The Effects of a Self-Understanding-Centered Career Education Program on Self-Esteem, Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy, and Career Maturity in High School Students With Developmental Disabilities

This study aimed to develop and implement a self-understanding-centered career education program and examine its effects on self-esteem, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career maturity of high school students with developmental disabilities. The participants were 10 students enrolled in special education classes at a high school in the Gyeonggi Province, divided into two groups of five based on similar levels. A 15-session intervention was conducted by the researcher using a single-group pre- and posttest design. The dependent variables were measured using standardized instruments for self-esteem, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career maturity. The intervention program was uniquely designed by integrating core components of self-understanding—such as personality traits, emotional awareness, recognition of personal strengths and weaknesses, and self-acceptance—derived from prior research and need analysis. These components were systematically linked to career planning activities related to academic pathways, employment, and community transition. The program was implemented two to three times per week, with each session lasting 50 minutes, and aimed to foster self-directed career design by guiding students to explore their individual characteristics and apply these insights to real-life planning. The results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed statistically significant improvements in all three dependent variables after the intervention. This study is meaningful in that it provides empirical evidence for the educational effectiveness of a career education program centered on self-understanding and offers a practical model for individualized career instruction within special education settings.