Examining the career development of children aged 8-10

The aim of the research is to examine the career development of children aged 8-10. This study, which was carried out with the parallel design approach converging from the mixed method research designs, was carried out with third and fourth grade students studying in an official primary school in the central district of Rize in the 2019-2020 academic year. The Career Development Scale for Children was used to collect the quantitative data of the research, and the students' practice (picture) studies were used to collect the qualitative data. During the data collection phase, the "Career Development Scale for Children" Was applied to the students first, and then "Imagine you are in a time machine. The time machine takes you twenty years into the future. You have grown up, have a job and are working at your workplace. Draw a picture describing your chosen profession" was given the command and they were asked to take a picture describing their professional preferences. The t test was used in the analysis of quantitative data, and the semiotic analysis method was used in the analysis of qualitative data. As a result of the research, it was seen that the perceptions of the children between the ages of 8-10 regarding their career development were not fully developed, they could not gain the ability to shape their professional preferences in line with their own interests, and they did not know themselves enough in terms of their professional profile. In this context, it is recommended that applications that will support the career development of children from an early age be included more in the primary school curriculum and that the inventories used in career counseling applications are adapted to the primary school level. Keywords: Career, Career development, Career development in primary school