Volume : 12, Issue : 7, JUL 2026

INSTITUTIONAL TYPE AND GENDER AS PREDICTORS OF CAREER DECISION MAKING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BARGARH DISTRICT, ODISHA

UMAKANTA MAHAPATRA, DR. MANJUSHREE BAGH

Abstract

Background: Career decision making is a critical developmental competency for adolescent learners. The capacity to make informed career choices at the secondary school level has lasting implications for an individual's academic pathway, occupational identity, and overall psychological well-being.

Aim: The study aimed to compare the career decision making of secondary school students with reference to gender (boys and girls) and type of institution (government and private) in Bargarh district, Odisha

Methods: The study adopted a descriptive survey method with an ex-post facto research design. A sample of 200 students of Class 10 (100 boys and 100 girls) was selected by random sampling from ten schools five government and five privatein Bargarh municipality. The Career Decision Making Inventory (CDMI; Singh, 1999), an 18-item standardised psychometric tool, was used for data collection. A 2x2 two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied for statistical analysis.

Statistical Techniques: Two-way ANOVA (2x2 factorial design) was employed to examine the main effects of gender and institutional type, as well as their interaction effect, on career decision making scores.

Result: Results revealed no significant difference in career decision making based on gender (F = 0.31; p > .05). However, a highly significant difference was found based on the type of institution (F = 27.07; p < .01), with government school students scoring considerably higher (Mean = 47.65) than private school students (Mean = 40.70). The interaction effect of gender and institution type was negligible (F = 0.03; p > .05).

Conclusion: The study concludes that institutional type is a significant determinant of career decision making among secondary school students in Bargarh district, while gender does not significantly differentiate career decision making ability. The findings underscore the urgent need for structured career counselling programmes in private secondary schools.

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IESRJ

International Educational Scientific Research Journal

E-ISSN: 2455-295X

International Indexed Journal | Multi-Disciplinary Refereed Research Journal

ISSN: 2455-295X

Peer-Reviewed Journal - Equivalent to UGC Approved Journal

Peer-Reviewed Journal

Article No : 2

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