Practical Effects of Career Learning on High School Students

The purpose of this study was to verify the practical effects of career learning on high school students. Study 1 examined the changes before and after career learning. After the program was implemented, the image of working was positive, and career choice self-efficacy increased. Study 2 examined the program’s effects after a year, and results revealed that career choice self-efficacy reverted to its pre-program level. However, students who perceived the effects of career learning had greater interest in the future and clearer goals. In contrast, students who did not perceive the effects of career learning claimed they had no opportunity or time to make use of what they had learned or they were not able to find a connection between that learning and their lives as students. These results indicate the importance of efforts to have students find meaning in career learning and to adopt it to daily life and learning.