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The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867614070424731648 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Bushell, Paul Nicholas |
| author2 | Naidoo, Anthony |
| author_browse | Bushell, Paul Nicholas Naidoo, Anthony |
| author_facet | Naidoo, Anthony Bushell, Paul Nicholas |
| author_sort | Bushell, Paul Nicholas |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135657 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:11.731Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135657 The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents Bushell, Paul Nicholas Naidoo, Anthony Rabie, Stephan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Bushell, P. N. 2026. The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/cf32ff3b-3211-4c6c-a406-016358d7abae Against the backdrop of a dynamic and constantly changing world of work and the legacy of a discriminatory apartheid history, career guidance remains a critical yet underdeveloped component of secondary education in South Africa. Like so many aspects of South African life, effective career development and guidance remains unevenly available to the majority of young South Africans in high school, negatively impacting their career maturity and career self-efficacy beliefs. As part of a larger study within the High School Career Guidance Project of Stellenbosch University’s departments of Psychology and Industrial Psychology, this independent study developed and evaluated a career intervention and toolkit for Grade 11 learners. At Grade 11, learners are expected to make important career decisions that influence their career and study trajectories post-school. The sample for this study was derived from four schools (n= 426 participants) in the Cape Winelands region. A quasi-experimental mixed methods research design was employed, where quantitative and qualitative methods were applied sequentially. Social Cognitive Career Theory provided an appropriate theoretical base for this study as its core premise highlights the importance of considering the unique interplay between individual and contextual factors in career development. This is especially important in South Africa, where socio-economic context has often been overlooked. Given the uneven resourcing of career guidance in South Africa, the study sought to engage with the social justice imperative, where context-sensitive and supportive career development and guidance can be effective in addressing inequality. The primary hypothesis was that this career intervention would improve the career maturity and career decision-making confidence of the participants. The Career Maturity Index- C and the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy - Short Form were used as a pre-, post-intervention, and follow-up outcome assessment measures with an experimental and wait-list control group design, with classes in each of the four schools randomly assigned to the experimental conditions. At the end of the post-intervention assessment, a series of focus group discussions was conducted with a view to obtaining evaluative data from participants to solicit feedback about the content of the toolkit and the intervention process. The results of this study show a significant improvement in career maturity for the experimental group over time. However, the results were less effective on other aspects of career development measured in the study, especially career decision-making self-efficacy beliefs. In line with positive qualitative findings on the experience and value of the intervention and toolkit, the outcomes of this study highlight mixed effects of the intervention on career maturity, and the importance of ongoing research and development for young South Africans. This should include further career development research and interventions which consider ways to improve both career maturity and especially self-efficacy beliefs to address inequality in career guidance practice and resourcing. Doctoral 2026-04-07T09:14:02Z 2026-04-07T09:14:02Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135657 en Stellenbosch University 433 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Bushell, Paul Nicholas The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents |
| title | The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents |
| title_full | The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents |
| title_fullStr | The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents |
| title_short | The development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for South African grade 11 adolescents |
| title_sort | development and evaluation of a career development toolkit for south african grade 11 adolescents |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135657 |
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