Effects of a group coaching for the vocational orientation of secondary school pupils

Abstract

ABSTRACTVocational orientation is a challenging process to adolescents, especially in times of permanent change and in light of an overwhelming number of career possibilities. Effective career interventions which support young people during this process are therefore urgently needed. The objective of our study was to examine the effects of a coaching programme carried out in groups for the vocational orientation of German secondary school pupils. The 46 participants taking part in the group intervention voluntarily and 56 pupils of a control group answered questionnaires regarding career-related variables at the beginning and the end of the 10-week coaching process. Statistical analyses revealed significantly lower baseline scores of career-related variables in the coaching group compared to the control group, indicating self-selection effects of pupils who were in particular need of vocational orientation. Results regarding the effects of the coaching programme indicated a significantly higher gain of the coaching participants in career planning, career decision-making self-efficacy and career decision status compared to the control group. These findings might be due to the combination of career information, of self-reflection and of career-related activities in the coaching programme. Our findings suggest that coaching can be a helpful intervention for the vocational orientation of adolescents and that a group context may be an effective coaching setting. Thus, our group coaching intervention promoting vocational orientation of secondary school pupils might be worth considering expansion.