EdITS Supplemental Test Information & Resources

What's New from EdITS

COPSystem Online Beta-Testing

We are ready to begin a new round of beta-testing for the web-based Career Occupational Preference System -
The COPSystem Online.
 
Your participation will help us improve test administration by significantly decreasing the time required to assess individual examinees while preserving the validity and integrity of your results....Read More.

Career Guidance Solutions

COPSystem Career Measurement

The COPSystem Career Measurement Package includes all of the materials you need to administer, score and interpret the COPS Interest Inventory, CAPS ability battery and the COPES work values survey.

Interpretation of results is organized around groupings of occupational clusters which represent the world of work.

Learn More About Support Materials -
Career Guidance Made Easy!

Wall Charts and Pocket Charts  help identify the right occupation for your client.
The Career Briefs Kit provides specific job information in an easy and accessible format for all ages.
The Job Handbook is a useful resource for young adults who want a fun guide to help them prepare for the world of work.

Career Education Programs for Elementary School

Dissertation: The Effects of a Career Education Program on
the Career Choices of Fifth Grade Students

Author:  Barton-Cox, F. F.

Institution: University of North Texas

Research Overview

The COPS Picture Inventory of Careers  (COPS-PIC) was administered to investigate the influence of a career education program designed to increase career interest and awareness. The effects of gender and ethnicity were also considered as potential influences on the career choices of students who participated in this study.

Seven-hundred fifth grade students from 12 schools in Texas participated in this research. Roughly half of the participants were randomly assigned to a control condition with no career education program. The remaining participants took part in a career exploration and development curriculum.

This program was designed to provide important growth opportunities to students by using classroom activities that promote competencies in educational and occupational exploration, self-knowledge, and career planning appropriate for their age.

Main Findings and Future Implications

Students from the experimental condition who took part in the career exploration activities as part of the curriculum reported higher levels of academic interest compared to students who did not participate in the program. No gender or ethnicity differences were observed on career interest levels and the most important factor was the career education program itself.

Another interesting finding is that students from both groups reported an increase in their level of overall career interest, which was measured as the difference between pretest and posttest scores on the COPS-PIC. This finding seems to suggest that the act of occupational interest assessment itself may serve as an intervention that leads to an increase in career and job activity interest and awareness. 

Finally, this research suggests that elementary school students are likely to benefit from career education programs because they foster a better understanding of the types of careers that exist and the education and knowledge that is needed to pursue each career. Students who took part in this program demonstrated higher levels of career interest and more concentrated career choices than their peers.