Developing College and Career-Awareness in High-Poverty Elementary Schools using Game-Based Curricula

• In Event: Evaluating Student Learning Through Innovative Digital Curricula

Abstract

Preparing young people for their future careers is one of the central objectives of the education system. Although “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is a quintessential question of childhood, few elementary schools engage students in college and career awareness programs (Pulliam and Bartek, 2018). This may be particularly problematic for students in high-poverty schools, where resource constraints limit college and career education (Ream & Palardy, 2008). Students in low-income communities are exposed to a narrower range of careers in their social networks, and the careers to which they are exposed tend to be lower-paying (Granovetter, 1973, Lareau 2011).



Intentional, proactive instruction in college and career exploration in elementary school can support future career planning, and can serve as a foundation for career development (Carvalho, Pocinho, & Fernandes, 2018; Porfeli, Hartung, & Vondracek, 2008). This study evaluates the impact of Future Quest Island, Explorations (FQI-E), an online, game-based college and career awareness curriculum designed for 3rd-5th grade. Specifically, it examines how the impact of this curriculum varies for students in high- and low-poverty schools.



Data, Measures, and Methods

The study, which uses a randomized control trial design, includes data from pre- and post- surveys collected from 544 third, fourth, and fifth grade students nested within seven schools spread across four states. Data were collected during the 2021-22, and the 2022-23 school years. Survey data are linked to demographic data, including age, grade, race/ethnicity, sex, IEP status and ELL status. School poverty level was composed using data on the proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL). Schools where more than 50% of students qualified for FRPL were coded as high poverty.



Survey instruments were adapted from two validated scales: the Childhood Career Development Scale (Palladino Schultheiss & Stead, 2004), and the Delaware Social-Emotional Competency Scale (DSECS-S) to measure information, planning, locus of control, self-concept, and social awareness. We added several items related to college- and career-awareness and educational aspiration to improve alignment with the intended outcomes of the curriculum.



Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model that estimates students’ post scores on each scale, controlling for pre-score and an interaction term of school poverty and treatment status. The model accounts for clustering of students within teacher and blocking within grade. Standard errors were also clustered within teacher.



Results

FQI-E had positive and significant treatment effects among students in high poverty schools across a range of outcomes, including students’ agreement that they had learned about new careers, their belief that they will graduate high school, and three of five scales (see Table 1). Conversely, in low-poverty schools, treatment effects were not found to be statistically different from zero except on learning about new careers, where the magnitude of the effect was smaller than in high poverty schools.



This stark difference underscores the importance of tailoring college and career interventions to specific socioeconomic contexts, with FQI-E showing promise particularly within high-poverty settings.

Author

• Meg Caven, Education Development Center, Inc.