Early career orientation of primary school students: The impact of pedagogical intervention on future teachers and pupils

Abstract The present study developed a training program for prospective teachers in the context of early career orientation of primary school students and evaluated its effectiveness through a pedagogical practicum. To this end, a quasi‐experimental study with a cascading design was conducted in Kazakhstan, involving prospective teachers enrolled in training at the Kazakh National Pedagogical University. A total of 56 students majoring in ‘Primary School Teaching’ completed a 5‐week course focused on enhancing early career guidance for young pupils. The intervention extended to a test group of 238 primary school pupils from School No. 10, the Kyzyljar Secondary School, and the Myrzakyp Dulatov Lyceum in the city of Aktobe. The survey was based on Klimov's typology of occupational domains (‘human–nature’, ‘human–technology’, ‘human–human’, ‘human–symbolic system’ and ‘human–artistic image’). The findings demonstrated a positive impact on both pupils and student teachers. Interest among prospective teachers in acquiring and strengthening competencies related to early career orientation was positive in 86.13% of cases. They highlighted key challenges associated with introducing career guidance practices at an early age, including the lack of individualized approaches and insufficient attention to the topic within teacher training institutions. These concerns corroborated the global trends identified in the theoretical framework. As a result, primary school pupils exhibited greater consistency in their responses on the career orientation questionnaire, aligning with a single occupational type according to Klimov's framework ( p < 0.05), compared with pre‐intervention measurements ( χ 2 = 5.36).