Career decisional states of Australian and South African high school students

Abstract

The influence of contextual factors on the career decision states of 429 South African and 623 Australian male and female students in grades 8 to 12 was investigated. The results for both national samples on the Career Decision Scale demonstrate that grade, gender, and the interaction of grade and gender impact on the developmental progression of career decision behaviour. Gender differences across nations were more pronounced for males than females. Both South African and Australian students are more decided in lower grades. International differences suggest that South African students are less certain and evidence greater indecision than Australian students. The implications for educational decision points and career education practices are discussed.