Career support and guidance to school going adolescents by their teachers in a rural block of state Haryana, India: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Teachers regularly come in interaction with adolescents and might have influence on the behavior and thinking, and may determine their future career choices. The present study was conducted to know the realistic situation of perception of adolescents regarding the career guidance from these functionaries in a rural block of State Haryana, India. The study was carried out in the rural field practice area attached to Department of community medicine, Pt BD Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science Rohtak. This was a community based cross sectional study. A total of 320 (80 from each school) adolescents were selected from ninth class onwards by random sampling from four selected schools (two Girls and two Boys Senior Secondary Schools) with strength of more than 250 students. The data were collected on a predesigned, pre-tested, semi-structured schedule by interview technique after obtaining informed consent from the concerned adolescents/ heads of schools. The data so collected were compiled and analyzed using statistical software in the form of percentages and proportions, chi square test, etc. More than half of the study subjects (ie, 52.5%) didn’t receive any career guidance. However, 94.7% of those who received career guidance, were satisfied by the guidance provided by their teachers. There is a need to sensitize Govt schoolteachers to address the career guidance need of the adolescents, particularly those who are in senior classes when they are at the stage of choosing a career stream.