The Career Development Index (BOX)

Abstract

Managing the transition from school to post-school education is an important developmental task in adolescence. One of the tasks of schools is to support this transition. Numerous interventions are used in this process, but their benefits must be critically examined. Studies indicate that offers for career guidance are only effective for a small proportion of young people due to the lack of individualization. Diagnostic instruments are the starting point for the necessary individualization according to the young people’s stage of career developmental and the associated support needs. These are often hardly established at schools because they are either too extensive or the implementation and evaluation of test procedures causes difficulties regarding necessary support offers. Against this background, the Berufsorientierungsindex (BOX) was developed as a diagnostic tool to provide information on the state of development in selected dimensions that are important for a successful career development. The article shows the theoretical considerations and empirical procedure in the development, testing and modification of the instrument. In addition to a discussion of the limitations, possible applications of the BOX are shown.