An evaluation of the career decision making program based on cognitive information processing approach

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Cognitive Information Processing based on Career Decision-Making Program on Career maturity, Career indecision and Irrational beliefs relating to career choice in High School Student who on career decision making process.This study used 2x2 factorial repeated measures (two groups and two measurements). It was conducted as a ?pretest-posttest? design with experimental and control groups. The participants were 9th grade high school students enrolling Seyhan Sehit Temel Cingoz High School located in Adana. Two 9th grade classes were chosen randomly and they were randomly assigned as the experimental and control groups. There were 29 students (15 girls and 14 boys) in the experimental group and 30 students (17 girls and 13 boys) in the control group. The participants? ages ranged between 14 and 17.The data were collected through a) Irrational Beliefs Scale regarding Career Choice (Erdem, 2006) aiming to measure the participants? irrational beliefs about career choice, b) Career Decision Inventory measuring career indecision levels (Cakır, 2003), c) Career Maturity Inventory measuring career maturity levels (Kuzgun and Bacanli, 1992).Independent samples t-test was conducted in order to analyze the significance of the difference between experimental and control groups in terms of irrational beliefs regarding career maturity, career decision making, and career choice and the pretest-posttest average scores of the subscales. As to examining permanence, both the irrational beliefs scales regarding career decision making and career choice conducted to the experimental group and the significance of the post test average score differences of the subscales of both scales were analyzed using dependent samples t-test.Results indicate that career decision making program based on cognitive information processing examined in this study has effects on increasing the 9th graders? career maturity levels and decreasing career indecision and irrational thoughts relating to career choice