Career Exploration at an Appalachian University: Effectiveness and Pre-Existing Resources

Abstract

Many universities offer career exploration courses designed to assist students in making effective career choices; however, it remains unclear whether pre-existing resources have a significant influence on students’ ability to benefit. The purpose of this study was (a) to measure the efficacy of a career exploration course at an Appalachian institution in improving college and career decision self-efficacy and (b) to determine if the following pre-existing resources, academic readiness, academic achievement, and familial financial resources, were significant predictors of post-test college and career decision self-efficacy scores. Participants were 127 traditionally-aged, undergraduate students at a private, Appalachian university enrolled in a 15-week career exploration course. Paired samples t-tests revealed a significant positive change from pre to post-test for college and career decision self-efficacy; however, hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed no significant influence of the pre-existing resources on post-test scores for either construct.

Keywords

• career
• self-efficacy
• academics
• finances
• preparation