Research findings concerning student participation in secondary career and technical education (CTE) have shown important differences that relate to the unit of analysis and the type of measures used. Those differences hide the complexity of CTE, inadequately portray students′ participation, and hinder the possibility of comparable analyses. At the core of such differences resides the assumption that CTE is a monolithic model offered equally in all schools across the country.

This paper proposes a two-pronged analytical framework to better understand student participation in secondary CTE. First, the framework focuses research on specific CTE occupational programs (like manufacturing, agriculture, architecture, and so on) instead of examining CTE as an aggregate, overarching category. Second, the framework uses levels of CTE credit-taking (such as more than 2 credits, 2 credits, 1.0 to 1.5 credits, and 0.5 credits or less) to better examine the impact of different levels and models of CTE delivery on learning and the acquisition of knowledge and skills. This framework can serve as a research tool for a more realistic analysis of CTE participation.

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