University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 12-2015 Examining Employability as Associated with IC3, MOS, and ACA Certifications Kelley Leigh Todd University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at:http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of theEducational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons,Higher Education Commons, and theOther Education Commons Recommended Citation Todd, Kelley Leigh, "Examining Employability as Associated with IC3, MOS, and ACA Certifications" (2015).Theses and Dissertations. 1434. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1434 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please [email protected]. Examining Employability as Associated with IC3, MOS, and ACA Certifications A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Human Resource and Workforce Development Education by Kelley Todd University of Central Arkansas Bachelor of Education, 1997 Webster University Master of Business Administration, 2005 December 2015 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. ____________________________________ Dr. Claretha Hughes Dissertation Director ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Dr. Betsy Orr Dr. Vicki Dieffenderfer Abstract Forrier and Sels (2003) define employability as “an individual’s chance of a job on the internal and/or external labor market” (p. 106) and is important (Wittekind, Raeder, & Grote, 2010). Possessing an industry certification may be considered an example of human capital skill. The human capital theory suggests qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experience of individuals may lead to increased earnings or productivity (Becker, 1993; Rosen, 1987; Schultz, 1971). As such, the human capital theory provides a framework for studying perceived employability (Wittekind, Raeder, & Grote, 2010; Verhaar & Smulders, 1999) as associated with IC3, MOS, and ACA industry certifications. Randall and Zirkle (2005) suggested that entry-level certification is promoted as a “vehicle to provide students with viable skills needed by the workforce, to satisfy state skill standards, and to prepare students for postsecondary studies” (p. 287). Beyond intrinsic pride in one’s accomplishment and praise received from classroom teachers, there is a need to make the connection for how industry certification relates to employability. Therefore, gaining a better understanding of how achieving industry certification relates to employability opportunities in Arkansas will provide certification candidates with more concrete answers to possible essential questions such as “why should I be certified” and “how am I going to use this certification.” The purpose of this study was to investigate how achieving IC3, MOS, and ACA industry certification relates to employability opportunities in Arkansas as perceived by human resource (HR) and information technology (IT) professionals. To narrow the gap in the knowledge regarding employability implications for certification holders in the state of Arkansas, a convenience sample of HR and IT professionals was used. Participation was voluntary. Instrumentation was based upon CompTIA’s (2011) Employer Perceptions of IT Training and Certification. CompTIA is the Computing Technology Industry Association; a non-profit trade association. Research questions addressed familiarity with IC3, MOS, and ACA certifications, perceptions regarding preference for candidates possessing certification, compensation for certification credentials, and value placed upon certification credentials. ©2015 by Kelley L. Todd All Rights Reserved Acknowledgements Special thanks to my dissertation committee, Dr. Claretha Hughes, Dr. Betsy Orr, and Dr. Vicki Dieffenderfer. Your guidance as well as the time, effort, and faith you have placed in me during this process are valued and appreciated more than any of you will ever know. I am honored to have each of you at my side during this process. Dr. Claretha Hughes, the titles of Dissertation Director and Academic Adviser do not even begin to do justice to all of the roles you have played in my life while helping me reach this point in my educational endeavors. I also consider you to be one of my favorite professors, a top-notch role model, a fantastic motivator, a voice of reason and authority, and trusted guide, but most importantly, my mentor. You always amaze me with what seems to be a “sixth sense” in your abilities to know exactly which role I need filled at any given moment. Without a doubt, I owe a great deal of gratitude to you. Special thanks to my unofficial dissertation support group of family and friends, my mother Sharon Todd, my sister Kayla Todd, and my friend and favorite economics and statistics professor Robert Wofford. The three of you have certainly been my biggest supporters as you have encouraged me when I most needed it and celebrated milestones along the way with me. I know you must have all tired long ago of all of the research, formatting, and math talks. Thank you for everything. Dedication This is dedicated to my best friends, my sister Kayla Todd and my mother Sharon Todd. Mom and Kayla, without you, so many things in my life would be impossible and it certainly would not be as much fun or as rewarding. Thank you for inspiring, encouraging, and loving me. I love you. Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................1 Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) .............................................................4 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) ...................................................................................4 Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) ....................................................................................6 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................7 Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................................................7 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................7 State Demographics ..........................................................................................................8 IT Careers..........................................................................................................................9 Research Questions ...............................................................................................................16 Theoretical Framework .........................................................................................................16 Assumptions ..........................................................................................................................17 Limitations ............................................................................................................................17 Definitions of Terms .............................................................................................................17 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..............................................................................................19 Career Development and Secondary Students ......................................................................19 Student Self-Regulation and Certification ......................................................................20 Student Self-Concept and Certification ..........................................................................21 Funding Secondary Students’ Certifications ........................................................................23 Certification Influence on Society ........................................................................................27 Technology Growth, Certification, and Employment.....................................................27 Value of Certification to Employer .................................................................................29 Certification as an Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes .....................................29 Connection between Employability and Certification ..........................................................31 Certification and Preparing Global Workers ..................................................................32 Certification and Employee Selection ............................................................................34 Leading Trends in Certification ......................................................................................36 Summary ...............................................................................................................................38 III. METHODS ...........................................................................................................................39 Study Participants .................................................................................................................39 Demographics .................................................................................................................40 Job Title HR .................................................................................................................40 Job Title IT ...................................................................................................................41 Education HR ...............................................................................................................41 Education IT.................................................................................................................41 Experience HR .............................................................................................................41 Experience IT ...............................................................................................................41 Certification IT.............................................................................................................42 Company Size HR........................................................................................................42 Company Size IT .........................................................................................................42 Company Geographic Location HR .............................................................................42 Company Geographic Location IT ..............................................................................43 Company Community Profile HR ...............................................................................43 Company Community Profile IT .................................................................................43 Sampling Procedure ..............................................................................................................43 Instrumentation .....................................................................................................................44 Reliability and Validity .........................................................................................................46 Research Design....................................................................................................................46 Data Collection and Analysis................................................................................................47 Summary ...............................................................................................................................49 IV. RESULTS .............................................................................................................................50 Research Question Results ....................................................................................................51 Research Question 1 .......................................................................................................51 Research Question 2 .......................................................................................................57 HR Perceptions .........................................................................................................57 IT Perceptions ...........................................................................................................83 HR and IT Further Analysis ....................................................................................109 Research Question 3 .....................................................................................................118 Research Question 4 .....................................................................................................126 HR Perceptions .......................................................................................................126 IT Perceptions .........................................................................................................143 HR and IT Further Analysis ....................................................................................163 Summary .............................................................................................................................171 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS......................................172 Summary .............................................................................................................................172 Implications.........................................................................................................................174 Conclusions .........................................................................................................................179 Research Question 1 .....................................................................................................180 Research Question 2 .....................................................................................................180 Value of Certification .............................................................................................180 View of IT Job Candidates with Certification ........................................................181 Weight of Qualifications .........................................................................................181 View of Practice Related to Certification ...............................................................182 Research Question 3 .....................................................................................................183 Research Question 4 .....................................................................................................183 Value of Certification .............................................................................................183 View of IT Job Candidates with Certification ........................................................184 Weight of Qualifications .........................................................................................185 Role of Certification ...............................................................................................185 Benefits of Certification ..........................................................................................186 Recommendations ...............................................................................................................186 References ....................................................................................................................................189 Appendices ...................................................................................................................................196 A: CompTIA Study Request ..............................................................................................196 B: Survey of Employer Perceptions of Certifications — HR Version ..............................200 C: Survey of Employer Perceptions of Certifications — IT Version ................................208 D: Informed Consent Letter ...............................................................................................218 E: Institutional Review Board Approval Letter .................................................................220