Career Preparation of High School Students: A Multi-Country Study

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with career preparation of high school students in four countries: China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The human bioecological theory was used as a framework to examine personal, process, and context factors associated with career preparation of the adolescents. Data were from a cross-national sample of more than 5,000 students in Grades 10 to 12. Results indicate that career planning and planning to attend a university after high school are distinct aspects of career preparation. Whereas process variables including interactions with parents about career planning and thinking about the future are related to the two aspects of career preparation across the four countries, other person and context predictors show country differences.