Occupational preference and evaluation of future self in high school and junior high school students

This study investigated the relationship between occupational preference and evaluation of future self about four areas (intellectual ability, interpersonal ability, athletic ability, and volition). One hundred and seventy-seven seventh-graders, 168 ninth-graders, and 225 eleventh-graders participated in this study. They were divided into one of the five groups (Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) based on the occupational preference. Three-way ANOVA was conducted to examine whether there are different pattern of evaluation of future self among the five groups or not. Results were as follows: (1) Students in the investigative group evaluated their future intellectual ability, interpersonal ability, and volition higher than athletic ability. (2) Students in the artistic group evaluated their interpersonal ability higher than intellectual ability and volition. (3) Students in the social group evaluated interpersonal ability higher than the other three areas. (4) Students in the enterprising group evaluated interpersonal ability higher than intellectual ability. These results showed that there were different pattern of evaluation of future self among the occupational preference groups