Students underrepresented in higher education often require unique support throughout their career and college planning. Rural Appalachian youth characterize a large population of underrepresented students. This article describes a theory-based multiweek career education curriculum aimed at increasing career and college readiness that was delivered to over 1,300 high school students in two rural Appalachian counties. Evaluation data from 867 of these students, as well as from the program staff, are provided. Findings suggest that participants found the intervention useful, learned new information about postsecondary planning and career exploration, and received assistance planning for their futures. Implications for school-based career education with underrepresented students, in general, are discussed.

Social cognitive career theory indicates that perceived barriers negatively affect career and educational self-efficacy beliefs and may also impact interests, goals, and actions. However, measurement of barriers has produced mixed results, and few quantitative studies explore the perceived barriers of rural Appalachian students. In this series of studies, we explored the perceived educational and career barriers of rural Appalachian high school students. Our goal was to identify perceived barriers, but as initial results were analyzed, we then shifted to how best to measure barriers and how culture impacted the reporting of barriers by rural Appalachian students. The results of our mixed-method series of studies offer ideas on how cultural values and beliefs may skew reporting of contextual influences on career and education.

Though research on service-learning is growing, little is known about how service-learning interventions can support and prepare peer mentors. This article discusses a bounded case study that examined the learning experiences of peer mentors working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) through a formal service-learning course for undergraduate students. Current and former peer mentors, instructors, and the I/DD postsecondary education program director participated in semi-structured interviews that focused on mentors' experience of peer mentoring. The case study showed that mentors gained valuable real-world experience and professional development as well as increased empathy and self-awareness. In addition, staff noted the transformative nature of the experience for peer mentors, including enhanced cognitive and emotional connections, decreased anxiety, and increased self-confidence. Staff intentionality regarding the design of the course and classroom experiences represented both prior planning and responsiveness to mentor needs throughout the service-learning experience. This case study illustrates the impact of service-learning for those working with a postsecondary education program for students with I/DD.

College preparation is an important topic in the educational attainment of high school students. Much of the research on college planning focuses on the importance and timing of preparing for postsecondary education; however, little research has explored the steps students actually take while preparing for college. The current study utilized the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framework to create a validated measure to assess choice behavior. The purpose of the current study was to create a validated measure for choice actions that could be used with diverse student groups. The measure was found to demonstrate good reliability and validity in this population, providing strong internal consistency and construct validity. Further, these findings support college-planning behaviors’ linkage to barriers, college-going self-efficacy, and college outcome expectations (COE).