A factor analysis of career maturity of high school students

Abstract

This research aimed to (1) study the indicators of career maturity factors in high school students and (2) examine the consistency between the career maturity measurement model for high school students and empirical data. The participant consisted of 440 high school students in Bangkok, including those from schools under the Office of the Secondary Education Service Area 1, the Office of the Secondary Education Service Area 2, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and the Office of the Private Education Commission for the academic year 2023. The participant was obtained through multistage sampling. The data collection instrument was a career maturity scale for high school students, using a 5-point Likert scale with 32 items, and the reliability coefficient was 0.95. The statistical method used for data analysis was Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The research findings revealed that the confirmatory factor analysis of career maturity for high school students consists of four factors: Career Planning, Career Exploration, Decision Making, and World of Work Information, and there are 17 indicators of career maturity of high school students The model was found to be consistent with the empirical data, with a chi-square (χ²) value of 354.06 (p-value = .19), Goodness of Fit Index of 0.96, Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index of 0.92, Standard Root Mean Square Residual of 0.02, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation of 0.01. The standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.92 to 0.99, with all factors showing statistical significance at the.05 level. This indicates that the career maturity measurement model can explain the factors of career maturity.