The Impact of a Career-Connected Convergent Inquiry Project on High School Students’ Knowledge and Information Processing Competency in English Education

Abstract

This study explored the impact of a career-connected convergent inquiry project on high school students’ knowledge and information processing competency in English education. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed with 148 students over 17 weeks, encompassing topic selection through final presentation. Quantitatively, pre- and post-surveys using a validated competency instrument were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests and effect size calculations. Qualitatively, semi-structured interviews with nine students were thematically analyzed to explore learning experiences. Quantitative results showed statistically significant improvements across all competency domains and sub-elements, with relatively large effect sizes in “scope setting” and “production.” Qualitative findings revealed that students perceived English as a “tool for career exploration” rather than an “assessment object,” developing confidence in authentic contexts. Career contexts functioned as “critical filters” for prioritizing information. Students transitioned into knowledge producers through reconstructing information into outputs, while generative AI and digital tools served as “cognitive and affective scaffolding” that reduced linguistic barriers and enabled focus on information processing activities. This study provides empirical evidence that career-connected convergent inquiry projects constitute an effective pedagogical model for cultivating knowledge and information processing competency in English education, offering concrete foundations for process-tracking assessment systems, stage-specific AI integration, and teacher professional development.