Analysis of Freshman University Students’ Perception of Career Support Borich Needs and The Locus for Focus Model: Focusing on Exploring Career Support Measures for the Undeclared Admission System

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the current perceptions and importance of career support among freshman university students and to analyze their needs through a difference test. Through this, the study aims to contribute to the exploration of career support measures for the Undeclared Admission System. Methods To this end, an analysis was conducted on 215 freshmen from four-year comprehensive universities in Seoul and the Chungcheong region. The analysis methods included t-tests, IPA, Borich's needs assessment, and The Locus for Focus Model. Based on this analysis method, the highest-priority items for career support were identified. Results The key findings are as follows: First, the IPA analysis of career support for freshman university students revealed that the factors falling under the ‘reinforcement maintenance area’ category included three items related to information support and one item related to emotional support. However, most students indicated a need for information support. Second, the analysis of the differences between the current perception levels and the importance of career support among freshman university students showed statistically significant differences in all sub-factors and items. It was found that the importance was higher than the current levels of perception. The Borich needs assessment analysis revealed that the highest priority was information support (1.8. providing specific information about exams, interviews, schedules, etc., for preparing for future careers). Additionally, the analysis of the top five priorities showed that emotional support items (‘2.4. helping to manage stress during the career selection process,’ ‘2.6. providing opportunities to openly discuss career issues with parents,’ and ‘2.8. motivating students to pursue further education or employment after graduation’) were also notably significant. Third, according to The Locus for Focus Model, the highest priority area for career support among freshman university students was information support, specifically ‘1.8. providing specific information about exams, interviews, schedules, etc., for preparing for future careers.’ Fourth, these research results can be interpreted as indicating that freshman university students prioritize career support education in alignment with their need for information support, which is directly related to employment. Conclusions The results of this study confirm the importance of information support and aim to suggest directions for improvement through the review and evaluation of existing career support courses and programs. Additionally, this study is significant in providing foundational data for the successful career development of undeclared students who will be increasingly admitted in the future.