Journal of Educational Practice and Research (Dec 2014)
Construct Interdisciplinary Curriculum by Career Interest Code Within Major for Multiple Career Paths
Abstract
The purposes of this research were 1) to explore both teachers’ and students’ points of view of what courses students should take with regard to future occupation, 2) to investigate “Career Interest Code within Major”, and 3) to establish a more comprehensive curriculum path. For data collection, a curriculum- occupation questionnaire was designed and administered to 13 faculties, the career interest inventory was administered to 162 students, and two focus group interviews were held with 14 student participants. The results showed that 1) teachers emphasized the importance of basic professional, while students wished for a more diversified curriculum to enrich their career visions. 2) Gender difference was found in Holland Codes (RIASEC) by Career Interest Inventory (CII). Students scored highest in Investigative (I), second highest code in Artistic (A), and the third highest in Social (S). Male’s Holland code was significantly higher than female’s in Realistic (R) and Investigative (I) types, while the female’s Holland code was significantly higher than male’s in the Artist (A) type. There were also significant differences between grades by ANOVA in Investigative (I), Enterprising (E), and Conventional (C) types. The results showed that the freshman’s Holland codes were most congruent with the department codes. The senior students showed the most career interest differentiation. And 3) all Holland codes among sampled subjects have scattered around Holland’s Hexagon Codes-RIASEC; therefore, the “Career Interest Code within Major” model is well supported. According to the findings above, a more comprehensive curriculum following four pathways is recommended: 1) theoretic bio-science career path, 2) applying bio-science career path, 3) interdisciplinary career path, and 4) transformation career path.
