Abstract Book of the 9th International Academic Conference on Education
Year: 2025
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The Cultural Language of Protest: Understanding the Semiotics of Resistance and Affective Expression in Contemporary Georgia
Anna Nikoleishvili
ABSTRACT:
Career decisions, such as selecting an academic program, are among the most significant choices students make during their educational journey (Gati & Levin, 2015; Lent & Brown, 2020). These decisions impact lifestyle, psychological and economic well-being, as well as individuals’ sense of societal contribution (Gati & Levin, 2015; Hartung, 2011). However, many students struggle with career choices due to the complexity and uncertainty involved, leading them to seek career counseling support (Gati & Kulcsàr, 2021).
In this study, conducted in a French-Canadian context, 2,048 college students completed the Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire and the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation questionnaire, in their validated French versions. These instruments were administered at four time points: before the counseling processes (T1), after its completion (T2), six months later (T3), and twelve months later (T4). A total of 1,400 participants completed T2, 1,157 completed T3, and 1,019 completed T4. Latent growth models were employed to analyze the evolution of the measured variables over time.
This presentation will highlight the positive effects of individual career counseling on career indecision and psychological distress, based on the results of this one-year follow-up study. These findings underscore the importance of career counseling in fostering students’ career development and well-being.
Keywords: career counseling, effectiveness, career indecision, college students, psychological distress