Date of Award

7-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Tonya Thompson

Second Advisor

Robyne Elder

Third Advisor

Roger "Mitch" Nasser

Comments

The persistent gap between high school graduates' academic preparation and workforce expectations represented a significant challenge for educational systems, employers, and students themselves. This mixed-methods study examined the efficacy of a design thinking-based career awareness and essential skills workshop in enhancing employability skills and career readiness among high school students. The researcher employed a comprehensive five-stage design thinking framework (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) to develop and evaluate a structured two-day workshop intervention targeting five critical employability domains: communication, collaboration, professionalism, critical thinking, and career exploration.

The study utilized a pre-post intervention design with 34 senior students in an urban public high school, along with 24 teachers, 28 industry professionals, and 12 worksite directors. Data collection encompassed multiple quantitative measures (student self-assessment surveys, structured observation protocols, teacher assessment questionnaires, and industry mentor evaluations) and qualitative approaches (semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and reflective journals). The assessment instrument demonstrated strong internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.87 for pre-test, 0.89 for post-test).

Statistical analysis revealed statistically significant improvements across all of the measured employability skill domains (p < .001), with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large (d = 0.68 to d = 1.12). The largest gains were observed in career awareness (M = 2.86 to 4.31, d = 1.12) and professionalism (M = 3.38 to 4.42, d = 0.91), followed by communication skills (M = 3.24 to 4.18, d = 0.85). Teacher observations corroborated the students’ self-reported gains, with substantial increases in observable employability behaviors, particularly in appropriate attire selection (+37.4%), eye contact maintenance (+35.4%), and articulate communication (+30.6%). Industry mentor evaluations provided external validation, rating students most favorably in professional attitude (M = 4.27) and communication initiative (M = 3.98).

Qualitative analysis revealed three primary themes related to employability skill development: enhanced communication confidence, strengthened teamwork capabilities, and enhanced professional behaviors. Career awareness analysis identified expanded career horizons among the students, enhanced understanding of the workplace realities, and personalized career alignment as key outcomes. Post-workshop behavioral indicators demonstrated sustained impact, with 87.3% of participants initiating specific career exploration activities within two weeks of completion.

The findings indicated substantially significant differences between pre- and post-workshop measures, which demonstrated that students who attended the career awareness and job readiness workshop showed meaningful improvements in both employability skills and career readiness. The workshop's effectiveness was attributed to five key elements: structured mentor-student engagement, authentic skill application opportunities, industry and curriculum alignment, comprehensive skill integration, and an efficient intervention format. The study provides empirical evidence for the value of design thinking methodology in addressing complex educational challenges, offering a replicable model for bridging the gap between academic preparation and workforce expectations.

The results have significant implications for educational practice, which suggested that relatively brief but carefully structured career awareness workshops can yield substantial benefits for students' career preparation without extensive curriculum overhauls or schedule disruptions. The research contributed to the limited literature on effective interventions for enhancing high school students' career readiness and provides a foundation for future investigations into design thinking applications in educational settings. In closing, the researcher sought to address the lack of employability skills and career readiness among high school students from underprivileged schools by providing an overview of the topic, outlining key terms, and describing the specific environment(s) in which the problem occurred. The doctoral student researcher then reported limitations with the study, which included challenges with generalizability and self-reported data in attention to the potential biases of the researchers, due to confirmation bias and selection bias. To correct biases in research, the study incorporated triangulation by using multiple data sources and methods, ensuring a balanced perspective. Additionally, reflexivity was practiced by acknowledging the researcher’s positionality and implementing strategies, such as peer debriefing and member checking to enhance objectivity.

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