APCD Journal, Vol 1, No 1, Article 2

Title

The Effect of a Career Reading Program on Career Maturity and Work Value of Elementary School Students in Korea

• Mae-Hyang Hwang, Department of Education, Gyeongin National University of Education, Incheon, South Korea
• Hyeon-Woo Choi, Teacher, Wolchon Elementary School, Seoul, South Korea
• Christina Thaier, Counselor Education, University of Missouri – Saint Louis, USA

This study investigated the effect of a career reading program on career maturity and intrinsic work value of 5^th grade elementary school students in Korea. The study classified 5^th graders into experimental (28 students) and control (29 students) groups. Students in the experimental group completed a total of 10 sessions of a career reading program. Control group students received no intervention. The career development inventory and the work value test were administered to all students of the two groups before and after the intervention as the pre-test and post-test. The experimental group showed improvement in post career maturity including general career maturity and the sub-factors of self-awareness and career planning. Further, the experimental group showed improvement in post intrinsic work value including the sub-factors of service, theory, self-expression, and independence. This study concluded that the career reading program had significant effects on improvement of career maturity and intrinsic work value for elementary school students. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.