Volume 5, Issue 3 (2012) Fall 2011

Summary of finalized articles for the Fall 2011 issue

In workforce development communities, we have professionals conducting research to answer questions and solve problems in a wide variety of contexts involving multiple topics. This is a fabulous situation to be in. That is, the resulting contributions to our knowledge add to the richness of our communities and the value of the thoughtful and insightful application of the results of this research. I am very proud that this issue contains four articles that address important topics in school and work contexts.

Matthew Legas from U.S. Food and Drug Administration and interested in organizational, industrial, and cooperative knowledge retention and Cynthia Sims, a university professor with expertise in issues of diversity, address the problem of generational diversity at work. That is, this paper identifies the dilemma that exists when multiple generations coexist in the workplace and tries to identify strategies that promote efficiency and improve employee communication and morale. The authors recommend developing new and innovative diversity training and incorporating an intergenerational mentoring program.

Malar Hirudayaraj, a professional with international expertise in training and employability programs, addresses the emerging issue of first-generation college students. This paper explores the issues around the transition of first-generation students in higher education into the knowledge based economy. It discusses how the lack of parental education could impact the employability of these students and stresses the need for focused research in this field that could inform policy decisions.

Paul A. Asunda, university professor with international career and technical education expertise in technology and engineering education, examines CTE teacher preparation. This article describes the process and findings of a pilot study that was designed to examine trends in CTE teacher preparation programs in the last 5 years. Findings of this study lead to significant questions regarding the design and development of CTE teacher education programs that could attract interested individuals to CTE and also sustain them in the field.

Dennis W. Duncan, a university professor with expertise in agriculture education examines the integration of academic subjects into agriculture education programs. Specifically, this descriptive and comparative study describes the academic achievement of FFA (Future Farmers of America) members in a complete program of agriscience at Jackson County Comprehensive High School (JCCHS). It also compares science, math, social studies, and language arts achievement of senior agriscience students/FFA members to the achievement of all seniors at JCCHS.

My hope is that you will find the articles in this issue useful for your professional work, and that they will spur your thinking about other questions to be answered and problems to be solved. We invite you to share your results with the Online Journal for Workforce Development.

~ Beth Winfrey Freeburg, Editor