Abstract:

Adolescence represents a critical juncture for career development, characterized by exploration, crystallization of preference, and rehearsal of decision making. School-based interventions have the potential of equipping students with skills and resources to make informed decisions about their academic and personal trajectories. By empowering students to explore interests and assess strengths, these interventions cultivate confidence and readiness for making informed decisions. This study evaluates the efficacy of a brief career counseling intervention for 9th grade students. Conducted over five sessions within small groups (6-9 participants), the intervention adopts a quasi-experimental design, incorporating both experimental and control groups, alongside pre-test and post-test assessments. A total of 553 students (52.1% boys; M age = 14.08, SD age= .47), from eight schools in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, participated in the study. Participants from both experimental (n = 449) and control (n = 104) groups answered the Career Adaptability Scale and Career Decision-Scale. Results from the multivariate analysis of variance revealed statistically significant variance between groups. The experimental group demonstrated improvements in the curiosity dimension of career adaptability and career certainty, at the end of the intervention. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of effective strategies for promoting career development among adolescents within the school environment.

Keywords:

Adolescence, career counseling intervention, career exploration, career adaptability.