Proceedings of The 4th International Academic Conference on Education
Year: 2021
DOI:
Effects of Career Course Instructional Design on Undergraduates’ Career Self-Efficacy and Exploration
Yu-Chen Wei
ABSTRACT:
This study examined the effectiveness of a college career course designed to increase career self-efficacy and career exploration. Participants were 271 undergraduate students from a university in Taiwan with a 125-year history. A quasi-experimental longitudinal study was conducted to compare students who completed high-intensity action-based homework assignments (experimental group, n = 74) with a quasi-control group of students who were assigned low-intensity action-based homework (n = 197). Participants in both groups were given questionnaires assessing career self-efficacy and career exploration at the first and eighteenth weeks of the course. Repeated measure analyses were conducted to examine possible differences in the responses of both groups at the beginning and end of the course. The results indicated that students of both groups who completed the career course showed increased career self-efficacy and career exploration. Although the results confirmed that high-intensity action-based homework could better enhance the students’ career exploration than low-intensity action-based homework, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of enhanced career self-efficacy. Interestingly, the control group exhibited higher career self-efficacy and career exploration after attending the course than did the experimental group. Implications and suggestions for career course lectures and further research are discussed.
keywords: action-based instructional design, career development, career self-efficacy, career exploration.