Global Media Journal Turkish Edition, cilt.10, sa.20, ss.414-434, 2020 (Hakemli Dergi)
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a Career Development and Planning course
on university students’ career adaptability levels. A pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design
with a control group was used to examine the relationships between the variables. The sample
group consisted of 41 undergraduate students enrolled in the psychology department of a
foundation university in Istanbul. 21 students took part in the experimental group, and the rest
of the students were in the control group. The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) was used
in the study to determine the career adaptation levels of the participants. Moreover, qualitative
data regarding the benefits of the course were gathered via an open-ended question from the
participants in the experimental group. In order to examine the effect of the Career
Development and Planning course that was applied to experimental group, the Mann Whitney
U test and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were used for making comparisons between the
measurements. To analyze the qualitative data, the descriptive analysis technique was used. The
quantitative analyses did not yield a significant impact of the course regarding students’
adaptability scores. However, the qualitative analysis results support the theoretical framework
and reflect an enhancement in the career adaptability levels of students that went through the
intervention. Overall, the research results entail suggestions that can contribute to future educational interventions and support the school-to-work transition of young adults.