A Qualitative Research on Career Story and Career Choice Process of Middle School Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the composition of the career story and the career choice process shown in the career stories of middle school students. 12 middle school students were selected as research participants. And the four in-depth interviews were conducted. The collected data were analyzed using the open coding, axial coding, and selective coding processes based on the grounded theory method of Strauss and Corbin. The results as follows. First, 117 concepts, 28 sub-categories, and 6 big categories were derived from the career story. According to the paradigm model and process analysis, middle school students saw ‘their job as the backbone of their lives’, and the desire to decide on a job that suits themselves was a central phenomenon. And ‘provisional career choice’ could be seen as core category, which is an action and interaction in response to central phenomenon. Second, the career choice process went through the ‘decision-hope stage’, ‘analysis-evaluation stage’, ‘desire stage’, and ‘help & effort stage’. In 1st stage, they hoped to choose the provisional career that suits themselves, in 2nd stage, their abilities and values were subjectively evaluated and analyzed for the possibility, in 3rd stage, their different needs to realize their wishes were expressed by their subjective evaluation, and in 4th stage, external help was requested or self-management and reflective behavior were implemented to solve their needs and desires. Third, the middle school students are in the ‘exploration stage’ as career development theory, but they focused on ‘choice’ rather than ‘search’ in this study. The necessity and appropriate support of constructivist school career counseling were discussed, so that middle school students clarify their life theme and choose the provisional career choice rationally.