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The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore how low socioeconomic status (SES), minority, adult high school graduates describe the influence of their parents, program activities, and possible employment opportunities in pursuing Career and Technical Education/Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (CTE/STEM) courses in a rural southern school district in Florida. This purpose was based on a gap in the literature to explain how low SES minority adult high school graduates describe potential influences on pursuing CTE courses. Using social reproduction theory as a guiding framework, data was collected from 54 adult students in Florida, where 12 completed open-ended one-on-one interviews and 42 completed electronic questionnaires.

The results of thematic analysis revealed the influence of parents varied among participants. Most participants, 24 of 54, made their course selection with little or no parental influence. For 23 of 54 participants the types of activities involved in the courses heavily influenced their selection of a course. Finally, the potential for future employment opportunities was a strong influence for 19 of 54 participants in their selection of a CTE course. This study has direct practical implications for educators and those who recruit and counsel middle-school students considering a CTE course of study for high school.

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