of opportunities that will help students in these areas. However, to be effective in

the future, these organizations must recruit and embrace a more diverse membership

and introduce members to occupations as they exist today.

REFERENCES

Gliem, R. R., and Gliem, J. A. "Factors that Encouraged, Discouraged, and Would

Encourage Students in Secondary Agricultural Education Programs to Join the FFA." In

21ST CENTURY RESEARCH FOR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. PROCEEDINGS

OF THE 27TH ANNUAL NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION RESEARCH

CONFERENCE, edited by G. Miller. American Association for Agricultural Education,

2000. (ED 449 351)

Igo, C. G., and White, J. D. "It Has Gone Without Saying Too Long Already!"

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION MAGAZINE 71, no. 5 (March-April 1999): 8-9.

Leventhal, J. I. "Providing Leadership Development for All Students." TECH

DIRECTIONS 59, no. 1 (August 1999): 22-24.

Miller, K., and Meuleners, M. "Straight from the Source." TECHNIQUES: CONNECTING

EDUCATION AND CAREERS 75, no. 1 (January 2000): 24-25.

Miller, L. W. "Making the Connection." BUSINESS EDUCATION FORUM 52, no. 1

(October 1997): 39-41.

Ploss, A. J.; Field, W. E.; and Frick, M. J. BRIDGING HORIZONS. AN ADVISOR'S

GUIDE TO FFA INVOLVEMENT FOR MEMBERS WITH DISABILITIES. Alexandria VA:

Future Farmers of America, 1996.

Reese, S. "The Advantages of Agriculture Education and FFA." TECHNIQUES:

CONNECTING EDUCATION AND CAREERS 76, no. 2 (February 2001): S1-S17.

Siegel, J. J. "Skills USA-VICA Brings Industry Together." AIR CONDITIONING,

HEATING & REFRIGERATION NEWS 212, no. 5 (January 29, 2001): 40-42.

Stagg, B., and Stuller, B. "Will FFA Be a Part of Agricultural Education in Twenty

Years?" AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION MAGAZINE 71, no. 5 (March-April 1999): 2, 19.

Talbert, B.; Larke, A., Jr.; and Jones, W. A. "Using a Student Organization to Increase

Participation and Success of Minorities in Agriculture Disciplines." PEABODY

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 74, no. 2 (1999): 90-104.

Vaughn, P. R.; Kieth, L.; and Lockaby, J. "The FFA Organization: Needed Then &

Needed Now." AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION MAGAZINE 71, no. 5 (March-April

1999): 4-5, 11.

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Page 6 of 7 ED467238 2002-00-00 CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest.
Williams, K. L. "Student Organizations and Business Education: A Winning

Combination." BUSINESS EDUCATION FORUM 56, no. 2 (December 2001): 56-57.

Wills, S. "Promoting Student Organizations." BUSINESS EDUCATION FORUM 55, no.

2 (December 2000): 44-46.

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This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S.

Department of Education under Contract No. ED-99-CO-0013. The content of this

publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of

Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations

imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Digests may be freely reproduced and are

available at http://ericacve.org/digests.asp.

Title: CTE Student Organizations. ERIC Digest.

Note: Digest Number 235.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education,

Center on Education and Training for Employment, College of Education, The Ohio

State University, 1900 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1090. For full text:

http://www.ericacve.org/pubs.asp.

Descriptors: Diversity (Student), Employment Potential, Family Influence, Goal

Orientation, Learning Motivation, Occupational Aspiration, Scholarship, Secondary

Education, Student Attitudes, Student Motivation, Student Organizations, Student

Participation, Student Recruitment, Success, Vocational Education

Identifiers: Career and Technical Education, ERIC Digests

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