The Perspective of Rural Secondary Vocational Education Instructors on Employability Skills, Unqualified Advancement, and Expulsion to Reduce Delinquency and Justice System Contact

In this study, the problem in Tennessee and across the United States where the skills of employability, which are used in the reduction of recidivism, are not being emphasized at the secondary level to prevent delinquency and initial justice system contact was highlighted. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspective of rural secondary vocational educators on student unqualified advancement, expulsion, and program employability skills of students participating in vocational education, referencing the reduction of delinquency and justice system contact. Bandura’s social learning theory and subsequent social cognitive theory were the theoretical frameworks for thematic analysis using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, in-depth one-on-one conversational interviews were conducted with eight participants. Participants were rural secondary vocational education instructors teaching in the state of Tennessee for a minimum of 2 years. Results revealed that an emphasis on soft employability skills is needed and that the school-to-prison pipeline is present due to social ostracism and separation from classrooms, with a reduction in hands-on instruction for at-risk students. Identified themes include instructor-to-field taught, employment and soft skills, material comprehension, disruptive behavior, and the future of vocational education. Positive social change may be possible by providing education that includes a partnership between the community, education, and industry that reduces justice system contact.