Overall Design Identification

  • Overall methodology is qualitative and mixed method
    Collaboration with special education teacher on a job skills unit
  • Pre and Post unit open ended questions for teacher
  • Anecdotal collection of student feedback
  • Classroom Instruction
  • Student created documents
  • Practice Interview Feedback Forms utilizing a Likert Scale

 

Participants

The group of students I worked with are self-contained special education students.  The students’ intellectual levels vary greatly.  Some students are academically proficient but may have behavioral issues and others are classified as non-readers.  All of the students participate in “life skills” instruction that takes place in local businesses.  The teacher has expressed her frustration that many of her kids won’t be able to get jobs beyond bagging groceries at Kroger because of their lack of computer skills and critical thinking ability.

Data Collection Story/Methodology

  • 1.    Interviewed special ed teacher

    2.      Developed plan and activities to support teacher’s need (Job Skills Unit)

    3.      Introduced project to students

    4.      Students created cluster diagrams focused on skills and interests

    5.      Student interviews—this step changed tremendously.  Originally I was going to interview students at three different stages of the project.  I did not interview the students at all.  Their intellectual levels, the slow pace we worked at, and other factors made interviewing impossible.  I did ask them casual questions as a group and wrote down their responses during activities.

    6.      Introduced students to GCIS database, instructed students on how to use laptops and access database, and conduct key word searches

    7.      Used GCIS database to identify occupations that matched skills and interests

    8.      Introduced and used the AJC website to search for appropriate jobs, reviewed key word searches and generated a list of key words for finding jobs

    9.      Created simple resumes following a template

    10.  Watched videos to prepare for job interviews, practiced taking notes (students were given a hand out as we watched the video and told when to write certain pieces of information down as it was written on the board)

    11.  Used GCIS handouts to finish resumes and prepare for interviews

    12.  Conducted practice interviews

    13.  Wrote thank you notes and debriefed

    Data Sources

    Teacher Interview Questions (Before and After Unit)

    Lesson plan

  • Applied Project Job Unit

     

    Junior Achievement Materials

  •  

    Student created interest inventory lists and collages

    Student 1

  • Images

  • List

     

    Student 2

  • Images

  • List

     

    Student 3

  • Images

  • List

     

    Student 4

  • Images

  • List

     

    Student 5

  • Not available

     

    Analysis

    • Reviewed teacher responses in pre/post interviews for examples of how she felt the job skills unit went.  Overall, she felt that the unit was very successful and would like to repeat it in the future.  She had suggestions for how it could be improved.
    • Student responses were reviewed for their feelings on how the unit progressed.  Most students felt that it was a positive experience.  One student who felt that it wasn't has been the most visible in the media center since finishing the unit.
    • Looked for patterns in student produced interest/skill lists.
    • Interviewer feedback analyzed to see patterns in scoring and similarities in responses.  All interviewers felt the process was beneficial not only to the students but beneficial to them as well.  Personal quirks were interesting to see in responses (preference for asking to be seated before sitting for example).