Abstract
Misalignment between career and education aspirations has been associated with poorer achievement during adolescence and unstable employment in adulthood. In this study, we evaluated whether a brief in-school intervention improved career decision self-efficacy and aspirational alignment. We sampled 211 teenagers living in disadvantaged areas of Western Sydney, Australia using a quasi-experimental non-equivalent groups design. Students completed pre- and post-questionnaires which measured aspirational alignment and career decision self-efficacy. Students in the intervention condition (n = 102) received automated feedback on the alignment of their career and education aspirations, as well as a career information pamphlet detailing the educational pathways to a range of popular careers. Students in the control condition completed both questionnaires but only received feedback and the pamphlet at the end of the study. The intervention improved alignment of career and education aspirations, as well as increased some dimensions of career decision self-efficacy. Students in the intervention group more frequently identified the correct qualification for their career aspiration in the post-questionnaire (57.9%) compared with the pre-questionnaire (48.1%). Students with misaligned aspirations in the intervention group reported higher self-efficacy for gathering occupational information and selecting goals following the intervention. There were no pre-post differences for students in the control condition. The practical significance of this study is that an easy, low-cost intervention can improve aspirational alignment between career and education aspirations, as well as aspects of career decision self-efficacy.
Highlights
Misalignment between career and educational aspirations occurs when the minimum qualification required for a person’s desired occupation exceeds their educational expectations (Perry et al, 2016)
There was a low level of missing data associated with student attendance at sampling occasions
Post-intervention, females were higher on goal selection (GS) (3.56–3.83, t(46) = −2.82, p = 0.007), problem solving (PS) (3.57–3.85, t(46) = −2.89, p = 0.006), and Total Career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) (3.62–3.81, t(44) = −2.23, p = 0.031); students from non-English-speaking backgrounds were higher on GS (3.61–3.88, t(43) = −2.59, p = 0.013); and students with high school-educated parents were higher on occupational information (OI) (3.45–3.82, t(10) = −2.56, p = 0.029)
Summary
Misalignment between career and educational aspirations occurs when the minimum qualification required for a person’s desired occupation exceeds their educational expectations (Perry et al, 2016). A fundamental aim of careers education is to teach students to make informed academic and occupational decisions (Uffelman et al, 2004). This task is complicated by modern social and economic settings which have increased occupational mobility and require individuals to make more frequent job transitions during their lifetimes (Savickas, 2012; Santisi et al, 2018). Brief career education interventions have proven successful in motivating academic choices and improving careerrelated self-efficacy in school students (Turner and Lapan, 2005; Harackiewicz et al, 2012; Rozek et al, 2015). Students who receive automated personalized feedback (intervention) will have higher mean scores on CDSE subscales after three weeks while students who do not receive such feedback (control) will not
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