Career Adaptability in the 9th Year: Efficacy of an Intervention in Two Consecutive School Years

Abstract

The program Eu Pertenço ao Meu Futuro! (I Belong to My Future!) has evidence of effectiveness in the career adaptability of 9th-year Portuguese students. This study evaluates its effectiveness in two consecutive school years, 2015/16 and 2016/17 - a period with a series of government changes that impacted school educational projects. This study was conducted with 2,376 students (1201 (50.5%) boys; age M = 14.53 years; SD = .836), 1138 of whom were randomized into the experimental group and 816 in the control group. Data were collected by means of the Adaptability Scale, administered in a pre- and posttest with a seven-weeks interval, and treated using the MANOVA. The intervention achieved the expected results regarding confidence and control in 2016/17. The program had different effects in the two school years, reaching more favorable outcomes in the second year, which may be explained by contextual factors and the intervention process.