Examining the career maturity, interest and career awereness of secondary school students in the context of school-based career guidance programmes

Abstract

In our research we investigate the characteristics of secondary school students in relation to career orientation career uncertainty, career interest and career knowledge. The sub-questions of our research are: into which groups can students be divided in terms of career choice? What are the different types of career ambiguity? How differentiated are students' interests in career ambiguity? What are the different types of interests of students? How well do students know about the activities and interests associated with careers? Does it matter whether the questions on knowledge of careers are closed or open? What correlation can be observed in the differentiation of career interest, openness, career knowledge and career uncertainty?

To answer these questions, we used a questionnaire based on three previously of three questionnaires already validated in Hungarian, updated and partly modified. The Carrier Factors Inventory (Chartrand et. al., 1990) (Lukács, 2012), career interest was measured by the Work Interest Questionnaire (Szilágyi, 1997) and career awareness based on Fazakas (2009) with open and closed questions on tools and activities. In terms of career uncertainty, the research sample can be divided into four groups: general pathfinders, career choice anxious, informed choosers and anxious seekers. There is a discrepancy between the actual career knowledge of students and their perceived information needs, as well as between the perceived need for more openness and is generally associated with some type of uncertainty. The majority of students' interest can be considered differentiated. In the case of closed questions on career knowledge, students and have a particularly poor knowledge of technical and scientific fields. This study presents the first results of a longer research process, which was carried out by the Miénk a Pálya Foundation. The aim of the research is to assess the Foundation's impact of the Foundation's work through changes in the competences they aim to develop. The current research can help organisations working in the field of career guidance exploring the characteristics of students in relation to career choices. The conclusions of the study can be put into practice, especially since previous literature, the findings are based on the simultaneous analysis of several aspects of several dimensions.