Intervention in Career Counseling based on Maturity for Vocational ChoiceAbstract:
The Life-Span/Life Space Approach was developed under the assumption we take different roles throughout our life cycle, which are fundamental to the development of vocational identity. Maturity for professional choice is one of the processes in career development. However, making decisions about career is a complex task which requires addressing many doubts. For this reason, career counseling can assist young people and adults in making decisions and planning their professional lives. This study aimed to investigate the effect of career counseling on vocational choice in senior high school students (N = 130) from public and private schools. Participants were predominantly girls (70%) who were aged from 16 to 18 years (M = 17.13, SD = 0.589). This pre- and post-intervention design was applied either individually or in groups. The Maturity Scale for Professional Choice and a questionnaire on perceptions relating to the interventions were used. The data were processed using descriptive analysis, comparison between groups, correlation, and regressions. Results evinced a reduction in the effect of sociodemographic variables on vocational maturity after the intervention and significant changes (p < 0.001) in maturity (d = .56) and its dimensions (d = .55, .39, .36, .31, and .23, for determination, awareness of reality, self-knowledge, responsibility, and independence, respectively). Research in the field should continue to examine students from other high school grades or periods of development such as adults.
Keywords:
Vocational Guidance; Career Counseling; Vocational Maturity; High School Students.
