The completion of vocational education and training (VET) and the subsequent school-to-work transition are important steps on the career pathway. The school-to-work transition is a long-term process with unclear boundaries involving a number of potentially difficult aspects. Psychological resources for successful schoolto-work transitions are reflected in the multidimensional psychosocial construct of career adaptability. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of selected demographic and school-related variables in predicting career adaptability and four components of career adaptability (concern, control, curiosity, and confidence) among VET graduates. Participants in this study were 3,028 Czech students approximately 1–2 months before graduation from vocational education and training, aged from 18 to 26 years (M = 18.97, SD = 1.09). The 24-item Career Adapt-Abilities Scale was used to measure career adaptability. Results from multiple linear regression analyses found that five out of ten predictor variables positively predicted the career adaptability or career adaptability components. These variables were the gained paid work experience in the field of study, one-off or multiple use of career guidance services, male gender, tertiary education of the father, and the field of study completed with a school-leaving examination. The variables that did not statistically predict career adaptability were family structure, maternal education, grades (GPA), repetition of a grade, and change of the field of study. Implications for career guidance are discussed.
Ústředním tématem příspěvku je rozhodování žáků základních škol o další vzdělávací dráze. Volba další vzdělávací dráhy představuje závažnou etapu v celoživotním procesu kariérového vývoje. Českými žáky je obvykle uskutečňována před ukončením povinné školní docházky a vzhledem k vývojovým specifikům pubescence je spojena s řadou náročných momentů. Za účelem z jištění relevantních informací o volbě další vzdělávací dráhy žáků na konci základní školy bylo v letech 2007–2009 realizováno longitudinální empirické šetření s cílem zmapovat a popsat významné aspekty a rizika tohoto procesu. V textu je objasněn identifikovaný sedmifázový model průběhu volby další vzdělávací dráhy žáků a časové určení vybraných aspektů rozhodovacího procesu. and The contribution gives account of selected conclusions of a longitudinal research carried out in 2007 to 2009, focusing on the choice of further educational pathways with lower secondary school pupils. Many experts have pointed out that pubescents are not mature enough to make a responsible choice. In view of the characteristics of the Czech educational system, the decision-making process is very difficult, with a number of critical moments. The main objective of this article is to describe the process of choosing the educational pathway a pupil is going through between lower and upper secondary education. A seven-phase-model of the decision-making process is identified, as is the timing of some of the involved aspects and the pupil's attitudes to the choice of their further educational pathways.
Parents are considered to be the main stakeholders for adolescents, helping them in their educational and career choices. Although theoretical and empirical studies have pointed out the links between career-specific parental behaviors and the career development of adolescents, there has been a lack of research in this area in the Czech Republic. One of the reasons is the absence of an instrument that would enable measurement of parental behaviors. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to provide a tool for measuring career-specific parental behaviors in the Czech environment — the Parent Career Behavior Checklist (PCBC) — to verify its psychometric properties and explore the associations between career-specific parental behaviors and selected demographic and school-related variables. The data collection took place in June 2017 and the participants were students in the Vysočina Region in vocational upper-secondary schools finishing with schoolleaving examinations or apprenticeship certificates (N = 501). Participant age ranged from 15 to 21 years (M = 17.19, SD = 1.10). The results show that the Czech version of the PCBC is an internally consistent and structurally valid tool for measuring two dimensions of career-specific parental behavior—(psychosocial) support and (instrumental) action. It was confirmed that mothers were more engaged in educational or career choices than fathers; mothers having tertiary education was an advantage for adolescents, which is reflected in increased support and action; and lower levels of support and action were perceived by adolescents who for various reasons were living exclusively with their fathers.