Author(s):
Veiga, Feliciano 
; Oliveira, Íris M. ; Taveira, Maria do Céu
Date: 2014
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/10781
Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
Subject(s): Engagement in school; Academic aspirations; Career exploration
Description
This study examined career profiles derived from students’ engagement in school, academic
aspirations and sources of career exploration, as part of a larger research project on the differentiation
and promotion of students’ engagement in school (Pest-OE/CED/UI4107/2011). The sample included
685 students attending sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth grades (Mage = 13.82, SD = 1.92). The students
completed measures of engagement in school, academic aspirations and career exploration. Based
on a non-hierarchal cluster analysis (K-means clustering), three career profiles of students were
identified. The profile disengaged looking for other opportunities included students (n = 135; Mage =
14.6, SD = 2.12) with values lower than the group’s mean score in the agency, affective, cognitive and
behavioural dimensions of engagement in school, in academic aspirations, and higher values than the
group’s mean values in self- and environment exploration. The profile confident students (n = 281;
Mage = 13.45, SD = 1.71) presented values higher than the group’s mean score in the four dimensions
of engagement in school, in academic aspirations and in self- and environment exploration. The profile
slightly disengaged without other options included students (n = 269; Mage = 13.83, SD = 1.90) with
values below the sample’s mean score in the agency and cognitive dimensions of engagement in
school, in academic aspirations and in self- and environment exploration, but with values higher than
the group’s mean score in the affective and behavioural dimensions of engagement in school. This
study supports the idea of a comprehensive approach of career construction, including academic and
career development dimensions and results. Students who are more engaged in school have higher intentions to continue educationally enrolled and are more involved in career exploration. Students who are globally or partially less engaged in school, have lower intentions to continue educationally enrolled but can differ in their involvement in career exploration. Career exploration can be a facilitative condition for different subgroups of students. Longitudinal studies may address the (dis)continuities in school involvement and academic aspirations according to career exploration profiles. Further research covering the students’ assigned importance to engage in school and in career exploration may also enrich this research domain.
