The Power of Parental Encouragement: Shaping Career Decisions in Senior Secondary Students from Three States of India

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between parental support and career decision-making among 900 senior secondary students across socio-cultural zones of three states viz. Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. The various dimensions of parental encouragement across different levels were evaluated using a self-structured parental encouragement questionnaire. The data was analysed with the help of SPSS 23 software. The research design is quantitative. The findings indicated that students generally perceived high levels of parental encouragement across various dimensions, though regional variations are evident. Punjab’s Majha and Doaba regions, Haryana’s Ahirwal and Khadar regions, and Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region showed stronger parental encouragement, while Mewat consistently reflected moderate levels. Although no significant gender differences were found at the state level, regional patterns revealed that girls often perceived greater parental encouragement than boys. The study concludes that while parental encouragement is generally high among senior secondary students, notable regional variations exist. Girls tend to perceive greater support than boys, especially in specific cultural zones. The findings highlight that while parental encouragement appears equitable across states, gender-based differences become more prominent at the regional level, often showing girls perceiving greater parental involvement. Schools and state education boards should implement feedback systems to track students’ perceptions of parental support regularly.