The predictive strength of career decision making difficulties on high school students' career maturity accordi̇ng to their levels of focus of control

The aim of this study is to examine how career maturity levels of high school students predict their career desicion-making difficulties according to their locus of control. In this research, it was investigated that whether there is a relationship between students' total career desicion difficulties level and career maturity, whether vocational maturity predicts career desicion-making difficulties and its subscales, whether vocational maturity predicts career desicion-making difficulties and its subscales in high school students with both internal and external locus of control and whether career desicion-making difficulties of students varies by gender. This research is a descriptive work in relational screening model. The sample consisted of 562 (321 female, 241 male) high school students from 4 different Anatolian High Schools affiliated with the ministry of national education in city center of Adana province. In the study, to measure students' career decision-making difficulties, Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire (KKVGÖ) which was developed by Gati and Saka (2001) and adapted to Turkish by Bacanlı (2008), to measure students' locus of control Rotter's Internal and External Locus of Control Scale (RİDKOÖ) developed by Rotter (1966) and adapted to Turkish by Dağ (1991; 2002) and to measure career maturity of students' Career Maturity Scale developed by Kuzgun and Bacanlı (2005) were used. In this study, it was examined with t-test whether students' average total and subscale scores of career desicion-making scale, average locus of control scores and career maturity scores differentiate in terms of gender. It was benefited from Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient technique to analyze the relationship between the subscales of students' total career desicion-making difficulties scores and career maturity scores, the subscales of total career desicion-making difficulties scores of students with high internal and external locus of control and career maturity scores, pearson product moment correlation technique was used. High in internal and external locus of control, participating students' predictive power of career maturities' career desicion making difficulties scores was analyzed by Regression Analysis. As a result of this research, it was found out that there is a significantly negative correlation between the career maturity and career desicion-making difficulties, a low correlation in negative direction between the career maturity and lack of readiness subscale of career decison-making difficulties and a strong negative correlation between the lack of information and inconsistent information subscales of career desicion-making difficulties. Also it was obtained that there is a moderate level positive correlation between total career desicion-making difficulties score and lack of readiness subscales, strong positive correlation between lack of information and inconsistent information subscales. According to the findings, career maturity predicts career desicion-making difficulties and its subscales. Strong negative correlation between the career maturity scores of students with internal locus of control and career desicion-making difficulties scores, a moderate level negative correlation between the career maturity scores of students with external locus of control and career desicion-making difficulties scores was found. Moreover, it was found that in the students with both internal and external locus of control, subscales of career desicion-making difficulties were predicted by career maturity. According to the results, there is no significant correlation between career desicion-making difficulties and gender. According to subscales of career desicion-making difficulties, in lack of readiness and lack of information subscales female students have higher scores in comparison with the male students. Nonetheless, in inconsistent information subscale male students have higher scores compared to female students. Key Words: High school students, career desicion making difficulty, locus of control, career maturity