Career Exploration Program Research Articles

Understanding factors that influence students' sense of belonging and engagement in a career exploration program: A mixed methods study

AbstractThe Talent Identification and Career Exploration (TICE) program, funded by a Jacob K. Javits grant, focuses on increasing underrepresented students’ participation in gifted and talented programs. Early identification for gifted and talented programs expands student learning experiences, and when students from marginalized groups are not identified, they are denied equal opportunity to maximize their potential and enter the appropriate career path. This study focused on sixth‐ and seventh‐grade students from a predominantly rural midwestern state who participated in TICE from 2020 to 2022. Students engaged in four modules focused on sensemaking of their strengths and potential future career matches. This mixed‐methods study used student feedback to understand the relationship between students’ feelings of belonging and learning format on student enjoyment of the modules. Results show that students’ sense of belonging was a significant predictor of student enjoyment for two of the four modules, and learning format was not a significant predictor of student enjoyment. Qualitative data revealed students valued working with each other and learned about themselves and careers for which they would be a potential match. Findings from the study can be applied to inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of school‐based career interventions for talented student populations.

A Study on Change Process of Career Planning in Career Exploration Program Using Educational Drama for Middle School Special Education Students With Developmental Disabilities

A Study on Change Process of Career Planning in Career Exploration Program Using Educational Drama for Middle School Special Education Students With Developmental Disabilities

치위생학과 학생의 취업 스트레스, 자아존중감, 학과만족도가 진로결정 자기효능감에 미치는 영향

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between employment stress, self-respect, department satisfaction, and career decision self-efficacy of dental hygiene students. Methods: Data were collected through a self-administered survey. Data were collected from April 1 to April 19, 2023, and the final analysis subjects were 178 people. Data analysis used the IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 program. Results: Factors affecting career decision self-efficacy were significant in college life satisfaction, club activities, employment stress, and self-respect, and the explanatory power was 44.4%. Conclusions: Through classes using a variety of teaching methods, career exploration and employment mentoring programs are needed to make students more interested in major classes, encourage them to participate in major club activities, and reduce students' stress about finding jobs in the future.

대학생의 진로탐색행동과 진로의사결정수준의 관계에서 진로의사결정자기효능감의 매개효과

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of career decision making self-efficacy in the relation between career exploration behavior and career decision level among university students. Methods The participants were chosen from 197 university students of capital area in Korea and they received questionnaires to measure their career decision making self-efficacy, career exploration behavior and career decision level. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 statistical program and SPSS PROCESS Macro Model 4. Results Link between career exploration behavior and career decision level was fully mediated by career decision making self-efficacy. Conclusions First, the more students explore about themselves and environment, the more confident they become in career decision making. Second, in order to promote career decision level, it is necessary to prepare career exploration programs that can improve the career decision making self-efficacy. The implication and limitation of this study were discussed.

Design and Implementation of a Career Planning Program at Chonnam National University Medical School

Chonnam National University Medical School has designed and implemented two career planning programs: a three-phase curriculum-based program and a longitudinal non-curricular program over the course of 6 academic years. The three phases of the curriculum-based career planning program are self-assessment, career exploration, and field experience. The non-curricular career counseling program operates through a faculty advisor system, with each faculty member guiding a group of students from each academic year, and students in each year forming a mentor-mentee relationship. The non-curricular career exploration program consists of a student research support program, an international practice program in basic and clinical medicine, and a specialty exploration fair. A survey conducted among 38 graduates (54.3%) working as interns at Chonnam National University Hospital revealed that graduates preferred autonomous elective subjects within the curriculum-based program. They also responded positively to the faculty advisor system, through which they maintained close relationships. A focus group interview with three interns indicated that subjects providing direct experience in fields of interest and courses that students could choose freely were helpful in career decisions. Through follow-up research, it is necessary to design and operate a systematic career planning program based on an analysis of the needs of graduates taking part in a residency training program after selecting a medical specialty.

간호대학생의 비판적 사고성향과 메타인지가 진로정체감에 미치는 영향

Objectives This study was attempted to investigate the level of critical thinking disposition, metacognition, and career identity and their relationship, and to understand the effect of critical thinking disposition and meta-cognition on career identity of nursing students.
 Methods In this study, data were collected from 151 nursing students at two college from April 1 to April 30, 2023, and Data were analyzed using a t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients and hierarchical regression analysis.
 Results The mean score of the critical thinking disposition was 3.59, metacognition was 3.74 and career identity was 2.62. There was a significant positive correlation between career identity and critical thinking disposition (r=.292, p=<.001) and metacognition (r=.399, p=<.001). Factors that have a positive impact on career identity are age over 26 (β=.16, p=.015), regular exercise (β=.13, p=.038), and satisfaction with major (β=.18, p=. 021), sat-isfaction with college life (β=.19, p=.012), and metacognition (β=.21, p=.024), and the explanatory power of these variables was 45.4%.
 Conclusions Through this study, we identified factors that affect the improvement of nursing students' career identity. In order to improve nursing students' career identity, we propose the development of a career exploration program that reflects these results, supplementation of the curriculum, and professors' active interest and coun-seling guidance.

Future MEDIC: Medical Student–Led Healthcare Career Exploration Program for Underserved Middle School Students

Future Medical Education and Development Introductory Course (Future MEDIC) is a medical student–led school program designed to inspire primary school students in underserved communities by sharing a passion for medicine and healthcare careers. Through hands-on activities—including physical examination workshops, an on-site airport introduction to flight medicine, and interactive demonstrations with a patient simulator—26 eighth-grade students were empowered to actively explore the world of healthcare. To assess the impact of Future MEDIC on students’ knowledge and interest in healthcare careers, we administered pre- and post-surveys, informal exit interviews, and participation prizes. Survey responses were analyzed with a Mann Whitney U test for significance. There was a significant increase (p = 0.01) from pre- to post-survey about “I enjoy learning about how the body works.” Yet there was also a significant decrease (p = 0.03) from pre- to post-survey about “In the future, I am interested in working in healthcare or medicine.” Despite enjoying the activities and content of the Future MEDIC program, students did not have an increased interest in entering the healthcare field. Although interest in entering the healthcare field was not increased, Future MEDIC was a rewarding and fun experience for students to partake in, and an opportunity to create a multidimensional view of the healthcare field.

National Human Resource Development in Transitioning Societies: The Case of Saudi Arabia

This paper establishes an understanding of the Saudi National Human Resources Development (NHRD) and proposes effective strategies for improving the NHRD in the knowledge-based economy. Building on the foundations of HRD at the national level, provided by Harbison and Myers and the utilization of Paprock’s NHRD model for transitional societies, this article provides an in-depth analysis of the political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts in connection with NHRD environment. Challenges concerning the emerging workforce (e.g., jobseekers, women, and students) in the labor market are discussed. The analysis of the Saudi NHRD efforts shows the importance of addressing adaptive challenges through adaptive change. Based on the integrated findings, three workforce development strategies are proposed: (1) Build workforce adaptability to better navigate their careers, (2) create meaningful work and a family-friendly workplace, and (3) develop early career exploration programs and opportunities.

Patterns of high ability and underrepresented students’ subject-specific psychosocial strengths: A latent profile analysis

ABSTRACT Students underrepresented in traditional school-based gifted and talented programs require innovative programs that help them to identify their domain-specific talent and psychosocial strengths. The current study integrated the Talent Development Megamodel with Social Cognitive Career Theory to better identify clusters of psychosocial strengths and aptitudes of a group of middle school students. Sixth and seventh grade students (n = 240) attending schools in a predominantly midwestern state in the United States participated in the grant-funded Talent Identification and Career Exploration (TICE) program. Students completed assessments of their aptitude, academic-specific self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and goals as part of the program. Results indicated a five-class Latent Profile Analyses (LPA) solution was considered the best fitting model, identifying student profiles labeled uninspired, confident but directionless, humanities, STEM, and confident and highly capable. There were no differences in class assignment based on prior identification as gifted and talented or presence of twice-exceptionality, and groups did not differ significantly in aptitude. Findings suggest the importance of tailoring interventions considering students’ psychosocial strengths and aptitudes and linking these profiles to career exploration activities.

A Case Study on the Impact of a Career Exploration Program on the Career Maturation Process of a Student at a Meister High School

The purpose of this study is to investigate a student’s career maturity during a career exploration program based on the ecological system perspective and to propose directions for the career maturation process to help H. Meister High School students to get jobs. A single-case 12-session career exploration program was applied to a first-year student at H. Meister High School in U. City for 90 minutes per session twice a week. To verify the effects of the program, this study conducted a pre-test and post-test of career maturity to analyze changes. In addition, the study qualitatively analyzed changes in the program activity sheets and process evaluation sheets per session. The results of the study are as follows: Firstly, the career exploration program based on the ecological system perspective conducted with the student at H. Meister High School improved the student’s career maturity. Secondly, changes were observed in the scores in the sub-factors of career maturity between the pre-test and the post-test. Significant differences in the results of the analysis of the sub-factors of career maturity indicate that the program had a statistically positive impact on the career maturation process of the participant. In conclusion, as a result of the in-depth implementation of the program for 12 sessions, the participant expressed his desires which were clarified. In addition, a positive career maturation process appears to have taken place, owing to the self-directed program that led the participant to initiate plans and explore his career by himself. This study was conducted as a single case based on the ecological system perspective concerning career exploration and the career maturation process, but it will be necessary to expand the study to investigate the effects of group counseling, information exchange considering peer influences, common discussions on goal-setting, and other methods on the career maturation process.

Educational Needs for the Development of a Career Exploration Program for Human Ecology Majors for High School Students: A Survey Targeting Experts and High School Students

As human life and welfare become more valued in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, the role and mission of human ecology are expanding. Therefore, a career exploration and education program for high school students covering all the academic fields of human ecology may be necessary. To investigate what would be needed to develop such a program, a focus group interview (FGI) targeting experts within the same field and a survey targeting high school students were conducted. As a result of the FGI, a total of 3 categories and 7 subcategories were identified. The three categories included “human ecology and high school education,” “human ecology and career choices,” and “education program development and management in human ecology.” The results of the high schoolers’ survey showed that they had a moderate level of awareness about careers related to human ecology majors, but their interests and known information about human ecology programs in universities were low. Within the sub-content of each major, the contents with the highest educational needs were fashion product management, nutrition by disease, housing market analysis, personal financial management, and children’s rights and welfare. If a career exploration and education program is implemented in the future, the most preferred type is a mentoring program by professors, students, and graduates in the field of human ecology. In conclusion, it is necessary to develop and implement an integrative education program about human ecology majors based on the educational needs of high school students.

기독간호대학생의 신앙성숙, 소명의식, 진로정체감이 간호전문직관에 미치는 영향

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the effects of Christian nursing students'' spiritual maturity, sense of calling, and career identity on nursing professional values. Through this, it will provide basic data for developing the program and preparing a plan to improve the nursing professional values of Christian nursing students. Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted. Data were collected from 181 Christian nursing students from June to July 2018 through a structured self-filling questionnaire. Results: Their nursing professional values level was 3.96±0.52. Nursing professional values had a positive correlation with spiritual maturity (r=0.29, p<.001), sense of calling (r=.28, p<.001), and career identity (r=.41, p<.001). Factors influencing nursing professional values by multiple regression were identified as career identity (β=.27, p=.002), spiritual maturity (β=.21, p=.015), and satisfaction with life (β=.17, p=.028) (Adj R²=.229). Conclusion: The findings suggest that to enhance Christian nursing students'' positive nursing professional values, it is necessary to consider effectively integrating and operating a substantial career exploration program and faith training program.

현실치료 WDEP를 활용한 중학생 진로탐색 프로그램 효과검증

The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of middle school students'' career exploration program using Reality Therapy (Want Doing Evaluation Planning) on self-esteem and career decision-making self-efficacy. The research questions are as follows. First, what is the effect of middle school students'' career exploration program using WDEP on self-esteem? Second, what is the effect of middle school students'' career exploration program using WDEP on career decision-making self-efficacy? The subjects of this study were middle school students in D city, and they were provided 10 times per session for 100 minutes per session once a week. The experimental design was designed by pre-post test of the experimental group. In this study, Wilcoxon sign rank test was conducted using SPSS/WIN 27.0 to investigate the effects of middle school students'' career exploration program using Reality Therapy on self-esteem and career decision-making self-efficacy. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, there was significantly improved in the self-esteem (Z=2.66, p<.05). It means that the self-esteem of the middle school students who participated in the career exploration program was significantly improved. Second, there was a significantly improved in the career decision-making self-efficacy (Z=2.67, p<.05). It means that the career decision-making self-efficacy of the middle school students who participated in the career exploration program was significantly improved. In conclusion, the career exploration program used in this study improved self-esteem and career decision-making self-efficacy of middle school students. Therefore, the career exploration program for middle school students using the Reality Therapy technique can be an effective method for career exploration of middle school students, and it can be usefully used in school field for career education and career guidance of middle school students.

관광전공 청년취업자의 진로탐색 프로그램 참여와 취업준비 활동이 임금에 미치는 영향: 4년제 대학교 졸업자를 중심으로

본 연구는 관광전공 졸업자들의 진로탐색 프로그램 참여 및 취업준비 행동이 임금에 미치는 영향을 분석하였으며 이를 바탕으로 대학의 진로교육 및 취업준비 활동의 개선을 위한 정책적 기초자료를 제공하는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 분석을 위해 2017 대졸자 직업이동경로조사 자료를 이용하였으며 SPSS 24.0과 STATA 15.1 프로그램을 사용하여 T-검정, 카이스퀘어 검정과 선형회귀분석을 실시하였다. 실증분석 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 정규직과 비정규직 모두 남성의 임금이 높고, 이직준비를 하고 있다고 응답한 집단의 임금이 낮았다. 그리고 졸업대학과 사업체가 동일하다는 응답이 많았다. 둘째, 관광전공 청년취업자는 남성, 학점이 높고, 취업캠프에 참여한 경험이 있으면 임금이 높았으며 전라권에 있는 대학을 졸업하였을 경우 서울권 대졸자에 비해 임금이 낮았다. 셋째, 관광전공 정규직 청년취업자는 서울권에 있는 대학을 졸업하고, 진로취업 관련 교과목, 직장체험에 참여한 경험이 있으면 임금이 높고, 기업채용 설명회에 참여한 경험이 있으면 임금이 낮았다. 따라서 이 연구는 4년제 대학 관광전공 졸업자의 체계적인 진로탐색 및 취업준비를 통해 성공적인 노동시장 진입이 이루어질 수 있도록 진로프로그램 개선 및 교과과정 개편이 필요하며, 차별화된 취업준비 행동이 이루어져야 할 것을 제언하였다.

Oral history study on Japanese menswear custom-tailoring culture

This oral history study explores the past and present Japanese menswear customtailoring culture. Two master tailors with more than 50 years of experience and two young tailors with less than a year of experience were interviewed about the tailor training process and environment, working conditions, thinking and behavior, and societal and governmental efforts for vitalizing custom-tailoring. The results indicate, first, a 10-year apprenticeship was required in the past, whereas young tailors today must register for three-year professional tailoring classes. Tailors then and now have been trained in a similar sequence of pants, vests, and jackets. Second, regarding working conditions, tailors had to provide gratitude services to their masters for a few years, even after their training ended. In contrast, young tailors today must continue a probationary period after their three-year schooling; however, they experience difficulty with finding tailoring shops for their probation. Third, in terms of thinking and behavior, master tailors learned their trade to earn a living, whereas young tailors today entered the field due to their interests in it. In addition, young tailors want a systematic learning process, whereas master tailors learned their skills while on the job. Last, tailoring academies today are run by tailoring shops and societies. Career exploration programs are offered to elementary and middle school students by the Kobe government in association with the local tailoring society to provide tailoring experiences.

Development and Effects of Career Exploration Program Based on Adler’s Theory for Middle School Students

Development and Effects of Career Exploration Program Based on Adler’s Theory for Middle School Students

Social Cognitive Factors as Mediators Between Gender Role Personality and Career Exploration

The present study identified the relationships between gender role personality and career exploration in female college students, as well as the mediating roles of career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and self-regulation in the relationships. We used data from 210 Korean female college students. Structural equation modeling revealed the following: Female college students’ femininity was directly related with their career exploration, whereas their masculinity was not. Moreover, while female college students’ CDSE alone mediated the relationship between masculinity and career exploration, female college students’ CDSE and self-regulation mediated the relationship between femininity and career exploration. Specifically, in addition to mediating the relationship between femininity and career exploration directly, female college students’ self-regulation exerted a mediating effect on the relationship between femininity and career exploration through CDSE. Finally, we suggested that the effectiveness of career exploration programs for female students could be improved by considering gender role personality, CDSE, and self-regulation.

Values of Curriculum Cluster Program Sharing Physical Education Curriculum in Korea

The purpose of this study was to explore values of curriculum cluster program as a student-centered approach to complement an existing regular school curriculum. Focus group interviews (n=39) were conducted and participants were recruited from the four public high schools in Korea. This study revealed that first, the reason for students to participate in the curriculum cluster was that they were not satisfied with current offerings of the traditional physical education within their regular school curriculum. Second, the curriculum cluster promotes students’ learning motivation by cooperating with friends, resulting in building up trust between friends. Third, it is possible that the curriculum cluster could be expanded into the regular school curriculum as career exploration programs. Fourth, despite a variety of advantages, the pressure to move to another school site and the teachers’ indifference to the curriculum cluster may be indicative of the low participation rates. This study confirmed that the case of the curriculum cluster may be a good solution that addresses these and other practical challenges within school environments. Also, characteristics among instructors and cluster curriculum had a positive impact on occupational socialization that students cannot easily improve within the regular school curriculum.

A Study on the Development and Application of Future Societies and Career Exploration Program for University Students of Education Using Futures Workshop

A Study on the Development and Application of Future Societies and Career Exploration Program for University Students of Education Using Futures Workshop

The Effects of a Career Exploration Program on Career Maturity, School Adaptation and Happiness in Middle School Students

The Effects of a Career Exploration Program on Career Maturity, School Adaptation and Happiness in Middle School Students