Results of a study of over 1,000 experience-based career education students suggest six ways experiential education staff can improve the learning potential of community experiences. These involve giving the students challenge, responsibility, freedom to explore, hands-on learning, a good relationship with individuals at the work site, and…

Reforms suggested in several major national assessments of secondary education have led to the development of a number of experiential, community-based programs for secondary students. Experience-Based Career Education offers such programs to over 15,000 students in all 50 states. Of these, 218 students from five states were administered an…

In an attempt to develop a theoretical framework with which to evaluate a Comprehensive Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) Project, the assumptions underlying this model of career education are discussed. The curriculum and learning strategies of the EBCE programs are described, and it is demonstrated how John Dewey's philosophy can serve as…

After briefly describing the Community Experiences for Career Education project, this paper discusses 11 evaluation strategies used with the project, assesses the strengths and limitations of each, shows some relationships among them, discusses ways of communicating evaluation findings, and suggests selection criteria to others planning multiple…

A study identified young people's perceptions of types of activities and other factors at employer sites that lead to excellent and relatively poor learning experiences. Participants in the study were 1103 secondary students in 18 experience-based career education programs in 16 states. The questionnaire administered to the students included…

This study was conducted to review evaluation studies of high school experiential learning programs to determine the nature of their findings and the essential elements that produce effective learning experiences in the community, and to assess the approaches used in these evaluations. Literature reviewed for the study centered on (1) work…

A six-state depiction study of dislocated workers in the Pacific Northwest involved interviews at six selected sites and a questionnaire survey of 138 dislocated workers. Data were obtained from structured interviews with employers, union representatives, employment service staff, educators, ongoing service agencies, and emergency assistance…

The Warm Springs Career Exploration Project (WSCEP) is an adaptation of experience-based career education (EBCE) for Native Americans residing on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The project served as a full-time program for American Indian students aged 16-19 who had dropped out of school, and also served as a part-time career development…

This final evaluation report describes and summarizes the evaluation findings for the 1976-77 school year of the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory (NWREL) Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) Program. Following an executive summary, the report is organized into five chapters, plus a separate volume of appendixes. Chapter I summarizes the…

During the 1976-77 school year, fourteen experience-based career education (EBCE) pilot sites were the focus of a second-year of operation evaluation. Each pilot site represented one of four regional education laboratories (Appalachia Evaluation Laboratory, Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, Northwest Regional…

Attention of research and evaluation specialists has often focused on methodology for assessing program outcomes with less attention given to techniques for describing important characteristics of a program or methods for assessing the degree to which a program may faithfully reflect a particular model. The purposes of this paper are to describe a…

An experiential learning questionnaire was administered to students in eight experience-based career education programs to determine the characteristics of both good and poor learning experiences in the community. Implications of the study for college staff responsible for designing or improving community-based experiential programs are discussed.…

One aspect of a nationwide survey dealt with the extent to which the attribution theory might be used to help account for students' perceptions of their successes and failures at employer sites. The study involved 1,102 high school students enrolled in 18 experience-based career education programs in 16 states. Respondents indicated the degree to…

The Exploring Careers in the Community for Gifted and Talented (ECC/GT) program is conducted in Jefferson County, Colorado junior high schools to provide an 18-week career exploration component for gifted/talented students. The program provides gifted/talented students 3 hours a day to participate in interviewing community members about their…

The rationale for using multiple evaluation strategies in a comprehensive program evaluation is described. Examples are given of eleven strategies used in the evaluation of the Experience-Based Career Education project developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory through sponsorship of the National Institute of Education. Strengths…