Character Strengths and Maturity for Professional Choice in Integrated High School Education

Forças de Caráter e Maturidade para Escolha Profissional no Ensino Médio Integrado

Fortalezas del carácter y Madurez para la Elección Profesional en la Educación Secundaria Integrada

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the impact of the explanatory variable Character Strengths on the criterion variable Maturity for Professional Choice and to compare the behavior of the variables by gender and type of institution. Participants were 350 Integrated High School students from different courses, 204 from a public school, aged between 14 and 20 years (M = 16.68; SD = 0.94), and 126 from a private school, aged between (M = 16.5; SD = 0.85). The Character Strengths Scale and the Maturity for Professional Choice Scale were used. The results showed differences for females in the Determination, Responsibility, and Independence factors and between public and private institutions for Independence and Knowledge of Reality. A non-linear correlation and a dependency relationship were found between the variables tested. A prospective study could investigate the behavior of variables in freshmen and veterans throughout Integrated High School.

Keywords:
Positive Psychology; Professional Maturity; High School